In an incredibly generous gesture, James and Rachael Griffin of the Hemingford Simmental herd, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, have pledged to donate the entire sale proceeds of their heifer, Hemingford Lancome, to the Breast Cancer Now charity. The March 2020 born Hemingford Lancome is entered into the Society’s new Next Generation Sale of females & weaned calves, which is due to take place at Borderway Market, Carlisle, on Friday 3rd December. The announcement of this gesture is appropriately being made now with October being Breast Cancer awareness month.
Here in their own very poignant words, James and Rachel explain why they are auctioning Hemingord Lancome for this hugely worth cause:
“Around 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and, like so many
of you, we have been unfortunate enough to know and watch someone close battle this disease.
In 2018 Breast Cancer became even closer to home when Rachael was diagnosed at the age of just 33, with no family history of the disease.
Following this journey, we decided that we wanted to do something to raise both awareness and funds for vital research and along with help and support for people affected by breast cancer.
Donating the sale funds of an auctioned heifer was originally planned to coincide with the Society’s 50th anniversary celebrations, and we wish to stand by our commitment to this.
We are incredibly grateful to the Society for their continued support and allowing us to instead undertake this fundraiser at their exciting new Next Generation sale. We have therefore pledged that we will be donating all the proceeds from the sale of Hemingford Lancome to Breast Cancer Now.”
James & Rachael Griffin
The Society is delighted to help and support James and Rachael to promote this amazing gesture and to raise funds and awareness for such an important cause.
At this early stage we are grateful to Harrison & Hetherington who have also readily lent their support and have immediately agreed, along with the Society, that no sale commissions will apply to the sale of the heifer. H&H will also help promote the sale for the charitable cause.
A Just Giving page has also been established, and is open now, if you would simply like to make a donation to Breast Cancer Now and in support of James & Rachael’s initiative. James will be at the upcoming Stirling Bull Sale and will be happy to chat to members about this fundraising initiative and of course Hemingford Lancome.
MARKET BRIEFS SEES SIMMENTALS LEADING COMMERCIAL SALES AT ABERDEEN; SEDGEMOOR; FROME; DINGWALL; SHREWSBURY; STIRLING; MARKET DRAYTON; AYR; GISBURN; WORCESTER; HUNTLY; ST. BOSWELLS; CARLISLE; ANGLESEY; SELBY; HEXHAM; LANCASTER; TRURO; LOCKERBIE; AND RUGBY
A bumper coverage of Simmental Market Briefs this week, as we play a little catch up, kicks off with a look back at Gisburn Market and their sale of Prime Cattle on Thursday 29th July. Leading a strong trade for bulls was Mr & Mrs Fitton, Moss Hall Farm, Lostock, Bolton with a fifteen-month-old pedigree bull (pictured). Put to the sale due to a hurt shoulder he weighed 756kgs with a dlwg of 1.56kilos per day. Selling at 266ppkg he made a market high gross of £2019.
Aberdeen & Northern Marts sale of 824 store cattle on 20th August saw heifers between 401-450kg topped by Simms from Nigley, Evie at £1,160 and 272.3p. On the 19th August, the same market held a sale of cast cows and bulls. Beef Feeding Cows averaged £1,067.14 and sold to £1,190 gross including a 772kg Simmental from East Kincraigie, Lumphanan. Boning Cows averaged £748.68 (+£140.91) and sold to £945 gross (twice), and firstly for a 642kg Simmental from 8 Skaill, Forss. Bulls averaged £1,177 (+£102) and sold to £1,550 gross for a 1,150kg Simmental from Law Farm, Insch.
In the sale of calves and stirks at Sedgemoor on 21st August, a larger entry than expected saw a continuation of the strong trade. Top price to £1070 x3 (14m) for Pure Simmental steers from R & J Cook.
Through the sale of weaned calves at Frome on 18th August, a very buoyant particularly for the Continental x calves saw good consignments from Mark Peters of Sussex which saw 3mo Simmental steers at £528 and heifers to £420.
At Dingwall on 18th August, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., sold 186 store cattle and 104 adult head of breeding cattle. Bullocks (105) averaged 230.7p and sold to £1,400 gross for a 720kg Simmental cross from 33 Auchintoul, Altass. Cow with male calf at foot (40) sold to £2,750 gross for a Simmental cross cow with a Charolais cross calf at foot from Gorthleck Mains, Inverness. Cow with heifer calf at foot (33) sold to £2,500 gross for a Simmental cross cow with a Charolais cross calf at foot from Gorthleck Mains, Inverness. Cow with twin heifer calves at foot sold to £2,800 gross for a Simmental cross cow with Charolais cross calves at foot.
In a sale of weanling bulls at Shrewsbury Livestock Market on 17th August, the top price and top average went to Simmental X bulls from WG Bebbington & Son which topped at £850 and averaged £814. TB restricted cattle were also a flyer with 16 month old Simmental steers topping the market at £1220 or 244ppk.
At United Auction’s sale of 824 store cattle at Stirling on 18th August, out of spec cattle averaged 184.47p to 203.50p per kg for a SimX from Boghall, and to £1270 for a SimX also from Boghall.In a sale of 524 rearing calves on 18th August at Market Drayton, a superb show of quality gave buyers plenty to choose from A strong trade saw Simmentals top the market at £450 for an entry from C.J. Tams, Stafford.
At Craig Wilson’s Prime Cattle sale at Ayr on 17th August, 49 Beef Cows peaked at £1480 for a Simmental off Girvan Mains.
At Sedgemoor on 16th August, the UTM & OTM sale saw heifers sold to a top of £1449 for a Simmental (680kg) from THJ Denbee.In the sale of store cattle at Gisburn on 14th August, clean cattle saw a super homebred Simmental from David Moorhouse lead the way when selling for £1395 to regular buyer Andrew Atkinson.
On Saturday 14th August suckler bred bulls from DJ & M Edwards topped the feeding bulls section at Worcester Market with £1,020 for a Simmental X (10 months).
At Aberdeen & Northern Marts sale of cast cows and bulls on 12th August, Beef Feeding Cows averaged £1,083.68 and sold to £1,245 for a 668kg Simmental Cross from Colligarth, Sanday. Dunn Farm, Watten sold a SimX at £1,230. On the same day at a sale of prime cattle the heifer trade was led by Honeybank with Sim x at £1,421.20. At a further sale held for Orkney consignors, the beef cow trade was led at 215.9p per kg for a 514kg Simmental from P & F Ross, Lenahowe, Sandwick. Prime Cattle sold to £1,393.75 gross for a 625kg Simmental and 235p per kg for a 560kg Simmental from Maesquoy Farms, Harray.
At Huntly, on Thursday 12th August, UA held a store & OTM cattle sale. Some top quality bred cattle were forward meeting a keen demand for both yearlings and forward types. In the heifers, the top gross was £1250 for a pair of 562kg SimX’s from Delfur Farms, Rothes. OTMS averaged 142.6p selling to a top of 191.2p per kg for a 570kg Sim from Delfur Farms, Rothes. The top gross in this section was £1260 for a 785kg Sim from Whitehills, Grange.
At H&H’s sale of store cattle at St Boswells on 12th August, the heifers per kilo were led by Simmentals from Coxydene at 240.5p.
At Stirling on 11th August, held a sale of store cattle, breeding cattle, cast cows and bulls, and rearing cattle. Beef Cows and Bulls (187) averaged 149.79p to 211.70p per kg for a SimX from Tulloch Farms. In the rearing cattle, the sale was topped at £665 for a SimX bull from M/s Hair, Kilbride. Another strong show of beef stirks was met with a sturdy trade throughout with the leading price being Lochside (SimX) £600.
At Carlisle on 11th August, a very good show of 505 store cattle forward at Borderways saw an absolute flyer of a trade where well fleshed cattle were the easiest to sell on the day. The Crichton family of Rottington Hall, Whitehaven featured in the top end prices with Simmental crosses at £1510. In the weaned cattle Simmental bulls reached heights of £1185 and £1110 from McColm and Brewis, Awhirk Farm.
On Monday 9th August 2021, Caledonian Marts Ltd at Stirling had forward 414 Store Cattle at their fortnightly sale. Heifers averaged 218ppkg selling to 254ppkg for a pen of Simmentals from Inshanks, Stranraer.
At H&H’s Prime Cattle sale held on 9th August at Carlisle, heifers were a flyer of a trade with a days top of £1761.18 achieved by Messrs Goldie, Newbie Mains, Annan with a Simmental purchased by Eric Hall.
Calves and Stirks met a firm trade with a keen demand for continental types at Gaerwen Livestock Market, Anglesey on 9th August. Female stirks topped at £450 for Simmentals from B Griffiths, Garth Fawr.
At the store cattle sale held at Selby market on 7th August, all classes were in demand. Top price store beast on the day was the pick of a great pen of Simmental bulls from WJ Hollingsworth, Midhope Hall Farm, Sheffield selling at £1405. Further bulls from the Hollingsworths sold for £1335,£1305,£1300.
At Thainstone on 6th August, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1,150 Store Cattle, Young Bulls and Young and Weaned Calves. Bullocks (502) sold to £1,600 gross for a 738kg Simmental cross from Wallfield, Lochhills. Heifers (437) averaged 239.8p and sold to 328.7p per kg and £1,880 gross for a 572kg Simmental Cross from Gladhill, Garmouth. In the young and weaned calves a great show of cattle forward met a brisk demand especially forward condition cattle with an outstanding red and white Simmental Cross heifer, scaling 572kg from Messrs Smith, Gladhill, Garmouth topping the sale at £1,880.
Hexham & Northern Marts at their weekly store sale on 6th August saw cattle at 11-16 months led by Simmental x steers at £1030 from Hedley West.
In the sale of calves and stirks on 6th August at NWA’s Lancaster Auction Mart, Simmental bull calves sold to a top of £3335 for a Simmental X from JR Newsham & Son.
In a sale of Beef Cows at Truro Livestock Market on 4th August, Simmental x’s led the way to 164p (740kg) for Messrs R M & S J Jones of Breage, Helston.On 4th August at United Auctions Stirling market’s store sale, out of spec cattle averaged 225.55p to 233.90p per kg for a SimX from Wellees, and to £1310 for a Sim from Wellees.
If you have any snippets of Simmentals performing well at markets around the UK then please forward them to information@britishsimmental.co.uk We’d be very happy to include them in future Simmental Market Briefs.
Congratulations to Tom Hill, from Scotland Hill Simmentals, Wadworth, Doncaster, whose young bull Scotland Hill Merlin, has taken the top spot in another strong Class in the ongoing 2021 ‘Virtual’ Simmental Show. Scotland Hill Merlin came out top in Class 5, Spring born bull calf, born in 2021 and from an entry of 87 calves in all from herds around the UK. May 2021 born, Scotland Hill Merlin is by Clonagh King Eyes, and is out of Scotland Hill Francesca Georgeanna. Well done also to the Northamptonshire based Mixbury Hall herd who placed second, third, and fourth! A big thank you is extended to Dafydd Jones, of the Banwy herd, Welshpool, Powys for so ably and kindly judging this class. Look out for Dafydd’s video comments which will be posted soon on Facebook.
Thank you again for all your entries so far which continue to create an outstanding Simmental showcase, and congratulations to all who have placed, the results are below.
Tilbrook Frank from VC Bailey, Mixbury Hall Farm, Mixbury, Brackley, Northants has taken first place in the Mature bull class of the 2021 Virtual Simmental Show. This March 2014 born bull beat off some strong competition in a class of 43 of stock bulls very kindly judged by Andrew Clarke of the Breaghey herd, Co Armagh, N Ireland. Andrew was mightily impressed by the strength in depth of these bulls, and look out for more comments to follow in his ‘judge’s video’.
The places are:
1st Tilbrook Frank 14, Mixbury Hall
2nd Lisglass Goldstar 15, Broombrae
3rd Corskie Highlander 16, Islavale
4th Kilbride Farm Jetstream 18 P, Kilbride Farm
5th Wolfstar Jackaroo 18, Backmuir
6th Shacon Hannibal 16, Islavale
Big congratulations are extended to the Mixbury Hall herd, and a hearty well done to all who have placed, and to everyone who entered the class. We are now three classes down and thank you to everyone for supporting the 2021 virtual show which continues to showcase some of the best Simmentals from all around the UK. For all those participating and spectating, we hope you are enjoying this year’s competition as much as we are!
The April 2019 born heifer Heathbrow Koko Star (P) capped a memorable day for David & Lesley Sapsed, High Heath Farm, Codicote, Hitchin, Herts when she was crowned the Overall Supreme Simmental Champion at the 2021 Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate. Following her through to take the Overall Reserve was the Junior Champion Heathbrow Lavender also from the Sapseds.
It was a welcome return to the summer showring for the pedigree livestock sector, with the small but quality Simmental entry presented to the judge Jim Cowan, the herd manager at the long established and well known Kersknowe herd at Kelso, Roxburghshire. Having initially won the class for heifers born in 2019, Heathbrow Koko Star (P) moved on to win the Female Championship before being awarded the day’s blue riband Simmental Overall Supreme Champion award. Heathbrow Koko Star is by Scotland Hill Cairo 11 EX 91 and is out of Heathbrow Emerald Star (P) EX 90, a Dirnanean Welcome 1 (P) daughter. Commenting on his choice of Champion, Jim Cowan said: “This is just a really sweet, well fleshed heifer, up to size, with good legs and great locomotion. She has all the attributes to be a great breeding female and was a worthy winner on the day.” For Jim who has managed the Kersknowe herd for some 24 years and has bred Simmental bulls to sell at 16,000gns from what is now a 50-cow strong herd, the Great Yorkshire Show was a first summer ‘major’ that he has judged Simmentals at and he thanked both the Great Yorkshire Show and the Simmental Society for the opportunity.
Overall Champion and Reserve Overall
Heathbrow Koko Star’s dam line features AWL Starlet 8E, the herd’s original imported Simmental heifer of some 25 years ago. Imported from top Canadian breeder A W Londry, Starlet ‘was an outstanding cow who won four interbreeds and eight breed championships’. She lived until two weeks prior to her 21st birthday and has been a consistently strong breeding female in the herd. For the Sapseds winning the Overall Supreme amounted to a defence of the same title they won in 2019, the last time the show was held, when the bull Heathbrow Important also lifted the Individual Interbreed award. A tremendous haul of wins at the 2021 show saw the Heathbrow herd take the Overall Supreme; Reserve Overall; Female Champion; Reserve Female Champion; and Junior Champion. For good measure the herd also won the Best Pair title. Following the judging a clearly delighted David Sapsed said: “We are delighted to win such a prestigious show for the second time. More than that we are just thrilled to be in the show ring and it’s so good to be back. Cattle is the biggest social club in the world, and it’s great to see and be amongst Simmental friends again.”
Heathbrow Lavender (P)
Taking the Overall Reserve; Female Reserve; and Junior Championship was Heathbrow Lavender. January 2020 born, and entirely homebred, this heifer is by the aforementioned Heathbrow Important 17 (P) EX 93 (and is the first of his calves to be shown), and is out of Heathbrow Ivory (P) VG 87. Heathbrow Important is now the stock bull in the Blackford herd. For both Heathbrow Koko Star, and Heathbrow Lavender, this was their first time shown and both are now aimed at Edenbridge and Oxted in August.
Denizes Kingsley
In the bulls, it was another one-two, with bulls from the Denizes herd of Mr MA Barlow, Four Oaks, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancashire lifting both the Male Championship and Reserve Male Championship. Both of these bulls, of differing types, were ET calves from the same notable flush. Winning the Male Championship was the 30th December 2019 calf Denizes Kingsley 19 (ET). With some tremendous show winning breeding behind him, Denizes Kingsley is by the herd stock bull Blackford Galaxy, a previous Supreme Champion at the Royal Highland, and is out of Auroch Eve, a double Supreme Champion at the Royal Highland and who was crowned the virtual Simmental Champion of the Decade by this same show last year. At the Great Yorkshire Show, Denizes Kingsley also won the Reserve Junior Champion and Junior Male Champion accolades.
Denizes Lorenzo
Taking the Reserve Male Championship, from the same team, was Denizes Lorenzo. Thicker in type this young bull is 3rd January 2020 born. Speaking after the judging, John Barlow commented: “Following the difficult Covid situation for everyone, we were delighted to be able to enter and support the Great Yorkshire Show this year. The summer shows offer a great opportunity to showcase youngstock. We’re delighted to have had a successful show and both of these young bulls will be aimed at the Society’s sales in the autumn.”
Midhope Heavenly Light
Local breeder WJ Hollingsworth, Midhope Hall Farm, Midhopestones, Sheffield took the first prize in the cow or heifer class, in calf or with calf at foot, with the five year old Midhope Heavenly Light. Sired by Delfur Chas 11 and out of the herd’s noted Midhope Bright Light, Midhope Heavenly Light was shown with her stylish February born heifer calf at foot, Midhope Heavenly Light’s Mia which is a Denizes Johnny 18 calf. Midhope Heavenly Light was herself the beef champion in the Farmer’s Guardian 2020 show.
Group of Three
In the Group of Three, the red rosette went to Mr Paul Gunther who had made the journey from Fir Covert Farm, Fir Covert Road, Felthorpe, Norwich. His winning three heifers comprised of Fircovert Kitty (by Fircovert Gladiator 15); and embyo calves Fircovert Lizbet and Fircovert Ladybird (both by Denizes Hamish 16).
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