The studs posting world records and $200,000 top prices

A stunning start to the spring bull selling season has pushed prices to $200,000 and set a world record for averages. See our figures and analysis.

A stunning start to the spring bull selling season has pushed prices to $200,000 and set a world records for averages.

In only the second week of major sales, the top figures have been achieved by two leading NSW Angus studs – feats made even more impressive by the surge of extra bulls offered this year.

Millah Murrah at Bathurst sold 128 Angus bulls to average $43,633 and grossed $5.585 million, with the average price setting a new all breeds world record average.

Millah Murrah principal Ross Thomson said bulls sold to all states of Australia, with pre-sale inspections showing “buyers were fired up”.

In the offering, 44 sons of Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 averaged just short of $50,000.

“I think the buyers appreciated they were getting stacked generations of high-end genetics when they inspected the bulls,” Mr Thompson said.

“The maternal background they carry is as good as it gets.

“We were told by some good judges it was the best set of bulls we had put up and while four sold between $100,000 and $160,000, it was the consistency of the whole offering that pushed the average up.”

Milwillah Angus stud at Young, NSW, also hit new highs, achieving record top and average prices for the stud at $200,000 and $30,450 respectively for 112 bulls – up from their $25,726 average for 106 bulls last year.

Last minute entry Milwillah Jaal R138 made the top price and was bought by West Australian-based Arkle Angus stud at Esperance.

“The sales are better that the spring sales last year,” Nutrien Ag Solutions stud stock southeast agent Peter Godbolt said.

“It’s come on the back of a really good season and the producers can start to see the grass growing now and are wanting to put those top-end genetics into their progeny.

“Most people have increased their numbers in their sales this year so it’s a strong result to see those averages with the extra bulls on the market.”

Mr Godbolt said bulls selling well this year were “a bit the same as always – those lower birth weight bulls with good carcass data and great phenotypes”.

“I think we’re continuing on from a very strong autumn selling season,” Elders stud stock agent Ross Milne said at the Banquet Angus sale last week.

“I don’t think there will be a lot of different between our autumn and spring sales,” Mr Milne said.

AuctionsPlus figures have told a similar story with bull numbers up 18 per cent on last year, with 4759 bulls offered on the platform during August averaging $15,623 – up 16 per cent from the same period last year.