Bull sales: Record-breaking heifers and $21,500 top for Table Top

Bulls and females were standouts at sales this week, with record-breaking heifer prices made. See the results for Table Top Angus.

Tim Scott from Table Top Angus with his bulls at their spring sale at Table Top, NSW today. Picture: Fiona Myers

Angus bulls sold to $21,500 and averaged $10,234 at the Table Top Angus sale near Albury today.

Of the offering of 58 bulls, 26 made $10,000 or more, with buying support stretching from Bairnsdale up to Wagga Wagga, underpinned by local loyal support.

It was only the second sale for the southern NSW stud, which had previously only ever offered bulls by private treaty.

The sale topping bull was one of seven bought by Nigel Robards, the manager of Ulladulla Pastoral Company at Holbrook NSW.

Mr Robards said he was looking for low birth weight, high growth rate bulls, with high figures for eye muscle area and intramuscular fat.

The top priced bull, Table Top Angus Fireball S164 had figures of +3.1 birthweight, and its IMF was in the top 2 per cent for the breed, at +4.3. It was sired by GB Fireball 672, was 14 months, and weighed 561 kilograms.

“He was a nice, soft deep heifer bull and while all his figures were good, his IMF was magnificent,” Mr Robards said.

Ulladulla Pastoral Company runs about 1600 breeding females including up to 500 heifers and the bull bought will go into the heifers in the next month.

The operation sells steers into the feedlot trade at 400-450 kilograms live weight.

Table Top Angus principal Tim Scott said the sale results were solid, and given the stud had offered more bulls, was pleased with the average price.

“This is a solid sale where bulls went for realistic prices,” Mr Scott said.

“We continue to focus on bulls with good temperament and great structure, that are vet checked for fertility and a genetic package that meets our clients market demands and expectations.”

“We were just glad to be able to get together to have a sale freely, rather than with the restrictions around Covid.”

Table Top Angus also sold 100 PTIC commercial heifers, which sold to $3150 and averaged $2950.

The sale grossed more than $850,000.

Meanwhile, the heifers outshone the bulls at the Circle 8 Angus sale yesterday, breaking two records for their huge top and average prices at Marulan, NSW.

All 78 females sold to full clearance topping at an impressive $140,000, and setting a new Angus female sale average record of $20,950 – besting the previous average record of $13,709 set by Millah Murrah Angus, Bathurst in 2017 by over $7000.

The top-priced heifer, Circle 8 Rosebud S669, set a new Australian record price for an unjoined heifer and was purchased by Robert Mackenzie of Mackas Angus, Salt Ash, NSW.

Mr Mackenzie said the heifer was a standout for her “near perfect structure” and figures placing her in the top one per cent of the breed with intramuscular (IMF) figure of +5.7.

“We don’t have a budget for quality,” Mr Mackenzie said of their purchase.

“That’s what the heifer was worth on the day and we went there with the intention to purchase her,” Mr Mackenzie said.

“In our eyes she is a super model and they don’t come around very often and we’re all about the one per cent.”

“Females are the lifeblood and the strength of our operation.

Macka’s Angus also hold the Australian record for an Angus bull when they paid $225,000 for Texas Iceman R725 at the Texas Angus sale at Warialda, NSW last year.

The bull portion of the sale topped at $40,000 to average $15,500 for 62 bulls sold to full clearance.

The sale marked the 30th anniversary bull and female sale for Circle 8 Angus.