Farming Eye

While the Simmentals have been to the fore in the South of Ireland today, in Northern Ireland it was the British Blues which were centre stage at Moira. But, with our spy describing the show of bulls as not that great it is little surprise that they only reached a top of 3150gns.

Leading the prices was Chatham Falcon from J M Morrison and Son. This Paulern Verdi son is out of Chatham Bessy, a Railway View daughter and has a carcass yield index of +22.

Next best and not far behind at 3100gns was Lakeview Elite from Gary Beacom. This one is by Lakeview Charlie and out of Knockagh Unanimous, a Baron Di Blois Bauloye daughter.

And making 2850gns was another of the first prize bulls Shorefront Freddy from Frances O’Hare. This Greenfield Amzaon son is out of Bessy Bell Venus, a Visconti daughter.

Leading the female trade was Hillview Gail from Adrian Richardson. This Blak Du Baty D’Eprave daughter is out of Hill View Camilla, a Serum D’Anloy daughter.

A pair then traded at 1700gns, with the first being Kenny Veitch’s Drumlone Foxtrot. This Blak Du Baty D’Eprave daughter is out of Springhill Country Girl, a Twyning Ash Vaughan daughter. The other at this price was the female champion Droit Freda from Richard Mowbray. Sired by Cajoleur De Rettigny she is out of Droit Bonny, a Nonours De Wihogne daughter.

Buyers details and averages to follow as soon as we have them…

by Jonathan Long

Selling for E7000 just now is the overall female champion Derrough Betty from Patrick Bones. This well grown Jan 2010-born Kilbride Farm Newry daughter is out of the Hillcrest Naughty daughter Beechhill Regina.

The reserve champion Shiloh Claudia from Hugh Murray followed at E5200. By the Austrian AI sire she is out of the Raceview King daughter Shiloh Wilma.

by Chrissie Long

Roscommon Simmental trade is currently topping at E10,000 for the overall champion Fearna Commander. This one is by Glebefarm Tyson and is out of the Raceview King daughter Fearna Vienna.

Second highest price so far today is E7000 for Dermody Charlie, a Hillcrest Butcher son out of the Ballyduff Jeweller daughter Dermody Susie, while at E6000 was Clonagh Buckarooney Truely from Garret and Lyndsey Behan. By the herd stock sire Banwy T-Rex and out of the King daughter Clonagh Truly Scrumptious, he sold for export to the UK to Rhys Grenham for his Boars Head herd, Sussex.

by Chrissie Long

Taking the female championship here is Roscommon just now under Brian Allan was the January 2010 born Derrough Betty from Patrick Bones, Co Mayo. By Kilbride Farm Newry, she is out of the Hillcrest Naughty daughter Beechhill Regina, who is a daugter of Monaduff Minnie.

Standing reserve was shiloh Claudia 11 393, a February 2011-born heifer from Hugh Murray, Co Westmeath. By Herkules, she is out of the Raceview King daughter Shiloh Wilma.

by Chrissie Long

Judging has finished in the Roscommon for the Simmental Premier Show and Sale with Brian Allan of the Glenturk herd tapping out Fearna Commander (lot 22) from Mark Neenan, Co Mayo, as the overall champion.

Born January 2011, this one is a son of Glebefarm Tyson and is out of the Raceview King daughter Fearna Vienaa, a National Show winner.

Taking the reserve championship was Garrett and Lyndsey Behan, Co Laois, with their February 2011-born Banwy T-Rex son Jennalyn Cavilier Rose. This one is a son of the popular sire Omorga Volvo and is out of the ET-bred Rosten Barney daughter Jannalyn Rosie who is a daughter of Hillcrest Gretta, a full sister to Hillcrest Champion. He has a five star suckler beef value of 116.

by Chrissie Long

Native bred store cattle were well sought after at a brace of Scottish sales this week, with yesterday’s sale at St Boswells seeing a total of 925 traded.

Champion in the pre-sale show under David Gray, Sunnycroft, was a 485kg Aberdeen-Angus steer from Wedderlie which sold at £1140 (235p/kg), with reserve champion being a steer from Stobo Home Farm which sold in a pen of three at £1230 (230p/kg).

The best pen bullocks also from Stobo Home Farm and made £1190 (245p/kg) for seven 485kg Angus crosses. Meanwhile, the best pen of heifers from Pogbie weighed in at 370kg apiece and sold at £790 (213.5p/kg)

Steers up to 450kg levelled at 229.7p/kg, while those over 450kg averaged 226.4p/kg. In the heifers those up to 350kg averaged 207.5p/kg and those over 350kg averaged 203.8p/kg.

And on Wednesday at United Auctions, Stirling, the best grossing steer was an Aberdeen-Angus from Biggans at £1380, with the best price/kg also an Angus, this time from Whitfield at 250p/kg.

The native bred heifers were lead in the gross prices at £1200 from Whitfield. The 232 native bred bullocks averaged 211.5p/kg, while the 97 native sired heifers averaged 216.6p/kg.

by Jonathan Long

Saturday will see the Premier Show and Sale of Simmental cattle in Roscommon, Eire and having a quick look through the catalogue there are one or two bulls standing out for sure. I’ll actually be over for the sale so it will be interesting to see what they look like in the flesh.

First up for me is Cruithill Brian (lot 6) from Raymond Bracken. By the ET-bred sire Curaheen Wakeman, he is out of the Hillcrest Jermome ET daughter Cruithill Value. He has a SBV of 138 and five stars throughout apart from daughter milk.

Next up is the first of what is likely to be a very strong string from Garrett Behan and one of his best for me is Clonagh Buckarooney Truely (lot 10). By the successful herd sire Banwy T-Rex, he is out of the Raceview King daughter Clonagh Truely Scumptious, an ET-bred daughter out of one of the herd’s strongest dam lines. He has good figures throughout and sports a SBV of 173.

The following lot is from the same home, but I believe Mrs Behan should be taking credit for this one as it carries her prefix, Jennalyn Billy Bobby (lot 11) is by T-Rex again and is out another King daughter, this time Jennalyn Vee Duffy, an ET-bred daughter of Milton Deena. Again this one carries a good set of figures including a five star index of 150 for SBV.

The Behan’s also have an interesting bull in the form of their ET-bred Clonagh Body Builder (lot 14). By Seabank Flint, a Gretna House Supersonic son, he is out of the Sacombe Wishful Thinking daughter Hillcrest Jacqueline ET, who is out of Camus Brandy. This has a pedigree some would go mad over and it’s that is intriguing me.

Next on my list is Bridgemount Bond from William and Marie O’Riordan. By Kilbride Farm Newry and out of the Ballyduff Jeweller daughter Bridgemount Shelia, he has a strong set of indexes throughout including five stars for SBV, weanling export and beef carcass.

by Chrissie Long

The South Devon Herd Book Society’s Spring Sale at Exeter saw high health status bulls tested clear and vaccinated for BVD top at 7200gns for the overall champion Sexton Poll Polaris 26, from Messrs R R B and S J Harvey.

Champion and top price at 7200gns

By AI Z Sexton Poll Hermes, he was tapped out to take the championship under Gordon Tully, Devon and was knocked down to D A Ashcroft.

Second highest at 7000gns was the first prize Mutterton Strongbow 13 from Messrs AH and E M Bartley selling to A and C Farms, Rutland.

Seocnd highest price sold at 7000gns

Next selling at 6700gns was the first bull into the sale ring, AI Woodhayes Homer 5, from B G and J Z A Dart’s herd from Cullompton, sold to Mr W H D Scott’s Grove herd. This bull is in the top 1% of the breed for quality beef and suckler replacement indexes.

by Chrissie Long

Last night’s production sale from Derek Frew’s Frewstown Limousin herd at Ballymena Mart saw a top call of 3400gns paid for Frewstown Gargauntuan a son of Mereside Topman out of Frewstown Unbelievable. He heads across the water to Scotland having been bought by Andrew Ewing on behalf of a client.

Frewstown Gargantuan sold for 3400gns

Second best of the night was a 2000gns bid for Frewstown Gosmarty, a September 2011-born bull calf by Carmorn Cantona. This one is out of Frewstown Smartypants, a Haltcliffe Premier daughter. He was bought by T Wilson, Randalstown.

Then making 1900gns was Frewstown Goodun, another Cantona son, this time born last May. He is out of Frewstown Ceight, a daughter of homebred sire Frewstown Ojo. This one found a new home with Adrian Daley, Eglish.

And trading at 1650gns was Frewstown Goldencow the best priced heifer of the sale. This Mereside Topman daughter is out of Frewstown Bigbertha, herself a Topman daughter. This line bred heifer was snapped up by William Martin, Broughshane.

A trio then made 1400gns, with the first being Frewstown Fenture, a September 2010-born Vantastic son. He is out of Frewstown Bertha, a Topman daughter and went to W Kelso, Portglenone. Second at this money was the next best priced heifer of the evening Frewstown Goldilocks. Sired by Topman she is out of Frewstown Uncanny, a Topman Haltcliffe Premier daughter and was bought by William Martin, Broughshane.

The final one at this price was Frewstown Gracious, a May 2011-born Topman daughter out of Frewstown Reed, a Ballyrickard Macho daughter.

Averages; 13 bull calves £1457, six heifer calves £1444 (J McClelland and Son).

by Jonathan Long

Yesterday’s Bristol Dairy Sale saw prices hit a top of 5750gns for the pre-sale show champion from Designer Holsteins, Essex. Their sale leader was Designer Jordan Oreo out of a VG-89 Shottle dam with an EX-92 110t granddam bred in the noted Hayleys Herd by Peter Padfield. Oreo travels to Wales along with a dozen other lots.

Bev Baker, a regular supporter of the Bristol sale sold three heifers to average over £3300including the second top price of 4000gns for Gatrog Ross Lilly, a lovely sleek black heifer with a nigh faultless udder. By Plain-O Durham Ross she was giving 38kg having calved five weeks previous.

The same herd also consigned BB Bolivia Mischief, bred from eight generations of VG/EX dams. She sold 10 weeks calved, giving 35kg to Nick Kay for his Salterton herd, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Terry Cox consigned three superbly bred heifers from his Holmeadm, Dorset, and as on

previous visits to Bristol he met a good trade with his Talent Ebony VG-87 selling at 3000gns and his Goldwyn Pocohontis selling for 2850gns – both travelling to Wales.

Non-pedigree cattle well to average more than £1900 with a top of 2300gns for a stylish fresh heifer of traditional conformation from regular supporter Adrian Ratcliffe.

Averages; 22 pedigree females £2653.63, seven non-pedigree females £1927.50, two Brown Swiss cows £1732.50 (Gwilym Richards with Norton and Brooksbank).

by Jonathan Long