2015 Bull Sale
The 2015 on-property sale was held on Thursday 3rd September 2015 where 105 bulls were offered achieving a 100% clearance.
A new Australian record was set by Lot 4, Millah Murrah Kingdom K35, who sold for $150,000. Lot 12, Millah Murrah Klooney K42 fetched $80,000, selling for the 5th highest price in breed history.
The sale set a new all breeds Australian record average price of $14,876.
Check out the sale highlights video.
New Price Leader in Angus’ Kingdom
by Andrew Norris and Struan Pearce (courtesy The Land | Thursday, September 10, 2015, page 10)
Records tumbled at last Thursday’s Millah Murrah Angus bull sale at Bathurst where the top-priced bull hit a massive $150,000 and the whole draft of 105 bulls averaged $14,876.
The massive average price was a 63 per cent increase on the previous record average of $9147 for 95 bulls, set at Millah Murrah last year.
The sale-topping bull set a new Australian Angus auction record and in a show of confidence in the stud’s genetics, bidders took the second-top priced bull to $80,000 (the fifth highest Angus bull auction price in Australia).
The sale’s average price is also thought to be the highest all breeds bull sale average price in the country.
The high selling bull, Millah Murrah Kingdom K35, sold to a syndicate, including Witherswood Angus, Glenrowan, Victoria; Gilmandyke Angus, Orange; Ascot Angus, Warwick, Queensland, and ABS Australia.
The $80,000 bull, Millah Murrah Klooney K42, also sold to a syndicate, including Witherswood; Gilmandyke; Cherylton Angus, Donnybrook, Western Australia, and ABS Australia.
John Woodruff, of Witherswood, described the bulls as being “correct, thick, with lots of bone and strong sire’s heads and lovely soft skin.”
“K35’s the perfect package of weight for age, pedigree and quality phenotype that’s rarely found in the Angus breed, and K42 is just a beautifully put together young sire from a quite superb cow,” he said.
Vendors, Ross and Dimity Thompson, were ecstatic with sale’s success.
In echoing comments made by the sale’s auctioneer Paul Dooley, Tamworth, Mr Thompson said with quality weaner steers now regularly passing the $1000 mark, heavy prime cows approaching $2000 and big bulls to the works topping $3000, in cases, there appears to have been a quantum shift in the pricing of commercial cattle during the past 12 months.
“Clearly beyond our wildest expectations and not something we expect to replicate any time soon, I hope this sale is looked back on as a watershed moment for bull breeders and is a sign of an upward shift in pricing in line with the commercial market,” he said.
The previous top-priced record for an Angus bull at auction was $117,500, set in 2013 at the Ireland’s Angus on-property sale at Wagga Wagga for Ireland’s Galaxy G43.
Millah Murrah’s $150,000 Record Run
by Struan Pearce (courtesy The Land | Thursday, September 10, 2015, page 35)
It was a day of breaking records at the Thompson family’s Millah Murrah Angus bull sale last Thursday, where 159 registered bidders witnessed history in the making.
Held at Bathurst, many at the sale described the offering as the best the stud had presented and impressive demand meant all 105 bulls offered were sold.
This line-up was Millah Murrah’s biggest yet.
The star attractions were four full brothers by New Zealand sire Hingaia 469 from the renowned Millah Murrah Flower G41 female, which averaged $53,000 and included the $150,000 record-breaker.
From these, the 19-month old, 862 kilogram Millah Murrah Kingdom K35 stole the show when it landed the $150,000 top bid.
Of different breeding and selling for the $80,000 second-top price tag was Millah Murrah Klooney K42, by Booromooka Theo T030 and from Millah Murrah Prue H4.
“Both these bulls are going to move the breed to a new level in terms of maternal quality and it’s so rare to find two genuine stud sires at a sale so even and correct in structure,” said purchasing syndicate spokesmen, John Woodruff, Witherswood Angus Glenrowan, Victoria.
He said old was new again at this sale, with the highly sought after lots carrying Hingaia 469 or Booromooka Theo T030 in their pedigree.
Hingaia 469 was born in 1986 and used in the Millah Murrah herd since 1993, while Theo was a 1998-drop bull.
Both bulls had earned a reputation for breeding quality females, Millah Murrah Stud Principal Ross Thompson said, and with Hingaia 469 semen now a rare commodity, he said it was selling for $1500 a straw.
All up, 20 bulls sold into Angus stud programs.
These included first-time buyer Granite Ridge Angus, Reedy Creek, South Australia, which purchased Tex K51 for $15,000; Pine Creek Angus, Cowra, which purchased Conversion J269 for $18,000, and long-term buyer Kamilario Angus, Merriwa, which bought Emperor K72 for $20,000.
Returning after first purchasing at the 2014 sale, Western Australian stud Monterey Angus, Karridale, joined forces with Tulabardine Angus, Green Valley, WA, on Tex K37 to pay $15,000 and Reality K61 at $15,000.
Tivoli Angus, Merriwa, purchased Neutron K136 for $15,000, while Innesdale Angus, Winnindoo, Victoria, bought Reality K214 for $13,000.
Having purchased several females at the 2013 Millah Murrah female sale and a number of high-end Millah Murrah bulls in recent years, Chris Paterson, of Heart Angus, Tamworth, purchased the $26,000 Tex K20 – a full brother to Kingdom K35.
Brian Powell, Yamba stud, Narrandera, paid $24,000 for Emperor J244, bred from the same dam as the $70,000 2014 sale topper, Hercules H250.
Also paying $24,000 for his acquisition, Tex K96, was Ed Lahey for Dungay Park stud at Dondingalong near Kempsey.
Lucy and Herb McKenzie, Seaforth Angus, Llangothlin, paid $15,000 for Jardine J219, while neighbour Nicholas Morgan, Glenmorgan Angus, paid $16,000 for the first son of EF Complement to sell in Australia, Millah Murrah Complement K187.
Having recently sold the Australian record-priced SimAngus bull by their first Millah Murrah purchase F226, Wombramurra Black Simmentals, Nundle, paid the top money of $20,000 for a yearling bull for Emperor K184.
Brookfield Park Angus, Cooma, outlaid $18,000 for another brother of the sale topper when they purchased Tex K36.
While the seedstock demand was unprecedented, demand from commercial buyers was also red hot.
Long-time client Matt Crozier, Cavan Station, Yass, purchased six bulls for an average of $11,166 on the back of 10 bulls purchased at the 2014 sale.
Cavan Station has been buying at Millah Murrah for the past four years.
Another return buyer, Anthony Skinner, trading as Macada Pty Ltd for his Central West properties, accompanied by his managers Steve Harris and Matt Bowden, battled strongly with the studs to purchase five bulls to a top of $20,000 to average $16,800.
Well-known Millah Murrah client, JS Grazing at Injune, QLD, paid an average of $12,750 for four bulls, while another long-term supporter, Craiglea Partnership near Blayney, paid $18,000 for the third brother of Kingdom and averaged $14,600 for five bulls.
Greg Reeves, Running Stream, has purchased more than 70 Millah Murrah bulls in 20 years and averaged $10,750 for four yearling bulls.
All up, 65 buyers made purchases with more than 80 per cent of the bulls going to return buyers.
“While the cattle market has been hitting new highs, today’s sale has reached a new paradigm, it was a hell of sale,” said auctioneer Paul Dooley, Tamworth.
“Today was the first time I’ve sold a bull for more than $100,000 and sold a catalogue of bulls that grossed more than a million dollars.”
“It was exciting to be part of the day and due recognition for the Thompson Family’s breeding program.”
The sale was conducted by Elders with guest auctioneer Paul Dooley.
