A $38,000 top price headlined mixed results at the third annual Munda Reds Droughtmaster on-property bull sale at Glencoe, Gingin, WA, on Monday.
The state's largest individual bull sale saw a substantial catalogue of 164 Droughtmaster bulls on offer from Munda Reds principal Mike Thompson and family, stud managers Ben and Olivia Wright and the Munda Reds' team.
The ongoing dry conditions throughout large expanses of the WA's pastoral and grazing regions was always going to take a toll on the sale, but with some generous buyer incentives from sale sponsors to assist buyers through a challenging period, Munda Reds pressed ahead with a significantly increased sale team to give their clients a greater selection of bulls to fill their requirements.
After two and half hours of selling, guest auctioneers Dane Pearce and Trent McKinlay, Nutrien Ag Solutions stud stock, Rockhampton, Queensland, and the Nutrien Livestock WA selling team, had sold 132 of 164 bulls (80 per cent) to gross more than $1 million, at an overall average of $7803.
While more bulls sold this year, values were well down on last year's bolter of a sale with a total clearance of 116 bulls averaging $12,228 overall.
Broken down, 53 of 80 Munda Reds stud bulls (66pc) bred at Glencoe sold at auction for an average of $11,509, albeit down $1961 on last year's average of $13,470 from 84 bulls.
In the commercial line-up, 79 of 84 herd bulls (94pc) bred at Mundabullangana station, Port Hedland, sold under the hammer to average $5316, down $3653 on last year's sale where 32 bulls averaged $8969.
Interest on the overlooked stud bulls was positive for Munda Reds and it was reported at the end of the day, a 91pc clearance rate of the 164 bulls was achieved with stud bulls still averaging a respectable $10,272 after the post sale negotiations.
Nutrien Ag Solutions stud stock auctioneer Trent McKinlay, Rockhampton, said the Munda team presented a very good quality line of bulls which was even and consistent from start to finish.
"They have invested strongly in genetics from leading Queensland studs for many years and you can see the improvement from this investment in the bulls every year," Mr McKinlay said.
"The stud's bulls are just getting better and better.
"Compared to the stud's past two sales the market was back which was no doubt a result of the bad seasonal conditions across most of WA and cattle prices being back on previous years.
"Most of the bulls sold to properties in the northern parts of WA, but like the past couple of years we did see good buying support from Queensland stud and commercial breeders again."
With prospective stud sires found right throughout the sale catalogue, return Munda Reds stud buyer Paul Laycock, High Country Droughtmaster stud, Toogoolawah, found his new stud sire in lot 15 with Munda Holy Smokes 4521 and was prepared to pay the sale's $38,000 top price for its services.
The honey coated double polled bull was sired by a Garthowen Velocity 2 son Munda Eight Ball 19-3551 and was out of a Wajatryn Industry D5 daughter Munda Becky 16-1137.
Tipping the scales at 814kg, Holy Smokes was among the heavier bulls in the catalogue and measured raw data of 91pc morphology, 1.06kg average daily weight gain (ADG), 10mm P8 fat, 8mm rib fat, 119cm2 eye muscle area (EMA) and 5.9pc intramuscular fat (IMF).
Mr Laycock collected a further four bulls at the sale to be used commercially including three consecutive red double polled bulls by another Garthowen Velocity 2 son, Munda Commander 17-1643, costing $7000, $10,000 and $12,000 and later in the sale a PH bull by an Oasis A Hudson son Munda Done Good for a steal at $6000.
Mr Laycock said their top purchase, Holy Smokes, strongly represents the type of Droughtmaster they want to breed and he will be used in their stud breeding program.
"We recently purchased 16 heifers from the National Droughtmaster female sale and the plan is to get some semen out of him before he comes across and AI him to these heifers," he said.
Mr Laycock said while the different breeding season was a challenge and it meant they had to wait an extra 12 months to get calves on the ground, it wasn't all bad and one of the reasons they don't mind purchasing from Munda Reds.
"When they come over they get a good nine months to settle in and adjust to their new environment before going with the cows," he said.
The other four bulls purchased by the Laycocks were selected to use in their commercial breeding herd to breed replacement females.
Another return stud buyer John Atkinson, Glenavon Droughtmaster stud, Yaamba, didn't let the opportunity slip to snare a highly touted sire described by Munda Reds as difficult to let go.
Through the bidding of Kim Goad, Mr Atkinson paid the sale's $31,000 second top price for Munda Hound Dog 22-4978, a powerful soft red PH bull by a Kapalee Game Changer son Munda Django 18-3178.
Out of a Hamadra Gatsby daughter Munda 2370, the mid-May 2022 born bull weighed 788kg with one of the highest ADG in the sale team of 1.37kg along with other raw data of 9mm for both fats, 118cm2 EMA and 5.4pc IMF.
"He is the fifth bull we have purchased from the stud and like coming back to the stud to buy as they breed tough cattle," he said.
International buyer Thapelo Setlalekgosi, 3in1 Agric Consultancy Pty Ltd, Gaborone, Botswana, representing the government of the Republic of Botswana, was losing bidder on the two top-priced bulls, but it didn't stop him from securing three double polled bulls at the sale.
He first paid $11,000 for a 818kg low birthweight and gestation length Lisgar Dallas 14972 son in lot nine and raised the bar paying $14,000 for the following bull, a SC Glencoe 17-5318 son which was the heaviest bull in the sale team at 846kg.
But it was the gem found deep into the sale catalogue in lot 73 where Mr Setlalekgosi raised his sights even further and paid the sale's $19,000 third top price.
The mid-April 2022 born double polled bull was by Glenavon Tornado and out of a Kapalee 15-2544 daughter Munda 2665.
It tipped the scales at 720kg and recorded 1.16kg ADG with scans of 9mm fats, 120cm2 EMA and 5.9pc IMF.
The three bulls form part of a Republic of Botswana government incentive to fast track the growth and production of the country's beef breeding herd through artificially breeding programs using top genetics which has seen Mr Setlalekgosi and his advisory team travelling the state and privately purchasing bulls and heifers from a number of studs earlier this year, including from Munda Reds.
Mr Setlalekgosi said the three new Droughtmaster bulls would be collected and used in purebred Droughtmaster embryo programs, with the embryos and semen offered to farmers at very affordable prices.
"We look for bulls that carry themselves well with a lot of meat," Mr Setlalekgosi said.
"We mustn't forget these are beef bulls and we are looking for something beefy.
"The bulls are not high or short on their legs, they're in between which means their offspring will walk all day in the paddocks in tough conditions.
"And we want the sheath as close to the stomach as possible because we have a lot of thorny vegetation which can cause damage."
Mr Setlalekgosi said Munda Reds hosted Republic of Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi and a number of his ministers in September last year who inspected the Munda Reds cattle and were very impressed with what they saw.
Rob Jowett, Warrawagine Cattle Company, Warrawagine and Wallal stations, Port Hedland, has been a stout supporter of the Munda Reds stud in recent years and this year was no exception.
Mr Jowett amassed a team of 34 stud and commercial Munda bulls spending just shy of $300,000 at an overall average of $8809 to be the sale's most influential buyer.
His haul included 19 stud bulls costing all values from $6000 to a top of $16,000 twice to average $11,053 and 15 commercial bulls averaging $5967.
But it was the lead commercial bull that was perhaps Mr Jowett's most memorable purchase of the day where his winning $18,000 bid secured him the Telethon charity bull for the third consecutive year, where all proceeds are generously donated by the Thompson family to Telethon.
Nutrien Livestock pastoral agent Daniel Wood represented a couple of bigger accounts.
He built a team of 20 commercial bulls at good value for $4500 each on behalf of Glen Gold, Alice Springs and seven commercial bulls costing to $8000 at an average of $6357 for return buyers Davis River Pastoral Partnership, Newman.
Fitzroy Crossing pastorialists Gogo station secured 11 commercial bulls also at value for $4500 each, before setting its sights on the overlooked stud bulls following the sale, adding a further 10 bulls, finishing with a team of 21 bulls.
Other notable accounts were return buyer KD Power Pastoral Pty Ltd, Busselton, finishing with five bulls (including two bulls following the sale) and paying to a $14,000 top price for a 704kg double polled Oasis A Hudson son, along with $12,000 deep into the sale in lot 69 for a 728kg double polled bull by a Kapalee Game Changer son Munda Escapade 19-3566.
Minch Pastoral, Gingin, averaged a healthy $12,333 for a team of three stud bulls, paying to $13,000 twice for sons of Kapalee Ajay 15-2144 and SC Western 17-5243 at the front-end of the sale.
Bonney Downs station, Nullagine (south of Marble Bar), collected seven bulls at the sale at value to average $5071 across the team of two stud and five commercial bulls.
Other interstate accounts were Jumba Holdings, Charters Towers, with six stud bulls averaging $6667 and the Farmer family, SC Droughtmaster stud, Yaamba, who paid $15,000 for a new stud sire Munda Hold My Beer 22-4693.
The 756kg double polled late February 2022 born bull was by their own sire SC Western 17-5243 and out of a Garthowen Velocity 2 daughter Munda 20-4116 with scans of 11mm P8 fat, 10mm rib fat, 118cm2 EMA, 5.4pc IMF and 40cm SC.
