MORE than $2.5 million worth of bulls were sold in southern NSW last week, with a strong clearance of 92 per cent.
A total of 521 bulls sold from 566 offered across six Angus and Hereford studs.
The sales, which cleared bulls for an average of $4891, signify the start of the spring bull-selling season.
Ironbark Herefords at Barraba in NSW took top-price honours, selling a bull for $38,000 at its annual production sale last week.
Noel and Liz Cook from Kindon Station at Goondiwindi in NSW paid the top money as well as $24,000 for another bull. In total, 168 out of 198 bulls were sold for an average price of $5700.
Last year the Ironbark bull sale averaged $5122. The best Angus sale last week was the Corrigan family's Rennylea Angus at Culcairn in NSW where bulls sold to a top price of $21,000.
"It was a tremendous sale," Landmark's Ray Attwell said.
Rennylea Angus sold 117 lots and the sale averaged $7333, compared to last year's spring sale when 102 bulls sold from 104 to average $5539.
In other sales last week: Dunoon Angus at Holbrook in NSW recorded a total clearance of 87 bulls to a top of $11,500, and an average price of $5420. KO Angus at Bowral also in southern NSW sold 47 out of 50 bulls to a top price of $11,000 and an average price of $5000.
KO Angus manager Tim Lord said this sale was the "best they had ever seen", with the average about $1500 better than last year.
The stud also sold 19 of 20 yearling females to a top of $3250 and an average price of $1400. Wirruna Poll Herefords, Holbrook sold 54 of 55 bulls, with the best making $8250 to average $3976, which was more than $300 better than last year's average.
The Locke family also sold all six heifers offered to a top of $3500 and an average of $2600.
