New buyers step into stud market as demand for Angus beef grows
Banquet Angus has achieved a total clearance of 32 bulls and $6000 higher average price as new buyers flock to the Mortlake stud's spring sale.
New buyers have flocked to Banquet Angus this spring, as buyer confidence and a “demand for Angus beef” leads to a $6000 jump in the stud’s average price.
The Branson family’s Banquet Angus sale at Mortlake on Friday had a total clearance of 32 bulls to a top price of $32,000 and an average of $18,343.
Banquet Angus stud principal Hamish Branson said the sale went “very well” with most buyers taking home one or two bulls each. The largest volume buyer secured four bulls and was a new client to the stud.
“There are new clients coming through and trialling our genetics, who have been watching through clients’ calves at weaner and store sales,” he said.
“They stepped in and bought top-end bulls, and our regular longstanding clients stepped in and bought great bulls again.”
Hamish said bulls went to NSW, South Australia and across Victoria, with Queensland bidders supporting the sale as well. He said they had maintained the stud philosophy of structure, docility, longevity with weight and maternal attributes.
“We focus very strongly on our cow herd, a lot of bulls were produced by embryo transfer so we’re multiplying our top females and having a bigger impact from them which the top-priced bull was an embryo calf,” he said.
South Australian producer Springhills Angus bought the top-priced bull, Banquet Verdict V004. The 19-month-old bull was sired by, Banquet Sahara S228, and out of, Anvil Vitality D019, with TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation figures of +117 for 600-day weight and +4.4 for eye muscle area.
Hamish said they retained semen from the top-priced bull.
“He was very unique in his phenotypes, he was a big strong-headed bull with a lot of bone, width, capacity and thickness,” he said.
“Cattle have been selling very well when the season has been less than ideal, it hasn’t gone in our favour, and the demand has still been there for good cattle at very good prices which has built the confidence coming into spring.
“We’re now going into a better season and there’ll still be demand for Angus beef.”
Returning buyers Peter Ryan and Gerard Ryan bought another top bull, Banquet Vertex V023, for $30,000. They bought the stud’s top-priced bull at its 2024 spring sale, which had a total clearance of 31 bulls with a top price of $26,000, and an average of $12,645.
Meanwhile, Milwillah Angus at Young, NSW, had a total clearance of 128 bulls at its sale to $180,000 with an average of $18,828.
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