Farming Eye

The Lukeroyal herd of British Blues owned by Mel and Diane Lucas, Antrim, Northern Ireland, have recently sold an all white British Blue bull, Lukeroyal Ghost to AI Services at Ballycraigy, Co Antrim, in a private deal.

Lukeroyal Ghost sold privately to AI Services, NI

Described by Mel Lucas, he is an extremely well balanced bull with a lot of style, exceptinal growth and weight gain and recorded 550kg at 10 months old.  “This bull always stood out and has a great pedigree on both sides.  His sire is the noted MountJoy Utopia and his dam is Lukeroyal Tulip, whose full sister Lukeroyal Tara picked up the supreme and overall championship at the Carlisle British Blue pedigree sale in May 2006 in a show of almost 300 British Blues”.

by Chrissie Long

Trade at Saturday’s Spring Spectacular sale at Leyburn was markedly back on the year, with the steers leveling at £1296, back by £144 on 2012, while the heifers were back by £267 to average £1333.

Top price from John Smith Jackson

Topping the trade at £2600 was a British Blue sired heifer from John Smith Jackson, Haltwhistle, with this one bought by Andrew Richardson, Appleby, and Jennifer Hyslop, Girvan.

Female and reserve overall champion at £2500

by Jonathan Long

The show potential calves at Chelford’s Blue sale has seen a top price of £1580 for the steer and reserve overall champion, a Bluegrass Cyclone-sired steer from Andrew Price. This one is out of a past show heifer that was bought as a calf from Chelford. He sold to Messrs Cross.

Top priced commercial show calf at £1580

The second best price of the day was £1540 for the female champion, a pedigree heifer from the Griffiths family.

by Chrissie Long

The pre-sale female champion Greymar Glamorous from Matthew Jones has topped the female trade today in Chelford selling for 5300gns. This black October 2011-born ET-bred Graphite daughter is out of Bringlee Beth, a Colibri Du Coin daughter.

Graymar Glamorous at 5300gns

Next best at 4000gns was the reserve female champion from the Jones family. Tanat Gorgeous is a Bringlee Blackstar daughter out of Whiterock Diamond, an Immense Et De Beauraing and sold to Sam Madeley.

Third highest price female today was Bedgebury Humbug from Andrew Price. This ET-bred heifer is by Dartagnan Du Castillon and is out of the Dafydd daughter Ridge Dean Auntie and sold for 3600gns to Victoria Bowring.

by Chrissie Long

Trade for British Blue bulls in Chelford has topped at 7000gns for a strong all white bull from Paul Dawes. Dinmore Giorgio (lot 37) is an ET son of Immense Et De Beauraing out of the Dafydd daughter Lukeroyal Christabelle. They also sold a full brother, Dinmore Ghost (lot 40) for 4700gns.

Dinmore Giorgio, sale leader at 7000gns

The second highest price of 6700gns came for the pre-sale champion Pendle Goliath (lot 25) from the Hartley family. By Greystone Bonzer, this one is out of the Blue Stone union Jack daughter Pendle Blueberry.

Pendle Goliath, overall champion at 6700gns

Just shy of that at 6600gns was Drifts Graham from Andrew Phillips (lot 16). This ET-bred son of Bluegrass Cyclone is out of Gregmaur Benita, a Raciste Du Pachis a la Moitte daughter.

Next best was a shout of 6450gns for one from Keith and Janet Belfield, Boothlow General (lot 13). This one is by Tamhorn Sumo and is out of an ET-bred Dafydd D’Ochain daughter, Boothlow Coco.

At 4900gns was the Hartley’s again, this time with Pendle GTX (lot 26). Again by Greystone Bonzer, this one is out of the Blue Stone Union Jack daughter Pendle Beany.

Then at 4350gns was the pre-sale reserve champion from Ian and Margaret Wilson, New Close Grafter (lot 21). This is a Black Du Baty sired embryo bred bull out of a Cowden Prince daughter. Then at 4100gns was another from the Belfield family, Boothlow Grandprix (lot 7). ET bred this is a son of Wacko Van Het Beekhof and is out of the Gitan daughter Boothlow Bianca.

Next best trading at 4000gns was Derek and Maureen Gregory with Gregmaur Grant (lot 24). An ET-bred son of Gitan, this all white bull is out of the Affute daughter Gregmaur Virginia.

by Chrissie Long

Here’s a few judging results from yesterday’s show of Blues at Chelford, trade news will follow later on.

Leading the show offering in the males and securing the overall championship was Pendle Goliath (lot 25) from the Hartley family. By Greystone Bonzer, this one is out of the Blue Stone union Jack daughter Pendle Blueberry.

Standing reserve was New Close grafter (lot 21) from Ian and Margaret Wilson. This ET-bred son of Black Du Baty D’Eprave is out of the cowden Prince daughter Chancellors Utmost and was male and reserve breed champion at Bakewell Show last summer.

Securing the female championship was Matthew Jones with Greymar Glamourous, an October 2011-born ET-bred Graphite daughter out of Bringlee Beth, a Colibri Du Coin daughter.

Taking the reserve female championship honours home was the Jones family with Tanat Gorgeous, aBringlee Blackstar daughter out of Whiterock Diamond, an Immense Et De Beauraing.

In the commercials, top spot went to the female champion, a pedigree heifer from the Griffiths family, while the steer and reserve overall championship went to Andrew Price with his Bluegrass cyclone-sired calf out of a Limousin cross dam who was originally purchased as a calf from Chelford.

by Chrissie Long

John White, Rigg Farm, was in dominant form yesterday at Middleton in Teesdale Mart where he scooped all four championship awards in the February show and sale of store cattle.

The sale, noted for its selection of show potential cattle, saw Mr White collect the bullock and heifer championships and the reserve awards in both sections too. Leading the day’s trade was the steer champion, a Limousin cross which went on to sell for £2700 to Robert Naylor.

At the same money was the reserve heifer and reserve overall champion, another Limousin cross from the same home which sold to T D Hough and Son.

Then at £2000 was the day’s heifer and overall champion, another Limousin cross from Mr White. Buying this one was Andrew White, the day’s judge.

And at £1600 was the reserve steer champion, this time a Charolais cross from the Rigg Farm team, with this one knocked down to Mr White too.

Following that at £1500 was a British Blue cross heifer from Messrs Stobart, Grains O Beck. The third place Limousin bullock from John White then sold at £1400 to Robert Naylor.

(Harrison and Hetherington).

by Jonathan Long

Selling for 5700gns is Jonty Bellas with Croftends G Force (lot 20) an ET-bred Croftends Bruno son out of the Dafydd daughter Croftends Black Beauty. This one is carrying a carcass yield index of +20 and sold to Gasbeg Farms.

Croftends G Force 5700gns

The first in from Rab Paterson has gone at 4500gns for Auchenlay Glenalmond (lot 23) is by Almey Webster and is out of the Carrochan Thunderball daughter Carrochan Almond. Buyer here was Messrs Laird.

The overall champion from the same home Auchenlay Glenisla (lot 24) is currently topping trade selling for 7000gns. Again by Webster, this one is out of the Park Organiser Auchenlay Bianca. Buying this one was Liam Muir, Orkney.

Auchenlay Glenisla 7000gns

by Chrissie Long

Taking the red ticket and with it the championship in the British Blues here in Stirling was Auchenlay Glenisla (lot 24) from the Paterson family. This Almeley Webster 2 son is out of Auchenlay Bianca, a Park Organiser daughter.

Second place and reserved champion was Kenray Garfield (lot 21), a Visconti son out of Kenray Diamond, a Bersthorpe Alchemist daughter from Ken Hill.

Third place in this class went to Auchenlay Glenalmond (lot 23), another by Almeley Webster 2 and this time out of Carrochan Almond, a Carrochan Thunderball daughter.

by Jonathan Long

Having won the unhaltered heifer class and then going one better to take the overall heifer championship, Messrs Davies, Gwynfe, Llangadog, have secured the overall championship at Brecon today with a Limousin cross heifer.

And it was the reserve champion heifer that followed behind to take the reserve overall spot in the form of Black Velvet, a Limousin out of a Limousin x british Blue dam. This one is by Brutas Cracker and is bred by P J and T A Jones.

Securing the steer championship was the first and second prize steers from class 8, Mojo and then The Gambler, both from the same home of T M and E E Williams. Both these steers are by Limousin sires out of British Blue cross dams.

by Chrissie Long