Handsome top price for Yallaroo

The positive aspect of this year's Supreme Bull Sale at Brunswick was the average - up $509 on last year. But the clearance left a little to be desired, with 56 bulls sold under the hammer of the 89 offered.

Nevertheless, it was a grand day for Rob and Heather Francis' Hereford stud Yallaroo, with their bull Yallaroo Handsome H15 fetching the sale's top price of $14,000.

It was always going to be a good outcome when the bidding started at $10,000 on the deep bull.

His weight was one of the heaviest yarded at the WALSA and Farm Weekly Supreme Bull Sale.

It was 1035kg, a great weight for a bull that is not aged two years until April. At the $14,000 fall of hammer, applause broke out in the sale venue, the Alan Evans cattle selling complex.

The buyer was Eddie Wedge, of Gingin, who has bought Yallaroo's top-priced bulls for five out of the past six years, stud principal Rob Francis said.

Handsome, with his great top-line, was sired by Mawarra Vice Admiral and out of Yallaroo Lass E10. The bull's EMA measurement was 125, the highest of the six bulls offered by Yallaroo.

With the top price and other good prices for their bulls, it was not surprising that Yallaroo's $6150 average was the best at the sale.

Matt Della Gola, of Northcliffe, was the under bidder on the $14000 top-priced Yallaroo Hereford, which sold to repeat buyer ED Wedge, of Gingin. Mr Della Gola is a regular buyer of the Francis' Yallaroo Herefords and secured two at a price of $6000 and $3500.

"You have to respect the fertility, do-ability and docility of the breed, and how easy these beef animals can finish so well in the feedlot or on grass," he said.

The Della Golas run a pure 150 Hereford self-replacing cow herd.

In the Hereford offering, Greenland offered and sold two bulls at $3500, while Copplestone offered and sold four to a $5000 top (twice). Greenland averaged $3500 and Copplestone $4250.

Simmental

Simmental bulls were first to be offered with Bullock Hills topping this section for Bullock Hills Hammer (Poll) and bought by JT O'Byrne of Dunsborough.

The Pattersons offered 14 bulls with 13 sold to average $4942

The Weightmans' two top weight bulls sold to a $5500 top price and averaged $4250.

Commercial producers Peter and Odette Morley, of Wakefield in Molong, New South Wales, were first-time buyers at the sale, securing six Bullock Hills Simmental bulls for an average price of $4500.

The Morleys run 900 cows, predominately Simmental with a Hereford base.

"We were selecting for good temperament poll bulls with good milk EBVs to breed replacement females and vealer calves," Mr Morley said.

"WA Simmentals have a good reputation over east, so we decided to make this year our first bull-buying visit.

"With recent rains back home, the steer market has recovered from the low live weight of $1.60 and now selling around $2."

Angus

Carenda topped at $6000 in the Angus offering. This was for Carenda Dreamer H20 and bought by Depiazzi Agricultural Company of Dardanup.

The average for five bulls sold by Carenda was $4750.

Rob and Tom Depinzzi, of Dardanup, bought the $6000 Carenda top-price Angus bull, Carenda Dreamer H20.

"We liked the bull for his good temperament and growth figures," Rob said. "It represents an outcross sire to our 350 cow herd."

The bull was sired by Vermont Dreamline E485 and had EBVs of +54, +96 and +121, for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, respectively.

Red Angus

Cranston & Sons' Kingslane stud was the sole Red Angus vendor, with Kingslane Harvard H56 fetching the top price of $3250. He was sired by the Perth Royal Show interbreed champion, Bandeeka Drifter and was bought by IG Muir.

The average for the two Kingslane bulls sold was $3125.

Charolais

The top price in the Charolais was $7000 and paid for Andrew Cunningham's Blaweary Horatio.

The long 936kg bull with his 44cm scrotal measurement was the last of two Blaweary bulls to be sold, as the stud itself has been sold, auctioneer Don Morgan said.

Blaweary's average for the two bulls was $5875.

The Miltons' 13 Copplestone bulls sold to a $6500 top twice to a $4500 average, while the Giglias' single Sinagra offering fetched $5000.

Repeat buyers Kim and Kerrie Dunnet, of Nannup, bought the $7000 top-price Blaweary Charolais bull, Blaweary Horatio.

The couple run 700 Angus/Hereford/Friesian cross cows and will use the bull as a terminal sire to breed baby beef.

"We've been buying Blaweary bulls for some 20 years and select on early maturity and temperament," Kim said.

The bull was sired by Blaweary Baroque and out of the stud's Butterscotch cow.

Murray Grey

The two bulls of first-time vendor Harrison Thompson, of Mighty Murray Greys, fetched $4500 and $4250, with the top-price Mighty Herbert bought by Wingarup Grazing, of Boyup Brook.

Herbert was the supreme Murray Grey exhibit at last year's Perth Royal Show.

Blonde d'Aquitaine

Tom and Lilly Garbelini's Belini Harry gained the $6750 top price for this breed, with Pardee Grazing of Kendenup the buyer.

The muscly Harry was sired by the French bull Onyx, an easy-calving sire. For the three Belini bulls sold, the average was $4250.

The first Blonde offered was Uranongo Hamma, presented by Ann and Graeme Harris, their single offering.

The long 798kg Hamma was bought by Coonara WA.

Brian Schneider's Corolin Genghis fetched $3000.

Norelle Bunker, of Pardee Blondes, Kendenup, paid the $6750 top price in the Blonde d'Aquitaine catalogue for Belini Harry, offered by the Garbelinis.

"I selected for an easy calving bull that is well put together, very sound and represents outcross genetics," Ms Bunker said.

Elders auctioneer Don Morgan said the clearance was a bit disappointing, but the Simmentals and Herefords sold well.

"In the European breeds, polls sold a lot stronger and the heavier-muscled Euros were harder to sell," he said. "The cattle were presented well and those with softness and muscle sold well."

Landmark auctioneer John Wirth said the average was up on 2013. "This was brought about by the better quality bulls - the top-end bulls sold well, with the lesser bulls harder to quit," he said.

"With more confidence in the cattle market, breeders were looking for better bulls."