The Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR) annual online bull auction will be held on Wednesday 1 July 2020 offering productive and climatically adapted bulls to farmers across the Territory and Australia.

This is the seventh year the department has held the popular bull sale, with around 60 Brahman bulls along with 40 Tropical Composite bulls available for sale.

Phil Hausler, DPIR’s Executive Director of Agriculture, said the popularity of the bull sale was due to the department’s breeding program producing cattle with high fertility and adapted to the climate and conditions of the Northern Territory.

“The annual sale auctions quality bulls to the, allowing industry to access quality genetic material, the result of years of department research, with breeding programs designed to objectively select for fertility, functionality and adaptation whilst maintaining growth under Northern Territory (NT) conditions, said Mr Hausler.”

Bull selection is critical for profitability as the number of calves produced by breeder herds in 10 years can be attributed to the type of bull selected today. A selectively bred bull in an equal or harsher environment than your own is highly likely to produce calves that are highly adapted and productive in your environment.

 “In 2019 the sale drew an overall clearance rate of 63 per cent, with Brahman’s clearing 93 per cent of sale. The top bull was a Brahman which sold for $4,000, and the sales average was just under $2,500 each. This means excellent value for our beef producers and the department being able to offset some the costs to manage the Select Brahman and composite herds, he said.”

This year the online auction meets COVID-19 requirements of physical distancing which are challenging to manage at a live sale. As an added advantage, the online auction makes these bulls available to industry and buyers from as far as Western Australia and Queensland.

Supporting beef cattle production industries is an important ongoing Northern Territory Government program to drive growth and diversification of this long-standing, established sector. The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry contributed $700 million to the NT’s economy in 2018/19.

The annual bull sale will be conducted online by AuctionsPlus and a full catalogue provided by Elders will be available at the end of June. Please register at auctionsplus.com.au to be part of the auction.

Media contact: Helena Bott 0409 640 859