IT WAS marbling performance and meat quality traits that drew more than 150 people to the Te Mania Angus northern bull sale at Walgett last Tuesday which cleared all 94 bulls at auction to a top of $32,000 and $6915 average going to four states, writes Mark Griggs, The Land, August 20, 2018.
Long-term Te Mania Angus client Dennis Power, General Manager of Minnamurra Pastoral Company, “Cortina”, Mudgee, outlasted strong bidding for the sale-topping Te Mania Model M1204, a power-packed son of Te Mania Jenkins J89, boasting all $Index values in the top one per cent of the Angus breed.
Mr Power said with a gestation length of -8.8, birth weight of +4.3, 600-day growth of +134 and intra-musclar fat of 4.1 per cent, Te Mania Model was impressive.
“He will be ideal for fast-tracking genetic gain through AI over our Angus heifers,” Mr Power said.
“We have been buying Angus bulls exclusively from Te Mania for the past 15 years and we are extremely happy with the feedback we are receiving from feedlots.
“We like to buy bulls in their working clothes, not fed up for sale, and that’s what we get at Te Mania Angus.”
Te Mania Angus director Hamish McFarlane said the team was enormously encouraged by the support in the face of the drought that has NSW in its grip.
“We’re all in hope there is some rain in the very near future,” he said.
“Amongst strong support from repeat clients, it was heartening to see 28 bulls purchased by new clients.
“Breeders from as far north as Blackall, Roma and Dingo, Queensland and south to Tasmania’s King Island, and Cobden, Victoria, were among buyers.”
Michael and Annie O’Brien, “The Brigalows”, Carinda, purchased six bulls for an average of $8000 to be split between “The Brigalows” and new property “Stratton”, Roma.
“We have reduced numbers at Carinda to 150 cows and moved 800 cows to Roma,” Mr O’Brien said.
“We have been feeding and/or agisting sheep and cattle for six years, except for a break in 2016
“Rainfall averaged 125 to 150 millimetres except 2016, when 425mm fell in two months.
Tim Scott, Table Top Angus, Albury, purchased two sires at $17,000 each.
They were Te Mania Moonya M1379 by Te Mania Berkley B1 and Te Mania Makeham M148 by Te Mania Jerilderie. Both bulls had very high $Indexes and EBVs across the board.
Tenterfield-based blue-ribbon and long-time supplier to the Rangers Valley feedlot at Glen Innes, Arthur Cox, Speriby North Angus also paid $17,000 for Te Mania Moulder M1517 by Te Mania Jenkins J89.
TRT Pastoral was the major volume buyer, putting together a draft of 15 bulls for its aggregation on King Island, in Bass Strait, at an average of $5600.
Tom Newsome, Glen Innes, also a supplier to Rangers Valley, bought eight bulls to average $7375.
“I’m wanting to boost the feedlot performance of our cattle,” Mr Newsome said.
“It takes four years from conception to get feedback results, so we’ve chosen to fast-track our genetic gain.
“We have been sourcing Team Te Mania blood females and have selected bulls today on high heavy grain $Index, 600-day weight and marbling while still making sure all the other EBVs ticked the right boxes.”
Repeat client Prue Coulton, North Star, took six bulls to $13,000 and average of $9000, and Ben and Belinda Warby purchased three bulls for an average of $7600.
Erin Arbuckle, Aurifier Partnership, Bungunya, Qld, purchased five bulls through McKenna Gibson, TopX Goondiwindi, focusing on carcase merit, structure and low-moderate birth weight for the Rangers Valley, Wyalla and Stanbroke feedlots.
Russell Pastoral Company, Blackall, Qld, purchased six bulls for an average of $4000.
The sale was conducted by Clemson Hiscox, Walgett, with Paul Dooley, Tamworth, guest auctioneer.
