Spence Dix & Co’s Mark O’Leary with Lancaster stud principal Tim Cartledge and purchasers of the $15,000 top price bull Robyn and Steve White, Roma, Qld. Photo by Stock and Land
By Mark Scown, Stock and Land
SALE SUMMARY
2018 2017
Offered 59 56
Sold 52 56
Top $15,000 $12,500
Av $6274 $6830
Industry focused bulls presented by Lancaster Black Simmental stud at Meningie last Friday sold to buyers from as far north as Roma in Qld to as far south as Parndana, Kangaroo Island.
The bulls were backed by very strong performance data recorded with the American Simmental Association for economically relevant traits.
Tim, Lise, Henry and Prue Cartledge presented a very even lineup of 59 purebred and hybrid bulls selling 52 bulls to a top of $15,000, averaging $6274.
The top price of $15,000 was for lot 3 Lancaster Mighty 2, a June 2016-drop bull, weighing 912 kilograms, selling to repeat buyers Steve & Robyn White from Roma.
The very impressive Mighty 2 was an embryo transfer son of CCR Cowboy Cut from the outstanding donor cow Lancaster Maternal Z6. Maternal Z6 had sons sell in 2015 for $16,000 and $11,000 to Ulmarra and Woonallee studs respectively. The top priced bull Mighty 2 had impressive figures being top 2 per cent for calving ease, top 30pc yearling weight, top 10pc marbling and top 5pc for All Purpose profit index.
The Whites also purchased the 932kg full embryo transfer brother who was catalogued at lot 2 for $11,000. These two powerful very eye appealing sires were outstanding genetic packages with very sound structure, excellent muscle pattern and softness.The Whites are very strong supporters of the Lancaster program always operating at the top end also purchased lot 6 for $11,000.
Mr White said the Lancaster bulls are tremendous with very quiet temperament and breed progeny that are soft, quiet with excellent weight for age. The Whites run 1000 Angus and Santa Gertrudis cross cows and use the Lancaster bulls calving in August to sell weaners at 7-9 months of age through the Roma saleyards. They sow oats at the end of March for quality feed that can be grazed 6-8 weeks after sowing right through until November. Roma is currently flooding after 12 inches of recent rainfall.
Sam Mumford from Parndana, Kangaroo Island, who was underbidder to the Whites secured four bulls at the top end to a top of $10,000, averaging $8250. Mr Mumford has been purchasing Lancaster bulls for ten years and says they are the complete package for breed type, temperament and muscle.
The Mumfords use the Lancaster bulls over Angus and Angus Simmental cross cows and calve in March/April and wean calves at ten months of age. The weaned calves then go into their feedlot before selling to Woolworths targeting a carcase weight of 280kg.
Major volume repeat buyer was the Amherst Livestock Trust, Willalooka, who operated throughout the sale on the hybrid bulls securing eight bulls to a top of $7000 three times, averaging $5562
Vendors Tim and Henry Cartledge said they were very pleased with the very favourable feedback received about their cattle’s do-ability, softness and muscling. They said it was great to see repeat and new clients in a developing market and buyers were buying the bulls they want with very little difference between the purebred Black Simmental and Hybrid bulls.
Spence Dix & Co auctioneer Jono Spence said it is the consistency and integrity of the Lancaster program is why so many repeat buyers from as far away as Roma in Qld and Albury in NSW return to purchase bulls each year at the Lancaster sale.