Top price for day one was $210,000 paid for grey bull Clukan Boabab 365/8, an IVF scurred son of JDH Mr Elmo Manso. The price is a record for Brahman Week, and the highest price paid for a bull from any breed so far in 2020.

Day One of the 2020 Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale kicked off at a cracking pace yesterday, with a near-total clearance of 267 bulls representing almost 200 stud masters from across northern Australia averaging an extraordinary $13,353.

In comparison, last year’s first day of selling averaged $9521 – still a strong result, given widespread drought that was impacted in the buyer catchment area at the time, but nothing like 2020’s record-setting pace.

Regarded as the world’s largest annual bull sale, Brahman Week is this year offering 860 Red and Grey Brahman bulls over three days, including a noticeably growing percentage of polls.

Yesterday’s excellent Day One result clearly followed the trend set earlier this spring bull selling season, where sale clearances and average prices paid have been outstanding.

Top price for day one was $210,000 paid for grey bull Clukan Boabab 365/8, an IVF scurred son of JDH Mr Elmo Manso. The price is a record for Brahman Week, and the highest price paid for a bull from any breed so far in 2020. Buyers were Gavin Scott from Rosetta Grazing, Collinsville and Owen Scott, Ruan Grazing, Clermont.

Early in the day Neil and Nicole Gibbs received $180,000 for Nicneil Sugar Daddy an IVF son of  NCC Sugarwood, bought by a syndicate of Central and North Queensland breeders including Ooline Brahmans, Goovigen, Cambil Brahmans, Proserpine, and Rosetta Grazing, Collinsville.

As large as it is, this year’s offering is a far cry from decades past when Brahman Week regularly yarded 1500 bulls or more, sold over four gruelling days. Auctioneers would literally go hoarse by the end of the program. Back then, however, major pastoral companies bought almost all of their replacement herd bulls each year out of the Brahman Week sale ring. Stanbroke and the Australian Agricultural Company, alone would each account for 200 or more bulls out of the catalogue each year.

• More reports at the conclusion of the RBWS sale on Wednesday.