Undeterred by the wet and windy start, a resilient group of potential buyers gathered at Cleardale Genetics' third annual bull sale.

The sale was held at the Todhunters Rakaia Gorge property on June 10, with 22 of the 25 R2 Angus bulls up for auction sold on the day at an average price of $6690.

The top seller was lot 13, going for $11,000.

This was down from last year's sale, which saw an average price of $7195 and a top sale price of $14500.

Despite sales not being as strong as the previous year, Cleardale Station owner and breeder Ben Todhunter said he was satisfied with how the auction went.

"We were pleased to sell most of the bulls and have a few passed over so that people have the option of buying something without being forced into paying top money when it's quite a tough year.

"We had a good appearance,  and good clearance and a few new buyers here as well."

Hazlett Livestock agent Callum Dunnett said that although bull sales had been softer than usual due to the economic challenges facing the sector, farmers were still happy to pay for bulls that had good data and genetics.

"Generally, people are still prepared to spend the money on good quality genetics, so there is still demand at the top end.

"The middle market has come back a bit, but people are still looking for good quality bulls to buy. They may not be able to spend as much as they had in the past, but they are still after a good quality product."

by Claire Inkson