The golden anniversary event was held at the Wodonga stud stock exhibition centre on May 14, drawing 144 bulls from 48 vendors.

Billed as one of the biggest multi-vendor sales in the nation, the National attracted 171 registered buyers, with bulls selling to Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Prices topped at $40,000 with 31 bulls selling for $10,000 plus, underpinned by solid commercial support in the $3000-$10,000 bracket.

A total of 132 bulls sold from the 144 offered for a 91 per cent clearance, gross of $1,001,500 and average of $7587 — a rise of $776 on last year’s average.

Sale committee chairman Paul Rogers said the average was the highest since 2008 while the gross was the highest since 2012.

In the break-up, 35 senior bulls topped at $28,000, grossed $261,500 and averaged $7471.

Fifty-three intermediate bulls topped at $30,000, grossed $402,000 and averaged $7584.

In the junior bulls, 44 topped at $40,000, grossed $338,000 and averaged $7681.

Pat and Helen Pearce, son James and daughter-in-law Nikki, YavenVale Herefords and Poll Herefords, Adelong, NSW, paid the top price of $40,000 for Yarrandabbie Jingle J018.

The 19-month-old polled bull, weighing 862 kilograms, was offered by Andrew and Leanne Green, Yarrandabbie Poll Herefords, Uranquinty, NSW.

The Matariki Holy-Smoke (IMP NZ) son scanned with an eye muscle area of 122sqcm, rump fat of 19 millimetres, rib fat of 10 millimetres, a frame score eight and had a scrotal circumference of 38 centimetres.

The bull was catalogued as AAA rated, with estimated breeding values of +4.0 kilograms for birthweight, +60 kilograms for 600 day weight, +4.5sqcm for eye muscle area and +1.1 for inframuscular fat (IMF) percentage.

James Pearce said the bull’s ranking in the top 1 per cent of the breed for IMF set him apart.

“The bull is balanced across the board, with a great spread of figures from birth to growth, fitting our criteria,” he said.