Maine-Anjou Beef Australia’s National Sale held by Landmark Embling was a huge success with 100% clearance despite the dry conditions at the Bendigo Showgrounds, Saturday February 23.
The night before the Sale a barbeque was held for all Maine-Anjou enthusiasts to view the cattle on offer, the tender meat was Maine-Anjou donated by Maine Park.
Sale morning started bright and early with the independent vet inspections starting at 8am. Every animal was inspected even the commercial females which were included in the National Sale for the first time. The commercial females could be of any breed and must be pregnancy tested in calf to a registered Maine-Anjou Beef Australia bull.
The Helmsman System was used for the auction, where buyers place their bid on a card which is then handed to the auctioneer and placed on a sale board. It allows the buyer to purchase in a more relaxed way and change their mind on which lots to bid on.
The bidding started busily with numbers flying onto the board and multiple bids on the two animals that would later become the top priced lots of the Sale.
The top priced animal was Lot 1 Maine Park Nigel 725kg, grass fed, selling for $6,100 to R. Featherston, the top priced female was Lot 14 Anjouliette Nell at $3,700 to S. Dale.
The 6 commercial females averaged $1,350 each, pure bred Maine-Anjou heifers 8 months to 18 months old averaged $2,233 each and the Maine-Anjou bulls averaged $5,500.
“It opens up in the future further interest in the commercial side of things, for feedlotters and so forth for steers and young heifers – things are looking pretty good for the Maine-Anjou breed,” Ray Attwell, Landmark Stud Stock Manager Melbourne.
The National Sale Committee is underway planning the 2020 event with breeders enthusiastic about next year already.
Maine-Anjou Beef Australia would like to thank Landmark and Landmark Embling for their continued support, the Sale Committee for their hard work and all other contributors who made the event possible. An extra thanks goes to those members who helped set up and cleaned up after the event – even if they were not selling stock.
