Penola-based Warrawindi Limousin stud posted a record $5688 average at its seventh annual sale on Thursday last week – a lift of $675 on 2015.

It was a fitting reward for David and Alison Galpin and family for their impressive offering of 23 well-muscled bulls with plenty of softness from Australian and imported bloodlines. The only disappointment to the final sale for SA Limousin Week was the 70 per cent clearance, with 16 bulls sold through the ring.

For the second consecutive year, Garrison Cattle Feeders bought the sale-topping bull for their Lucindale property.
Mount Gambier agent Garth Manser from P&L Livestock bid to $9000 on their behalf for the 22-month-old black poll bull Warrawindi Kumar. “It is a lovely structured bull with capacity and full of muscle,” Mr Manser said. Kumar, lot 9, was sired by the 2013 top price bull Warrawindi Hollywood and was highly regarded by the Galpins, who have collected semen for use in their own herd.

The sale’s second highest price of $7000 was paid for lot 1 Warrawindi Jailbreak. Jailbreak is a rising three-year-old poll ET-bred son of Canadian outcross sire CJSL Time Traveler 7051T. It had been used as the stud’s junior herd sire and had two drops of impressive calves on the ground. The growthy, docile sire was also bought by Garrison.

An astute decision to offer a few more black Limousins paid dividends with a total clearance of the seven offered, averaging $5929. In comparison, nine of 16 traditional apricot coloured bulls averaged $5500.

Repeat Lower South East and western Vic vealer producers were again the sale’s strength, but bulls still went into three states.

Lot 8 Warrawindi Knockout went the furthest afield, selling for $6500 to GK&KA Paull through Elders Finley, NSW.

The Thring family, Churinga Park, Coonawarra, was the sale’s multiple buyer, securing two bulls at $5000 and $4500.

As an added drawcard, Warrawindi offered six of its 12 best 2015-drop heifers. Three of these found new homes with SE studs, averaging $2917. The youngest of these, Warrawindi Lucky Charm, made the $3750 top to D&S Rothe, The Bull Run, Marcollat, through Southern Australian Livestock, Naracoorte. The nine-month-old homozygous poll female was a daughter of Shalone Nobel Prize F124.

The other two sold at $2500 to the Modra family, Limek stud, Western Flat, and Jason Malseed, Mount Gambier Limousins, Mount Gambier.

Mr Galpin said the sale was a success with top-end bulls attracting strong competition. “We need to be getting up about $6000 to make it worthwhile so we are near the mark,” he said. “It is definitely the best line-up of bulls we have offered and the pleasing thing is every bull sold will go out and make our clients’ money.”

He would follow closely the heifers in their new studs and was not disappointed three of the top quality heifers would remain in the Warrawindi herd.

Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson Penola and O’Connor & Graney Mount Gambier were joint selling agents with Matt Treglown and Ethan Bronca on the rostrum.