By Carla Weisse-Smith, The Land. March 14, 2013
AN INTERNATIONAL flavour permeated last week’s recordbreaking Te Mania Angus sale at Mortlake, Victoria.
Buyers from Russia, Switzerland, Kazakhstan and Thailand were part of the crowd which pushed 113 bulls to a full clearance and $8663 average – a new record for Te Mania and the second-highest Angus sale average ever nationally.
The average was up an astounding $766 on the 2012 sale. And while NSW breeders Kansas, Crosby’s and Hard Hat Angus – based at Boggabri, Forbes and Dubbo respectively – snapped up the $24,000 toppriced bull, it was Swiss and Kazakh buyers that proved to be the dominant volume buyers.
Kazakhstan-based Sever Agro – managed by South Australian Bruce Creek – put together a draft of 13 bulls at a $9154 average and modest $12,000 high, while Swiss Farms Australia took the same number of bulls to $10,000, twice, and averaged $7846. Swiss Farms Australia bought Glenstrae Station at Willalooka, SA, in January, and had been a previous Te Mania genetics supporter.
It had previously imported a large number of embryos to be implanted into cows in Germany, where the progeny were then shipped across the border to the company’s home holdings.
Extending the reach of Te Mania genetics, a Thai buyer through Total Livestock Genetics at Camperdown, Vic, forked out $14,000 on a Tuwharetoa Regent D145 son – a paternal brother to the top price bull.
Meanwhile, the American manager of Russia’s Bryansk Meat Company, Phil George, said he was impressed with the Te Mania program and had it on his list for a genetic investment.
His Angus herd is on its way to 100,000 head this year. Notably, Sever Agro continued its buy-up at Rennylea Angus, Culcairn, on Tuesday, purchasing 10 bulls from the paddock pre-sale and another four during the auction.
Pictured is George Last of Elders International with Libby and Bruce Creek, representing Sever Agro, Kazakhstan.
■ Full Te Mania report, see p75.
