Fairfield Charolais sell to $18,000 at Roma...

Sale summary: 68 bulls sold; top price $18,000; average price $6485; 89.5pc clearance.

Two-year-old sires ready to handle the conditions of western Queensland were the definite preference of buyers at the 17th annual Fairfield Charolais bull sale at the Roma Saleyards on Wednesday.

All but two of the 47 Charolais sires offered in that age bracket by Lindsay and Belinda Hindle, plus all 10 of the draft offered by invited vendor Glenlea Charolais brought sustained interest from buyers centred around the Maranoa and as far west as Winton and Boulia.

While the Hindle family's experiment in offering 15 yearling bulls in the latter part of the sale wasn't an unqualified success, a top price double that of last year's for the sale as a whole, and an average $1400 better than 2019 was a great show of faith.

Around 80 per cent of Fairfield's buyers were repeat clients and it was one of those, BJ and E Radel and Sons, Injune who outlaid $18,000 for LVH Fairfield Prototype.

The sale catalogue's cover bull, Prototype weighed in at 902kg, had rump and rib fat measurements of 12mm and 10mm, an eye muscle area of 134 square centimetres, and intramuscular fat of 5 per cent.

Mr Hindle said the Palgrove Celtic C632 (P) son was flawless in his confirmation and even in all his scans.

"Reid Radel has often bought our top priced bull before - he likes the loose skinned bulls," Mr Hindle said.

The sale's second top price came early when W and L Robson, Morven paid $16,000 for LVH Fairfield Peter Piper.

The tongue-twisting bull weighed 968kg, one of the number that gave the Fairfield stud a greater-than-900kg catalogue average for the first time.

His EMA was 140sq cm and his semen motility was 85pc, along with a scrotal circumference of 41cm.

The praise given by Mr Hindle and agents in the sale introduction for composite bull LVH Fairfield Protege resulted in a successful bid of $15,000 by John Creevey, Lucknow, Augathella for him.

He was one of four composite bulls resulting from joinings with Santa cows and was so favoured by the sellers that they reserved the right to a one-off collection of semen from him.

His sale saw the composite bull offering reach a sale average of $9500, compared to the 2019 average of $5250.

"The composite bulls sold particularly well - they add a bit of softness for people," Mr Hindle said.

The 58 bulls sold by Fairfield averaged $6500 and represented an 88pc clearance.

It was only the six unsold yearling bulls from a draft of 15, and their average of $4555 that lowered Fairfield's overall average.

The Hindles gave northern NSW breeder Roderick Binny the opportunity to sell 10 sires on the day, which resulted in a $6400 average for his Glenlea Charolais stud, a 100pc clearance and a top price of $12,500.

The 18-month-old Glenlea Just Red Q406 (P) and his dual homozygous red factor and poll characteristics were attractive to a number of bidders but it was Angus and Sally McGilvray of Womblebank, Injune who lasted the distance.

They had purchased his sire five years ago and sold him back to Mr Binny last year when he wanted to collect more semen.

"They had a lot of daughters by him that were successful so they decided to buy a son today," Mr Binny said. "They'll be using him over Santa Gertrudis cows."

Mr McGilvray said the young bull, weighing in at 816kg, kept a uniformity in their herd.

"He should cross well over our cattle, and add yield and growth," he said.

Sale regulars Tom and Sandra Hartley, Coopermurra, Mitchell, selected three Glenlea bulls and five Fairfield bulls at the sale, and Mr Hartley said he was concentrating on length and weight for age.

"We've been buying here for seven years and mostly put the bulls over Brahman and Brahman cross cows to get a feedlot article," he said.

"It's with the idea of going back to a Charbray-style cow.

"We sell everything on weight and you've got to get length in your cattle to do that."

As far as buying red factor bulls, Mr Hartley said he liked that they were shorter in the coat, as well as their doing ability.

Other volume buyers included HJT Family Trust at Yuleba buying five bulls, Pathungra Proprietors at Boulia being 13 bulls richer, Nick Willaton of Mungallala buying four bulls, and Roma locals J and N Dingle finishing with four bulls.

The story Prototype an $18,000 success for Fairfield Charolais first appeared on Queensland Country Life.