Blackrock Angus bulls provide profitable option

The MacLeay family’s Blackrock Angus bull sale line up of 74 bulls will combine the important traits of fertility, growth, carcase quality and temperament desirable in any profitable beef herd.

The Blackrock Angus Annual Bull Sale will be held on Thursday, February 16, beginning at 11.30am at the Boyanup saleyards.

All bulls have been parent verified and their Estimated Breeding Value accuracies continue to progressively improve by genomic testing.

Blackrock stud principal Ken MacLeay said this assured buyers the data they were given on sale day was of the highest integrity.

“Blackrock’s breeding aims are to produce bulls with moderate birth weight, good growth and carcase, maintaining the Angus breed’s comparative advantage of fertility and early maturity, combined with good docility,” he said.

“This year’s bulls are a testament to those objectives.”

Mr MacLeay said having an adequate fat coverage was important for autumn calving cows and heifers as it assisted rebreeding in a tough season, especially for the younger cows.

“This has been clearly demonstrated in WA trial work,” he said.

Blackrock feature sires in this year’s sale include:

Rennylea L519

Mr MacLeay said Rennylea L519 was a bull achieving excellent results and had sons achieving top sale values across Australia.

“L519 is a bull with outstanding temperament and structure — he is in the top 2 per cent of the breed for docility, claw set and recorded a low cost anaylsis on the Angus Breeding Index,” he said.

“He has been used in 59 herds with 3799 progeny analysed to date and was a major contributor to the recent spectacular result at Booroomooka where 51 sons, more than twice the number of any other sire, sold in a sale averaging $21,987.”

Musgrave 316 Stunner

Mr MacLeay said Musgrave 316 Stunner was the most sought after blood line in the Blackrock 2022 sale.

“This sire was selected for its moderate birth weight EBV with excellent growth and carcase weight in the top 14 per cent of the breed,” he said.

“His greatest strength is his visual appeal that combines thickness and soundness in an all round package.”

Glenough— JK Makahu M602

Mr MacLeay said Glenough — JK Makahu M622 was an Australian-owned bull with a great set of numbers and with pedigree back to Te Mania Infinity and Tuwharetoa Regent D145, each with more than 7000 progeny registered on the dam side.

“This sire has proven pedigree and his sons display impeccable structure, type and docility — they are long-bodied and free-moving,” he said.

“Makahu ticks all the boxes in the flesh and boasts a balanced data set, being in the top 2 per cent for scrotal size and top 7 per cent for claw set.”

Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15

Mr MacLeay said MIllah Murrah Paratrooper P15 sold for an Australian record price of $160,000 in 2019.

“His first crop of sons went under the hammer in 2021 Millah Murrah sale shattering sale records — 43 sons sold to an average of $46,990 — and Angus Society Indexes rank him in the top 1 per cent and 2 per cent of the breed,” he said.

AuctionsPlus

The Blackrock sale will be interfaced with AuctionPlus and videos of sale bulls will be posted on the AuctionsPlus website.

Temperament

Mr MacLeay said the significance of the temperament trait was highlighted in a recent survey of more than 1200 beef producers across Australia, which found temperament was the most important trait when selecting a bull.

“The temperament of an animal has a big impact on its value within a beef operation and when we talk about temperament, we are talking about the way animals behave when being confined or exposed to usual situations — like being separated from the herd,” he said.

The benefits of a superior temperament in cattle are well understood and include lower production costs, easier cattle to muster and handle and reduced damage to infrastructure.

The Blackrock sale team average in the top 15 per cent of the breed for docility.

Blackrock EBVs including docility, are generated by accurate collection of raw data.

Mr MacLeay said this sometimes difficult task was a key role of the seedstock industry.

“More accurate and complete data collection leads to more accurate EBVs for the benefit of the industry as a whole,” he said.

All Blackrock bulls have been vaccinated for Vibrio, Pestigard, 7in1 and IBR and have passed a semen test.

Full catalogue details are available at Blackrockangus.com.au.

Open Day

An open day will be held on-property at Vasse, February 2, from 10am to 3pm for buyers who want to view bulls before the sale.

BLACKROCK ANGUS STUD

Sale: Thursday, February 16, at Boyanup

On Offer: 74 bulls

Information: 0438 926 363