Another record Bonnydale sale

By Courtney Walsh, Farm Weekly

YET another record-breaking sale was notched into the history books for the Introvigne family’s Bonnydale stud, Bridgetown, on Monday when eager buyers from across the country tussled for their circled Black Simmental and SimAngus lots.

The reputation of Bonnydale genetics continues to make waves throughout Australia with another large contingent of Eastern States punters in the shed and on the phone from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales – up against the loyal locals with a strong crowd in attendance.

With such demand, the result was an impressive bump in average to set $8697 as the new record for WA Simmental sale averages, upsetting the record by $443 set at last year’s Bonnydale sale.

Looking at the numbers, it was a positive sale on all fronts, with the total clearance of 43 Black Simmentals averaging $9814, up on last year by a tidy $1272, the top price was set at $19,000, up substantially from the top of $12,500 in 2017, the top SimAngus price was also up at $10,500 and the overall gross for the same number of bulls (66) was up by nearly $30,000 on last year’s sale.

Negotiations for the one SimAngus bull passed in continued after the final hammer fell.

This comes as the Bonnydale stud sales settle into a pattern of outstanding result after outstanding result, with stud co-principal Mike Introvigne saying the result of the day was a true testament to the effort the Introvigne family puts towards its breeding program and the way they deal with their clients.

“It really was a humbling result,” Mr Introvigne said.

“And we are very grateful to all of our long-term and new buyers who supported the sale.

“We’ve been getting great feedback from our clients so I think if we just keep to our brand principles of integrity, innovation and investment, that’ll carry us through.”

Mr Introvigne was also pleased to see some stud interest at the sale.

“It’s another testament to what we’re doing and gives us confidence going forward,” he said. “It’s also exciting to have increasing Eastern States exposure as well as the continued support from our local WA clients.”

Top-priced honours went to the proud young Black Simmental in lot 31 when Elders Donnybrook representative Bill Kessel, bidding with instructions on the phone, was the last man standing at $19,000 after the opening bid was taken at $10,000.

Heading to a new home as a stud sire at St Paul’s Genetics, Henty, New South Wales, Bonnydale Lincoln N73 was a January 2017-drop calf sired by Bonnydale Augustus L84.

It tipped the scales at 692kg and had all the right figures and visual traits to separate him from the rest.

Mr Kessel said the bull was a different bloodline for the first-time buyer stud operation.

“We had a few bulls with ticks against them but it was clear lot 31 was a stand out for them,” he said.

“He’s a very correct bull with nice growth for his age and nice, balanced muscle in all the right places.”

It had EBVs including a low birthweight in the top 10 per cent of the breed and a carcase weight in the top 20pc with good growth figures to help him get there including +21 and +38 for 200 and 400- day weights.

In particular the eye muscle area figure stood out at +4.7 which placed it in the top 5pc of the breed while its IMF EBV ranked in the top 20pc.

Looking at indexes, the bull was in the top 10pc for the domestic maternal index (DM), top 15pc for the northern terminal index (NT) and top 20pc of the export maternal index (EM).

The second top priced bull on the day was also a purebred Black Simmental which was secured by losing bidders on the top priced bull, Hellen and Graham Lloyd trading as Nell Partnership, Springsure, Queensland.

This came much earlier in the sale at lot three when the 714kg Bonnydale Lincoln N30 strode into the ring and encouraged bids all the way from $8000 to finish at $15,000. The January 2017-drop calf was also sired by Bonnydale Augustus L84.

It performed well in the figures ranking in the top 5pc of the breed for DM and NT indexes as well as for its EMA EBV.

It was also in the top 10pc of the breed for 200 and 400- day weights and carcase weight EBVs, as well as in the top 10pc for the EM index.

The Lloyds are long time Bonnydale clients and run their yearly bull selections with their herd of 700 composite and SimBrangus breeders.

“We’re moving towards a quality all black herd and the Bonnydale genetics are doing really well in that effort,” they said.

“We like their quiet temperament, they way they handle our environment and of course the quality and depth of the genetics and breeding at Bonnydale which is what keeps us coming back.”

The Lloyds said they were looking for an even line of balanced bulls suited to their environment which saw their second top price purchase joined by three other Bonnydale sires now slated to travel to QLD, including two bulls over the $10,000 mark at $14,000 and $13,500.

The third top price getter stayed in WA with the very next bull to sell – Bonnydale Tanker N75 – heading to Esperance with Andrew and Rosalie Hann after they outlaid $14,500.

The sleek Black Simmental weighed in at 716kg, was sired by TNT Tanker U263 and had rankings in the top 5pc for 200-day weight and DM index, as well as the top 10pc of 400-day weight and EMA.

Mr Hann said he bought from Bonnydale a couple of years ago and had been pleased with the performance of the genetics in his 450 head Simmental cross breeding herd out at Esperance.

“We reckon it’s worth doing a bit of driving to make it to the Bonnydale sale,” he said.

The Hanns bought one more bull on the day at $4000, saying they liked the length and stretch in both bulls.

“Bonnydale cattle have a nice type that we like and we have absolutely no issues getting our calves to market weight.”

The top value in the SimAngus portion of the catalogue was set at $10,500 when return local buyer Tellarup Brook, Manjimup, made the successful bid for the three quarter Black Simmental, one quarter Angus early-February 2017-

born calf in lot five.

The young bull sired by Bonnydale SA Elevator L348 weighed 668kg and presented nicely in the sale ring with EBVs to match including figures of +20, +39 and +49 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +3.6 EMA, +2.3 rib and +2.4 rump and indexes scores of +$58 DM, +$84 EM and +$37 NT.

Two bulls came in at the equal second top SimAngus value of $8000, which was paid by DJ & CA Marrett, Cue and LJ & JA Male, Albany.

A large portion of the sale catalogue topped the $10,000 mark, with 17 buyers willing to go at least that far on a total of 23 occasions.

Included were producers from QLD, New South Wales, Victoria and throughout WA’s South West, with Black Simmentals making up 22 of the 23 sold for five figures.

The volume buyer on the day turned out to be the Lloyds as mentioned earlier with their team of four purchases, but two buyers managed to secure three bulls apiece.

Rod and Kerry Newnham, Euroa, Victoria, were one of those two, landing a team of one Black Simmental and two

SimAngus bulls to a top of $14,000 paid for their pureblood selection.

They said they return to the Bonnydale sale regularly because of the standard of genetics available.

“The new genetics Bonnydale invests in are the major drawcards,” Mr Newnham said.

The trio of new bulls will go to work with the Newnham heifers in their 300 breeder operation featuring both breeds.

“We’ve found the Bonnydale progeny to be of a high standard and they seem to handle our environment very well.”

Another return buyer, Jarnadup Investments, Manjimup, was the other bidder to land a team of three, selecting three Black Simmentals including a top price of $13,500.

Elders auctioneer Gary Preston said the cattle at Bonnydale improved every year.

“For a start, the bulls were absolutely outstanding and deserved to sell as well as they did,” Mr Preston said.

“It was a big line-up but every bull had quality breeding and there was something there for everyone.

“Congratulations must go to the vendors for presenting yet another excellent catalogue of Black Simmental and SimAngus bulls.”