$140,000 bull enters the market as part of new partnership
One of the highest-priced Angus bulls to sell at auction this year will soon hit the market through a partnership between Genetics Australia and McKenzie Ag Services.
Knowla VIP V264 was sold for $140,000 to McKenzie Ag Services at the Knowla Livestock bull sale at Kia Ora, NSW on Friday July 31, with Genetics Australia taking on marketing rights.
Genetics Australia (GA) beef manager Damien Thomson said Knowla VIP V264 was one of the top stud sires to enter the GA breeding program.
“In many ways, he’s the perfect Angus bull in terms of structure and docility,” said Mr Thomson, who bid on behalf of the family company. “Those two traits are the fundamentals of any beef breeding program in Australia so to have the combination of both, along with his overall performance and type, incredible body and hind quarter, is quite unique,” he added.
“There were a number of different studs and semen companies interested in the bull and we are fortunate to partner with McKenzie Ag Services to secure him.”
“He will be an important investment for McKenzie Ag’s breeding program and we will be in charge of semen sales domestically and internationally. There has already been interest from New Zealand and US.”
Lachlan McKenzie and his wife Maryanne launched McKenzie Ag Services in 2017. With beef and lamb properties near Ballarat, Hamilton and Condah in western Victoria, they are well known as a feed company and have been developing a breeding program in recent years.
Their son Hugh travelled to the auction in NSW. “We’re extremely happy,” he said. “We’re super excited to see the impact of his genetics in our own Angus herd and look forward to seeing him prosper domestically and internationally.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to expand our breeder herd and that’s why we’re putting such a focus on good genetics. Hopefully we can improve quality in other herds as well.”
Knowla VIP V264 will be collected at Total Livestock Genetics (TLG) at Camperdown to allow for export opportunities. TLG is home to two Export Accredited Collection Centres and is the only business in Australia accredited by both EU and China for bovine semen exports.
