Annual bull sale a success for Territory tough cattle

Department of Primary Industry and Resources

All 97 bulls were sold on Wednesday 1 July 2020 in the Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR) seventh annual bull sale at an average price of $2119.

The top selling bull this year was a 394kg, Brahman that sold for $4600.

Phil Hausler, DPIR’s Executive Director of Agriculture said “We’re really happy with how the sale went, a great increase on last year’s results where only 62 of 96 sold at auction.”

The average prices of bulls that sold in the sale were $2,366 for Brahmans and $1,750 for Composites and this compares well with the results from last year’s sale which were $2,451 for Brahmans and $1,750 for Composites.

“It is a good result in the current tough times and the high clearance rate shows the great value placed in the department’s breeding program to produce Territory tough cattle,” said Mr Hausler.

The DPIR breeding program produces cattle with high fertility that are adapted to the climate and conditions of the Northern Territory (NT).

“The annual sale provides industry with the opportunity to access quality genetics, the result of years of department research and selection, with breeding programs designed to objectively select for fertility, functionality and adaptation whilst maintaining growth under NT conditions,” said Mr Hausler.

Bull selection is critical for profitability as the bull selected today can influence the genetic makeup and performance of the herd for the next 10 years. All the bulls sold had estimated breeding values (EBVs) which objectively predict how their offspring will perform compared to the breed average. Also a bull that has been bred and selected in an environment that is equal or harsher than your own is highly likely to produce calves that are highly adapted and productive in your environment.

Supporting beef cattle production industries is an important ongoing Northern Territory Government program to drive growth and diversification of this long-standing, established sector. The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry contributed $700 million to the NT’s economy in 2018/19.

DPIR looks forward to presenting more bulls for auction from these projects in 2021.

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