Cornwall Club May Newsletter
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MONEY MAKING SIMMENTALS AT MARKETS AROUND THE UK!
SIMMENTALS TOPPING SALES AT: TRURO; HOLSWORTHY; MARKET DRAYTON; SEDGEMOOR; MELTON MOWBRAY; FROME; SALISBURY; THAME; LANCASTER; THAINSTONE; RUGBY; AYR; THIRSK; STIRLING; CARLISLE; OSWESTRY; MONMOUTHSHIRE; DINGWALL; BAKEWELL; QUOYBRAE; HUNTLY; GISBURN; LANCASTER; CROOKLANDS; LUDLOW; HALLWORTHY; HEXHAM; LANARK; SELBY; LERWICK; EXETER; & BALLYMENA
Industry figures show, calves by a Simmental sire finish 36 days earlier than those by continental sires, and 46 days earlier than calves by native sires.
The average daily carcase gain (DCG) of the progeny of a Simmental bull out of all dams is 4.6% better than the DCG of the progeny of a Continental sire out of all dams, and 17.5% better than the DCG of the progeny of a native sire out of all dams.
Add to that the maternal attributes of milk, fertility, easy calving, temperament, and ability to rear a quality, growthy calf year on year and pound for pound, there’s more to Simmental!
The Simmental breed continues to do the business at commercial sales around the UK showing its all-round abilities, efficiency, flexibility, and added value.
Here we catch up on the Simmental Market Briefs from April and highlight Simmental cattle leading store; prime; breeding; calf; and cull sale sections at some 32 UK livestock markets.
There’s more to Simmental with the combination of leading age at slaughter; leading daily carcase gain; and the benchmark maternal attributes of milk, fertility, easy calving, temperament, and ability to rear a quality, growthy calf year on year.
Nothing finishes faster than a Simmental! Industry figures over ten years shows calves by a Simmental sire finish 36 days earlier than those by continental sires, and 46 days earlier than calves by native sires.
A Simmental sire over your cows gives you more! The average daily carcase gain (DCG) of the progeny of a Simmental bull out of all dams is 4.6% better than the DCG of the progeny of a Continental sire out of all dams, and 17.5% better than the DCG of the progeny of a native sire out of all dams.
Add in the maternal attributes of milk, fertility, easy calving, temperament, and ability to rear a quality, growthy calf year on year and pound for pound, and you’ve got all-round money making Simmentals. There’s more to Simmental!
Simmental breeding females were on fire, in numbers, at a sale of 333 adult breeding cattle at ANM Group Ltd’s Thainstone Centre on 30th April. Cows (21) sell to a top of £8200 for a pure Simmental cow with a Simmental bull calf at foot from W G Macpherson, Blackford, Croy. The same vendor also topped the section of cows with heifer calf (31) with another pure Simmental cow with Simmental heifer calf at foot selling at £5900. Bulling Heifers (122) sold to a top of £3850 for a pair of tremendous 19-month-old Simmental heifers from A D Sutherland & Sons, Connachie, Kellas, and some £1100 above the section average of £2750. The section of In Calf Cows (9) sold to a top of £2000 for a Simmental from Whiteinches, Pitcaple.
Simmentals featured strongly throughout the sections and the depth of the trade and demand for Simmental breeding is highlighted by the leading (Simmental) prices here:
Heifer with Bull Calf: SimX – Ardhuncart, Kildrummy £4900, Auchtygall £4850, £4800 (X2); Sim – South Blachrie, Fyvie £4850.
Heifer with Heifer Calf: SimX – South Blachrie £4950, £4900 (X2), £4800 (X2), Auchtygall £4800, Rennieshill, Newmachar £4700; Sim – Auchtygall £4900;
Cow with Bull Calf: Sim – Whitehouse, Lumphanan £4350, Crudie Farm, Arbroath £4300, £4050; SimX – Whitehouse £4250, Crudie Farm £4000;
Cow with Heifer Calf: SimX – Whitehouse £4200; Sim – Crudie Farm £4200, £4000, £3950;
Bulling Heifers: SimX – Connachie, Kellas £3850, £3350, £3300, £3250; Brodieshill, Alves – £3600, £3500, £3400; Northton, Cullerlie £3200, £3150.
At Truro Livestock Market’s sale of store cattle on 30th April, a super trade from start to finish, topped at £2525 on behalf of Mr D Moyle of Camborne for his stand out single Simmental steer.
In a sale of 210 store cattle at Holsworthy on 30th April, top on the day was £2560 for a Simmental from Mr S Norman, Dolton
At Market Drayton on 30th April, a Simmental bull (24 months) from George Wainwright made £4960.
At a sale of 209 finished and forward cattle at Sedgemoor on 30th April, steers sold to £2808.20 for a 760kg Simmental from CHJ Atwell & Sons, Claverham.
In a sale at Melton Mowbray on 29th April, the bulls saw a Simmental bull from JR Goddard reaching £3650 selling David Johnson and featuring in the top prices.
At Frome on 28th April, and a sale of 104 calves, a cracking run of Simmentals from M Carver & Son saw £560 and £550 and Simmental heifers flying to £498 and £485. Simmental heifers from NAC Taylor to £460.
In a sale of young stores at Salisbury on 28th April, topping the charts was a wonderful run of fed 12 m.o. Simmental stores from regular sender Nick Doggrell, these quality sorts saw heifers sell to £1600, steers to £1850, £2110, £2130 and £2410, an exceptional result.
On 25th April, and a sale of store cattle at Frome, in the young continentals the Marklove family producing some outstanding homebred suckled Simmentals these best of types 10mo saw amazing prices with steers £1650 – £1880, their heifers £1310. Hard Dairy x Simmental steers (11-15mo) from Nigel Hitchens easily to £1620. Forward heifers equally sought after with Simmental heifers to £2450 (24mo) again from HJ Marklove.
At Thame’s sale of 508 store cattle on 25th April, M/S EW & JE Masters topped the heifers at £2300 and £2280 for homebred Simmentals.
Lancaster’s sale of store cattle on 25th April incorporated the monthly sale of stirks with these considered an unbelievable trade. Heifers topped at £1400 for a Simmental at nine months old from WJ&EA Woodhouse, Nateby. A pair of Simmental bullocks from WJ&EA Woodhouse, Nateby, to £1600 at ten months old.
In a sale of prime cattle at Thainstone, Aberdeen & Northern Marts, on 24th April, under 30 month – prime bullocks sold to £3227 gross for an 870kg Simmental Cross from Woodbank, Drumblade. 30 to 36 month – bullocks sold to £2844.35 gross for an 815kg Simmental Cross from Mains of Corsegight, New Deer.
A sale of baby calves at Rugby on 24th April saw the top price going to Andrew Hall and a Simmental Bull Calf realising £580, other prices of note £560 & £510 for Peter Hemmings Simmental Heifers.
At Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd’s Ayr market on 24th April, Simmentals topped both the bullocks and the heifers in a sale of 433 store cattle. Top price of the day was £2840 for a Simmental Heifer off Stoopshill. Bullocks peaked at £2820 for four Simmentals from the same vendor.
Thirsk’s sale of 230 cattle on 24th April saw the top price of the day achieved by Chris & James Burton of Cottam, with an outstanding, 98m, Simmental X cow, weighing 793kg, topping the pounds per head at £2740 and being purchased by Morgan Helliwell, Rochdale.
At Stirling on 23rd April, United Auctions sold 2326 Store & Native Bred Cattle and 170 out of spec cattle, cast cows, and bulls. Leading Simmental prices in the bullocks included: Neuk £2600, Gilmanscleugh 519.0p; Wester Mye £2570, Little Aiden 513.0p; Drummie £2540, Callendoune 508.40p. Leading Simmental heifer prices included: Garvald Mains £2720, Grange of Lindores 516.40p; Grange of Lindores £2520, Oatridge 504.00p. In a sale of rearing cattl, Stirling stirks still on fire with 5 month old Dairy X Simm stirks to £1380.
In a sale of store cattle at Truro on 23rd April, the section for one year old heifers was topped at £1810 for Simmentals from Mr J Gregory of Chacewater, truro. In a sale of rearing calves on the same day, another fantastic trade, with a ringside full of buyers saw the best of the bull calves racing away to £720 for a 12 week old Simmental x bull sold by Messrs L W & S Hosken from Helston.
On 23rd April, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of weaned bulls and stirks at Carlisle. Store bulls break Ring 4 record with T & C Todd, Wyndham House selling a 14 month Fleckvieh bull, away for breeding at £3500.
Oswestry on the 23rd April saw the dispersal of the Pickhill Old Hall suckler herd of the Ormrod family. Within that a fantastic run of 50 store cattle from the herd sold at the end of the catalogue met a tremendous trade topping the sale with some Simmental bullocks weighing 340kgs at 553ppk. Top price for steers in the store sale lump was £2580 for a 24-month-old Simmental from J Hamlet, The Marches. British Blue and Simmental steers 6 -7 months sold to 515ppk from D Clay, Cross Lanes Farm.
At Monmouthshire on 23rd April, and a sale of store cattle, grazing sorts continue to be easy to place and sold to 494p/kg (£1780-360kg) for Simmental crosses from S Goldsmith, Glascoed.
At Salisbury on 22nd April and a sale of finished cattle, heifers sold to 378.5p for Stuart Morgan’s very tidy Simmentals.
At Dingwall on 22nd April, Dingwall & Highland Marts sold 875 store cattle and 91 OTM cattle. Heifers (479) sold to £3,200 gross for a 630kg Simmental from Blackford Farm, Croy. Young Bulls sold to £2,160 gross for a 545kg Simmental from Blackford Farm, Croy.
On 22nd April, Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 102 Prime and Cast Cattle at their sale in Ayr. Prime Cattle sold sharper again with more quality forward. Clean Heifers sold to £2550 (418p) for a Simmental from J McCornick, Drumjargon.
Bakewell’s sale of finished cattle on 22nd April saw a top of 422p or £2844 for a smart suckler bred Simmy from Kevin Atkin (Atkin Bros) Barrow on Trent.
At Quoybrae on 21st April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 332 store cattle. Heifers (128) averaged 453.7p per kg and sold to 554.9per kg for a pen of 364kg Simmentals from Ha, Durran and sold to £2,360 for a 564kg Simmental Cross from Roadside, Kirk.
On 21st April at Borderway, Carlisle, and a sale of cast cows and stock bulls, Messrs Gwynne, Castlewigg Farm sold the top priced Simmental cow for 909kg, 323.5ppk or £2940 to Morgan Helliwell.
United Auctions on 19th April at Huntly sold 714 store cattle and OTMS. OTMS sold to a top gross of £2580 for a 980kg SimX from East-Brae, Grange.
On 19th April and a sale of store cattle at Gisburn, feeding bulls met a strong trade as expected. Peaking the trade at £2550 was J Butterworth with a strong 14mo Simmental.
In a sale of 506 busk calves and stirks at Sedgemoor on 19th April, bulls sold to £1350 (2x only 7m) for pure bred Simmentals from R Ridout.
At Lancaster’s sale of store cattle on 18th April, bullocks continue to sell to extreme rates. Top price was £2820 for a single Fleckvieh from EJ Hodgson, Lambrigg.
At Thainstone on 18th April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1436 store cattle, young bulls and young and weaned calves. An excellent entry of Store Cattle sold to a top of £2870 for a 714kg Simmental Cross Heifer from Messrs Nicolson, Relugas Mains, Dunphail. Bulls (20) sold to £2310 gross for a pair of 564kg Simmentals from Drumsleed, Fordoun.
In a sale of 455 store cattle at Thame on 18th April, feeding cows sold to £2740 for Simmental X.
In a sale of store cattle on 18th April at Frome, and in the young continentals, AAM farms Yeovil had a wonderful consignment of 40 homebred single suckled Charolais and Simmental heifers (11-12mo). All had good conformation and growth and were wanted with their first 5 pens all over £1500 and topping at a whopping £1610!! Real quality 11mo Simmental steers from N R Hitchens Paulton commanded fierce bidding selling to a terrific £1700!
At Ludlow on 18th April, and a sale of TB restricted store cattle, Simmental X Steers topped at £2450, with others at £2290.
At Thainstone on 17th April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 53 prime cattle. Young Bulls sold to £3437.40 gross for a 1020kg Simmental from Berryleys, Grange.
320 store cattle at Hallworthy on 17th April saw AP & DJ House of St Issey steal the show with an outstanding run of Simmental x Cattle. Their top a pair of 23 month Simmental x Steers deep and long bodied to £2660 next a trio of similar types away at £2440.
At Stirling on 16th April, United Auctions sold 2038 Store Cattle and 174 out of spec cattle, cast cows, and bulls. Beef Cows (136) averaged 294.85p to 401.6p per kilo for a 620kg Simm from High Mathernock. Simm bullocks topped at Balegreggan £2860 £2680, Balgonar 536.80p; and with Simm heifers at £2500, Innerwick. OTM cows topped at 401.60p for a Simm from High Mathernock.
On 16th April and a sale of prime cattle at Frome, a good show of meat and finish in the steer section topping at 398p/kg for Simmental x from CW Butcher & Son grossing £2305.
In a sale of barren cows and bulls at Salisbury on 15th April, Simmentals led the way at up to 319.5p (£2380.28) from Sid and Jinty Brown, 284.5p from James Whittle and 275p from Bruce Horn. On the same day and a sale of young stores 6-11 months, continentals took ‘all the glory’. Simmental stores from the Russell family sold at an extraordinary £1880, and £1720 for steers.
On 15th April at Hexham, young bulls were topped at £1690, and 361.5p per kg by Newsham Grange.
Bakewell’s sale of young bulls on 14th April saw Tom Robinson, Abney with the top price of 400p or £3048 for a suckler bred Simmy.
In a sale of calves and stirks at Lanark on 14th April, on milk calves were topped by a Simmental x bull calf from Stewart, Balglass Farm, reaching £700.
At Sedgemoor on 14th April, and a sale of barren cows and OA bulls, a Simmental from J Popham (1120kg & FA) met £3500 exactly when sold to 312.5ppk.
At Carlisle on 14th April and a sale of cast cows and stock bulls, Messrs Goldie, Townfoot Farm sold the top priced Simmental cow for 910kg, 323.5p, £2943 to Morgan Helliwell. Messrs Ridley, Haltcliffe Farm sold a Simmental cow for 795kg, 337.5p, £2683, also to Morgan Helliwell.
On 14th April, and a sale of barren cows, bulls, and overage clean cattle at Market Drayton, young restricted bulls selling on a very competitive trade peaked at 392p or £3,473.12 for Simmental from The Huxley Family, Horsemans Green.
At Sedgemoor on 14th April and a sale of 317 calves, top of the day of £860 for a trio of Simmental bulls as part of a smart consignment for DE Down & Son, who sold another to £705, all 2 months.
Selby’s sale of store cattle on 12th April saw the section within of OTMs/Cows topped by a Simm cow 794kg at £2262 from J Foulston & Sons.
At Thainstone on 11th April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1516 Store Cattle, Young Bulls and Young and Weaned Calves inc organics. Young Bulls sold to 459.2p per kg for a pair of Simmental Cross from Tombreckachie, Glenlivet.
On 11th April at Frome’s sale of store cattle, demand stays strong for farm assured, good conformation forward cattle with well-presented Simmental steers setting the trade at £2410 from Willowbrook Farm of Melksham.
On 10th April at Thainstone, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 154 Cows and Bulls to average £2426.46 or 314ppk. Beef Finished Cows (90) averaged £2,686.11 and sold to £3,440 for a 992kg Simmental Cross from East Cairnbeg, Laurencekirk.
A busy day at Rugby on 10th April and a sale of store cattle. Breeders kicked off at speed with C H Evans selling Simmental Cows 2021 with a 3m old Calf to £2900. In a sale of baby calves on the same day, top price was £560 for a Simmental Bull Calf from GTA Hall, Atherstone who also sold 6 others Bulls and Heifers all over the £500 mark.
At Lerwick on 9th April, Shetland Livestock Marketing Group in conjunction with Aberdeen & Northern Marts, sold 217 head of cattle. Cast Cows sold to £2290 for an 809kg Simmental Cross cow from Hellia, Aithsetter.
At a sale of weaned cattle at Borderway, Carlisle on 9th April, Bullocks sold to £2300 including a pen of 13 month old Simmentals from Auchengray Farms, New Abbey.
At Stirling on 9th April, United Auctions sold 2029 store cattle and 91 out of spec cattle, cast cows, and bulls and 37 rearing cattle. Bullocks (1068) sold to a top price of £2800 for a 736kg Simm from Kirkland. Heifers (846) sold to £2720 for a 702kg Simm from East Revoch. In the rearing cattle, Kaimhill Farming sold x5 Simm stirks for £1250, and £1100 x4.
Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 112 Prime and Cast Cattle at their sale in Ayr on 8th April. Cast Cows sold to a top price per head of £2320 for a Simmental from Dunduff. Clean Cattle top price per head in the bullocks was a Simmental at £2060 from Adamcroft.
At Quoybrae on 7th April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1,313 store cattle. Heifers (382) sold to £2,520 gross for a 568kg Simmental Cross from 11 Lochend Barrock.
On 7th April and a sale of barren, OTM, and feeding cows AT Bakewell, trade peaked at 390 pence for a 33 month old Simmental from Meadow Place Farms, Youlgreave.
In a sale of prime and forward cattle at Sedgemoor on 7th April, steers peaked at 420.5ppk for a lightweight Simmental (521kg) from V Young & Sons, Bristol, who sold more 412.5 (431 & 438kg) 409.5 (504kg) and 407.5ppk (510kg). In a sale of bulls, top of the day was for a very shapely Simmental Bull (1080kg & FA) which rose to 297.5ppk and grossed a neat £3,213 from RJ & GJ Tucker.
In a sale of 138 calves at Exeter on 4th April, Simmentals on fire. Top of the day was £800 for the best of a cracking run of weaned Simmental bulls from Ross Govier of Longdown who sold others to £780, £760, £720 & £710.
At Hexham’s sale of store cattle on 4th April, mid range, grazing type cattle were in huge demand. Mr M Wallace, White Hills, Newton Stewart selling exceptionally well with a pen of three Simmental crosses cashing at £2330.00.
On 4th April and a sale of 566 weanlings at Market Drayton, heifers were in high demand with top price going to £1680 for a 12mo Simmental from RW Adams & Son, and £1270 for ten month old Simmentals from JE Freeman, Stafford. A nice packet of 5mo Simmentals sold for £910 from P Bennett & Son. The sale of 827 rearing calves saw an exceptional trade across all grades, with demand very high! Top price: £805 for a Simmental from J Gould & Son, Leek, with a further Simmental at £800 from WJ Holdcroft.
At Thainstone on 4th April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1366 Store Cattle, Young Bulls and Young and Weaned Calves. Heifers (560) sold to £3200 gross for a Pen of Five 590kg Simmental Crosses from Law Farm, Insch.
On 4th April at Ballymena, a super entry of suckler cows sold to £3400 for a super Simmental cow in-calf to a Saler bull from T McMaster, Broughshane.
At Thainstone, Aberdeen and Northern Marts, on 3rd April sold 75 Prime Cattle. 30 to 36 Month – bullocks averaged 360.2p and sold to 395p per kg for a 680kg Simmental Cross from East Cairnorrie, Methlick. On the same day and a sale of 194 cows and bulls, bulls sold to £3970 for a 1330kg Simmental from Croftbain, Tomnavoulin.
At NWA’s Jct 36 Crooklands sale on 3rd April, the sky high store trade continued. Heifers hit £2300 for a Simmental from JF&C Saunders, Ulverston.
At Stirling on 2nd April, United Auctions sold 1757 Store Cattle and 114 out of spec cattle, cast cows, and bulls. Leading Simm prices in the bullocks included: Elsmcleugh & Barbarafield £2740, Little Ballo 529.40p, Yonderhaugh £2700 x2, Dinwoodie Green 521.00p, Briarlands £2680, Bogside 508.40p.
In a sale of prime cattle at Frome on 2nd April, the top price heifer was 379p/kg for a Simmental from AE Weaver & Son. Simmentals also topped the cull cows at 322p/kg from AL & DM Sage & Son, Claverton.
At Melton Mowbray on 2nd April and a sale of store and breeding cattle, pedigree Simmental Cow & Calf Outfits to £3500 for JR Goddard, Norwich; Pedigree Simmental Heifers to £3100 for JR Goddard, Norwich.
A sale of barren cows and bulls at Salisbury on 1st April saw another rip roaring trade as cows sold to 305.5p or £2428.73 for a grand Simmental from James Whittle.
20,000GNS BLUE CEDAR PETER (PP) BREAKS SIMMENTAL ALL-BREEDS RECORD AT WORCESTER SALE!
Beanhill Ryan 24 makes 11,000gns
Wroxall Pornstar 23 (P) makes 9,000gns
20,000gns a new all-breeds centre record, and record for a Simmental bull sold in England
It was a record breaking day at the Worcester Simmental Sale held on Saturday 3rd May, at McCartneys Worcester Livestock Market.
Record-breaking 20,000gns Blue Cedar Peter 23 (PP)
Selling at 20,000gns and setting a new all-breeds centre record at Worcester, and a new record for a Simmental bull sold at a Society sale in England, was the homozygous polled, and entirely homebred, Blue Cedar Peter 23 (PP), from Nigel Darling, Intwood, Norwich.
December 2023 born, Blue Cedar Peter 23 (PP) is by Blue Cedar Kelso (PP), and is out of Blue Cedar Edwina 4th (PP). Purchasing this bull was stock manager Richard Bell for the 300-cow Bowley herd of Mr CM Mercer based at Hope-Under-Dinmore, Herefordshire. With limited staff, ease of management is a big factor for the Bowley herd and with the homozygous polled status of this bull being particularly attractive.
Blue Cedar Peter 23 (PP) with purchaser Richard bell (left), breeder Nigel Darling, and stockman Phil Boyd-Stevenson
Commenting after the sale a delighted Nigel Darling said: “I’m absolutely over the moon to sell Blue Cedar Peter (PP) for this top price, and to set so many new record marks along the way is just amazing. I joined the Society some fifteen years ago and have been concentrating on breeding polled cattle from the outset. We’ve presently got twelve cows and all of which are homozygous polled. There’s more and more demand for homozygous polled Simmentals from commercial producers who want easier management with no dehorning of calves whilst still retaining the traits the breed is renowned for.” The Blue Cedar herd was established in 2010 with the purchase of the 15-month-old bull Wroxall Abacus 09 (PP), and with the purchase of the heifer Hunnyhill Wendy (P) thereafter. Next up for the Blue Cedar herd will be the Royal Norfolk and with more homozygous polled genetics on show.
Endorsing Nigel Darling’s comments was the purchaser Richard Bell who said: “In a big herd like Bowley and with not many staff, homozygous polled Simmental genetics is very attractive to us. This bull has also got excellent calving ease figures and above average indexes so he ticks a lot of boxes and we’re delighted to have him.”
9000gns Wroxall Pornstar (P), Overall Supreme Champion
Earlier in the sale Richard Bell also purchased the day’s pre-sale show Overall Champion for 9000gns, and in the shape of the heterozygous polled Wroxall Pornstar (P) from the long established Wroxall herd of CH Evans & Son, Kington Grange Farm, Claverdon, Warwickshire. This naturally polled bull has shown phenomenal growth for age with figures to back this up, especially on the replacement traits. His mother was shown extensively and notably winning the breed championship at both the Three Counties and Staffordshire shows for two years on the trot. Wroxall Pornstar (P), is by Corskie Megastar 21 (P), and is out of Wroxall Lovely-Moira (P), a Coose Gambler (P) daughter.
The pre-sale show judge was Rhys Grenham from the noted Boars Head herd in Crowborough, East Sussex.
11,000gns Beanhill Ryan 24
The second highest price on the day was the 11,000gns paid for the final bull in the sale, Beanhill Ryan 24 from Mr & Mrs RJ & BE Kimber, Chippenham, Wiltshire. January 2024 born, this bull is by the AI sire Broombrae Major M3 21, and is out of Beanhill Inca EX 90, a Tillbrook Earl daughter. Purchasing this bull was RB Gough, The Gippols, Harley, Shrewsbury.
A small show of Simmental bulls within this multibreed fixture saw five out of the six forward sell to average £10,248 and again, a new record average mark for this fixture.
Judge Rhys Grenham left with Champion Wroxall Pornstar (P), and Reserve Champion Wroxall Pow Wow (P)
GAVIN BROWN, ‘THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE’, AT THE UPCOMING STIRLING SIMMENTAL BULL SALE!
At the pre-sale show of bulls being held on Sunday May 4th at 11am, Gavin Brown of the noted Springfield Simmental herd, Penicuik, Midlothian will be the very capable ‘man in the middle’ as the judge for the day.
Gavin and his wife Anna established the Springfield herd in 2014, some four years after purchasing the 140 acre Springfield Farm situated near the Pentland Hills.
The herd was initiated with the purchase of two cows with calves at foot from the local Woodhall herd of Hector McAskill, and two further cows, again with calves at foot, from the Hazelden Dispersal Sale of N McGeoch, Lochlea Farm, Kilmarnock.
In the very early stages after purchase, considerable work and time was needed to build Springfield Farm up. Gavin was looking for a pure bred animal that could be run commercially with low input, to try and keep running costs to a minimum, and a breed that was easy to work with and calf as the farm had very little in the way of handling facilities. So fitting this bill, it was the Simmental breed that Gavin and Anna turned to.
Today, and built around a base of quality bloodlines, the Springfield herd now comprises of 30 Simmental breeding females and with the herd having met with considerable success in both the sale and show ring.
Increasingly prolific, the herd’s sale averages have increased year on year to a best performance to date in February (this year) when eight bulls sold to a mighty average of £8250. This included a new herd top price at sale of £14,175 for Springfield Pace, (a son of the herd’s influential stock sire Islavale Jabba 18 (ET) EX92), and which sold to Orkney.
Another noted sale highlight for Gavin was in October 2022 when the Springfield herd had its first heifers for sale at Stirling and which averaged £4500, with a top of £6200. Four of the heifers were purchased by the high profile Popes herd of Jimmy and Vikki Wood, Dutton, Lancashire. For good measure on the same day, the herd sold four bulls, which had finished first, second, and third in their classes, and to average £5000. Live sales and semen sales have now seen Springfield genetics go world wide and including to China, Germany, Switzerland, and Turkey.
A keen supporter of the summer and winter shows, locally and nationally, the herd has met with many successes and including in the last four years, Simmental Championship wins at: the Simmental Youngstock Show at Carlisle; Stars of the Future Calf Show in Stirling; and LiveScot at Lanark. The aforementioned Islavale Jabba also secured the Senior Male Championship at the 2023 Simmental Scottish National, and was the World Silver Medallist for the breed in the Simmental Breeder online show.
Islavale Jabba has been prolific stock bull for the Springfield herd
13,500gns Springfield Pace
Speaking generally on the Simmental breed, why it fits the bill within the Springfield enterprise, and why it is proving so popular with commercial producers, Gavin commented: “I think the Simmental is one of the most commercial pedigree cows you can get. Low cost and low maintenance is so important but still striving to have that high daily live weight gain. It’s a balance the Simmentals have that I believe no other breed can match. Ease of calving is a real plus, and easy fleshing cattle just give you high outputs with low inputs. Generally females need to be able to survive on grass, whilst being milky, having a frame that supports easy calving, and carries enough flesh to support its calf through the first 6-8 months. To me these are the qualities where the Simmental excels and will give the breed the edge in future beef production.”
Turning to the bull sale at Stirling, and the judging job at hand this coming Sunday, and Gavin will again look to keep this very commercial focus. Speaking to the Society he said: “It’s an honour to be asked to Judge at the renowned Stirling Bull Sales and I’m very much looking forward to it. As ever I’m sure there will be a great show of Simmental stock with little to split between them. In selecting a winner I’ll definitely be focused on the demands of our commercial buyers and will be looking for bulls with good size, length, are well fleshed without being too extreme, or are overly powerful. As with any judging, fantastic breed character will always help that one special beast stand out from the rest!
Gavin, we very much hope that you enjoy your day, and the best of luck is extended to all Simmental vendors.
Judging Sunday May 4th, 11am
Sale of Simmental Bulls Monday May 5th, 12 Noon
It’s ‘time for a Simmental’ on Monday May 5th, with 35 bulls catalogued for the sale at United Auctions, Stirling FK9 4RN.
Please click on the link here to see the full published catalogue and timetable:
https://www.uagroup.co.uk/download_file/e166d153-2fec-4213-b27a-0a053681c0c3/1
2024 Centre West Club Herd Competition Results
Judge Mrs J Borlase
Best Group of Maiden heifers
Bowley – Mr C M Mercer
Best Crop of In-calf heifers
Chapman – David Bush
Best Stock Bull
Bowley Jackson – Mr C Mercer
Best Cow family
Auroch Emma – Mrs J M Cockerill
Best Calf Born 2024
Chapman Knapweed’s Rowan – David Bush
Judges Special prize
4 x Yearling Bulls by Coose Gambler – C H Evans and Son
Small Herd Winner
Chapman – David Bush
Large Herd Winner
Wroxall – C H Evans and Son
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