Glenlea Beef Clermont bull sale well supported by repeat and new clients

In a breakdown of the sale, Roderick Binny of Glenlea Charolais, Casino, offered 37 bulls and sold 35 to 13 successful buyers for an average of $6928, down on last year's average of $8771.

The result also represented a clearance rate of 94 per cent.

This was Glenlea Beef's second sale of the year, having sold 35 Charolais bulls at Winton back in July, and part of a strong line up of 300 bulls they plan to sell in 2023.

Glenlea Beef stud principal Roderick Binny said he was very happy with the sale, and attributed the average decline to the current cattle market.

"While this sale didn't set the world on fire in relation to pricing, the pleasing thing about this result is we sold the majority of the bulls to local buyers," Mr Binny said.

"A lot of these buyers have been looking at our bulls in the last couple of years, but they've only jumped in now and one new buyer purchased 11 bulls.

"It feels like this year, we've really started to get some support from the local Clermont breeders and it encourages us to keep turning up with good, high quality bulls and keep keep presenting them into the future.

"I felt it was one of our most consistent draft of well presented and fresh bulls ready to go to work. They're presented to their full genetic potential without being overdone in preparation."

It was the 10-month-old Muscles T630 that sold for the sale high of $11,500 to first time buyers Wayne and his brother Rick Davis of Woonon Grazing, Sarina.

Sired by Challambi Muscles and out of Glenlea Janet, the sire prospect sat in the top five per cent of the Charolais estimated breeding values for milk and early gestation, and top 15pc for 600-day growth, eye muscle area, and fat cover.

He weighed 784 kilograms, measured 127 square centimetres for eye muscle area and had a scrotal size of 39cm.

Brothers Wayne and Rick Davis of Woonon Grazing, Sarina, run a commercial herd of 400 breeders, consiting of mostly Angus, Brahman and Charolais cross cattle, on their 1215 hectare improved coastal block.

Mr Davis said it was their first time venturing to the sale at Clermont, and he said it was Glenlea Beef's strong focus on estimated breeding values, which were a big factor in his top purchase on the day.

"I was on the look out for a bull with low birth weight, medium high growth weight and a bit more carcase, and I thought this bull had all of those," he said.

"While EBVs help in the decision making process, I also look for temperament, phenotype and polled genetics."

Woonon Grazing also paid $8000 for two-year-old homozgous polled sire, DW S28, which they plan to put both sires into a herd of Angus/Brahman cross heifers.

Mr Binny said it was unusual to see a yearling bull attract the top price, but he was an exceptional bull.

"We brought up five yearling bulls to Clermont and they all sold and (Muscles) was the top price not in the yearling section, but also the sale," he said.

"He presented low birth weight and early gestation, along with top growth and carcase, and we feel that we're breeding a lot of bulls that way.

"These bulls are giving breeders a lot of options when thinking about joining heifers and how to get more return out of those heifers on their first calf."

Two bulls also made $11,000, with Glenlea Honorable P80 bought by 7HR Grazing, and Glenlea Kilo Packer S56 secured by the Burnett Group.

It was commercial producers from across central and North Queensland that were willing to pay several thousand dollars to fill their orders.

Local support was also evident on the day, with another first time buyer of Glenlea Beef genetics, Steve Burnett of Burnett Group, Monteagle, Clermont, successfully bidding on eight bulls for a $7500 average.

They went head-to-head with 7HR Grazing, Binkar, Pentland, who secured four bulls at an average of $5750.

The sale was conducted by Kennedy Livestock, Elders Studstock, Nutrien Ag Solutions, with auctioneer Mark Scholes of Elders Studstock taking bids on the day.

The sale was also interfaced with AuctionsPlus, with two bull sold on the online platform for an average of $6000.