Waroona Murray Greys tops at $5500 for bulls, $4100 females

MONTEREY SALE TOPS $12,000

By Kane Chatfield

THIS year’s buoyant run of winter bull sales continued at Monterey stud’s winter fixture at Brunswick last week, with an eventual total clearance and muchimproved values some of the sale highlights.

The Buller family and the Monterey team, Karridale and Scott River, penned a top catalogue of Angus and Murray Grey bulls which attracted strong buying support from the South West and throughout WA, stretching from Esperance to Kalgoorlie to Port Hedland, along with some interstate interest.

The sale was also interfaced on AuctionsPlus.

The team of 49 well-grown and performed sires reflected the Monterey brand with plenty of comments heard before the sale praising the line-up of bulls.

Monterey’s winter bull sale marks the final bull sale for 2020 and with the traditional joining period fast approaching or already underway, the sale provides an ideal opportunity to fill sire requirements and replace any late injured bulls.

At the end of selling, the Elders and Nutrien Livestock selling teams led by auctioneers Nathan King and James Culleton respectively, cleared 46 Angus and Murray Grey bulls (94 per cent) at auction to average $6370.

This marked a significant $1162 lift in the overall average and clearance compared to last year’s sale. The breed break down saw 26 of 28 Angus bulls (93pc) sell at auction to average $6212, up by $928 from last year’ sale.

But it was their grey-coated stablemates which retook the sale’s average stakes with 20 of the 21 Murray Grey bulls selling under the hammer to average $6575, a rise of $1486 in average from last year.

The three bulls overlooked at auction were soon snapped up following the sale to complete a total clearance of the sale team and cap off a successful day for the Monterey team.

The sale’s $12,000 top price tag was paid by consistent buyer of numbers at the top-end of the market Mark Forrester, Kanandah station, Kalgoorlie, for one of three bulls secured at the sale.

Mr Forrester’s top bid was reserved for the first bull offered to commence the sale’s second run of Murray Greys Monterey Prophet P58, an outstanding silver son of Ayr Park Honda H57 and a Monterey Majestic Boy daughter Monterey Annabelle E225.

The mid-April 2018 born bull rocked the scales to 972kg with other raw data of 6.2 frame score (FS), 42cm scrotal circumference (SC) and 112cm2 eye muscle area (EMA).

Prophet also performed strongly with its BreedPlan figures ranking in the top 10pc of the breed for 200 and 400-day growth and carcase weight (CWT), top 10 to 15pc 600-day weight, retail beef yield (RBY) and all index values.

Mr Forrester earlier paid $8000 for a high growth and indexing bull, a late March 2018-drop Monterey Limelight L57 son ranging from top one to 20pc for all index values, top 5pc milk and top 5-15pc for all growth intervals.

Pearce Watling, Elders Donnybrook, bidding via phone for the Buick family, Arki Murray Grey stud, Western Flat, South Australia, paid the sale’s $10,500 second top Murray Grey bull price for the second bull to enter the sale ring, Monterey Pharaoh P28.

The grey 870kg early April 2018 born son of Monterey Lord Mayor and a Lindsay Windsor daughter scanned 6.7 FS, 38cm SC and 116cm2 EMA and was equally admired by the Buller family and offered three quarter share and procession. was Bill Kingston, Westcoast Livestock Albany, representing P & SA Tomlinson, Napier, who paid to $10,000 for their two silver bulls.

Their top bid was directed to the youngest bull in the catalogue, an end of November 2018 born son of Monterey Hudson H296.

The young 670kg and 6 FS bull ranked in the breed’s top 5pc for milk, top 10-15pc for 400 and 600-day weights and top 15-20pc for 200-day weight.

Earlier in the sale the Tomlinsons paid $8000 for a 930kg Monterey Hamersley son, also with a strong spread of performance data.

The most prominent buyer of Murray Grey bulls was Nutrien Livestock pastoral representative Roger Leeds who racked up an account of five bulls at auction paying from $5000 to $6500 and one following the sale with the team of bulls heading to their new home of Bettini Beef, De Grey station, Port Hedland.

Paul Mahony, Nutrien Livestock stud and commercial cattle manager, took a $7000 bid for AuctionsPlus for a silver 934kg Ayr Park Honda son born early June 2018 with exceptionally strong BreedPlan performance across all traits and indexes. He remarked after the sale that it was a remarkably commercially focussed sale catalogue attracting widespread commercial interest across the State.