In the market for quality mated first cross replacement breeders? Then beef producers need to look no further than next month's Elders Springing Heifer Sale to stock up on A-grade maiden first cross breeders. This year's sale will be held on Friday, December 8, starting at 11:30am at the Boyanup saleyards. The Elders Springing Heifer sale is among the South West's marquee cattle sales and one of the first beef female sales for the 2023/24 season. The Elders South West network will offer 563 PTIC heifers that have been hand-picked from astute vendors, ensuring the sale maintains its reputation across many years for offering the best quality first-cross females. To maintain the high level of quality bucket-reared heifers producers have come to expect from this fixture, sale co-ordinators Michael Carroll, Elders South West livestock manager, and Alex Roberts, Elders Boyanup, continue to place paramount importance on quality control when inspecting and selecting the bucket-reared, first-cross heifers for the sale. All of the heifers are out of dairy dams and carry a vendor guarantee for a maximum 10-week joining period and a maximum calving period of 12 weeks. The heifers are also pregnancy tested in calf by a veterinarian and are accompanied by a pregnancy certificate and - for the third year in a row - all heifers will again be ear notch tested free from persistent infection (PI) of Pestivirus. Mr Carroll said the Elders Supreme Springing Heifer Sale was an ideal outlet to purchase replacement breeders in a specialised breeder sale. "The heifers are looking really good, with all having a maximum 10 week mating, 12 week calving period and many heifers with much shorter periods, including a good selection of Syncro AI joined heifers," he said. "All heifers have passed a Pestivirus ear notch test, with many marked in the catalogue as 'Elders Immune Ready' - meaning the heifers have had two doses of 7:1 clostridial vaccination and two doses of Pestigard giving added assurance to buyers. "In the current cattle market and the season we are experiencing, calves from heifers previously purchased from the Elders Supreme Springing Heifer Sale are attracting a premium due to their additional weight suiting many markets. "Being reared in dairy operations, the heifers are suitable for breeder restockers that require quiet breeders." This year's sale will feature a quality catalogue of 513 Angus-Friesian heifers, 14 Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 22 Hereford-Friesian heifers, five Shorthorn-Friesian heifers and nine Speckle Park-Friesian heifers, which have all been AI or naturally mated to Angus, Limousin or Speckle Park sires. Making up more than 90 per cent of the catalogue, the 513 Angus-Friesian heifers offered by 12 vendors will dominate the yarding. Original sale vendors Michael and Loretta Roberts and family, KS & EN Roberts & Son, Elgin, will again offer the largest draft of heifers in the sale. The Roberts family is a renowned supplier of mated first-cross heifers and will offer a total of 149 quality heifers which are all mated to Limousin sires. The Roberts' heifers have been carefully sourced from reputable South West dairies, many of which they have been buying off for many years. When selecting the heifers, the Roberts family looks for females that have good shape, frame, type and temperament. A feature of the Roberts' draft will be the family's large offering of synchronised AI mated heifers, which will give buyers the opportunity to select heifers with a tighter 20-day calving period. The family's synchronised AI mated heifer offering will consist of 82 Angus-Friesians, three Murray Grey-Friesians, 16 Hereford-Friesians and 12 Shorthorn-Friesians. These have all been synchronised AI mated to proven Limousin bull Unison Nadie N93 and are due to calve from January 20 to February 9 for 20 days. The polled bull Nadie N93 was chosen for its calving ease, shape and temperament. The balance of the Roberts' draft consists of 27 Angus-Friesian, three Murray Grey, six Hereford-Friesian and seven Speckle Park-Friesians naturally joined to Nadie and other Unison Limousin sires. The Angus draft is due to calve from February 10 to March 23, Murray Greys and Speckle Park from January 20 to February 17 and Herefords from February 10 to March 9. The heifers are 'Elders Immune Ready' and had a Cydectin pour-on drench in October. Long-time vendors Keith and Allison Jilley, KL & AJ Jilley, Boyanup, will present the next biggest team of 103 Angus-Friesian heifers. The quiet, well-grown 'Elders Immune Ready' heifers were naturally joined to Black Market Angus bulls and are due to calve from February 1 to April 18. The Jilleys have been supplying first-cross heifers since 1973 and the former dairy farmers source all their heifers from select dairy breeders throughout the South West at various unjoined first-cross female sales. They select a specific type of heifer from non-Jersey herds, resulting in a big line of even heifers presented from their J-BAS 8-accredited property. Another long-time vendor, the Barbetti family, RC & CD Barbetti & Sons, Waterloo, will offer the next largest draft of 63 quality Angus-Friesian heifers. The heifers have been joined to Unison Limousin sires and are due to calve over a 10-week period starting on January 29 through to April 8. The 'Elders Immune Ready' heifers have also been drenched in mid-April. Three decade sale vendors Bernard and Roma Ridley, BW & RB Ridley, Brunswick, is another of the sale's bigger vendors with a team of 60 Angus-Friesian heifers. The heifers have been joined to Sheron Farm Angus bulls and are due to calve over a 10-week period from February 4 to April 16. The Ridley's heifers are 'Elders Immune Ready' and were drenched in early March and received Marks-Min trace minerals in early April. The heifers were sourced from local dairies as unjoined heifers, both onfarm and at Boyanup sales and the extremely quiet cattle are handled a lot during mating, while there is a strong emphasis placed on temperament when selecting heifers. The Merritt family, Elgin Dairies, Elgin, have been sale vendors for many years and will offer a large sale team of 60 Angus-Friesian and Murray Grey-Friesian heifers. In the draft breakdown, there will be 35 Angus-Friesian and four Murray Grey-Friesian syncro mated to Angus bull Chiltern Park Moe M6 with a tight 20-day calving from January 25 to February 10. The balance of 17 Angus heifers will calve from February 15 to April 14 and four Murray Greys from February 15 to March 30 for six weeks following a back-up period with a Little Meadows Angus bull. The Merritts heifers are 'Elders Immune Ready' and received Marks-Min trace minerals in early October. Denmark dairy producers Andrew and Claire Jenkins, AC & CA Jenkins Family Trust will offer a draft of 30 owner bred Angus-Friesian heifers at the sale. The heifers were synco AI mated to select AI Angus sires on May 10 and backed up to Lawsons Angus bulls with a calving period of February 16 to March 23. Long-term sale vendors the Milner family, Milners Farm, Busselton, will offer 24 owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers from their dairy property. The Milners have a long association with the sale dating back to when it was held in Busselton and their heifers are always chased by return buyers. The Milners aim is to breed a big, open female so their heifer buyers will have a nice breeder going forward, suitable for producing top quality calves. The 'Elders Immune Ready' heifers are in calf to a Blackrock Angus bull and due to calve from January 20 to March 30 for a 10-week calving period. Boyanup vendor Kitchen Farms has nominated 23 double vaccinated Angus-Friesian heifers which were syncro AI joined to an Angus bull on April 25 and backed up to Carenda Angus bulls and due to calve from February 1 to April 9. Regular vendors at the sale, Lyndon and Elizabeth Crouch, LM and EA Crouch, Nannup, will offer 20 Angus-Friesian heifers. All heifers were purchased as unmated heifers and specially prepared and joined at their Nannup property. The heifers have been joined to Angus bulls and will calve for nine weeks from January 29 to March 25 for a nine-week calving period. They have been treated with Pestigard, vaccinated with 7in1, drenched and received B12 and selenium. Harvey producers PG & BP Italiano will truck in 17 Angus-Friesian heifers due to calve for 10 weeks to an Angus bull by Chiltern Park Moe M6, from February 27 to May 7.
