A bull market for the studs

NUTRIEN stud stock specialist Cooper Lamprey said that stud bull prices had improved.

“But that’s off the back of the market being solid for processing cattle.”

Mr Lamprey said Tasmanian studs were in a good position.

“We’re starting to get a bit of rain now, so hopefully that turns into something good and positive,” he said.

“They are all feeling pretty good after the sale results, which gives them a bit more confidence in going to spend more money on genetics and moving forward.

“It’s also been good to see strong support from both Tasmanian and interstate buyers.”

Tolivar Angus’s autumn sale price averaged $7111, with its top bull fetching $19,000.

Stud principal Colin Hill said that the bull was sold to Granite Ridge Angus in South Australia.

“I’m really privileged that they bought this bull because he’s got brilliant data,” Mr Hill said.

“To have a stud that sells bulls for up to $235,000 buy your bull to use in their own stud is quite a compliment.”

Meanwhile, Cluden Newry saw all its 58 bulls on offer sell for an average price of $12,017.

Its top bull was sold for $80,000.

“The average was down, but we had a bit of an outlier last year with the top-selling bull dragging it up a fair bit,” Cluden Newry’s Jock Hughes said.

“The total clearance was up from previous years.”

That outlier from 2025 was Uppercut U15, which sold for $275,000 – a Tasmanian record for an Angus bull.

“That resulted in more interest and meant more people came to have a look at the sales.

“I think that improved trading conditions commercially, like higher beef prices, have translated to better bull prices.”

At the Quarterway sale, the top-priced bull sold for $14,000, with an overall average price of $7341.

“I think the industry’s in pretty good shape,” Quarterway stud principal Trevor Hall said. “We’ve just had a pretty tough summer down this neck of the woods.

“We just need Mother Nature to give us some rain and then I think we’ll be on fire again.”

Landfall Angus saw all but one of its 210 bulls sell for an average  $12,602, with the top price of $44,000 paid by Calview Pastoral at Laceby.

Our annual Poll Hereford bull sale feature is in Tasmanian Country this week and the Business Section of Tasmanian Country Online.