An analysis of prices paid for Aberdeen-Angus bulls at the Perth sales two weeks ago clearly shows that buyers are seeking bulls with a high terminal sire index.

The sale averaged £4357 for 141 bulls sold but the four bulls in the top 1% with a terminal sire index of 31 or above averaged £11,865 and were all sold while the next 10% with an index of 24 to 30 averaged £5921 for 59 bulls with only 1% unsold.

In contrast, the 24 bulls with an index of 17 or under averaged only £2761 and 41% were unsold while two bulls in the bottom 10% - an index of 11 or under – averaged £1995 and 60% in this category were unsold.

“The message to Aberdeen-Angus breeders could not be clearer,” said Ron McHattie, chief executive of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society. “Buyers are looking for bulls with figures to back up their looks and are prepared to pay high prices for bulls demonstrating above-average performance.”

But Mr McHattie stressed that buyers were not only taking terminal sire index into account but also other important performance information such as 400-day and 600-day weights, eye muscle area, fat, retail beef yield and milk which was important when the main consideration was breeding heifers for replacements.

“These individual performance figures are highlighted as an integral part of the Society’s innovative Breedplan recording system and buyers are obviously finding this performance information extremely valuable,” said Mr McHattie.

Only a handful of Aberdeen-Angus bulls offered for sale at Perth were from unrecorded herds but Mr McHattie revealed that all but two of these herds had now joined Breedplan.

The Society was the first UK beef breed society to adopt the Breedplan performance recording programme and now provides a recording service for the Beef Shorthorn, Simmental and Belgian Blue societies as well as the Aberdeen-Angus breed, through the Society’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Pedigree Cattle Services Ltd.

Mosston Muir Aberdeen Angus Herd of The Year
Caithness and Borders Top Aberdeen-Angus Sucklers
Aberdeen-Angus Beef Brand Driving Society Success