A STAND out sale was witnessed Thursday afternoon at The Basin Sale Complex, Willalooka, for Bull Oak Well's eleventh annual sale.

 

Selling 46 of 55 Angus bulls offered, to a top of $36,000 when lot 5 was knocked down to repeat buyer Lake Ellen Pastoral, Tintinara, and an average of $12,086 - smashing last years average by $625 with an increased offering.

 

The sought-after Bull Oak Well BeastMode R11 SV, sired by Baldridge Beast Mode B074, had estimated breeding values of +2.9 for birthweight, a 200-day weight of +64, 400-day weight of +115, 600-day weight of +140 and +10 for docility. It also had +8.9 for eye muscle area and -0.2 for rib fat.

Stud principal Heath Nickolls said he had full confidence in the top-price bull.

"Its pedigree is superb - the cows behind it are magnificent," he said.

"Its data is as balanced and as good as you'll find on a bull.

"It was a balanced bull with calving ease but still with growth and enough shape and muscle about it to use it over cows as well.

"I had full confidence in closing lot 5 to multiple people in the industry because I believe it has a lot to offer."

He was very pleased with the result from the sale.

"It was good, we had a new top price which went to repeat and loyal buyer Lake Ellen Pastoral who shop at the top end of the sale every year," he said.

"We had a really healthy average.

"The sale was strong but the best thing about it was everyone had an opportunity to buy a bull today and there were some high prices but I think there was some value buying."

 

Mr Nickolls said he was looking forward to what was on the cards for the stud in the next 12-months.

"We are starting to wean bull calves now and we have got some calves by a couple new bulls in Murdeduke Quarterback and the $140,000 bull Dunoon Prime Minister with the oldest calves on the ground in Australia by both of those sire groups," he said.

"We believe they are going to be at the forefront of the seed stock Angus business.

"We are quite confident they are going to be bulls people are going to chase in 2023."

 

Lake Ellen Pastoral farm manager Jonathan Pietzsch said the top price bull he purchased was an easy calving bull with a great spread of figures.

"It has a good IMF, good EMA, terrific growth from a low birth weight starting point," he said.

"We breed our own bulls and this is an outcross for us as we don't have any beast mode.

"It's bringing new genetics in with a great spread of figures."

He said they will be taking semen from him to put over about 100 of their AI commercial Angus heifers.

"Our commercial AI program is about 400 a year, some for bull breeding and some for commercial," he said.

"We really like what Heath does and the country he runs his bulls on is very similar to ours so we never have to worry about feed - what we see at sale day is what we get.

"We enjoy working with him."

 

The volume buyers at the sale included Kyeema, Marcollat, who took home six to a top of $18,000 and average of $12,000, while P&K Bryson, Padthaway secured five of the Bull Oak Well offering to a top of $8000 twice and an average of $7200.

 

Spence Dix & Co director Jono Spence said the top bull was by a very popular sire in Beastmode.

"It was one of the most out standing bulls of the week that I saw - I didn't see every angus stud but I saw a number of Angus bulls - and he was certainly in amongst the top very few bulls," he said.

"It had exceptional data and a very complete, well balanced, sound bull.

"We saw bulls go from Mount Gambier out to Pinnaroo - a lot of bulls stayed around Willalooka, Tintinara, Naracoorte and Coonalpyn.

"Most of the buyers here were repeat buyers - they get a taste of these cattle and really like them.

"They are renown for their doing ability and they last and that's why people keep coming back."

He said the volume buyers on the day were local and repeat buyers and described the sale as "fair to all concerned".

"Everyone got an opportunity today," he said.

"We did pass a few bulls in later in the catalogue but that means everyone has had an opportunity.

"The cattle presented very well and the result on the top end of the catalogue was excellent."

 

The sale was conducted by Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen and Spence Dix & Co, with Spence Dix & Co director Jono Spence the auctioneer.

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