Red Hot at Millah Murrah
(By Michael East, The Land November 10 2005)
Strong demand for quality bloodlines saw records tumble at the Millah Murrah Angus commercial female and Angus Performance Register bull sale at “Goonamurrah”, Bathurst last Thursday, where cows with calves topped at $3400 and averaged $2074 for the 186-head offering.
There was a total clearance of females offered by Millah Murrah Angus principals, Wyatt, Winsome, Ross and Dimity Thompson, with buyers travelling from Coolah, Tarana and the local area to attend the sale.
Twenty bulls were also on offer with bidding going up to $5000 to average $3550.
An all-breeds record for commercial cows of $3400 was paid for a pen of 11, 2001-drop Angus cows with heifer calves.
Corrie Vale Pastoral Company owner Malcolm McLaurin, “Greylands”, Cowra, snapped up the pen, which broke the previous record of $2700 – paid by Rossander Angus, Warrnambool, Victoria at Millah Murrah’s 2001 sale.
The calves were artificially inseminated (AI) by Millah Murrah Woody W100, which sold for a record $41,000 in 2003.
Mr McLaurin plans to use his purchase as a foundation for an elite nucleus of commercial females to add to his existing operation.
Millah Murrah Woody W100 was also featured in the second highest selling pen, with five cows with AI heifers by the record-making sire purchased for $2750 by Edmund Bateman, “Kangaroobie”, Orange.
Dunbier Pastoral Company was the leading volume buyer, picking up nine lots of cows with calves, five pens of heifers and three bulls through Lloyd and Sheridan Pty Ltd, Coolah.
With properties in Scone, Coolah and Bollen, Queensland, Dunbier Pastoral Company stock manager, Scott Dunbier (pictured with agent John Lloyd), said the company was looking to upgrade the quality of its herd after the turnaround in the season.
The 39 head of heifers sold to a top of $1050, to average $945.
The 20 Angus bulls offered, sold to a top of $5000 and averaged $3550, with DPI Camden paying the top money for Millah Murrah Butch Z24, a son of NMM X5 Millah Murrah Butch X5 (AI).
The selling agents were Elders Bathurst and Elders Dubbo.