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Eastern Plains Angus Bull Sale – Wednesday 7th August 2024

"Getting You Ahead"

BULL SALE

Bull Sale

 

BULL SALE

 

Wednesday 7th August 2024

 

1pm


on-property at "Eastern Plains", Guyra, NSW

 

BULL WALK

 

Wednesday 31 July 2024

 

1.30pm to 3.30pm


on-property at "Eastern Plains", Guyra, NSW

 

Please join us to inspect our Bull Sale Team

 

Request A
Bull Testing


Bull selection can be the single, most powerful tool for genetic improvement in your herd. Since they will supply half of the genetics to all the calves they sire, the genetic influence of the bulls you introduce is far reaching, across generations & will impact on your profitability for many years to come.  So it is important you have objective information about his fertility, health status, structure/conformation, pedigree & genetic merit, & not just opinion whether ours or others!

 

This is the premise behind our bull testing regime; to provide independent, quantified, objective information describing as accurately as possible the breeding functionality of our bulls.  This will enable you to best select those bulls suited to your program & environment.

 

Though it can be reassuring as a buyer to read about high selling siblings, "first sons to sell" & view some grand photo's & video's, the reality is that it is objective information which will enable you to best select those bulls who will actually breed on to improve your profitability.

 

We are one of only a few Angus seedstock producers to put their draft of sale bulls through such an extensive pre-sale testing regime. Notably, we are one of even fewer Angus seedstock producers who publish these results in our Bull Sale Catalogue.

 


 

(1) BULLCHECK™

 

To get females in calf, your bull must be reproductively sound.  Though he may present fat & with plenty of 'eye appeal' on sale day, this does not necessarily translate to reproductive soundness.  The 'gold card' for an objective fertility measurement of a bull's reproductive soundness is BULLCHECK™, a standardized descriptor of bull fertility, developed, conducted & endorsed by Australian Cattle Veterinarians (ACV).  It includes an assessment of legs, feet, joints, back, gait, head & shoulders for structural soundness , examination of reproductive organs including an inspection of the penis & sheath for the presence of infections, warts (?!) or injury, palpation of internal sex gland via rectal entry for the presence of irregularities which can indicate infections , measurement of scrotal circumference + both Sperm Motility & Sperm Morphology testing (see below), all conducted by an ACV accredited veterinarian.

 

About 20% of Angus Bulls fail BULLCHECK™.  Bulls who fail are at worst infertile, & at best, sub-fertile.  They cost you money in lost production; fewer calves, late calves & a higher incidence of PTE & thus a higher cull rate in your female herd.  They can be almost impossible to identify in a multiple joining program, as other bulls in the joining team can 'cover' for them to some extent.  This extra workload for the remaining bulls makes it more likely they may incur an injury during the joining season. Thus more cost to you, stemming from that infertile/sub-fertile bull, though you may be unaware & unable to identify it!

 

If you’re buying Angus Bulls out of a sale ring who are not BULLCHECK™ tested, then you’ve a 1 in 5 chance of being hit with these costs (despite claims made in the bull sale catalogue).

 

We're proud of our commitment to Bull Fertility.  2024 will be the 18th consecutive year, in which we offer Angus Bulls at our Annual on-property Bull Sale tested by BULLCHECK™.

 


 

(2) SPERM MOTILITY

 

A crush side test for sperm quantity & its ability to move forward. At only about 60µm long, sperm cells need to be motile to get the job done!  Often referred to as a ‘crush side’ semen test, following collection of a semen sample, a drop is placed on a microscope slide & examined, 'crush side', to assess the percentage of live sperm cells moving forward.  A threshold guide for acceptable minimum Sperm Motility is >30% progressively motile sperm.  However, we set a higher benchmark & only those bulls testing ≥50% progressively motile sperm in their semen sample make our Bull Sale Catalogue.  Look for the BULLCHECK™ logo in our Bull Sale Catalogue to see Sperm Motility test results for each Lot.

 


 

(3) SPERM MORPHOLOGY

 

We are one of a select few Angus studs who test & report Sperm Morphology results in our Bull Sale Catalogue.  Morphology of the sperm is the anatomy or structure of individual sperm cells.  It is not the same as Sperm Motility & we urge buyers not to confuse the two.

 

Sperm Morphology CANNOT be tested 'crush side'.  It requires a large, expensive & specialised laboratory microscope to examine a preserved semen sample. It assesses the percentage of normal & abnormal sperm cells in a semen sample.  Sperm Morphology testing will ‘weed out’ those bulls who are the true loser’s when it comes to fertility, which crush side Sperm Motility testing on its own cannot.

 

Sperm Morphology is widely recognised as the most important measure of fertility in the bull. It will pick up defects & abnormalities in the sperm that 'crush side' testing will not. The most serious of these defects can see the sperm start to fertilise an egg but fail to result in a viable embryo & the female will fail to fall pregnant on that cycle. This delay in achieving pregnancy can result in smaller calves at weaning. It means a shorter recovery time post calving to rejoining, putting undue pressure on the female to rejoin, & thus a higher incidence of PTE.  Whilst bulls with poor morphology may still sire calves, they will be costly, late calves as some embryos are lost during the mating season prior to maintaining pregnancy.

 

Though morphology in mature bulls is largely repeatable, it is important to note that Sperm Morphology can vary in subsequent samples from the same bull. Sickness, disease, injury, environment, nutrition or indeed any stress arising from your production system or husbandry program (eg vaccinations) can impact on Sperm Morphology.  Once sexually mature, a bull is continuously producing semen throughout his life. From start to finish, when semen is ready for ejaculation, requires a production period of approx. 6 to 8 weeks.  Taking this time period into account, once the bull recovers from a stress event & providing he does not have an inherent fertility problem, his Sperm Morphology will similarly recover. While a subsequent test result may vary from a former, ‘good’ Sperm Morphology, in keeping with minimum fertility standards (below), has been shown to be repeatable in a reproductively sound bull.

 

The recognised minimum standard for Semen Morphology in Australia is:-

 

(a) >70% normal sperm for bulls used in single sire matings or AI

 

(b) >50% normal sperm for bulls used in multiple sire matings

 

Only those bulls who meet these minimum criteria make our Bull Sale Catalogue.  Look for the BULLCHECK™ logo in our Bull Sale Catalogue to see test results for each Lot.

 


 

(4) BEEFCLASS STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

 

Structural problems impact negatively on both the reproductive & growth performance in your beef herd.  It is widely recognised that structural problems in bulls have detrimental effects on conception rates, calving patterns & thus profitability.  Similarly, females with inadequate structural characteristics are more prone to weaning lighter calves or conceiving later in the breeding season than their more functional counterparts.  These structural problems filter through the beef supply chain, reducing income & productivity for the producer, backgrounder, feedlot etc.

 

Prior to cataloguing, Eastern Plains Angus Sale Bulls have been independently structurally assessed by Liam Cardile of BEEFXCEL using the BeefClass Structural Assessment System.  Bulls deemed inadequate are culled from the sale draft & sold for slaughter.

 

Liam is an experienced assessor, & structurally assesses many leading seedstock herds in Australia.  BEEFXCEL is not involved in any genetic marketing or specific breeding advice, so there is no conflict of interests to influence their stock appraisal.  Thus, the integrity of the structural data provided by BEEFXCEL is recognised throughout the industry as being truly & fully INDEPENDENT.

 

Look for structural scores in the Lot details for each bull in our Bull Sale Catalogue.  Click here for more info on BeefClass Structural Assessment.

 


 

(5) RECESSIVE GENETIC CONDITIONS

 

The genetic status for recessive genetic conditions AM, CA, NH & DD is identified in the Lot details for each bull in our Bull Sale Catalogue.  Note that the genetic status for recessive genetic conditions is identified for animals as "Free", "Carrier", "Free Untested", "% Carrier" or "Affected".


For up-to-date & the most current information about recessive genetic conditions please visit Angus Australia.


We actively manage our stud herd for these conditions using DNA testing & pedigree information.

 


 

(6) PESTIVIRUS

 

All bulls catalogued for our Bull Sale are ear notch tested negative for Pestivirus.

 

Pestivirus (also known as BVDV) commonly causes (but not limited to) abortion, reduced fertility, stunted calves + a period of immune suppression which can lead to calf scours, pneumonia and other diseases.  It is spread by contact with infected animals & especially Persistently Infected (PI) animals (i.e. 'carrier' animals).

 

A PI bull, though it may exhibit no outward symptoms at all, present fat & sappy on sale day,& live a long & productive life, will shed & spread pestivirus in all its’ bodily fluids all its’ life.  Vaccinating a PI bull will not cure it, nor prevent it from spreading pestivirus.

 

An ear notch test is the best means of identifying PI bulls.  Minimise your pestivirus risk by purchasing bulls that have ear notch tested PI negative.  All our Sale Bulls have been ear notch tested PI negative.  Additionally they have also been vaccinated with Pestigard™ which will protect the bull should it come into future contact with pestivirus (which can commonly occur during transit).  We recommend an annual booster vaccination program for your bull.

 


 

(7) VETERINARY HEALTH

 

All bulls catalogued for our Bull Sale have been vaccinated with Vibrovax, Bovilis MH+IBR, Pestigard, 7in1 + treated with worm drench & Selovin LA.

 


 

(8) JOHNES BEEF ASSURANCE SCORE

 

J-BAS8.  Eastern Plains Angus has a Johne's Beef Assurance Score 8 which means bull's are free to travel to all States.  We have been testing & monitoring for Johne's since 1998.

 


 

(9) EUROPEAN UNION ACCREDITATION SCHEME

 

Eastern Plains is an EU accredited herd.

 


 

(10) PERFORMANCE & PEDIGREE RECORDED WITH ANGUS AUSTRALIA

 

Our stud Angus herd is performance recorded & fully registered with Angus Australia & the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE), formerly Angus BREEDPLAN.  Since the inception of formal performance recording of Angus cattle, now known as TACE, we have routinely submitted raw data measurements to assist in the calculation of Estimated Breeding Values (EBV's).

 

This includes birth weight & date, calving ease scores, 200D, 400D & 600D weights, scrotal size, ultrasound scan data for rib & rump fat, eye muscle area & IMF (marbling), AI & joining dates used to calculate gestation length & days to calving EBV's, mature cow weights, docility scores & structural scores.  DNA hair samples are also collected for donor dams used in our ET program & bulls used in our stud joining program, for genomics testing to provide parent verification & for use in calculating EBV's.

 

Our long held practice of consistent & extensive raw data submission ensures EBV's for our Sale Bulls have higher accuracies.  Importantly this means they more truly reflect the genetic merit of that bull & more reliably predict the performance of his progeny.  Buyers can be confident Eastern Plains Angus bulls are fully registered, are backed by actual extensive data collection & formal performance recording.

 

Further, all bulls in our Bull Sale Catalogue are identified as are either:-

 

  • Parent Assured - the bull is DNA verified to his Dam & Sire, denoted by the superscript PV at the end of his name
  • Sire Assured - the bull is DNA verified to his Sire, denoted by the superscript SV at the end of his name

 

This provides buyers with peace of mind that the bull's pedigree is as printed in our Bull Sale Catalogue.

 


 

(11) TICK FEVER VACCINE

 

All bulls have been vaccinated for Tick Fever with trivalent (3 germ) vaccine.

 

2024 Bull Sale - Reference Sires

Our 2024 Eastern Plains Angus Bull Sale will feature sons of the following Reference Sires. We take a 'team' approach when selecting sires to use in our program with consideration for both phenotype & genotype.

 

Above all, we avoid selecting sires for their performance in one single trait, no matter how 'on trend' & popular that trait may be.


We reference & give particular emphasis to Estimated Breeding Values (EBV's), over & above raw data, in our selection decisions when choosing sires for use in both our Stud & Commercial herds.

 

We look for sires with a balance of fertility, structural soundness, calving ease, growth & carcase traits.  Whilst individual sires may be stronger or weaker in some traits compared to others, across the 'team' of sires, we try to maintain this balance. We select too, for moderation in these traits when choosing sires for use in our program.

 

Because we breed all our replacement females in both our stud & commercial herds, we are ever mindful that the heifers we breed, our future breeders, are the counterpart of producing high growth steers. Selecting sires to produce sound, low maintenance & fertile daughters is important for us too.

EASTERN PLAINS PITNACREE P110
 CHILTERN PARK MOE M6 - GTNM6
NEPL9 - EASTERN PLAINS LENNY L9 PV

CLUNIE RANGE PLANTATION P392 - NBHP392

EASTERN PLAINS ABBA R59

EASTERN PLAINS ABBA R59

EASTERN PLAINS RAYBURN R30

EASTERN PLAINS RAYBURN R30

EASTERN PLAINS RAZORBACK R70

EASTERN PLAINS RAZORBACK R70

EASTERN PLAINS REDLANDS R45

EASTERN PLAINS REDLANDS R45

NEPL9 - EASTERN PLAINS LENNY L9 PV

EASTERN PLAINS ROCKLEY R81

G A R BONFIRE

EASTERN PLAINS RUGBY R39

Karoo

KAROO K12 REALIST N278

EASTERN PLAINS PITNACREE P110

RENNYLEA PROSPECT P550

STORTH OAKS FULLY LOADED P23

STORTH OAKS FULLY LOADED P23

New Bull New Home

 

We well appreciate the purchase of your Eastern Plains Angus Bull/s represents a significant financial outlay. The contribution he goes on to make to your breeding operation is very obviously dependent on his state of health.  We hope these articles may be of assistance in relocating your newly purchased Eastern Plains Angus Bull/s to a new home.  Please click on title below:-

 

Penile Infections in Bulls

 

Management Strategies for Relocation of Angus Bulls into Northern Australia

 

Bovine Ephemeral Fever (3 day sickness)


Bringing your New Bull Home

 

Guidelines for using Angus Bulls in QLD

 

Guidelines for using Angus Bulls in northern Western Australia

 

Guidelines for using Angus Bulls in the Northern Territory

 

Bull Preparation

 

What we do:-

 

Ideally, we aim to present our 2 year old Sale Bulls in a weight range of approx. 730kgs to 830kgs. Our Angus Bulls are presented in ready-to-work, strong forward condition in order to withstand the rigours of adjusting to their new home environment & joining; all ahead of them after Sale Day.  Their physical functionality & agility is important if they're to do their job properly.

 

Our bulls are weaned onto improved New England pasture's alongside their commercial (steer) contemporaries.  They are NOT supplemented or grown out on crop.  We cannot see the benefit of breeding bulls that require weaning onto crop &/or supplementary feeding from weaning onwards in order to ready them for sale.  Our breeding program strives to breed bulls that are more 'low maintenance' than this.

 

Bulls are run in the one group during the period following weaning (Feb/Mar), until the start of our stud & commercial joining program's in September each year.

 

At the conclusion of joining, those bulls used in our joining program are then run together in the one mob, whilst the remaining bulls continue running together in another mob.  They remain separated forever more, as we find the bulls fight & scrap if re-mobbed.  All bulls continue to graze improved pasture & are not supplemented.

 

Supplementary feeding of our Sale Bulls is only introduced at approx. 12 weeks out from Sale Day in May. This entails feeding a dry feed pellet, initially on alternate days of the week. Intakes of dry feed pellets are gradually increased until the bulls are consuming a max of approx 2% of their bodyweight daily, reaching this level by late June.  Hay is also made available to the bulls on an ad-lib basis during this period.


We do not wash or clip bulls for Sale Day (or for photo's). This gives a "true" representation of each bulls natural coat type & also the variation in coat type between bulls. It can be easy to mistake a clipped, washed bull for one who is naturally sleek coated!

 

What we don't do:-

 

We make the deliberate decision not to present bulls overly fat on Sale Day .

 

The negative effects of over feeding on a bull's fertility & structure are well documented in numerous industry funded, formal scientific research papers.

 

It is far more likely that a draft of 2 year old Angus bulls averaging close to 900kgs on sale day, is due more to them having been constantly supplemented their entire lives, rather than an "expression of their genetic merit" for growth &/or feed efficiency etc.  If it requires weaning onto crop &/or supplementation, & then yet another oat crop + further supplementation in order to prepare him for sale, there can be little credibility in the claim that the bull is 'low maintnenance' or 'easy doing' or 'raised under commercial conditions'.

 

Be mindful not to confuse fat for muscle.  We feel the sentence from the report, "Breeding for Profit", produced by QLD DPI, sums this sentiment up beautifully:-

 

“Fat, particularly subcutaneous fat (fat just under the skin), can often deceive many a bull buyer into thinking a bull is well muscled when he is actually poorly muscled but well fed”.

 

Disappointingly, it is not uncommon to hear anecdotal reports of Angus Bulls, continually fed since weaning & presented at extreme weights on Sale Day, rapidly losing weight after arrival at their new home environment, giving rise to the impression that Angus are 'not tough enough'. These excessive sale day weights hinder an Angus bull's ability to adapt & cope with working under commercial conditions; walking long distances to forage, water & serve females. Quite apart from the direct effect of over feeding on fertility, this dramatic weight loss in itself can also have negative consequences for fertility.

 

Our management & sale preparation program is focused on growing bulls more slowly & 'naturally', without the expense of continual supplementation.  Our experience has been that this style of management works to benefit us all; you the buyer, us as the vendor, the bulls themselves & the cows/heifers they're joined to.

 

Ultimately we're in the business of selling ANGUS GENETICS NOT A FEED PROGRAM!

 

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