SIMMENTALS CONTINUING TO TOP COMMERCIAL MARKETS AROUND THE UK INCLUDING AT: DARLINGTON; ABERDEEN; ST. BOSWELLS; LANCASTER; STIRLING; CARLISLE; DUMFRIES; DUNGANNON; HEXHAM; MELTON MOWBRAY; AYR; MALTON; LANARK; MARKET DRAYTON; GISBURN; THIRSK; PRESTON; HUNTLY; SEDGEMOOR; EXETER; & HOLSWORTHY

by Nicky Moreton | Jan 26, 2023 | 2023 Market Briefs, 2023, 2023 News

Here we go with more Simmental Market Briefs, and the first round-up post in 2023. The calendar may have ticked over but it’s more of the same as Simmental cattle again show their versatility, flexibility, and efficiency, in topping commercial sales around the UK. Please see here snippets from some 21 UK livestock markets as Simmentals top store, prime, breeding, cast, and calf sections.

At Darlington on 23rd January, the ‘brilliant store trade bounds along merrily’. Featuring at the very top end of prices, a trio of young Simmental bulls from E Parsons, Newstead Farm made £1300.

Aberdeen and Northern Marts on 20th January sold 765 store cattle and young bulls and with tremendous averages. Heifers (301) averaged 267.9p and sold to £1840 gross for a 604kg Simmental from Wester Coltfield, Kinloss. Bullocks at 651-700kg were led by Loanend with a SimX at £1860.

Backmuir led the heifers up to 250kgs with a Sim at £570, and also the heifers between 250-300kg with another Sim at £700. Heifers at 551-600kg saw Wester Coltfield top again with a SimX at £1720 with heifers at 601-650kg topped by Mill of Gellan with a SimX, and Wester Coltfield with a Sim, at £1780. At the same sale, R&A Pettit, Den Farm, Fochabers had Sim x steers at 295ppkg.

On 20th January Aberdeen & Northern Marts held a store cattle sale for Orkney Consignors. Bullocks sold to a top of £1,710 gross for a 626kg Simmental from J & M Smith, Lower Cornquoy, Holm. Heifers sold to a top of £1,660 gross for a 656kg Simmental from E Hourston, Mucklehouse, Swannay.

On 19th January Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 339 Cows and Bulls to average £1478.42. Boning Cows averaged £882.50 and sold to £1010 for a 576kg Simmental cross.

Harrison & Hetherington held a sale of store cattle at St Boswells on 19th January. Trade was buoyant throughout with the bullocks per kilo topped at 256.1p for a Simmental from Midburn. Heifers per head were topped at £985 and again for Simmentals from Midburn.

At NWA’s sale of calves and stirks on 19th January at Jct 36 Crooklands, bull calves achieved a top price of £390 for a Simmental x from Langley Park Firms, Millom who sold others at £350 and £340.
United Auctions on 18th January at Stirling sold 980 store cattle, young bulls and 180 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls, 24 breeding cattle & 76 rearing cattle. Out of Spec Cattle sold to 240.60p per kg for a SimX from Holms of Caaf. The breeding cattle were led by a pure Sim cow with heifer calf at £2600 from Powblack. In Calf Heifers saw pure Sims top at £2000 & £1800 also from Powblack. The sale of rearing cattle saw a strong show of stirks forward with the trade led at £650 from Messrs Yorke, Holmes of Caaf, for a SimX Bullock.

At the sale of store cattle and weaned calves on 18th January at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, Simmentals featured in the top end of prices with steer calves from Church View making £1140, and £950.
At Dumfries on 18th January, C&D Marts Primestock Sale saw Simmentals from Cormaddie lead the per head, and per kilo trade at £1519.80, and £1491.50, and 190p, and 184p per kilo. Simmental heifers sold to 260p/kg from Low Three Mark to W. Lindsay, Butchers, Creetown.

Dungannon’s sale on 18th January saw the dropped calf trade for heifers top at £265 for a Sim presented by R Fields.

Hexham’s sale of cast cows and OTMs on 17th January saw Simmentals feature in the top end of prices with cows at £1914.03 High Keenley Fell, and 208.5p.

Malton Livestock Market’s sale on 17th January saw young bulls top at 223.50ppk (£2246.18) for a 10005kg Sim X from SF Stubbings.

At Ayr on 17th January, Craig Wilson Ltd held a sale of calves and stirks. In the stirks, Simmentals topped the trade for both bullocks and heifers. Leading the bullocks was Simmental X’s at £1150 from Auchentibber, with further from the same home at £1030 and £930. Heifer Stirks top price per head was a Simmental X at £960 from Boydston.

In a sale of calves at Melton Mowbray on 17th January, a handier show forward with increased buying power for all goods showed calves to be a strong trade. Top in the week was J Darlington & Son hitting highs for Simmentals at £305.

On Monday 16th January at Lanark’s Primestock Sale, Lawrie and Symington Ltd had forward 119 cattle comprising of 40 bullocks and heifers, and 79 cast cows. Continuing a fine run of market topping sales, beef cows sold to £2100 per head for Simmentals from Messrs McCulloch, Over Hillhouse Farm, Armadale or to 232p/pk from Messrs McCulloch, Over Hillhouse Farm. On the day Overhill House had four other Simmentals to £1800!

Mr Charles Forrester, Northwood with a Simmental to £1,532.52 topped a small section of cull bulls at Market Drayton on 16th January.

On 13th January, Aberdeen & Northern Marts held a sale of store cattle for Shetland consignors. Bullocks sold to £980 and 264.8p per kg for 370kg Simmentals from A & D Hunter, Scatsta, Brae.
At NWA’s sale of calves, OTM, dairy and store cattle on Friday 13th January, the trade for Fleckvieh cattle stood out. Once again strong calves were in most demand with a couple of consignments of weaned calves leading the way. Sale peaked at £535 and £515 for Fleckvieh bulls from JR Newsham & Son, Conder Green. Dairy cows sold to a top price of 231p/kg for a young Fleckvieh from JS&KM Wilson & Son, Kendal. In the dairy cattle, a top price of £2000 was achieved including a Fleckvieh x from R&K Jenkinson, Pilling who sold others at £1900.

Aberdeen & Northern Marts on Thursday 12th January had a total of 80 Cast Cows and Bulls forward from Orkney consignors. Beef Cows Sold to £1,910 gross for a 930kg Simmental from J & E Miller, Nigley, Evie.

At Gisburn Markets sale of primestock and cast cattle on 12th January, a cracking show of cast cattle saw 131 forward and a red-hot trade. Beef bred cows sold to a high of 242ppk for a 710kg Simmental from David Pawson.

Thirsk Market held a primestock sale on 12th January. The best grossing bull was £2024.75 for a Simmental from JT Harker & Son, Upsall, purchased by RM Helliwell, Rochdale.

At a sale of adult breeding cattle on 11th January at Aberdeen & Northern Marts, Thainstone, the leading prices saw Simmental heifers from North Crannoch at £2450, £2380 (X8), & £2280. A SimX from Backhill of Seggat sold to £1980. Heifers with bull calf at foot sold to £1,850 for a Simmental with Simmental calf from Backhill of Seggat, Auchterless.

At Dungannon on 11th January, dropped Calves sold to £410 for a Sim Bull presented by R Fields. The same vendor also topped the heifers at £360 with a further Sim.

United Auctions on 11th January at Stirling sold 1421 store cattle, native bred cattle and young bulls and 176 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls. Heifers (604) averaged 245.76p to 274.10p per kg for a 405kg SIMX from West Muirhouse.

On 11th January at Melton Mowbray’s sale of prime cows, stock bulls, and OTMs, the auctioneers described the trade as ‘simply on fire as Melton firms its position on the map as the cull cow centre of the Midlands’! Leading the way was P Wright with a Sim X cow at £1906.94.

C & D Auction Marts held their opening 2023 sale of store cattle in Dumfries. All vendors delighted with returns as buyers competed fiercely for both suckler and dairy bred cattle. Bulls to £1160 for Simmentals from J Goldie Newbie Mains and to 293.8p.

At Brockholes Arms Auction Mart, Preston, on 10th January, a terrific sale of store cattle saw top spot in the steer section go to Mark Heap with an excellent 20mth Sim x realising £1,560.

On Monday 9th January, Lawrie and Symington Ltd had forward 162 cattle comprising of 70 bullocks and heifers, and 90 cast cows at Lanark. Beef cows sold to £1930 per head for Simmentals from Messrs McCulloch, Over Hillhouse Farm, Armadale. Overhill House also had the second top price in the fat heifers with a Simmental at £1914.

At Huntly on 7th January, United Auctions sold 715 cattle at their first sale of 2023 where prices rocketed to record levels. OTMS saw a Sim at £2030 or 230.7p from Corskie, Garmouth; with a SimX at £2020 or 226.4p from Upper Blairnain, Aberlour.

In a sale of 656 store cattle at Sedgemoor on 7th January, heifers soared to £1400 for a forward Simmental from EMC Bax.

On 6th January and a sale of store cattle and stirks at Exeter, the top price in the heifers, and the joint top price on the day, was a tremendous pair of pure bred Simmental females from Keith White and Family of Sandford which went on to make £1380 each. In the stirks & suckled calves, the best topped out at £795 for Trevor Chugg down from Chulmleigh presenting Simmental cross steers (9m) with others a little younger off the same good farm to £670.

Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 149 Cows and Bulls to average £1499.21 on 5th January at Thainstone. The phenomenal trade for Beef Finished Cows saw 77 average £1678.83 and led at a tremendous £2210 for a 1018kg Simmental from Upper Woodside, Rothiemay.

United Auctions on Wednesday 4th January at Stirling sold 1280 store cattle, young bulls and 97 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls. Young Bulls averaged 251.17p to 274.70p per kg for a SIMX from Philiphaugh.

Caledonian Marts Ltd, Stirling sold 158 Cattle comprising of 71 Bullocks and Heifers, and 87 OTM Cattle on 5th January. Dairy Bulls forward all over 16 months sold to 222ppkg for a Fleckvieh from R Nelson, Blairmains, Culross and to £1281 for the same beast.

At Borderway Market, Carlisle on 4th January, H&H’s sale of store cattle and weanlings saw Simmentals feature in the top prices. Simmental bulls sold to £1140 from Messrs Skelton, Waterloo Farm at just 12 months of age.

Melton Mowbray’s sale of store and breeding cattle on 4th January saw larger yarding type cattle hitting the leading prices and well in demand. Topping was K J Heaps at £1235 with a pair of Simmental sired bullocks.

At Dungannon on 4th January, dropped calves cleared to a height of £400 for a Sim Bull presented by E Speers.

At C&D Auction Marts, Dumfries, opening sale of 2023 on 4th January, OTMs cashed in at 182p having sold to a top of £1621.50 and 230p for a Simmental from Newbie Mains.

In a sale of store cattle at Holsworthy on 4th January, a small entry was forward but with a tremendous trade! Up £100-£150 for most of the stronger, wintering cattle. Top price being £1305 for a 15-month Simmental steer from Messrs BG & DM Ley of Langtree with other Simmental steers from the same farm £1240-£1150. Lean, outlying 20-month Fleckvieh steers from Mr C McWhirter, High Bickington to £1140 with others to £1020.

Market Drayton’s sale of store cattle on 2nd January saw Simmentals leading the heifers at £1,190.00 (556kg) from H.A. Barber&Son.

On Monday 2nd January Harrison & Hetherington held their weekly sale of primestock at Carlisle. A good entry of 72 prime bulls saw a very strong trade with ten bulls selling for over £2000. Messrs Hyslop, Gillrig, Lockerbie featured with Simmentals to £2110.58 for 789kgs.