LATEST SIMMENTAL MARKET BRIEFS SEES THE BREED TOPPING COMMERCIAL SALES AROUND THE UK AND AT GISBURN; HUNTLY; NEWTON STEWART; LANCASTER; FROME; ABERDEEN; SHREWSBURY; HALLWORTHY; DUMFRIES; DUNGANNON; TRURO; STIRLING; CARLISLE; SELBY; EXETER; THIRSK; HOLSWORTHY; DINGWALL; SEDGEMOOR; AND LUDLOW.

Simmental females are naturally efficient, healthy, easy to manage, and just full of milk. Adding value to any cross, they are maternal mainstays of the commercial suckler herd providing value and profit. The UK’s leading continental beef breed for age at slaughter Simmental sired progeny are fast growing, have a terrific weight for age, and leave a high yielding, profitable carcase. This base of female quality and performance, rounded up with terrific terminal abilities, sees Simmental providing future fit genetics for an industry where natural efficiency and dual-purpose value will be at a premium.

Please see here the latest market briefs of Simmentals ‘doing the business’ at commercial sales around the UK.

At Gisburn’s sale of breeding and store cattle on 13th August, breeding cattle remained a flying trade with stock bulls making to £2200 for a three-year-old Simmental from Peter Howarth.

At Huntly on 12th August, United Auctions sold 338 store, breeding, and OTM cattle. Breeding cattle cattle sold to £2050 for a SimX cow with SimX steer calf at foot from Whitehills, Grange. Bulls sold to a top of £1720 for a Sim from Whitehills, Grange.

Craig Wilson Ltd had a sale of 304 store cattle at Newton Stewart on 12th August. More numbers forward and more buyers present all classes easily cleared. 136 Beef sired Steers averaged 234.2p k/g peaking at £1185 for a pair of Simmental Crosses from A Henry, Barrachan.

In a sale of cast and OTM cattle at NWA’s Lancaster Market on 12th August, beef cows saw Simmentals sell to 219.5p/kg or £1738 from Barlow Bros, Crosston.

Cast cows at Frome on 12th August sold to a top price per kg of 180.5p/kg (£1390) for Simmentals from Tuckmarsh Farm Ltd.

At Aberdeen & Northern Marts sale of prime cattle on 11th August, under 30 month prime bullocks were led by Newtonhill with a Simm X at £1,750.75. On the same day at a sale of cast cows and bulls, beef finished cows topped at £1910 for a Simm X from Cortiecram, Auchnagatt.

In a sale of store cattle at Shrewsbury on 11th August, bulls sold to a top price of £1300 for a 12mo 535kg Simmental X from R & J Hill.

A decent entry of 126 Store cattle at Hallworthy on 11th August with over 200 in all including the Stirks. The dry weather making a difference on the trade but a sharper trade was seen. Top was £1,395 for two tremendous Simmentals (23m) in from AP & DJ House of St Issey, who sold other Simmentals to £1,255 (23m). Other Simmental Steers sold to a grand £1390 (26m) for WA Williams & Sons, Mullion. Heifers sold to a top of £1205 (23m) for a smart Simmental in from the same vendor, who had other Heifers to £1100 (23m), £1070 (23m).

At C&D Auction Marts, Dumfries, sale of primestock on 10th August, Simmentals from North Bowerhouses led the trade per kilo at 209p.

At Dungannon Farmers Mart on 10th August, a larger entry of stock saw prices continue to remain steady with steers selling to £1740 for a 755kg Sim (231.00) from I Trainor with further Simms at £1390 590kg (236.00), and £1300 565kg (230.00).

At Holsworthy on Wednesday 10th August, there was an enormous August entry of 370 calves penned and the best quality calves met a scorching trade, a bit like the weather. Top of the day was £550 for a reared Simmental steer in from Dave Fowler of Whitstone.

At Truro on 10th August quality continued to sell with Mr R T Dunn of Par, St Austell, once again setting the pace at 197p/kg for a great 777kg Simmental x, purchased by Dawn West Devon of Hatherleigh.

In a sale of calves on 9th August at Shrewsbury, weaned sorts met an electrifying trade topping at £620 for a bunch of three 5 month old Simm Bulls from Beddoes & Sons, with a further two from the same home at £610. On the same day the barren cow trade was topped by a Sim x at 176p to £1355.20 for R & J Hill.

On Monday 8th August 2022 Caledonian Marts Ltd, Stirling had forward 289 Store Cattle at their fortnightly sale. Bullocks averaged 221ppkg selling to 250ppkg for a pen of Simmentals from Your Local Farm, Slamannan.

In a sale of prime bulls at Harrison & Hetherington’s Carlisle market on 8th August, Messrs Taylor, Skirling Craigs, Lanark reaped the reward for his first venture to Borderway selling a a 848kg Simmental to £2064.88 to feature in the leading prices.

C & D Auction Marts held their fortnightly sale of 324 store cattle in Dumfries on Monday 8th August 2022. A grand show of stronger cattle were presented to a full ringside of buyers activley seeking more numbers. Simmental bullocks topped the sale at £1465 from Ramsay Dunbae and who had further Simms at £1465, £1350 & £1265.

At Selby Livestock Market on 6th August, the cattle trade was led by a Simx at £1095 from Tim Lewis.

At Thainstone on 5th August, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1,121 Store Cattle, Young Bulls, Young and Weaned Calves and 24 Breeding Cattle. Bullocks (537) averaged 238.2p and sold to £1,710 gross for a 732kg Simmental cross from Hallbreck, St Margarets Hope.

At Frome Market’s sale of prime cattle on 5th August, UTM heifers sold to a top price of 218p/pkg for Simmentals from S Dyer, IoW.

Store cattle saw no less money at Exeter on 5th August with some of the better sorts looking a little dearer. Featuring in the top prices were strong Simmental bred steers (all around the 21 month old mark) which sold to £1,280 for both John and Helen Keep of Moretonhampstead and J and J Britton of Tiverton. Continental bred heifers saw a pair of 24-month-old Simmentals from the Shervington Family of Hittisleigh come back at £1090 apiece.

Aberdeen & Northern Marts held a sale of cast cows and bulls on 4th August at Thainstone. Leading the beef feeding cows at £1450 was a Simm from Mansons, Brodieshill.

The August sale of beef breeding cattle at NWA’s Lancaster Market on 4th August saw a top price £2220 achieved for a Simmental x heifer with a Lim x heifer calf from R&E Ladds, Kendal.

At Thirsk on 4th August the cull cattle trade saw the top price cow & best grossing be 215.5ppk or £1848.99 for a Simmental X from R Elliott, Tadcaster purchased by RM Helliwell, Rochdale.

370 Store Cattle at Hallworthy on 4th August saw a tremendous standard of cattle with fleshy types sold with ease. Amongst the top prices were a sweet pair of 22 month Simmental x Steers which sold to £1240 for B & B Facey of Bodmin.

At Stirling on 3rd August, United Auctions sale of store cattle and young bulls saw young bulls average 207.04p and to £1320 for a SimX from East Overton.

In a sale of store cattle and weanlings at Carlisle’s Borderway Mart on 3rd August, bulls and weaning cattle were once again up significantly on the week. All types of cattle extremely well bid for with buyers looking for a lot more numbers on the day. Simmental bulls topped at £1290 from Gerrard House, Wigton.

There were 250 calves and stirks forward at Holsworthy on 3rd August, with Simmentals selling to £270 for PF and MW Fishleigh, Broadwoodkelly.

Up in the leading prices for the beef cows at Truro on 3rd August, Simmental x’s sold to 186p (617kg) for Messrs J & RJ Nankervis of Zennor, St Ives. Simmental cross cattle sold well in the store sections with two-year-old steers selling for £840 for Mr J Penhaligon of Portscatho, Truro & 1 ½ year olds selling to £765 for the same vendor. A reasonable entry of 50 stirks were also on offer with the top of the day being £710 for a neat Simmental x Steer at only nine months old, in from SP & DA Ovens of Camelford.

At Dingwall’s sale of prime cattle on 2nd August bullocks averaged 257.0p per kg and sold to £1,464.90 gross for a 570kg Simmental cross from Groam, Kirkhill selling to Messrs John M Munro Ltd, Dingwall.

Sedgemoor on 1st August saw a good entry of finished cattle at 95 head, and with a pure Simmental steer at 230 pence per kilo from BA Sweet, Congresbury featuring in the very top prices.

Sedgemoor on Saturday 30th July saw another excellent entry in terms of numbers with 532 stores and with quality Simmental steers to £1365 for four 15 month-olds from EA & DA Ellis. Simmental heifers sold to £1,230 for a pair of 26 month-olds from H Attwell, Walton. There was a much better show of stirks on the week with the top priced being £920 for seven 13 month-old Simmental steers from Hensons Farming Ltd. Two further 10 month-old Simmentals steers sold for £735 each and two more 10 month-olds steer sold for £665 apiece from BK Hockey, while Simmental heifers topped at £715 for a 10 month old from JM Tratt.

At Exeter on 29th July, Simmental bred steers sold well topping at £1.495 for a 29-month-old from Cyril Emmett and a pair of well reared and fed dairy crossbred Simmentals (20m) realised £875 each for Jeff Harvey of Hennock.

Finally one that we hadn’t picked up and from Ludlow’s store cattle sale on 22nd July where there was a firm trade on the steers forward with stronger feeding types the most in demand. The top price was Simmental x steers at £1190 or 250p/pkg against an average of 204p/pkg.

Pics from Simmental archive.