Newsletter for the Week Ending 10 September 2004

Great Agshow Sale

Limousin bulls topped at $18,000 and averaged $6,182 for 22 lots at an exceptional Agshow Sale at Toowoomba Qld last week. The top priced bull Rosehill X289 was one of a draft of nine bulls sold by John and Rosemaree McCarthy for an average of $9,333. Both the top price and the average are record prices for the Agshow Limousin Sale. The Limousin average was the highest average for any breed in this large multibreed sale with Charolais averaging $6,105, Smmental $4,571, Angus $4,046 and Blonde d'Aquitaine $2,791.

Strong Hunter Valley Sale

Demand for Limousin bulls was also very strong in the 14th Annual Hunter Valley Sale at Singleton NSW topping at $6,000 (four times) and averaging $4,083 in a clearance of 21 of the 22 bulls offered.

One of the $6,000 bulls River Glen Xhibit was earlier judged the Senior Champion Bull by Manager of the 2000 cow Hartley Grazing Company herd Norton Crane. The bull was purchased by Robert Gill of "Alexander Downs" at Merriwa who also purchased River Glen Yuletide for the same price.

Tara Plains YQ16J, a black bull offered by Nick and Tina Fletcher from Coonamble, sold to Cathie Raeen of "Carinya Park" Coolah for $6,000 and the Junior Champion Bull Riviere Vue Year Planner entered by Terry Joy from Singleton was sold to Mark Farell of Raglan Pastoral Co at Dungog.

Other good sales were by Len and Anita Hampton who sold Ashwapai Xmas for $4,750, Peter and Marion Wilkes who sold Ballina Xceptional for $4,500 and Jean Kelehear who sold Golden Glory Yankie for $4,500 and Golden Glory Yeoman for $4,250.

The only female offered, Donna Valley Polled Urana, a five year old black cow with a young calf at foot was sold by Brad Gavenlock of the Quickdraw Stud for $3,250.

Top average for the sale was $5,375 for four bulls offered by Len and Val Tomkins of River Glen Limousins at Clarence Town.

The average for bulls of $4,083 is the highest recorded in the 14 years of Hunter Valley sales. All prices are on the Limousin website under completed sale catalogues and there is a photo gallery from the sale on www.huntervalleylimousin.com.au.

Breed Doubt

It is not the first time there has been some doubt over the exact breeding of winning show steers. The Champion Medium weight Steer at the Brisbane Royal which later won Reserve Champion Carcase and 60 percent of the Jackpot prizemoney of $6,385 was entered as having a Charolais X Angus sire and an Angus X Santa Gertrudis dam. A very reliable source informed me that the calf was sired by a Limousin bull. There is little we can do to other than to take it as a real compliment to the carcase attributes of Limousin that exhibitors with a loyalty to other breeds need to include some Limousin content to ensure they are in the winners circle.

Reinstatement Amnesty

Members are reminded that the amnesty on reinstatement fees for restoring cows to active status expires on 30th September. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get some of your cows back on the active list.

Demand for Registered Females

I have had a few recent enquiries to purchase registered Limousin cows and heifers. If you have surplus registered (and active) females for the sale please let me know so that I can direct potential buyers in your direction.

Tags and Tattoos

It is now compulsory to apply National Livestock Identification tags to calves born after 1 July 2004 in some states.

You are reminded that NLIS ear tags are acceptable to the Limousin Breed Society as an alternate permanent identification to tattooing of the ear.

You should also use a visual "paddock tag" for each animal as a back up and my advice is to tattoo just the year letter and number in the ear just in case the animal loses both the NLIS and paddock tags.

The readable number of the NLIS tag must be recorded on the L1 registration form and will be printed on the registration certificate.

There is a web entry screen to allow you to input NLIS tag numbers up for any older animals that you have applied NLIS tags to or you can send us a hand written list of the animal ident and the corresponding NLIS number.

US Cow Prices

Prices received for manufacturing beef sold to the US has a major impact on Australian cattle prices and especially cull cow and bull prices.

The US price for Australian manufactured beef has set a record high for the fourth consecutive week. Tight US domestic cow beef supplies, season low supplies from New Zealand and the ban on imported Canadian cow beef have pushed the US imported Australian 90% chemical lean beef price to US 142.5 cents a pound - 38 percent up on year ago levels.

Rain Beautiful Rain

There has been widespread rain across NSW and well up into Queensland this week which is greatly welcomed and is sure to keep cattle prices at their current high levels.

Sale Toppers at Gunnedah

Charles and Vicky Carmichael of Timor Limousin Stud at Coonabarabran (NSW) sold 10 cull heifers just 12 months old and weighing 408kg for 228.7 c/kg or $933 at Gunnedah this week.

Warragul Vic

1 Limousin X vealer 400kg @ 230 c/kg = $920

1 Limousin yearling heifer 445kg @ 223.2 c/kg = $993

1 Limousin steer 570kg @ 193.2 c/kg = $1101, acc G Abel, Warragul South

1 Limousin X cow 540kg @ 160 c/kg = $864, acc J Budis, Heath Hill

Camden NSW

At a special store sale at the Limousin stronghold of Camden just south of Sydney a Limousin cow with a calf at foot topped the sale at $1,280 account P. Mells of Rossmore.

Next best price for cows and calves (which averaged $850) was $1,140 for Limousin cross cows with Limousin sired calves at foot sold account Lopresti Investments of Leppington.

Limousin cross store weaners were also in demand selling to $710 account Lopresti Investments.

Yours in Limousin

Alex McDonald