BRANDANE MILLIE WINS OVERALL SIMMENTAL SUPREME, AND RESERVE INDIVIDUAL INTERBREED AT 2023 ROYAL WELSH

BRANDANE MILLIE WINS OVERALL SIMMENTAL SUPREME, AND RESERVE INDIVIDUAL INTERBREED AT 2023 ROYAL WELSH

  • Cwarre Naughty’s Nettle takes Simmental Reserve
  • Finlay Soutter wins Young Handlers Championship

It’s a summer that just keeps on giving for young Simmental breeder Finlay Soutter (17), Yew Tree Farm, Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire who won the Overall Simmental Supreme Championship before going on to place Overall Reserve Interbreed Supreme, on day one of the 2023 Royal Welsh Show at Llanellwedd Wells, Powys, Monday 24th July 2023, and with his February 2021 born heifer Brandane Millie.  

Millie is the foundation female in Finlay’s newly established Millennium Simmental pedigree herd, and was bred by well-known breeder and stockman Jimmy McMillan, Bradwell Ash, Bury St Edmunds. Full of pedigree Brandane Millie is by the AI bull Sterling Gino 15, and out of the noted Sterling Candy’s FCUK, a female bought at the Sterling Sale. As a young heifer Millie was successfully shown in 2022 by Jimmy McMillan and where she won a number of awards including the Junior Female Championship at the Royal Highland.  With a little bit of Simmental history, Finlay is believed to be the youngest Simmental breeder to have won one of the ‘major’ Royal titles!

Brandane Millie

Brandane Millie, who is due to calf in January, was purchased privately by Finlay’s granddad, Doug Mash, Chesham, Bucks and was gifted to Finlay as a birthday present to initiate his Millenium herd. A very proud Doug was on hand at ringside when Brandane Millie got the winning tap from the day’s judge Michael Barlow of the noted Denizes herd, Nr Leyland, Lancashire. 

Following the judging Michael Barlow said:  “This is an exceptional heifer and has everything I’d look for in a Simmental female.  She’s very feminine, moves well, has a natural width to her, and is full of style, character, and quality.  A terrific Simmental heifer.”

Judge Michael Barlow

Beyond the Simmental judging Brandane Millie moved on to represent the breed in the Overall Individual Interbreed.  Typically judged in the late afternoon and in the natural amphitheatre of the corner of the main judging ring, the sun was out as a huge ringside audience watched the judge Owain Llyr, Denbighshire, cast his eye over the Champions from some fourteen breeds.  Impeccably shown by Finlay, Brandane Millie wowed the crowds with her quality, class, presence, and natural style and was duly tapped out as the Reserve Overall Individual Interbreed Champion.  Rounding off a superb week, on the fourth day of the show Finlay powered through to win the prestigious Royal Welsh Young Handlers competition and the second such win in the summer and following on from the Royal Norfolk.

Brandane Millie with Finlay Soutter (right), and Doug Mash
Finlay Soutter

For young Finlay at the Royal Welsh it doesn’t get much better than winning the breed Supreme Overall, the Reserve Individual Interbreed with Granddad Doug Mash lending a helping hand, the Young handlers Championship, and all in your first year of showing!

Back in the Simmental judging and taking the Reserve Overall title was Cwarre Naughty’s Nettle from Richard Cumming, Blaencwarre, Hermon, Carmarthen.  This January 2022 born heifer’s calf is by Clonagh Frosty King and is out of Cwarre Hyacinth’s Knautia who goes back to the herd’s noted Rosie’s Cadette line. A small herd of some six breeding females, the Cwarre herd are consistent exhibitors at shows and sales, and have previously won the Reserve female title at the Royal Welsh with Cwarre Cinderella’s Firefly in 2015.

Cwarre Naughty’s Nettle

Winning the Male Championship was the June 2022 born Pistyll Nightrider from GA & HM Francis, Pistyll Uchaf, Abergorlech, Carmarthen.  This calf is by the noted Team Celtic and is out of Pistyll Frances VG87, a Brookwood Alla King daughter. The Pistyll herd who hold the Welsh Simmental record for a bull sold at sale, the 26,000gns Pistyll Kingsman at Stirling in February 2021, have also previously won the Reserve Female Championship at the Royal Welsh Show.

Pistyll Knightrider
Supreme & Reserve Champion Lineup
Male Champion & Reserve

2023 Royal Welsh Show Simmental Results

Judge: Michael Barlow, Denizes Herd.

Bull, born on or before 1st January 2022 and 31st March 2022

1st OC & E Jewell  Ebbsley Nice Guy

2nd A & R Davies Hirwaun Nos Da

Ebbsley Nice Guy

Bull, born on or after 1st April 2022

1st GA & HM Franics Pistyll Nightrider

2nd OC & E Jewell Ebbsley North Star

3rd A & R Davies Hirwaun Neville 22

Heifer, born on or between 1st January 2021 and 31st August 2021

1st Finlay Soutter Brandane Millie

2nd Lizzie Harding Hallway Winnies Majesty

Heifer, born on or between 1st September 2021 and 31st December 2021

1st RJ Cummings Blaencwarre Cwarre Naughtys Nettle

2nd A & R Davies Chestermann Gibble Lulu 4

Best Group of 4

Ebbsley Nice Guy

Ebbsley North Star

Pistyll Nightrider

Brandane Millie

Group of Four

Best Pair

Ebbsley Nice Guy

Ebbsley North Star

Male Champion Pistyll Nightrider

Reserve Male Ebbsley Nice Guy

Female Champion Brandane Millie

Overall Champion Brandane Millie

94% OF BULL BUYERS CONFIRM THEY WILL PURCHASE FURTHER SIMMENTAL BULLS

94% OF BULL BUYERS CONFIRM THEY WILL PURCHASE FURTHER SIMMENTAL BULLS

• 36.23% of buyers changed to Simmental from a different breed of bull in previous five years
A fantastic ninety four percent of Simmental bull buyers have confirmed that they will purchase further Simmental bulls at future Society sales. That’s the strong endorsement of the Simmental breed following a snapshot survey of bull buyers at Society Sales held between 2017 and 2019.


The survey saw buyers through these years being sent a detailed questionnaire covering the initial reasons for purchasing a Simmental, and thereafter how satisfied they have been with the abilities and the performance of their bulls to date. A broad range of questions invited respondents to score and comment on the performance of bulls bought, including: calving ease; temperament of the bulls and their progeny; fertility and serving capacity; longevity and physical condition of the bull; and performance of progeny, including growth rates and perceived food conversion. Further questions asked buyers about the most important traits when buying a Simmental; the principle purpose of the bull; use on heifers; the importance of herd health information, pre-sale inspections, performance figures, and pre-sale fertility testing.


Unsurprisingly maternal traits featured highly in the characteristics of the Simmental breed most attractive to buyers, including: mothering ability and easy calving; milk; producing replacement heifers; and fast-growing progeny. The top characteristic for buyers was temperament and this was emphasised later in the survey with a total of 97.18% saying that the temperament of their bulls was good (88.73%), or average (8.45%), and with 92.53% saying that the temperament of the progeny was very good or good. Across these two categories less than 5% of purchasers responded that the bulls or their progeny had been below average for temperament.


Just over 70% of buyers indicated that performance figures and EBVs were a ‘quite’ or ‘very’ important aid when purchasing a bull. Of the traits, EBVs for calving ease were ranked the most important and with Maternal (Milk), a close second. The Simmental breed has taken a lead in many aspects of herd health at sales over the years, and the importance of this is shown in the survey with a total of 98.59% of respondents saying that it was ‘very important’ (83.10%), or ‘important’ (15.49%), for them to purchase bulls from herds with a high health status. Over 90% of buyers placed importance on bulls having passed through a pre-sale inspection with 57.34% saying it was ‘very’ important.


Interestingly, and perhaps indicative of some strong Simmental sales, 36.23% of buyers said that they had changed from a different breed of bull in the previous five years, and predominantly from other continental breeds. 53.62% of buyers run over five Simmental bulls with a further 40.58% indicating that they had one to five Simmental bulls. The makeup of buyers’ farms shows that 60% of the bulls have gone to hill farms, and with 40% to lowland. The bulls are used on mainly suckler herds (93.25%), with the dominant breed of suckler cows being Simmental/Simmental X, followed by Limousin/Limousin X; Angus/Angus X; and Luing/Luing X. The largest percentage of buyers run 31 to 100 cows (41.43%); with 37.14% having 101 to 200; and just over 21% having over 200.


The working abilities of the breed are again highlighted with 94.12% of buyers saying that they were happy with the physical and structural condition of the bulls bought, and with over 85% of the bulls still working in purchasers’ herds. In an anticipated strength of the breed, just over 92% of buyers said that they retained heifer calves as herd replacements. 42.86% of buyers said that they used bulls on heifers, and of those, 44.12%, aiming to calve the heifers at 28 months and under.


In another strong endorsement of the performance and commercial attributes of the Simmental breed, a remarkable 89.65% of those surveyed said the progeny of their bulls had been of the standard they expected (81.03%), or better than expected (8.62%), and 10.34% saying that the progeny had been average. No respondents replied that progeny from their bulls had been below expectations.


At the conclusion of the survey buyers were asked for ‘any other comments’, and again these were a combination of extremely positive, constructive, and insightful points. A number of comments remarked on what they saw as the ‘big strides’ in ongoing improvement in the Simmental breed over the last ten years. A further similar sentiment was that if the breed maintains and improves its strengths in milk, easy calving, docility, and good locomotion, ‘Simmental bulls will sell themselves’ in the forward industry. Breeders were given some ‘signals’ for forward sales to not overfeed bulls, and the importance of feet, good legs and mobility. Herd health, the versatility of Simmentals on all breeds, the importance of good growth rates, and food conversion from grass were also noted. Producing ‘bulls that make good cows’ was also a sentiment with a clear overall emphasis on the desire for Simmentals many recognised maternal strengths.


Commenting on the survey BSCS General manager Iain Kerr said: “It’s really important for the Society to engage with Simmental buyers to find out how satisfied they have been with their purchases, and to feedback their thoughts to breeders. The Simmental breed is renowned for breeding quality heifer replacements and for being first class suckler cows with plenty of milk, good fertility, easily calved and crossing to advantage with any other breed. We also see Simmental progeny being easy fleshing, with good growth rates, top weights for age, and being the industry leader for age at slaughter. To have these qualities recognised and endorsed by the breeds buyers, with an approval/repeat customer rate of 94%, is really encouraging. A massive well done is extended to pedigree Simmental breeders for these results and for consistently bringing forward a high standard of bulls. There is an ongoing commitment from the breeders and Society, in the sum of all its parts, to keep working hard to consistently produce the choice and quality of bulls that commercial beef producers and pedigree breeders require.”


The survey results have been released in the run up to the next round of pedigree Simmental Sales with sale fixtures at Stirling on February 20th; Aberdeen on 1st March; Dungannon on 24th March; and Melton Mowbray on 25th March.