National Braford Sale 2023 first time bull vendors average $11,333

The Marks put up lots 61, 62 and 63 at last week's sale.

The first to face bidders was lot 61, Winvic Sovereign HP SO27, which went to ACM Grazing, Richmond, for $10,000.

The 22-month-old scurred bull was sired by Binara Legacy L010 out of Carinya 3052. He weighed 792kg and had a EMA of 135 sq cm and a scrotal circumference of 41 cm. His P8 fat and rib fat was 9 mm and 7 mm respectively.

Lots 62 was snapped up by Paringa Gold, Clermont, for $14,000 while lot 63 was purchased by Eureka Grazing Co, Alpha , for $10,000.

Lot 62 was Winvic Squadron PP SO24. The polled 22-month-old bull weighed in at 720kg. He was sired by Binara Legacy L010 out of Little Valley Dorothy Ann 3081. His scrotal circumference is 39 cm while his EMA's 128 sq cm. His P8 and rib fat are 8 mm and 6 mm respectively.

Lot 63 was Winvic Solomon HP S019 whose sire is Binara Pin Point P006 and his dam is Baroma Downs Sannah 576. The 23-month old polled bull weighed 806 kg and had an EMA of 138 sq cm. His scrotal circumference is 39 cm, while his P8 and rib fat are 11 mm and 8 mmrespectively..

Mrs Marks said she and her husband sold some heifers at the National Braford Sale last year to test the waters which gave them the confidence to come back with three B classified bulls this year.

She said the B classification system allowed breeders to bring back the parent breed.

"So (you can use) any Brahman which must be registered or registered Herefords and you cross it back to a registered Braford animal," she said.

"That resulting progeny can then be put up as a B classification so our bulls were all out of registered Braford females by registered poll Hereford bulls."

Mrs Marks said she thought the sale of their three bulls went extremely well.

"It was a fantastic average and it's given me great confidence that they've all gone into terrific commercial herds in the north (of Australia) which is absolutely our target market," she said.

"These excess bulls that we are breeding, we want them to go into other commercial operations."

Mrs Marks said she hoped to be back next year with more of their stud's genetics.

"The females that these bulls were out of were all purchased females so it was actually our genetic program that we were selling," she said.

"The poll Herefords we bought in to cross back in to our Brafords were because we really target that premium market, the MSA flatback market. We're also trying to turn them off at a younger age and into those high value markets."

The Marks have a commercial operation of 1200 breeders, with 120 in their stud herd.

"We are big on performance data so these bulls were sold with GBVs and EBVs for genomic breeding values and estimated breeding values generated from Breedplan," she said.

"They were (also) fully morphology tested and vaccinated to immune ready guidelines."

Mrs Marks said they were doing a lot of performance recording of their females where the elite animals were being used as donors in IVF programs.

"We are putting them back to red Brahman and Hereford and we're measuring the progeny," she said.

"I think our buyers took confidence in the figures that they were presented with (from us at the sale)."

Mrs Mark said she liked to think buyers could judge an animal on both its looks and performance statistics.

"You still want something that you'd be proud to have in the paddock, but you want to make sure that they have fertility, number one, and you have to have carcase, number two - you've got to have that balance right," she said.

"In an ideal world that would be the perfect animal to look at as well and I feel we've gone pretty close for both."

As to what Mrs Marks looks for in a bull, she said: "I like a tropical skin, I like big goggles, a beautiful temperament and (good) weight for age. They also have to have good feet and a tidy sheath."