Idaho bull fetches record $600k price, with his semen the main selling point

A single Idaho bull has fetched more than half a million dollars at auction, almost doubling the previous world record price for a cattle sale.

The 13-month-old Hereford, weighing 1,410 pounds, was sold for $600,000 to the Miles McKee Syndicate in Dunlap, Capital Press reported.

The previous world record of $301,000 for a bull had stood since 1980.

It's a lot of money, especially for a bull that will essentially be put to pasture — albeit with a paddock full of females.

The animal will now "work" as a stud, the idea being that his offspring could be worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

News.com.au cited Guy Colyer, manager of the Colyer Hereford and Angus ranch which sold the latest bull, said the value of the bull lay in its genes.

"His mother sold close to a million dollars of progeny. He’s a known commodity. People know he comes from good stock."

Capital Press wrote that the Colyer family will retain one-quarter interest in the bull, to enable it to use the bull's semen in its own herd and collecting a portion of semen sales.

Colyer added that this particular bull was exceptional:

"He has a moderate frame with a lot of muscle in him. It’s exactly the phenotype that buyers are looking for," Mr Colyer said.