Repeat and volume buyers have underpinned the second NIOA RL Pastoral Santa Gertrudis Sale, stamping their trust in elite breedplan consistency.
Craig Ross from Nebo-based Ross Grazing Co – back for his second visit to Talgai Homestead – outlaid $40,000 for five bulls including sale topper Riverina Skydiver S28 (PS) for $13,000.
Tim Kirkwood, “Disney”, Clermont purchased four bulls for $34,000 while another four Riverina bulls will have a new home at Cloncurry with Bendigo Park securing Lots 18, 21, 22 and 25 for a total of $26,000.
NIOA RL sale first-timers Rose Plains Grazing Co from Kyogle (five bulls, $25,000) rounded out the bulk buyers while the Odin Farming Trust – back for the second successive year – have four cattle (two Riverina bulls and two heifers, $18,000) heading out to “Willow Plain” at St George.
The equal second highest priced bulls ($12,000) – NIOA Texas T08 (AI) and (P) NIOA Torpedo T06 (P) – are both headed for Wandoan to the Brigodoon Cattle Co and Annabranch Santa Gertrudis respectively.
Craig Ross, who runs “Kemmis Creek” west of Nebo, said the Talgai event’s reputation for high-grade bloodlines kept him coming back.
“I’ve been coming here since it’s inception and I was going to Yulgilbar before that when Rob (Sinnamon) was there,” he said.
“They keep putting new blood through … so that is always a bonus to get some new genetics in your herd.”
On his Lot 11 purchase Skydiver (the first son by Yulgilbar Platinum (PP)), he said: “He’s just a lovely muscled bull, his stats are good and he will fit into our breeding program very easily.”
Sale manager Rob Sinnamon from RL Pastoral said the steadfast support of returning buyers demonstrated the confidence they had in the two Santa Gertrudis studs’ respective breeding programs.
“We stand by the product that we breed here at NIOA and RL Pastoral,” he said. “What we are really delighted about today was the extent of the repeat buyer clientele.
“Our northern clients – the Kirkwoods, the Rosses – those types of people and long-time supporters have again stepped up and bought their bulls at value for money today.
“What we really appreciate is the endorsement of year in, year out support because they know the cattle will work for them.
“We have had many compliments about the line of cattle today in terms of their growth, size and muscularity, and their year-on-year improvement, which is what we strive to do.”
NIOA Santa Gertrudis general manager Shannon Gardner echoed Mr Sinnamon’s sentiments.
“I had one of our repeat buyers ask me after the sale whether he could go and have a look at our older sires in the paddock because he was very happy with the genetics he had bought over the last three years,” he said.
“I reckon we had a crowd of 80 to 100 here today, I thought it was a good result given the environment we are in.
“It’s good to have those regular buyers – I would like to thank all those people, buyers and underbidders, for coming back.”
Mr Sinnamon, a stalwart of 34 studstock sales, promised “the greatest opportunity bull buyers have had in a few years to shop well” at “very affordable values” – and (last month’s) sale lived up to the prediction.
The two studs – NIOA Santa Gertrudis and RL Pastoral’s Riverina – combined to sell 40 of 60 bulls for an average of $6425 to a top of $13,000, clearing out 67 per cent of the draft, while eight of the 10 stud heifers catalogued sold for an average of $3625.
A total of $286,000 worth of cattle changed hands on the day.
Elders auctioneer Anthony Ball said: “We’ve had a good day under some trying market conditions with the seasons changing, getting a bit drier.
“The pleasing thing for me when we looked around today there was a lot of repeat buyers here – a lot of NIOA bulls, a lot of Riverina bulls going back to past buyers.
“In tough times when buyers are more selective that’s probably a tick in the box for the breeding program.”
