Australia's most expensive bull could attract $1m in semen sales - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Millah Murrah Wyatt W50 now holds the record for the most expensive beef animal ever sold in Australia. (Supplied)
The NSW bull that sold for a record-breaking price this month is tipped to rake in more than $1 million in semen sales.
ABS Australia has secured the exclusive marketing rights and is fielding global interest.
Semen collection is underway, and experts say bulls like Wyatt will help raise the already strong Australian beef industry.
You might expect a prize bull to be in a lush paddock surrounded by cows, but Australia's most expensive bull will be spreading his seed another way.
Angus bull Millah Murrah Wyatt W50 sold for a record beef price of $420,000 this month and work now begins to see him bring in more than $1 million for his new owners.
That will be through semen sales, with interest flowing from cattle producers across Australia and the world.
"Wyatt certainly created a few headlines, and he's certainly had us in a spin for the last week," said Fletch Kelly, the man tasked with selling the semen straws.
Mr Kelly is the beef product manager with ABS Australia, an artificial insemination (AI) company that manages the marketing of genetic products like bull semen around the world.
Fletch Kelly says thousands of cows could be carrying Millah Murrah Wyatt's calves each year once his semen hits the market. (Supplied: ABS Australia)
Mr Kelly described Wyatt as "the ultimate all-rounder", who would "appeal to a pretty wide range of the market".
He assesses a bull through what he calls the "golden triangle" of bloodline, the traits it is likely to pass on to its calves and its physical build.
"Some bulls can make well over $1 million in semen sales in their lifetime.
"Millah Murrah Paratrooper is a bull that we have that's been really popular for the last six or seven years, and his return has been certainly in the seven figures so there's no reason why a bull like Wyatt can't get into that territory, provided he collects well."
Wyatt will head to Total Livestock Genetics at Camperdown in Victoria, where the semen will be collected, tested and stored.
Mr Kelly said the facility staff were well-trained in collecting the product.
"The semen is collected having the bull literally jump, so the bull mounts a teaser and then they collect semen from there.
"From that point, it goes through a very stringent process of quality control."
The straws are stored in liquid nitrogen until needed. (Supplied: ABS Australia)
If Wyatt remains "healthy, happy and relaxed", Mr Kelly said he could produce enough straws for thousands of cows to carry his offspring each year.
But it will be some time before Wyatt is in the paddock, covering cows the old-fashioned way.
"We'll need to leave him in collection to collect as many straws as we possibly can of semen, and to build up that inventory.
Despite Wyatt's eye-watering price tag, Mr Kelly says "the beauty of AI" is that anyone can now tap into his genetics.
"Whether it's in the commercial space or in the seed stock space … if they deem that the bull is a good fit for their herd, they can purchase semen and through artificial insemination, they can get those genetics," he said.
The semen is expected to initially sell for about $300 per dose, with indicative volume pricing of $300 per dose for 20 units, and $250 for 50 units.
Fletch Kelly says the whole industry will benefit from the bull's genetics being widely available. (Supplied)
It will need to be tested and meet licensing requirements before being exported overseas, but Mr Kelly says there have already been significant inquiries in Australia and abroad for the record-breaking bull.
He said a bull of this calibre being globally available, "certainly puts us on the map".
"Not that Australia needs any introduction on the world stage.
"Across all breeds, not just Angus, but Herefords, Charolais, wagyu as well, Australia is really seen as a genetic powerhouse across the world.
