Top price of $35,000 at Canterbury bull sale

Silverstream Osmar O41 topped the sale at the Silverstream Charolais on-farm bull sale on Friday, selling for $35,000. Photo / Silverstream Charolais

There was a transtasman connection to the highest bid at Friday's Silverstream Charolais on-farm bull sale in Canterbury.

Lot two, Silverstream Osmar O41, sold for $35,000 to Ahahi Charolais, with Australian semen rights going to Palgrove Charolais, at the 32nd annual Silverstream sale held near Little River.

Brent Fisher said Osmar was a homozygous polled bull sired by JWX Downtown from the Wilgenbusch Charolais stud.

Osmar's dam was "one of our most powerful polled cows" sired by Silverstream Benchmark.

"This bull has that real 'x-factor', great carcass, softness and a wonderful disposition."

It was the stud's highest average price and, while there were not as many registered buyers as usual, there was a lot of interest from North Island buyers with eight of the first 10 bulls being sold to North Island studs.

That showed people were willing to travel and pay for the bulls they wanted and suggested there was still some confidence in the industry, he said.

In all, 52 Charolais bulls sold for an average of $9519. Notable sales included lot one selling for $21,000 to Kia Toa Charolais, lot three sold for $20,000 to Whananaki Coastal Charolais, lot seven sold for $20,000 to Minzion Station and lot nine sold for $18,000 to Fraser and Karen Allan.

Silverstream Oath sold for $9000, with the proceeds going to support the New Zealand Agricultural Show.

Hereford bulls also went under the hammer, with 10 bulls selling for an averaging of $7800.

The top Hereford price was for lot 67, which sold for $16,000 to Minzion Station.