Fieldhouse Droughtmaster tops $42,000

Local and pastoral buyers, both new and returning, were among the sale's attendees to support and purchase the quality catalogue of Droughtmaster bulls and enjoy the Mutton family's hospitality.

The Muttons were rewarded with strong buyer support and spirited bidding throughout with a cracking, well-presented line-up of sires on offer.

The interest from the registered buyers list saw a total clearance of 93 bulls offered, with the top price reaching a whopping stud record of $42,000 and an average of $6683.

Last year's inaugural sale saw prices reached a top of $15,000 and averaged $6586 for the same amount of bulls and a 100 per cent clearance to match.

The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 1474 catalogue views seeing 11 buyers register for the sale from WA, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, along with a further 34 viewers watching the sale online, however there was only minimal online activity.

Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Tiny Holly said he was very pleased with the result of the sale.

"Our pre-sale expectation for the bulls were certainly met," Mr Holly said.

"It was really good to see buyers bid up on the quality bulls on offer."

Mr Holly said it was really positive to see the average up this year.

"That was from the good reputation Fieldhouse has, the good buying support on sale day and the product the Mutton family put out," he said.

"The bulls fit the bill for pastoralists, as well as local buyers, so people could buy with confidence.

"There was a good cross section of buyers operating which was also pleasing to see."

Mr Holly praised the Mutton family on the presentation of the bulls and the stud.

"The facilities were great and the whole set up looked really good," he said.

"It's continually growing and I think the Fieldhouse name is here to stay."

Mr Holly was also joined in the selling podium by Nutrien Ag Solutions, stud stock manager, Rockhampton, Queensland, Dane Pearce, who sold the backend of the catalogue.

Mr Pearce said the bulls presented very well.

"There were quality bulls on offer today and they were highly sought after," Mr Pearce said.

"The bulls were certainly prepared with the buyers in mind, and in return buyers bought with confidence."

Mr Pearce also said the bulls had good temperament.

"There were a lot of Queensland bloodlines in the line-up," he said.

"The catalogue was very comparable to bulls offered in Queensland, but these bulls were definitely well-suited to the WA market."

The $42,000 stud record top-priced bull, Fieldhouse BC7#127 (PP), catalogued in lot 78, dominated the sale ring from start to finish, with the bidding war won by returning top-priced buyers Tim D'Arcy, Lyndon station, Minilya and manager Scott Keilor, Regans Ford/Cataby.

The late July 2021-drop, 646 kilogram bull was a polled son of Glenlands J Voltage and out of Fieldhouse 1117.

Fieldhouse BC7#127 recorded 96pc motility and morphology and had a 38cm scrotal circumference.

The D'Arcy family has purchased the odd sire from Fieldhouse over the past 20 years to use in its Droughtmaster nucleus herd to breed its own herd bulls for a pastoral operation in the Upper Gascoyne/Lower Pilbara and also sell some herd bulls to local pastoralists.

Progeny from their pastoral operation are trucked south to their properties at Regans Ford and Cataby where they are fattened and finished off grass or through the feedlot under the management of Mr Keilor.

The D'Arcy family's connection to the Fieldhouse stud dates back to its origins in the mid-1990s when the Muttons and the D'Arcys purchased the Leichhardt Droughmaster stud out of Dysart, Queensland, with the D'Arcys selecting 35 cows and Fieldhouse 120 cows which would form the foundation for their respective Droughtmaster herds.

Mr D'Arcy said they were happy with their new purchase.

"Interestingly he is three months younger than most of the other bulls, he has a lot of growing to do with a lot of benefits," Mr D'Arcy said.

"He has everything we want, length, thickness and bone, with very good morphology traits.

"As he continues to grow, he is going to be a magnificent bull at the end of the day."

The second highest price in the Fieldhouse offering was $30,000 for Fieldhouse BC7#44 (PP).

The 726kg sire is a son of Glenlands J Voltage and out of Fieldhouse 1195 and recorded a 75 per cent motility and 86pc morphology with a 40 centimetre scrotal circumference.

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The winning bid was placed by Nutrien Livestock, Mid West agent Craig Walker on behalf of Lewis Harvey, Meeberrie station, Murchison.

The Harveys run approximately 3500 Droughtmaster-Santa Gertrudis cross breeders across three pastoral properties - Meeberrie and New Forest stations, Murchison and Pinnacles station, Leinster.

Mr Harvey said they had received excellent rainfall a fortnight ago with the rain around Meekatharra sending the Murchison River their way seeing their flood out country up to 6km wide.

He said they have been buying Fieldhouse bulls for the past six to eight years and their latest bull would be joined to their pastoral heifers at the family's backgrounding property at Badgingarra.

"Temperament is good which is important to us," Mr Harvey said.

"His numbers are good with depth of body and muscling.

"We look for growth and for his age he has put a lot of weight on quickly which is what we look for in our calves.

"We had purchased Glenlands bulls prior to Fieldhouse and it's the bloodline we chase in our Fieldhouse bulls."

The $20,000 third top-priced sire, Fieldhouse BC7#7 (PP) got the sale off to a flying start when it sold from the first pen of the day to the Ryan family, Minnie Creek station, Upper Gascoyne.

The early May 2021-drop, 816kg bull is a Glenlands J Agreement son and out of Fieldhouse 1443 and is eligible for registration.

It recorded 80pc motility, 66pc morphology and a 39cm scrotal circumference.

Dean Ryan said Fieldhouse BC7#7 was a well-muscled sire, high growth sire with a lot of presence.

"He is also a quiet, double polled bull which we want and he has a good hindquarter and a tight sheath," Mr Ryan said.

"He also has a good flat back which we chase.

"We are happy to buy top-end bulls as we are wanting to lift the genetics in the herd at the station."

The Ryan family went on to purchase a second bull from the last pen to sell in the sale for $3500.

Fieldhouse BC7#1186 weighed 652kg and was sired by Sevenell Mandrake and out of Fieldhouse 840.

Both bulls will head to Minnie Creek station to be used in their breeding herd of 3300 Droughtmaster-Santa Gertrudis cross females.

"The Droughtmaster bulls cross well with the Santa Gertrudis breed, which we also use at the station," Mr Ryan said.

He said the family liked the Droughtmaster breed as they were really hardy and performed well in dry conditions.

"They are great cattle and have great temperaments," he said.

"We also like that they have good polled heads as we believe this is important going forward."

Also having an influence on the sale at the top-end were three buyers which purchased bulls at more than $10,000.

Russell and Janette Macpherson, Miljanna Grazing, Bolgart, placed the $18,000 winning bid on the lot 25 beauty, Fieldhouse BC7#124.

The late June 2021-drop bull weighed in at 686kg and was sired by Glenlands J Voltage and out of Fieldhouse 1187.

It recorded 70pc motility, 90pc morphology and 45cm scrotal circumference.

The Macphersons have previously purchased five bulls from the stud and run about 50 Droughtmaster breeders at their property.

Also paying more than $10,000 was TW & AE Dowling, Wongee Farming, Cuballing, which purchased Fieldhouse BC7#26 for $14,000.

The polled bull weighed 728kg and is a son of Glenlands D Winchester and out of Fieldhouse 1276.

JL & JC Pumba, Yalgoo, weren't far behind, paying $13,000 for the lot two bull Fieldhouse BC7#8, which had a sale weight of 776kg.

The lot two bull is a Glenlands J Agreement son and out of Fieldhouse 1504.

A major fan of the Glenlands J Agreement sons and not afraid to bid strongly was Rocklea station, Paraburdoo, which was the sale's volume buyer.

Buying on behalf of the station were Rio Tinto pastoral representatives Davey Green and Rob Morgan.

Together the pair put together a large team of 29 Fieldhouse bulls for an average of $6276.

Mr Green and Mr Morgan paid a top of $9000 three times for three double polled bulls.

They had motility figures from 70-90pc with the morphology ranging from 76-90pc.

The three bulls were by Sevenell Mandrake, Vale Hitman and De Grey Park Danzig.

The Rio Tinto pastoralist representatives said all of the bulls would be heading to Rocklea and will help serve 2000 Droughtmaster breeders.

"The bulls we purchased are good solid bulls that will withstand the elements and weather up at Rocklea nicely," Mr Green said.

The pair were looking for bulls that were double polled to put over their females.

"We also aim to select something that has a good temperament and good conformation," they said.

The Fieldhouse bulls were also popular with Northern Rural Supplies, Broome, which was purchasing for its Kimberley clients.

Northern Rural Supplies secured 17 bulls during the auction, paying $3500 for each of them.

The bulls were a mix of polled and horned sires and ranged between 80-90pc for motility and 47-92pc for morphology.

Killara station, Meekatharra, put together a team of six sires paying a top of $8500 twice and averaged $7417, which was made up of Glenlands, Comanche and Sevenell bloodlines.

Killara station owner and return buyer Liam Johns said his family has been buying from the stud for 20 years.

The Johns family run a herd of 2500 Droughtmaster-Santa Gertrudis cross breeders that will be joined with the new bulls purchased at the sale.

"We were selecting bulls that had deeper red coats, that's what we wanted," Mr Johns said.

"The temperament and fertility of the bulls is great which is a positive."

Mr Johns said the thickness throughout the bulls was also a big selection factor.

"All the bulls we bought had good conformation and good feet to go with it which was another trait we considered," he said.

Hooley Hills Cattle Co, Tom Price, purchased six bulls at an average of $5500 and to a top of $9000, made up of sons from Glenlands, De Grey Park and Sevenell bloodlines.

Another account to purchase six bulls was JM Rose Holdings, Meekatharra, which paid to a top of $5500 and $4500 for a mix of horned and polled bulls.