Coolabunia Classic coming up soon

GRAHAM Blanch is pretty confident this year’s Coolabunia Classic bull sale will be an exceptional one, but if there’s any factor set to be a downer on the day it will be the tough season some farmers are experiencing.

He said his own property in the Lockyer Valley’s Tent Hill, Charnelle Charolais, had weathered the dry pretty well, but not everyone was so lucky.

But if the offerings were anything to go by, there would be some pretty keen buyers on the day.

He said he imported two polled full French bulls in 2013 to strengthen the bone and muscle attributes in the breeding program while retaining the polled characteristics, and the first

progeny from the new lines would be up for sale at Coolabunia.

He also had six homozygous bulls up for sale so breeders with unpolled herds would be able to immediately start throwing polled progeny.

He said statistically there was a 96-98% chance of polled offspring regardless of the cow’s status, meaning it

would be a valuable addition to any herd.

“We have six homozygous at the sale and another two from River Run Charolais,” he said.

“These bulls are selected for a lot of different characteristics as far as breeding attributes go.

“It’s a big bonus but we still need bulls that have all the breeding criteria we need in

Queensland.”

He said his pick of the draft this year was Lot 31, a homozygous embryo transfer that ticked all the breed attribute boxes and had an exceptional temperament.

“His dam was imported from the US as an embryo and he’s the very first son of the imported polled bull, Gallway,” Mr Blanch said.

“So there’s some very

unique genetics there and he’s just a really very well put together bull and structurally very sound.”

The Coolabunia Classic Charolais Bull Sale will be on at the Coolabunia sale yards on August 17 at 11am.

Participating studs are River Run Charolais, Diamond L and Charnelle Charolais,

For further information search for it on Facebook.

❝These bulls are selected for a lot of different characteristics...

— Graham Blanch

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED NICE OFFERING: Showing off some of the stock available at the Coolabunia Classic this year are (from left) Hunter Haynes with River Run Larrikin, Angus Haynes with River Run Lawman and Summar Haynes with River Run Lone Ranger.