X Factor bulls to $5500 at Muchea

The X Factor Bull Sale had new beginnings last week at a new location, under cover at the Muchea Selling Centre.

Elders and Primaries offered a total of 90 Bos Indicus bulls, with 54 selling to a top price of $5500 and average of $2736.

The previous X Factor sale was held in 2014 at Narngulu, but skipped last year and some of the group’s vendors offered bulls last year at Narngulu under the WA Livestock Salesman Association banner.

An X Factor spokesman said the first sale at Muchea went well, but the concept would take some time to establish.

“Compared to last year, numbers sold and prices were up on the Droughtmasters and Santa Master bulls, while the Santa Gertrudis bulls were mixed,” he said.

Bill Sounness’ Droughtmaster stud, of Mt Barker, offered 35 and sold 25 bulls, which was five more bulls than last year and the $3090 average price was up $140 a head.

The sale’s top-price bull, Merryup 37/14, sold for $5500 to David Hall, of Hallmark stud, Moora.

Sired by Glenlands Quartz D5, and out of a Bumper 1320 dam, Mr Hall said the bull would go to work in his family’s stud.

“This bull represents outcross genetics and is very quiet with wonderful conformation and sheath,” Mr Hall said.

Another Merryup bull with similar breeding sold for $5000 to first-time buyer David Wright, of Denmark.

Mr Wright said his family had recently purchased two cattle stations in the Gascoyne and would breed Droughtmaster commercial bulls to put over existing Brahman types.

“We recently bought some pure females and will breed bulls at Denmark to work on the stations,” he said.

The Hall family’s Hallmark Droughtmaster stud offered 10 and sold seven bulls to a top of $3500 and average price of $2857, up $232/head on last year.

Meekatharra pastoralist Liam Johns, of Killara station, secured the $3500 Hallmark topper.

“It has been a very patchy season around the State and feed has been an issue,” he said.

Volume buyer of bulls on the day was Wanna station principal Bill Biggs, of Wannamal, who runs a pure Droughtmaster herd.

Mr Biggs secured 15 bulls from the breed’s catalogue for an average price of $3083/head.

The Hall family’s Tanglewood Santa Master stud sold all four bulls offered to a top of $3000 and average price of $2687, up $187/head on last year.

Account Middalya station, of Carnarvon, paid the $3000 top price for Tanglewood J66, while Mr Johns bought two bulls for $2750 and $2500.

In the Santa Gertrudis catalogue, Mr Sounness’ Merryup stud offered 34 and sold 12 bulls to a top of $3500 and average price of $2625, down $208/head on last year.

The Hall family, of Tanglewood stud, offered five and sold four bulls to a top of $3500 and average price of $3062, and Ben and Sarah Hall’s Gundamain stud offered and sold two bulls for $2750 each.

The equal $3500 top-priced bulls, Merryup 216 and Tanglewood J90, were bought by separate buyers including Judy Swann, of Virginia station, Nullarbor, and Scott Rogers, of Chimera Trust, Mt Barker, respectively.

Ms Swann said she was a first time buyer and was selecting for a quiet, smooth, soft bull with depth and good feet to increase the red content of her newly acquired station cattle.

Mr Rogers said he would put the Santa Gertrudis bull to work over pure Angus females to add hybrid vigour to the herd’s calves before finishing them in a feedlot.

The volume buyer of Santa Gertrudis bulls was Kambalda pastoralist John Skillington, of Madoonia Downs station, who bought 9 bulls for an average price of $2805.

“I was selecting for quality bulls to improve the genetic profile of our cattle,” Mr Skillington said.

“We run 2200 breeders of mixed types and are moving towards a purer Santa Gertrudis type based on better overall cattle values for both domestic and export markets.”

Elders auctioneer Don Morgan said the sale was mixed because of seasonal conditions.

Primaries auctioneer Craig Walker said demand from the Goldfields was very strong and quality bulls sold well under good competition.