Coonamble fetches $27,500 paid for mighty Angus bull

A Coonamble Angus bull soared to a whopping $27,500 top price at the Davis family’s annual on-farm auction last week, lifting the average sale price to almost $10,000 at this year’s sale.

Eighty-three bulls were offered through Landmark, with 81 sold for an average price of $9414, at the auction last Tuesday at Bremer Bay.

It marked a $1700-a-head increase on last year, after 103 bulls sold for an average price of $7714.

Influential US sire Sitz Investment 660Z created a lot of interest, resulting in 19 sons offered and sold to an average price of $14,395.

Lots one and two were Sitz 660Z sons that sold for $23,000 each, while lot 31, also a 660Z son, made the day’s top money — all three bulls were secured by different buyers, from the registered list of 60 bidders.

Wilga-based commercial beef producers Richard and Robyn Walker secured the sale-topper, Coonamble Investment P20, a 23-month-old Sitz 660Z son which was out of the Coonamble cow K283.

Coonamble stud co-principal Craig Davis said Sitz 660Z was selected for stud duties because it was highly regarded as one of the sounder bulls bred in the US, with good growth spread and below-average birth weight.

“It was a combination of the strong cow families and an outcross sire with a very good number set like Sitz Investment that created such interest in his progeny,” he said.

“We’d like to congratulate the Walker family on their purchase of the top-price bull, P20, an Investment son.”

“We have retained full and half flush brothers of P20 for stud use.”

Mr Davis said if the season became favourable, Coonamble would have an increased offering next year to cater for demand.

Mr Walker said he secured his first two Coonamble bulls last year, but had applied the stud’s genetics previously into his 400-cow herd through an AI program.

“We selected P20 mostly on its visual merits, but also on its outstanding pedigree,” he said.

The 728kg bull recorded Estimated Breeding Values of +52, +102 and +131 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights while having a low +3 birthweight.

The underbidder on the sale-topper was the Kupsch family, of Black Tara stud at Allanooka.

Black Tara stud co-principal Brad Kupsch said the bull represented outcross genetics and was a good type with figures to match.

The Bairstow family, of Arizona Farms at Lake Grace, secured the $23,000 equal-second top-price bull, Coonamble Investment P78, and also bought three other Sitz 660Z-sired sons for a total average price of $17,750/head.

Luke Bairstow said the dry season had placed Arizona Farms’ cows at a leased Pinjarra farm, and he was looking forward to introducing 1500 new season’s matings to fresh blood via Sitz’s-sired bulls.

Bidding by phone from New South Wales, Ben Mayne, of Texas Angus stud, at Warialda, secured the $23,000 equal-second top-price bull, Coonamble Investment P58.

Buying on behalf of Mr Mayne, Andrew Kuss, of Allegria Park stud, at Esperance, said the bull represented stud potential with its great head and structure profile.

Mr Mayne, a repeat buyer at Coonamble, said P58 had a strong maternal line back to Coonamble matron A61.

Hopetoun producer Paul Foulds returned for his 15th year and secured five different sired bulls for an average price of $10,100, to a top of $13,000 for a 17-month-old Sitz 660Z son.

“I was selecting for two low-birthweight heifer bulls and three cow bulls with structure plus calving ease for our 500 Angus female herd,” he said.

Mr Foulds’ selections also included sons by Coonamble sires including Hector, Keeper, Kevin and Leader.

Manypeaks producer Jarrod Carroll secured four bulls to a top of $12,000 and average of $9000. “I selected for good growth for our herd of 800 Angus cows,” he said.

Landmark southern livestock manager Bob Pumphrey said the bulls were even through the catalogue and the magnificent sale result was a credit to the Davis family.

“The offering of new genetics brought excellent demand in a cattle market that is strong and continuing to strengthen,” he said.