Female Sale 2001

All Breeds $2700 high
(By Peter Lowe for The Land November 15 2001)

An Australian all-breeds record price of $2700 for commercial beef females was established at the Thompson family's annual Millah Murrah Angus on-property female sale at "Goonamurrah", Bathurst, last week.

The record breaking pen of ten outstanding two-year-old commercial Angus cows with calves was secured by repeat buyers Andrew and Alison Anderson, Rossander Angus, "Tullynagee", Warrnambool, Vic, and their manager David Bird.

The Andersons had plenty of competition from Grenfell-district beef producer Craig Lindsay, of "Redcliff", who had bid $2550 per head for a similar number of quality, homebred youngsters only minutes beforehand. MR Lindsay said they represented good buying considering their quality and genetic background. His latest acquisitions will go into his elite quality commercial operation and will be joined to sires bought at the Millah Murrah Spring sale earlier this year.

The Anderson order underpinned demand for the commercial offering with 77 mixed age units with calves knocked down to Rossander including the record breakers and four stud cows with calves for a $157,450 outlay.

"We have had great success with the Millah Murrah females because of their excellent milking ability, consistency of type and their proven performance record in our commercial programme," Mr Anderson said.

Demand continued for the stud females with 36 cows and calves averaging $3917 and four recipients returned $12,750 for an overall gross of $331,450 through sole marketing agent, Elders.

Millah Murrah principal and staunch breed advocate, Wyatt Thompson, said the commercial appeal of his cattle was one of the main reasons for their increasing popularity.

"We have been breeding Angus for over 40 years and have established a uniform type which have tremendous thickness and good temperament, they are a sound commercial proposition," he said.

Victorian Studmasters John and Joan Woodruff, Witherswood Angus, Glenrowan, paid the $9000 top stud price for a mature Hingaia 469 (NZ) daughter, Millah Murrah Honey S85 (AI), with well balanced group EBV figures and quality heifer calf by CA Future Direction 5321. Mr Woodruff saw MM Honey's first calf, MM New Design U73, which sold for $16,000 at the Thompson family's Spring bull sale and quickly realised the ability of the Millah Murrah herd to consistently produce top class progeny. A mature daughter of GAR Sleep Easy 1009 (US) with a top Hingaia 469 heifer calf at $4000 and a home-bred matron, Millah Murrah Abigail Q107 with a stylish BR New Design 036 bull calf also went to Witherswood.

New breeders Norm and Di Bazeley, Elswick Angus, Walcha, took the opportunity to bolster stud numbers when they bought 10 cow and calf units for a $4050 average, paying up to $6000 for MM Prue S131 (AI), a Te Mania Kelp K207 daughter with heifer calf by Butchs Maximum 3130.

Skagway Angus principal, Karen Arnott, "Koomoorang", Currabubula, paid next best stud money of $8000 for a four-year-old Kurralta Prost P53 (AI) daughter with a quality Butchs Maximum 3130 heifer calf, and $13,000 for two TC Stockman 365 (US) daughters; the first, MM Brenda T109 (AI) with a Butchs Maximum 3130 heifer calf for $6000 and another $7000 for MM Abigail U46 (AI) with a Hingaia 469 heifer calf.