Reiland spring sale hits $44,000 for curve bending bulls

Top price bull Reiland Sunset S343 at $44,000 with buyer Dick Turnbull, Holbrook, Nick Gilvarry, Elders Tumut/Adelong, auctioneer Brian Leslie, vendor Mark Lucas, Reiland Angus and Ken Miall, Nutrien Ag Solutions Wagga Wagga.

Outliers, or bulls bending the growth curve, were in strong demand at the Reiland Angus 2022 spring bull sale on September 3 with prices topping at $44,000.

A total of 73 bulls sold from the 79 offered to average $16,219 or a rise of $5824 on the spring 2021 sale.

Interfaced with AuctionsPlus, the sale was hosted by the Lucas family at Killimicat Station, Tumut, NSW, and drew buyers from NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

Repeat clients Dick and Jenny Turnbull, “Blairgowrie”, Holbrook, NSW, outlaid the top price for Lot 65 Reiland Sunset S343, a March 2021 drop son of Ayrvale Powerful P22 and out of a Sydgen Black Pearl daughter.

Sunset ranked top 6 per cent for 600-day growth at +146kg, and combined this with a low birthweight of +3.8kg. Reiland Angus retained 50 per cent semen and marketing rights in the young stud sire.

Mr Turnbull was impressed by the young sire’s growth and carcase estimated breeding values and positive fat. Sunset will be used artificially and over heifers in the Blairgowrie herd.

The Turnbulls also purchased Reiland Signal S134, a son of Witherswood Reality M0048 combining moderate birthweight with top 15 per cent growth, for $20,000.

The second top price bull at $40,000 was purchased by Dick Whale from Independent Breeding and Marketing Service for a syndicate in northern Victoria.

Another long-term client Tom Hughes, Bannister Station, Goulburn, paid $31,000 for Reiland Rip Curl R344, sired by The Rock Judd N60 and ranking on BREEDPLAN in the top 5 per cent for eye muscle area at 10.1sqcm. Bannister Station also bought Reiland Rankin R403 for $20,000.

The Wolfgarten family, Yabtree Pastoral Company, Mundarlo, outlaid $24,000 for Reiland Rolls Royce R440, a son of Esslemont Lotto L3 and ranking top 5 per cent for EMA at +10.6sqcm, +2.3 for retail beef yield and +2.8 for intramuscular fat.

Angus Waugh, Waugh Piccadilly, Coolac, bought three bulls to a top of $23,000 for Reiland Red Hot R516, a son of Reiland Nimbo N1176 combining top 20 per cent birthweight and 600-day growth of +132kg.

Commercial producer Edward Proudford, Proudford Agricultural Company, Narrawa, partnered with Dougal Kelly, Wallah Pastoral, Rugby, NSW, to buy calving ease sire Reiland Record Breaker R361 for $31,000 and Reiland Scout S903, ranking top 1 per cent for marbling, for $24,000.

The Proudford family went on to purchase another four bulls outright to a top of $26,000 for Reiland Remington R362, a bull boasting birthweight of +1.7kg and top 5 per cent 600 day weight at +146kg. Reiland retained 50 per cent semen and marketing rights in R362.

Wallah Pastoral took home a total of four bulls.

Long-time clients Houston Pastoral, Burrowye, Vic, outlaid $30,000 for Reiland Slater S348, a young sire ranking top 5 per cent marbling at +3.6 and top 10 per cent for days to calving.  Houston Pastoral purchased five bulls for an average of $21,600.

Among the volume buyers on the day were Anthony Nicholls, Gundagai, with three bulls to a top of $20,000, Bill Luff, Gundagai, with three bulls to $17,000, Braeburn Pastoral Company, Brungle Creek, three bulls to $10,000, Jeremy and Kate Locke, Goolabah Partnership, Holbrook, two bulls to $18,000, Marcus Clarke, Ournie, two bulls to $20,000, South Tahara Park, Wagga Wagga, three bulls to $18,000, Glenn Lucas, Taranee Pastoral, Tarcutta, three bulls to $22,000, Tarrina Trust, Tambo, Qld, five bulls to $16,000 and Wokolena Pastoral, Uranquinty, two bulls to $16,000.

Nick Gilvarry, Elders Tumut/Adelong, said the Lucas family had offered yet again another outstanding line up of future sires.

“It was an excellent result with bulls being purchased by new and existing clients, which is a true credit to the Lucas family,” Mr Gilvarry said.

“Reiland Angus genetics have been well represented this year in the markets with clients being rewarded with high cattle prices for the Reiland blood cattle.”

Reiland co-principal Mark Lucas said both vendors and buyers saw the sale outcome reflecting commercial reality with the average price representing a bull investment providing genetic improvement for calves going into the profitable beef production.

Mr Lucas said the sale drew a large commercial Queensland client requiring two-year-old paddock reared bulls for a crossbreeding program.

“People are now looking at artificial insemination programs in their heifers and there was two commercial producers working as a partnership buying bulls to extract fresh semen from to AI 1000 heifers between the two herds,” he said.

“That is a big change in the industry and I endorse it – it is a great way of them getting the drop of calves genetically similar and better, and condensing their calving period.”

Mr Lucas reiterated that managing an Angus breeding herd based on strong maternal and carcase genetics was undoubtedly the highest profitable grazing-based enterprise in Australia.

He paid tribute to late stud stock auctioneer Kevin Norris and the retirement of stock agent Steve Ridley.

Brian Leslie, DLS Shepparton, Victoria, was the guest auctioneer.