The $350,000 sale-topping heifer at today’s Marble High Wagyu sale was Arubial VO812, offered by Laird and Sonya Morgan, Arubial Wagyu Condamine, and bought by Keith Hay, Geneflow, Denilliquin NSW.
RECORDS were broken at the Marble High Wagyu sale in Toowoomba Queensland today, where elite donor heifers sold to $350,000 – the highest price for any seedstock animal sold in Australia this year.
The top price was within sight of the $400,000 all-breeds Australian sale record set for any seedstock animal achieved for a Sunnyside Wagyu heifer in 2022.
The Marble High result again highlighted that elite seedstock females in today’s market are worth every bit as much as bulls, because of their ability to spread their genetic footprint through IVF and artificial breeding.
The sale carried Fullblood entries from four prominent Wagyu seedstock producers – Arubial, Macquarie, HP and Sahara Park Wagyu.
Results saw a total clearance of 42 bulls and females plus 16 of 19 genetics lots offered. The result defied a softer trend seen in demand and price at some earlier Wagyu sales this season.
Twenty seven bulls sold to $130,000 and averaged almost $39,000, while 15 donor heifers averaged $52,333. Genetics packages were also strongly contested, with a top price of $48,000 per straw, and an average of $12,300 per straw.
The sale-topping heifer was Arubial VO812, offered by Laird and Sonya Morgan, Arubial Wagyu Condamine, and bought by Keith Hay, Geneflow, Denilliquin NSW.
She carried exceptional Breedplan and index figures, being +4.3 for marbling, and marbling fineness +0.66, while also showing an eye muscle area EBV of +7.8. He BF Index was $716 and Fullblood Terminal idex +$511. Her sire was Arubial T1701, who se dam is considered one of the stud’s elite donor females.
Geneflow also bought the top two semen packages, making $48,000 per straw (two straws @ $96,000) and $32,000 per straw.
Top priced bull at $130,000, Arubial V1374, was bought by G Morgan & Co, Myall Plains, Condamine.
Volume buyer at the sale was Australian Livestock Exports, Narellan NSW which bought five bulls averaging $32,000.
Buyers and bidders attended from across Australia, plus Kansas USA.
Agents were GDL and Ray White, Dalby