Stern tops breed price at $18,000

• Published date: 27 October 2021

Stern 20100 overshadowed $17,000 paid earlier for a Waiterenui Angus yearling in Hawke’s Bay, with several young bulls surpassing $10,000.

Final bids started from $2200 for the 39 yearlings offered by James and Fi Fraser, with their son, Rob, at their on-farm sale at Pleasant Point on October 13.

The fourth-generation stud had a full clearance with the top price a yearling record for Stern and the overall average of $5200 a near record.

About 40 registered buyers and a 50-strong online audience competed for the catalogue at an auction enclosure against a backdrop of historic buildings at Sterndale. Most of the yearlings went to commercial beef farms with a handful going to the dairy industry.

James Fraser said they had to resist the temptation to keep Stern 20100 for themselves.

‘‘We were asked that question a few times before the sale about why we had decided to sell some of the top bulls and it was getting increasingly difficult to answer that question as we got close to the sale. We decided to offer these bulls knowing they were stud quality.’’

He said the end price was not a surprise because they knew its phenotype and performance package would be sought after.

His overall balance and high rankings in the self-replacing and Angus Pure indexes had caught the eye of at least eight bidders.

The Kane family from West Otago’s Tapanui put up the top bid, while Stern 20118 was bought for $11,000 by...