Australia-Angus bull sale.

AUSTRALIA-ANGUS BULL SALE.

A SUBDUED bull sale at leading Victorian Angus stud Coolana today produced a clearance of 50 bulls from 68 offered for an average price of $3240.

Last year during their autumn sale principals Mark and Anna Gubbins of the Chatsworth stud stud 71 from 90 for an average of $3594, which was $150 higher than this year’s result.

A small crowd of buyers bid steadily on the favoured lots with much of the buying strength coming from a car-load of renowned cattle consultants and agents from South Australia, including Dick Whale, Malcolm MacDonald and Keith-based Elders commission agent Jono Spence.

Mr Spence described the sale as "good buying" but added that it would have been disappointing for the vendors.

The Gubbins family also has property in South Australia’s SA Coorong region and have built a reputation for their bulls in that district, which stood them in good stead today.

Mr MacDonald, who managed the Willalooka Pastoral property and studs at Willalooka in SA for decades bought the top priced bull for $7500, along with six others for an average of about $4300, for his daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Simon Rowe’s Princess Royal properties at Burra in SA’s Mid North.

Other buyers came from the local Mortlake and Hamilton regions, as well as King Island.

Mr Gubbins said it was a tough sale in places, but was reflective of the state of the industry.

"Good bulls sold well, but we ran out of buyers, as well the seasonal conditions had an effect," he said.

"Cow numbers are down 20 per cent in Victoria, and also by about 20 per cent in SA, and even by about 40 per cent in NSW regions like Holbrook."

He said the seedstock industry would "naturally have to" look at the number of bulls being offered by studs in that environment.

However, he said he remained confident that cattle numbers would lift in southern Australia following some good seasons.

"What is happening now (with bull sale clearances being down) is a reality check, which had to happen," Mr Gubbins said.

One SA agent said that most of the SA bull sales that have been held in the past fortnight produced significantly reduced clearances and average prices were down by about $1000 a head in many cases, but only by $100 in some leading studs.