Willandra Simmental bull tops at $49,000 as buyers seek Euro breed’s ‘multi-faceted’ influence

A Willandra Simmental bull set a new stud record top price of $49,000 at the Cowcher family’s Willandra Simmental and Red Angus 35th annual on-property bull sale in Williams after capturing the interest of one of Australia’s most prominent Simmental seedstock producers. The sale on February 21, which was conducted by Nutrien Livestock and interfaced with AuctionsPlus, offered 41 Simmental bulls, with 32 sold for an average price of $8859/head. All 21 Red Angus bulls sold to a new stud record top price of $17,500 and stud record average price of $10,952/head, while a first offering of four Black Angus bulls averaged $6000. Bidding by phone, Woonallee Simmentals stud director Tom Baker, of Millicent in South Australia, secured the sale topper, Willandra Sebastian (PP), recognising its outlook as “good of the breed”. Mr Baker, who sells about 300 bulls every year, said the 20-month-old youngster was a “complete bull”, offered “performance” and was “multi-faceted”, plus was homozygous polled. “It was one of the most expensive bulls we have purchased from WA, but along with that, the Cowcher family are great people to work with and they are running a brilliant stud program,” he said. “We source genetics locally and overseas to handle the diverse range of environments in Australia and the Simmental breed, which we have been involved with for 50 years, is well suited for this role.” Willandra stud co-principal Charles Cowcher said Willandra Sebastian was one of the better moderate types to have been bred at his family’s stud, which was established in 1972. The 2021 June drop bull was sired by Topweight Ned Kelly and out of top-drop dam Willandra Olive N88. Sebastian recorded in the top 5 per cent for both 200-day weight (+32) and carcase weight (+36) and was in the top 1 per cent for milk (+17). The Cowchers regard Sebastian’s prospects so highly they have retained semen shares. Overall, the Simmentals were back in averages, down $1491/head on last year when 40 bulls sold for a stud record average price of $10,150. Charles said the sale offered “value” on the quality put up for sale. “This year was exceptional for our best Red Angus offering,” he said. The line-up of 21 Red Angus bulls all found terrific support, reaching a new stud record top, while the average price was up $1057/head on last year when 19 bulls were offered and sold for $9895/head. Red Angus $17,500 sale topper, Willandra Seth, sold to repeat buyer Angus Llewellyn of the Jillangolo Red Angus stud in Keith, South Australia. Mr Llewellyn said the bull had “great volume” and would “lift the growth” of his 150-stud breeding herd. “We will put him over some stud cows,” he said. Willandra Seth was sired by Jutland Nino N18 and was out of Willandra Red Betty L17 and ranked in the top 5 per cent for growth figures, including +41, +71 for 200 and 400-day weights, and in the top 1 per cent for 600-day weight (+99). The Cowcher’s offering of Red Angus bulls follows their stud registration in 2000, linked to the interest of many European seedstock producers that have added an element of British breed softness to their breeding. Willandra co-principal Peter Cowcher said after inspecting some Red Angus-cross Simmental cows with calves-at-foot in the late 1990s, he was so impressed that his family decided to trial the breed in their own commercial herd. The Cowcher’s new venture has since captured the interests from many large commercial enterprises, including the Condingup-based McVay Pastoral Company with repeat buyers Rob and Tanya Revell securing three Red Angus bulls this year to a top of $13,500. Mr Revell said the bulls would be used in a 150-head nucleus to breed quality breeding stock for McVay’s 3000-head Red Angus-cross Gelbvieh commercial herd. Also capturing the benefits of a Euro crossbreeding program, Williams-based Welldon Beef co-principals Gordon and Stephen Atwell will put their volume buy of nine Simmental bulls that averaged $6944 to work as terminal sires over an Angus cow herd of 1600 breeders producing calves that will spend 70 days on-feed and marketed at an average 265kg dressed weight. “Although commercial prices have eased, we are still happy with current values,” Stephen said. Simmental buy buyers Peter and Tanya Buckenara, of Bremer Bay, will turn out their four Willandra Simmental bulls to a herd of Santa Gertrudis females that produce calves that are fed 90 days to average 540kg liveweight at about 15 months of age. “We selected for good temperament and feet,” Mr Buckenara said. He said Willandra’s recent introduction into Black Angus would be beneficial by adding the breed’s genetic diversity and another colour coat option into the stud enterprise while also playing a hand in the development of Black SimAngus in WA. “Incorporating high performance Angus genetics will complement Willandra’s Red Angus stud and our SimAngus commercial enterprise,” he said.