By CATHERINE MILLER
The Wittalocka Angus stud herd will remain in South Australia after its sale to fellow South East Angus breeders the Hann family from Nampara stud, Penola.
A dispersal sale was scheduled for November 30 but after strong local and interstate interest a deal was done within a month of the stud being advertised for sale.
Spence Dix & Co negotiated the sale for the entire stud herd which comprised 120 cows with seven to nine month old calves and joined heifers.
It is a good fit with both studs noted for breeding Angus cattle with frame and weight for age, using largely Australian bloodlines.
New owners Stuart and Nat Hann are excited about the expansion of their Nampara stud after taking a keen interest in the Wittalocka cattle and visiting their field day for the past few years.
“Their presentation and type and consistency have been getting better each year. Even before the idea of the dispersal we had been keeping an eye on the herd thinking that when they had a sale we would look to pick up a few good ones.” ” The work in a stud is not only in the frontline but also the guts of it so it has been good to get all the genetics.”
Nampara Pastoral Company is noted for producing top quality in all its livestock enterprises from first cross ewe production to commercial PTIC females.
The aim is to increase the numbers in their annual bull sale from 50 bulls to around 80 bulls in 2014 servicing both existing and new clients.
“We really enjoy breeding livestock and over the next 12 month period we will virtually double our stud herd and be up to 320 stud females.”
Mr Hann said they had looked at purchasing entire studs a few times in the past but the Wittalocka cattle would really assimilate well into their stud.
Another incentive was the opportunity to purchase one of the most highly influenced Banquet blood herds outside the Victorian stud with Wittalocka investing heavily in Banquet sires.
” Once we combine the best end bulls from this herd and the best end bulls of our own herd we will be where we want to be,” he said.
Wittalocka stud principals Oopy and Duncan MacGillivray said the timing was right to disperse with the stud fulfilling its purpose of breeding bulls to improve their commercial herd.
“Fifteen years ago we started the process of turning the herd black but now we are proud that our commercial females look very similar to our stud females- the stud has done the job for us,” Duncan said.
They are thrilled to see the herd-in which they have placed enormous emphasis on fertility and structure-remain in SA.
“Visting their field days it struck me they are really commercially orientated like us and thinking about how they can make money for commercial producers rather than just being seedstock producers,” Oopy said.
The MacGillivrays will offer the final draft of Wittalocka sale bulls from early 2013 with 45 rising two year old bulls for sale.
Sires represented include Wittalocka X10, Banquet Designer D292 and Banquet Curtis C069.
“We really want to make sure our clients all get what they need in the coming year and of course we will be taking an interest in their (the cows) progress at Nampara,”Oopy said.
Unless sold prior there will also be a number of rising three year old stud sires which have been used in the herd will be available for sale at the field days.
Semen in bulls they have used over the years including Banquet Abraham A204, Wittalocka X10, Banquet Designer D292 and outstanding young sire Wittalocka Free Hand F19 will also be for sale.
The MacGillivrays will now focus on their large commercial Angus herd of around 1000 breeders at Wittalocka with the majority of the progeny sold in the blue ribbon annual Willalooka Circuit weaner sale.
They have topped the sale which includes several local vendors many times and have 700 EU accredited weaners including EU females for sale on November 16 .
Spence Dix & Co director Jonathan Spence said it was pleasing the Wittalocka herd was going to some younger Angus breeders with tremendous enthusiasm and foresight who were keen to have a go.
