A grey Brahman with plenty of pedigree topped the Gold City bull sale at Charters Towers on Friday, with a red Brahman sire prospect from south east Queensland not far behind it.
The sale comes towards the end of a tough cattle selling season but Elders studstock representative Anthony Ball said the average breakdowns - $5520 for the grey Brahmans, $5348 for the red Brahmans, and $5427 overall - was consistent with prior results, which the sale was building.
In 2022, 136 of the 153 bulls sold for a clearance rate of 88 per cent and an overall average of $7904 per head, which itself was an increase of $1055 on the previous year's result.
Elders reported the clearance rate this year as 117 bulls sold from 175 offered, or 67pc.
Some 50 of the 74 grey Brahmans offered were sold, or 68pc, while 67 of 101 red Brahmans, or 65pc were sold.
Scott Angel and Sons at Glengarry S, Kunwarara, had the top price grey Brahman bull in Glengarry S Snap Shot 124, a 21 month poll scurr bull who was bought by M and B Davison of Moondah Station, Prairie, for $21,000 after a bidding tussle with a phone bidder from Western Australia.
The bull weighed 775kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 12 and 8 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 127 square centimetres, and intra-muscular fat of 4.1pc.
Scott Angel said he was handy all round, highlighting his temperament and constitution, and said he had 'old breeding' that put the stud on the map, including the dam's sire being Glengarry Waco, who'd been a Brisbane show bull for the stud in the 1990s.
The stud sold his sire, Glengarry S Polled Playmaker 56 to NK Brahmans recently.
Mr Angel recorded a stud average of $8166 for six bulls on Friday.
The Arafura Cattle Co, based at Normanton and Townsville, outlaid the top price of $18,000 for a red Brahman, Stockman Truman, who was offered by Stockman Red Brahmans at Junction View, south of Gatton.
Arafura's Geoff and Lindy Fry have a Brahman cow base that they cross with Chianina bulls in order to both breed and fatten cattle.
They bought one grey Brahman and three red Brahman bulls on Friday but declined to comment on their purchases.
Stockman's Chris McCarthy said he was pleased to sell to them as repeat buyers, especially as he understood they were after bulls with volume and pedigree.
Stockman Truman, a poll scurr bull, was by NCC Red Odyssey and his dam was Stockman Dienka 414, whose dam, NCC Dienka was also the grandmother of a bull they sold recently at Brahman Week for $50,000.
"We're doing well with NCC genetics," Mr McCarthy said. "The top bull here today ticked all the boxes - cherry red, a poll, clean sheath, good figures."
He weighed 796kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 12 and 9mm, an EMA of 136sq cm, and IMF of 4.4pc.
Gary Haines, Ashita, was the volume buyer at the sale, outlaying the base price of $4000 for 20 bulls, which he'll be putting with 550 Brahman cows at his newly purchased Morcombe Station at Mt Garnet.
Mr Haines has a butcher shop at Malanda and is also chasing Brangus bulls to help him breed a 'butcher's bullock', and said Brahmans had to be the base for everything he did.
There were 73 registered bidders at the sale, 102 registered online, with two active bidders, Dowling Family Trust of Richmond, and AW and ML Venables, operating.
The Dowlings bought nine bulls for an average $4555.
- Selling agents - Elders, Ray White Geaney Kirkwood, simulcast on AutionsPlus
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
