Olivia Calver, Stock & Land, 1

Mawarra If Only Q264 from Mawarra Genetics, Longford, Victoria, has broken the record for the highest priced bull sold at the Hereford National Show and Sale at Wodonga, purchased for $103,000 on Wednesday.

The sale portion of this year’s National was run as a helmsman auction via AuctionsPlus so the crowd was left guessing who the big spender was until David Lyons of Melville Park, Vasey, Victoria was revealed as the winning bidder.

Overall, the multi-vendor sale saw 71 of 84 bulls sold for an 85 per cent clearance and $14,775 average.

David Lyons, Melville Park, Vasey, Victoria bought the top priced bull of the 56th Hereford Australia National Sale, purchasing Mawarra If Only Q264 for $103,000. Pictured with Mawarra’s Logan Sykes, Longford, Vic. (Photo Stock&Land)

The top priced bull, sired by Mawarra Empire, had success in the show portion of the day, named reserve junior champion bull by judge Erica Halliday, Ben Nevis Angus, Walcha.

Mr Lyons, a first-time Mawarra purchaser, said he bought the bull for his beautiful skin, softness, length of body and excellent carcase data.

“He had an excellent IMF, that’s what we’ve sort of been trying to concentrate on, but you need to get a bull to go with it, that’s not easy,” Mr Lyons said.

“He should have a big impact on the stud.”

Mr Lyons said his wife Olwyn was watching the auction at home with their worker Nathan Roberts and 30 seconds before the sale finished they rang and asked if it was him with the top bid. “I said yes and Nathan said Olwyn’s sitting there shaking,” Mr Lyons said

Mawarra If Only Q264, a rising two-year-old, weighed 872kg and had an eye muscle area of +6.0 and an intramuscular fat value of +2.8.

The bull was one of eight the Sykes family sold for an average of $38,125.

The stud also had the second highest priced bull, Mawarra Terminator Q274, who was sashed reserve intermediate champion bull at the show, and sold for $53,000 to a syndicate which included South Australian studs Morganvale Beef, Willalooka and OakDowns Poll Herefords, Bordertown, as well as New Zealand stud Stoneburn Herefords, Palmerston.

A third bull from the Longford stud, Mawarra Influential Q162, sold for $42,000 to Graham Herefords, Cootamundra.

Other top sales included Glendan Park Quality Q136, who was purchased for $33,000 by Yarram Park Herefords, Willaura, Vic and Kaludah Cooper Q272, who was purchased for $30,000 by Glenellerslie Herefords, Adelong.

There was a large crowd watching the auction at Wodonga and around the country…..

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