Commercial beef and dairy farmer confidence flowed back into the market for bulls during the extensive sales period from May through October.
Auction average prices strengthened as the season progressed and beef schedule prices and store cattle values increased.
Stud stock owners and their genetics specialist agents were by and large pleased with their returns from one or two years of bull husbandry, and the prior mating decisions that put those sires on the ground.
Livestock agents and auctioneers were particularly impressed by the condition of all sale bulls and pleased to find out that downbeat predictions before the sale season did not eventuate.
Carrfields auctioneer Neville Clark said commercial farmers appreciated the bull genetics offered and their long-lasting effects on cow herds.
“Arguably the two-year bull sale season was pretty good, and results were above expectations.
“The market was strong for bulls with both physical attributes and good data.”
Prices also exceeded expectations in the spring yearling bull sale market, underpinned by strong commercial cattle demand, PGG Wrightson national genetics manager Callum Stewart said.
He went on to forecast that a growing market for dairy-beef cattle is helping rebuild the beef industry after the losses of hill country to forestry.
“It will rebuild over a couple of years and then persist for the future,” he said.
As farmers are reducing their ewe numbers, potentially there is more room for cattle, including beef cows.
The requirement to do more with bobby calves in future has opened up the cheque books for service bulls, Stewart said.
“Purchasers have been prepared to go beyond their normal pricing, which in previous years has been hard and fast.
“The dairy and beef industries are definitely positive compared with nine months ago.”
Most vendors got close to $4000 price averages which they would consider a good return on the time and effort of rearing bulls.
For highlights the autumn bull sales were dominated by sons of Albert of Stern, the Angus sire sold to Tangihau in 2021.
His first two-year-old sons in the catalogue made $135,000 and $115,000 and Stern Angus also made $42,000.
As well as the $135,000 on-farm sale price record, Albert’s 28 sons listed by Tangihau and Stern this year averaged $28,000.
Colraine Hereford sold Washington 23 421 for a breed price record of $37,000 for yearling Hereford bulls early in the spring sale season.
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