Texas Powerplay P613 sold for $108,000 to Kelly Angus, Victoria.
July 30, 2020
Kelly Angus manager Patrick Joyce was full of thanks for the Mayne family for breeding Powerplay who he believed was one of the best Angus sires to come out of Australia.
It was an emotional day for the Mayne family of Texas Angus after buyers made the ultimate Powerplay and paid to $108,000 at their on-property sale.
From dust storms 12 months ago to metre high pastures in 2020, the outlook at the Warialda sale was nothing short of electric as 155 bulls averaged $14,052 and grossed $2,178,000.
The stud had previously sold bulls as high as $56,000 and were blown away with the support from repeat and new buyers in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia.
The depth of quality in the offering meant the bidding opened at $19,000 and the last bull was knocked down for $14,000 while the first 33 bulls alone never fell under $10,000.
But Ben and Wendy Mayne admitted they were nervous about attracting a crowd given the COVID-19 restrictions. “One thing I was pretty confident about was the quality was all the way through,” Mr Mayne said.
“I knew it was going to be consistent it was just whether we could get enough people here with the COVID restrictions. “We would have had 50 different people that were coming that rang up in the last 48 hours and said they can’t come because they were nervous crossing the border.
Achieving a price far beyond their wildest dreams was one thing but the sale was just as special being the first since the passing of stud stalwart William ‘Bill’ Mayne.
His son, Ben, shed a tear when remembering his late father at the start of the sale and wished he had seen the lineup of bulls. “One of the last conversations I had with him was about cattle,” he told the crowd.
“That was amazing. I think Dad has got a bit to do with this. After what we have been through with drought that’s one hell of a reward.”
Among the lineup was a bull described by many as the best to ever be bred by Texas and he didn’t disappoint when Kelly Angus, Yea, Victoria, paid $108,000 for the two-year-old son of Ayrvale Hercules H9PV.
The embryo combination with the Texas Undine H647 cow was one the stud said would be hard to beat and would feature at Texas for years to come. The 1070 kilogram bull was sold as full possession and a half share of semen and marketing rights.
With estimated breeding values in the top one per cent for carcase weight and grass index and the majority of his figures no lower than top 20 per cent, he was described as a top stud sire.
Both Ben and Wendy Mayne agreed he was the type of bull they wanted to buy and had the phenotype, numbers, structure and profitability to perform.
A full brother has also been retained in herd and the Maynes will use both in the artificial breeding programs. “Those sort of cattle are the ones that breed you the $2000 and $3000 steers,” Mr Mayne said.
Kelly Angus manager Patrick Joyce was full of thanks for the Mayne family for breeding Powerplay who he believed was one of the best Angus sires to come out of Australia.
Having utilised the genetics of his father and grandfather successfully in their herd before, Mr Joyce had no doubt there was value in paying so much for the young bull.
“I’m very familiar with his pedigree and once Texas had blended him with their style and side they have built a combination that is probably pretty flawless,” he said.
“He has got impeccable feet and for a 1000 plus kilogram bull, he certainly is free moving.
“He has got a really set of solid data and EBVs. It is consistent but its all where you need it to be. No matter what herd he would go into he would be a herd improver.”
Kelly Angus is built around deep, strong and resilient cattle with maximum performance and optimal returns.
The stud runs about 600 registered cows, all artificial insemination bred, with calving in spring and autumn. The bull was on-farm in Victoria on Sunday with plans for semen collection to be marketed by Select Sires.
“At the end of the day the Texas program from Ben and Wendy is rock solid,” Mr Joyce said. “I think he is exactly what we are striving to achieve. We are achieving it but we want to keep getting better and better all the time.”
Kelly Angus made the purchase sight unseen as did the second top price buyers and top price bull under bidders.
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