STUD principal Ross Thompson held back tears after the Bathurst region's Millah Murrah Angus set an Australian record at its sale this week when a two-year-old was bought for $280,000.
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"It is so exciting ... the cattle job!" he said.
The Angus world expected fireworks at the annual Millah Murrah sale, but nobody was quite prepared for the $280,000 record sale for an Angus sire (for Millah Murrah Paratrooper), a $110,000 record for a genuine yearling and a record average of $34,220 for 118 bulls which all sold to gross $4 million.
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Bulls sold from Queensland to Western Australia, with bids having no border barriers in a digital age, as well as to repeat clients in the surrounding Central West.
Only a small crowd of masked individuals were present to witness the historic sale.
At the close, Mr Thompson expressed delight in being able to share such an experience with his full family, given the COVID lockdown orders.
"We're not overly focused on figures," he said.
"It's about the skin type and the square top and it all comes out in the meat. That's what the old-timers told us 50 years ago and they weren't wrong.
"We're so very proud and it's been a pleasure to share this with the girls and have them here.
"It's been amazing when everything has been haywire ... I've been haywire ... but it's such a wonderful thing to share with you."
The sale was settled by Elders with online activity supported by Elite Livestock, which recorded nearly 1000 viewers.
Mr Thompson, a former Bathurst councillor, and wife Dimity featured in a calendar in 2019 that celebrated Australian farming innovation.