It was a moment to remember when 12-year-old Mac Smith won an animated bidding war landing him one of the top priced Huntley bulls on day two of the National Droughtmaster Bull Sale. Through his stud Vale View M Droughtmasters, Manumbar, Mr Smith purchased Huntley Drifter for $30,000, offered by Sam and Jane Barton, Huntly Droughtmasters, Clermont. The 22-month-old homozygous polled bull tipped the scales at 871kg, scanned 142 square centimetres for eye muscle area, 15mm and 10mm for P8 and rib fat, and 6.2pc for intramuscular fat. His scrotal circumference was 41cm. It was the first bull Mr Smith had ever bid on through his stud, only having some prior experience bidding on stud heifers. But he had good role models, with parents Colleen and David Smith, Vale View Droughtmasters, having shown him the ropes. The young bidder said he felt nervous but also excited when the bull stepped out into the ring. But from the crowd he looked cool, calm and collected as he confidently flashed his bid card. Mr Smith was determined to get the bull he was chasing after getting the tick of approval from mum and dad - as long as he stayed within his budget of $30,000. "He has lovely skin, length, depth, beautiful head and a nice sheath," Mr Smith said of his purchase following the sale. He planned to put the bull over stud cows in his breeding herd of about 30 females, which runs congruently with his parent's herd. His herd has been growing since it was first established by his parents when he was born in 2011. He was gifted three cows from his parents and two by Bill Zahnleiter, who used to run Angle Zed stud. The first bull from Mr Smith's herd sold at the Droughtmaster National sale in 2013 for $16,500 to Wirraway stud when he was just two years old. Mr Smith said he liked Droughtmasters as they were "naturally quiet" and "nice to handle" and in his breeding program was looking for "length, depth, width and strength over the top, nice underneath, and nice heads". Mr Smith has been active across the entire stud process, selecting and selling heifers, as well as animals to use in his show team. In addition to learning from his parents, Mr Smith has also attended cattle camps across the country. Although he had to withdraw his own bull, Vale View M Kenworth, from the 2023 Droughtmaster National sale due to an injury, the Smith family's Vale View stud sold eight bulls to average $13,375 per head. But Mr Smith was also celebrating a recent success having sold a second top price bull at the Bunya Bull Sale on Saturday, September 2 where his bull, Vale View M Komatsu, sold for $24,000.
