MARKEDLY improved clearance and values sealed a successful result at the fourth annual Sheron Farm Angus on-property bull and heifer sale at Benger.

The big stride forward for the young stud was on the back of return clients joining a string of new buyers at the sale, from as far south to Albany, south east to Ravensthorpe and north to Gingin with a strong local South West presence, generating added competition throughout the catalogue from the 46 registered buyers.

And with plenty of interested onlookers, industry representatives and family, there was a big crowd in attendance who enjoyed Sheron Farm’s delicious lunch and filled the stands of the operation’s spectacular selling facility with panoramic views from the heights of the Darling Scarp.

The emerging Sheron Farm stud presented a strong line-up of 26 grassfed rising two-year-old Angus bulls and 30 unmated 2020-drop commercial Angus heifers, bred with leading international, Australian and homebred Angus sires.

The sale was also sequentially interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 979 catalogue views seeing 17 registered bidders logged in locally and from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, with a further 14 guest viewers watching the sale.

At the completion of selling, the Nutrien Livestock selling team, led by auctioneer Chris Waddingham with strong representation from the Nutrien Livestock network, sold all bar one bull at auction to average $7140 with the overlooked bull quickly snapped up after the sale, while the three lines of 10 heifers all sold to record a $2350 average.

 

Averages and clearance were well up with the bulls recording a healthy $2723 jump in average compared to last year where 15 of 28 bulls (54pc) sold at auction to average $4417, while the heifers were up $1030 on last year’s average where 25 heifers sold for an average of $1320.

Values reached a new sale high of $11,500 for lot 14 containing Sheron Farm Quix Q123 which was purchased by Bernard and Di Hockings, Brunswick.

The late March 2019-born bull was a son of Sheron Farm K39 (by Te Mania Foe F734) and out of a Aryvale General G18 daughter Sheron Farm K58.

The low birthweight, fertile and easing calving bull ranked in the top 10pc of the breed for birthweight, top 22pc calving ease dir (CEDIR), top 8pc scrotal (SC), top 20pc days to calving (DTC), top 3-5pc for both fats and top 16pc eye muscle area (EMA).

The Hockings run a Angus and Murray Grey breeding herd that calve from January to March and were first time buyers at Sheron Farm.

“We were looking for a herd improver bull along with being suitable to join heifers,” Bernard Hockings said.

“This bull ticks the boxes and our livestock agent Ralph Mosca inspected him and agreed.”

The $9500 second top price was paid by Cam Petricevich, S & C Livestock, on behalf of a Moora client for Sheron Farm Quincee Q72.

Catalogued in lot seven, the February 21-born bull was by Coonamble Hector H249 and out of a Te Mania Infinity 04 379 daughter and displayed a solid spread of performance figures for a low birthweight bull (top 8pc) including top 19pc feed efficiency (NFI-F), top 22pc gestation length (GL), top 33pc CEDIR, top 9pc docility, top 22-27pc fats, top 25pc EMA, top 28pc retail beef yield (RBY) and top 31pc carcase weight (CW).

The next highest price of $8500 was paid on a few occasions.

First up was Dean Taaffe, Nutrien Livestock, Donnybrook, assisting MJ & GM Aldridge, Greenbushes, for a mid-March born high growth son of LD Capitalist 316 and a Milwillah Gatsby G279 daughter that ranked in the breed’s top 4pc for CW, top 5pc 600-day weight (DW) and mature cow weight (MCW), top 9-13pc for 200 and 400-DW, top 24pc IMF, top 29pc NFI-F and top 28-29pc for heavy grain and grass indexes.

Another high growth bull in lot nine was knocked down for $8500 to an AuctionsPlus buyer.

The early March born son of VAR Forman 3339 and a Diamond Tree Bartel J47 daughter ranked in the breed’s top 2-3pc for all weight intervals, top 1pc MCW, top 3pc GL and CW, top 2pc RBY, top 11pc RBY and top 8-14pc for all selection indexes.

After buying all the heifers and a few bulls at last year’s sale to stock a new property at Yarloop, Stickney & Sons returned this year and finished the sale with four bulls costing from $6000 to $7000.

 

D Manning Family Trust, Serpentine, was the only other multiple bull buyer with two bulls costing $7500 for a VAR Foreman 3339 son and the sale’s next highest price of $8000 for Quavon Q81 in lot 12.

Quavon was a below-average birthweight (top 34pc), strong growth and easy calving son of LD Capitalist 316 and a Diamond Tree Hoover Dam J155 daughter with figures in the top 7-13pc for both calving ease traits, top 16-25pc for all weight intervals, top 17pc CW and top 16pc NFI-F.

Other buyers to outlay $8000 for their selections were Vasse producers BJ & RJ Feutrill assisted by Jock Embry, Nutrien Livestock, Margaret River and RD McKay, North Yunderup, for sons of Millah Murrah Klooney K42 and RA & A Maiolo, Narrogin, for a son of Sheron Farm K75 (by Aryvale General G18).

The sale finished with the quality draft of 30 Angus yearling heifers offered in three lines of 10 which were vet checked unjoined and suitable for breeding.

The opening draft sold for the $2500 top price to the Chidlow family, Sunnyvale Farm, Harvey, through farm manager Rob Italiano.

Mr Italiano said the heifers were purchased to build numbers in the operation’s commercial Angus herd and will be joined to an Angus bull from June 1 for a March to April calving.

“Quality heifers, beautifully bred with quiet temperament,” Mr Italiano said.

Fellow Harvey graziers Roesner Pty Ltd collected the following two pens of heifers costing $2350 and $2200.