By Laura Griffin
Courtesy Stock and Land
A 200-strong crowd watched a much improved Murray Grey National Sale on Monday that topped at $12,000 for a September 2013-drop bull sold by Geoff and Kate Buick, Arki stud, Western Flat, South Australia.
The bull was the sole purchase of Paul Francis, Ondiong Murray Greys, Dorrigo, NSW, who said he liked the young sire’s typical Murray Grey muscle pattern of a comparatively big eye muscle. He said the 980-kilogram bull with an eye muscle area of 136 square centimetres and fat measurements of 10mm and 7mm also had good growth and structure.
He plans to join the bull to some of his 200 stud cows. Mr Francis said the bull would perfectly fit the program that turned off European Union-accredited, milk tooth grass fed steers at 600-700kg.
Mr Buick said in the Arki stud’s 27 years at the event, they’d topped the sale twice before and this year’s top-priced lot Arki Judgement J99 was named as such to reflect his confidence in the bull.
“A bloke told me at 10 months-old, Judgement would make a good steer, but I was backing my judgement he’d make a good bull so that’s what I named him. I like his supreme length and smoothness,” he said.
He was also the senior and grand champion bull at last year’s Royal Adelaide Show and was a class winner in pre-sale judging.
The second top-priced bull was Mount Major Khan K21 that sold for $10,5000 to Benson Fencing. Overall 20 of 22 Murray Grey bulls sold for a $5500 average.
Females also sold well, with 27 of 31 selling to $8000, av $3602. The top-priced female was a 13 month-old unjoined heifer Cratloe Linda L17, sold by Anne and Ian Burnside, Cratloe stud, Sunbury. Mrs Burnside said it was the most they’d ever received for a female in their 40 years of breeding Murray Greys. The heifer was purchased by the Whale family, Glenliam Farm, Glen William, NSW. Bryce Whale said the heifer had tremendous growth for age and refinement through its front end. He said the family planned to use her to bring in a new female line and would likely put her out for a natural joining in spring.
Mr Whale’s daughter Annika purchased the top-priced cow and calf as part of a syndicate with TA&JA Morton, paying $6500 for another Cratloe Linda female. The three year-old Cratloe Linda J24 had her first calf (a September-drop heifer) at-foot.
http://www.stockandland.com.au/story/3856847/murray-grey-lots-sell-strongly-and-top-12000/?cs=4592
Vendors Geoff and Kate Buick and son Sam, 7, of Arki stud, Western Plain, SA, with buyer Paul Francis, Ondiong stud, Dorrigo, NSW, who paid the top price at the National Murray Grey Sale. Photo by Wayne Jenkins.