THE HOPKINS and Moeck families once again joined forces in the fifth annual Wormbete Simmentals on-property sale, with invitation to Valley Creek Simmentals, held at “Allawah”, Illabo, NSW.
With 39 Simmental bulls on offer of all descriptions including traditional, Black, Red and Sim-Angus, 34 were loaded for their new homes, for an average of $5838.
The top money of $17,000 was paid by Trevor and Tracey Wells, Riverbrook Simmentals, Singleton, NSW, for Valley Creek Manpower, a son of Canadian sire Rendzezvous Galba 60A, out of the donor dam Barana Felton.
The Wells purchased Manpower as the next stud sire for this emerging stud that started three years ago.
“Manpower will go over the daughters of our previous stud sire, a Callendale Frank son purchased from Wormbete, his outcross bloodlines were a real draw card,” Mr Wells said.
The Wells plans for Riverbrook Simmentals to be an elite herd of about 60 breeders built on solid bloodlines.
Doug and Jan Bradshaw, BlueDog Simmentals, Wandoan, QLD, paid $14,000 for Wormbete Millenium M91, a homozygous poll son of Wormbete Jackaroo J64.
The Bradshaws purchased another bull and a heifer to make the journey home to Wandoan.
Jackaroo progeny were in demand throughout the sale, and two semen packages in Jackaroo later sold to a top of $300 per straw.
Another Jackaroo son in Wormbete Maverick M4 also sold to stud duties being purchased by Luke Adams, Loaderry Simmentals, Londonderry, NSW, for $12,000.
Summerhill Simmentals paid $10,000 for a Barana Eastlake son in Wormbete Marksman M74, to perform stud duties at their Scottsdale, Tasmania, operation.
Magpie Park Simmentals, Penola, SA, purchased the top-priced Black Simmental bull, Valley Creek Cowboy Cut, a son of US sire CCR Cowboy Cut 5048Z, for $8000.
Among the volume buyers were Peter and Odette Morley, Boomey Park, Molong, NSW, who put together a draft of five traditional bulls for an average of $4250, paying to a top of $5500.
Having purchased at Wormbete and Valley Creek for three years, Mr Morley said “they are honest cattle that are structurally correct and have the ability to walk”.
Mr Morley has been using Simmentals for 11 years for their maternal traits, which is important in his herd of 1000 breeders which are now predominantly Simmental.
John Terrill, “Grandview”, Rutherglen, bought well, purchasing four bulls for $4000, to go over his herd of 450 Black Baldy cows, to produce vealers.
In the females, 19 of the 20 heifers offered sold to a top of $10,000, to average $4513.
The top money was paid for Wormbete Beatrix M54, by Emohruo Grazing, Middle Mount, Qld.
Sired by Callendale Frank, Beatrix M54 was sold pregnacy tested in calf to VPFS Brantz 12B.
Emohruo Grazing purchased three heifers in total for an average of $7833.
Trevor and Tracy Wells were the volume buyers in the heifer section purchasing five heifers in total for a $3050 average.
Stu and Jill Cameron, Inverleigh Simmentals, Invergordon, paid to a top of $5500 for their four heifers, averaging $4375.
Wormbete stud principal John Hopkins was very pleased with the result.
“It was a wonderful clearance across the board, it was very rewarding to see a number of bulls sold to stud duties backed by strong commercial support,” Mr Hopkins said.
The sale was conducted by Landmark with Michael Glasser, GTSM, the guest auctioneer.
Source: The Land, 5 March 2018