Despite a difficult economic and weather situation weighing on the morale of the agricultural community, the autumn sale of the cooperative Les Producteurs de la Marche (LPM), in La Souterraine, drew a large crowd. This strong turnout demonstrates that breeders remain determined to invest in high-level genetics to prepare the future of their herds.
For the occasion, 56 calves had been selected on farms by technicians from 32 different farms, 6 could not be presented, 19 were offered to auctions and 31 at the sealed-bid sale.
A spectacular auction
The auction captured everyone’s attention and generated the greatest enthusiasm in the ring, closing at the remarkable average of 7 584 €, up by 200 € compared with last year.
This average was driven up in particular by the sale of two animals for 12 000 and 10 000 €.
The highest price at this sale was achieved by Verychic (lot 2), an exceptional calf presented by David Beaudiment (36). This bull, ready to be used for breeding, has only outstanding qualities: a very fine pedigree, an exceptional pelvis, perfect shoulder attachment, a massive topline, good length, all combined with fine bone, milk and ease of calving that will enable him to be used on heifers. This very fine specimen sparked a fierce bidding battle before being sold for 12 000 €. He was acquired in joint ownership by Gaec Camus Olivier et Simon and Gaec Camus Huberson (87).
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The symbolic threshold of €10 000 was also reached by Alonso (lot 10), born at Gaec Martin Les Mignots. This beef-type calf is also ready to breed, with a remarkable hindquarter, a very thick topline and plenty of refinement. It reached €10 000, purchased by Arsicaud (17) on behalf of EARL Courraud (17).
Other animals generated great interest at these auctions: Volodymyr, from Thomas Letessier, sold for €9 800 in joint ownership to EARL de la Guitoune and Gaec des Cards (23); Aladin, from Gaec Courtitarat, was knocked down for €9 500 to Cyrille Rousset (03); and Vendredi, from EARL Deslandes, was acquired in joint ownership for €9 100 by Isabelle Ballereau and Gaec Valbert (36).
Sealed-bid sale: everything sold
Following the auction, the sealed-bid format saw prices grouped fairly closely, with an average of €5 444 and prices ranging from €3 800 (asking price for the youngest animals) to €7 009. The highest price at this sale was achieved by Ange, from Gaec Raffin Ponroy (lot 54), knocked down for €7 009 in favor of Xavier Ricatte (57). Aragone, from EARL Jandeaux, also surpassed the €7 000 threshold, going to Gaec Lachaud-Riotat (23) for €7 005.
A perfect result: “We would have signed right away”
At the end of the day, satisfaction was total, with an exceptional result of 100% of the animals sold. Jean-Pierre Poujaud praised this flawless result: “We would have signed right away for a sale like that, especially that sales percentage: 100%… It’s unexpected because breeders generally aren’t feeling optimistic.”
This success can be explained by targeted selection work, tailored to the immediate needs of the farms. Half of the bulls sold went back to cooperative members. “This year, we had many more calves ready for breeding, 18-24 months old, because we know very well that these are the calves in demand,” the sales manager explained. He also highlighted the quality of the animals’ preparation by their breeders and paid tribute to the work of the team of technicians, who are always attentive to the requests of breeders, both members and customers.
