The April 2022 born in-calf heifer Popes Princess Noor from Jimmy & Vikki Wood, Popes Farm, Preston, Lancashire swept all before her to lift the 2024 Simmental Supreme Championship on day one of the 2024 Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate on Wednesday 10th July.
Supreme Champion Popes Princess Noor
From a small but quality entry of Simmentals, Popes Princess Noor first of all picked up the Female Championship before going head to head with her stablemate and Male Champion on the day, Popes Premier 23, to secure the Championship tap out. Judge for the day was John Barlow of the noted Denizes herd at Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancashire.
No stranger to the show ring, Popes Princess Noor last year, amongst a host of titles, won the Simmental Overall Junior Championship at the English National Show (within the Royal Norfolk), and was Junior Female Champion at the Scottish Simmental National Show (held within Dumfries Show).
Judge John Barlow
With a connectivity in breeding, Popes Princess Noor is by the noted Team Celtic and out of Popes Princess Hettie making her a full sister to the herd’s 2022 Great Yorkshire Champion, and English National Show Champion Popes Princess Lumi, and a half sister to the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show Individual Interbreed Champion, and multi title winner, Popes Princess Immie!
Popes Princess Noor is in-calf to the noted AI sire Denizes Hamish.
Reserve Supreme Champion Popes Premier
Taking the Reserve Overall Supreme, and Male Championship, was the January 2023 born bull Popes Premier 23. Sired by Popes Lethal Weapon, Popes Premier 23 was shown through last summer as a calf at foot alongside his multi title winning mum, the aforementioned Popes Princess Immie. Premier’s grand dam is the herd’s famous, and much decorated cow, Popes Princess Cleo. In his own right, Popes Premier 23 won the Simmental Pedigree Calf Championship before moving on to win the National Pedigree Calf Show Interbreed, a first for the Simmental breed, at the English Winter Fair in November 2023.
Overall Champion & Reserve
CLASS 60 Bull born before 1 January 2023
1st Fircovert Nigel, Mr P Gunther
Fircovert Nigel
CLASS 61 Bull born on or after 1 January 2023
1st Popes Premier 23, Messrs JH & VG Wood
2nd Fircovert Peacock, Mr P Gunther
3rd Fircovert Panther, Mr P Gunther
4th Allsaints Phoenix, Mrs S Germany
CLASS 63 Heifer born in 2022
1st Popes Princess Noor, Messrs JH & VG Wood
2nd Williams Fluffys Nellie, Mrs S Germany
3rd Lynfield Precious, Mr G Scrivens
4th Maidenlands Polarine 4 (P), Mr D Saunders
Grangewood New Hope 22 from Andrew & Yvonne Leedham, Rowan Farm, Pickering, North Yorkshire sold for 7,200gns to lead a solid Simmental Sale at H&H’s Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Saturday, 11th May.
Grangewood New Hope 7,200gns
August 2022 born, Grangewood New Hope is by the herd sire Ranfurly Impeccable 14 17 (ET), and is out of the Dinton Nautical daughter Grangewood Jackie. Combining length and muscle with top figures, this bull was +10 for Maternal Milk, and with breed top 5% and 10% Terminal Production and Self Replacing Indexes. Purchasing this bull, who had stood second in his class to the Reserve Overall Champion, was JC Innes & Sons who run the Strathbogie herd, along with a suckler herd of some 800 cows, at Dunscroft Farm, Huntly Aberdeenshire.
In a good day’s trading the Leedhams sold three bulls with a depth of pedigree and performance figures, all sired by Ranfurly Impeccable who was purchased for 8500gns at Stirling in 2018, to make 7,200gns; 5,000gns; and 4,000gns respectively.
Across the sale 19 bulls sold to average £4,603, with 36 Simm X High Health bulling heifers averaging £2021, and a small entry of pedigree heifers topping at 3,000gns. 57 lots sold in all to gross £165,988. Commenting on the sale, BSCS General Manager Iain Kerr said “We’re seeing a strong and increasing demand for Simmental genetics, bulls and females, from commercial producers across the UK and this is being reflected at the Society’s pedigree sales. This sale fixture at Carlisle continues to grow and we’re really pleased to see 19 bulls sell across the UK, up by seven on the year, and to buyers from Orkney right down to Hampshire. The addition of the Simm X High Health heifers for the second year is proving to be popular and met with an increased average which is great to see.”
Popes Picasso 7,000gns
Selling at 7,000gns was Popes Picasso 23 from the well-known pedigree herd of Jimmy & Vikki Wood, Popes Farm, Dutton, Preston. This bull, a heifer’s calf, is the first offered at sale by the €52,000 Euro Clonagh Lucky Explorer, and is out of Popes Princess Kiki, a daughter of the herd’s renowned show cow Popes Princess Cleo. Again, a bull with good growth figures, and +12 for Maternal (Milk), this ‘stylish young bull with length and shape’ was bought by local commercial producer Irving Pearson, for his 120 cow suckler herd of mainly pure Simmental, and Blue cross Simmental cows, at Manor Farm, Blencow, Penrith. Earlier in the day Popes Picasso 23 had been placed Overall Supreme Champion in the pre-sale show judged by Bruce Lambie of the noted Fallhills herd at Penicuik, Midlothian. Commenting on his Champion Bruce Lambie said “This was a tremendous young Simmental bull, with all of the potential to be a fantastic stock sire in both pedigree or commercial herd. He was a very modern type, clean through the middle, very correct on good feet and legs, and had a great top line. A very worthy Champion who I’m sure will go on and do well.”
Auchorachan Newbie 6,000gns
Jim and Patricia Goldie who run the Newbiemains herd at Newbie Mains Farm, Annan, Dumfriesshire purchased to bulls on the day at 6,000gns and 5,000gns. The first of these at 6000gns was Auchorachan Newbie 22 from D&R Durno & Sons, Auchorachan, Glenlivet, Ballindalloch. Sired by the 9,000gns Greencap Kane 19 EX91, this September 2022 born bull is out of Auchorachan Gipsy EX 92 who has previously bred bulls to 9,000gns twice. With figures to go with the breeding, Auchorachan Newbie 22 is in the breed’s top 1% for both Terminal Sire, and Self Replacing Indexes. Another Greencap Kane son, Auchorachan Ninja 22, a first prize winner, made 4,000gns when selling to TJ & MB Smithson, Poplar Farm, Stamford Bridge, North Yorkshire.
Grangewood Paddington 5,000gns
Selling at 5,000gns, the Goldies also purchased another from the Leedham family’s pen in the shape of the January 2023 born Grangewood Paddington (TM). Another by Ranfurly Impeccable 14 17 (ET), this calf is out of Grangewood Tollie’s Hope EX 93, a full sister to the 19,000gns Grangewood Baron, and whose sons have averaged 7,250gns to date. A theme of the day was bulls selling well with a depth of pedigree and performance figures, and Grangewood Paddington (TM) continued this trend with him carrying a +11 figure for Maternal (Milk).
Commenting afterwards Jim Goldie said of his two purchases: “We came to the sale looking for a bull, and a second if possible, for our pedigree herd that’s now at 150 cows. We had previously purchased a half-brother to Auchorachan Newbie (Auchorachan Kennedy 19) and have been really pleased with how good his progeny are. He’s also from a line of three cows that are all classified EX 92 and that’s a big bonus for us. The Grangewood bull was a lovely standout, stylish bull with good feet and legs, and walked well. Again, his sire is well bred and classified EX94. Two good bulls and we are pleased to have bought them.”
Newbiemains New Moon 5,000gns
Recouping some of their outlay, the Goldies themselves sold Newbiemains New Moon 22 for 5,000gns to DF Crew, Gall Farm, Lockerbie. In the pre-sale show this upstanding July 2022 born bull had placed first in his class and was Overall Reserve Champion. Sired by Carbery Lightening EX 91, Newbiemains New Moon 22 is out of Newbiemains Eclypse EX 90. Later in the sale Newbiemains Nailer 22, a Skerrington Iceman 17 EX 95 son was sold for 4000gns to Thwaites & Co, Thorney Croft, Newby, Penrith.
Enjoying another solid sale at Carlisle was the Scotland Hill herd of Tom Hill & Ruby Wright, Mill Farm, Wadworth, Doncaster who sold two bulls at the 4,800gns mark. Up first was the September 2022 born Scotland Hill North Star 22. Sired by the imported bull Clonagh King Eyes (ET), and out of Scotland Hill Emily Jilly, this bull went to Hampshire when selling to Clachanton & Poundland Partners, The Estate Office, Stratford Saye. At the same 4,800gns mark was the October 2022 born Scotland Hill Niagra 22. Another son of Clonagh King Eyes (ET), and out of Scotland Hill Westeria Freya, this bull was one of two purchases by well known Orkney buyer Liam Muir, Upper Onston, Stromness.
Leading the small offering of pedigree females was the Tilbrook Netty from Peter Burgess, High Keenley Fell Farm, Hexham who made 3,000gns when selling to Derbyshire and the Dovefields pedigree herd of L Renshaw & I Brassington, The Old Myers, Church Broughton. Sired by the AI sire Clonagh Latin Lover, this December 2022 born maiden heifer is out of Tilbrook Honey.
A feature of the sale was the Simm X High Health Sale of bulling heifers that saw 36 sell to average a very healthy £2,020. Leading the way in this section with a pair of Simm Luing heifers at £2,450, and a further pair at £2,400 was Angus Freeman, Town End Farm, Troutbeck, Windermere, Cumbria. Fourteen to fifteen months old, a selection of these heifers had caught much attention on the Society’s promotional stand at the NBA’s 2024 Beef Expo at North West Auctions Jct 36. The top price heifers at Carlisle on Saturday were purchased by AJ & L Birkett, Birk Howe Farm, Ambleside, Cumbria. Selling at £2300 was a pair of ¾ Simmental X heifers from Reece & Andrew Simmers, Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire, and which were purchased by Rutter Farm, Burradon Mains, Morpeth. Other same way bred Backmuir heifers sold for £2,250 to the same buyer.
Overall & Male Champions
Judge Bruce Lambie
AVERAGES
19 Bulls £4603.42
2 Heifers £2887.50
36 High Health Heifers £2020.83
In the run up to the February 2024 Stirling Simmental Bull Sale please see here a feature on the Denizes Herd of Michael & John Barlow, Nr Leyland, Lancashire who have a team of five bulls entered. The feature was first published in the Scottish Farmer and is reproduced with their kind permission.
Focusing on cow families pays dividends for many dairy producers and the same holds true for Simmental breeders Michael and John Barlow of the Denizes herd, who regularly produce some of the lead priced entries at the Bull Sales.
It’s United Auctions’ Stirling Bull Sales that the team – Michael and his wife Doreen and John and his soon-to-be wife Claire, and their daughter, Robyn (2) –enjoy most too.
Top team at Denizes – Michael and Doreen Barlow, son John and his soon to be wife Claire and their two-year-old daughter, Robyn.
“Going up to Bull Sales at Stirling is the highlight of the year. There is nothing to beat the buzz and the atmosphere of Stirling when there is a good line-up of bulls to sell,” said Michael, who two years ago received 30,000gns for Denizes Lancelot and sold nine bulls and heifers to average a colossal £10,500.
Five Denizes bulls entered for the Bull Sales at Stirling of which all are sons of Denizes Hamish
“We’ve always enjoyed going to Stirling. We get such a buzz selling bulls into Scotland and especially up to Orkney.”
Denizes Lancelot made 30,000gns at Stirling in February 2022
Huge fans of Simmental breed since their first female was bought in 1978, they have seen the popularity of the breed soar in recent years, with home-bred bulls selling into commercial beef and dairy units and several noted pedigree herds.
Last year, they enjoyed a huge demand for heifers at the NxtGen sale at Carlisle too, selling 10 to average £5754, complete with top prices of 10,000gns – twice.
Denizes Melody 48 made 10,000gns at the NxtGen Sale
Their Simmentals prove their worth not only when selling to other herds, but also when used as breeding bulls over the 80-cow Meuse-Rhine-Issel (MRI) dairy herd that produces a herd average of 7500kg at 4.7%BF and 3.49%P.
“The dairy herd was established in the 1940s by my grandfather and it still pays its way when we sell the milk to Arla and MRI bullocks from it sell at up to £1400 at 22-months of age solely off forage. Simmental bullocks from the dairy herd by home-bred bulls will make nearer £1900,” he said.
“Everything here has to pay its way so we look to breed good, long, modern clean bulls with a good top line and back end,” said Michael, pointing out that the Denizes herd has sold 10 bulls to AI centres in recent years of which all have easy calving figures.
Another from last years NxtGen sale, Denizes Melody 52 also made 10,000gns
John, who attends to the day-to-day running of the Simmentals, is equally enthusiastic about the breed and travelling to Scotland, added: “There is nothing to beat the Simmental for its maternal characteristics and ease of calving.
“Simmental cross calves from any breed or cross will easily gain more than 1kg per head per day too, which coupled with their ease of temperament means an increasing number of farmers are looking for Simmental bulls. We’re selling more bulls than ever before into dairy and beef herds and, into different areas, and that’s without advertising.”
He added that data from AHDB’s National Beef Evaluations has also confirmed that on average calves by a Simmental sire will finish 36 days earlier than those from other continental sires and 46 days earlier than those by native sires.
It has also shown that Simmental sired calves cost £72 less to finish. Furthermore, continental cross calves bred from Simmental-sired cows were shown to finish 29 days earlier than those from ‘average’ suckler cows.
John Barlow left, and his father Michael, pictured with Denizes Lancelot, Logic and Lord.
The Barlows’ farming enterprise, based just outside Leyland in Lancashire, extends to 300 acres of low ground pasture and takes in the three farms of Littlewood Hall, Rowcroft and Denizes.
Michael’s late father, John, was equally passionate about the cattle and also introduced a livestock trailer business – Barlow Trailers – which he concentrated on at nights. It is now one of now leading trailer businesses in Uk selling livestock, horse, plant, and flat trailers.
One of the sale entries Denizes Nugget as a calf and his dam Ashland Topaz Jane
The family’s Simmental herd has been enjoying just as much success too since young John returned home to work on the farm having completed a degree in agriculture.
During that time he did a placement at Wilson and Geraldine Strachan’s Mill of Balmaud, Banffshire, where their former stockman Andrew Reid changed John’s outlook on Simmental cattle.
“After working with Andrew, I could see the potential in our cattle and found out how to bring that out. Since then, we’ve also focused more on the female lines and breeding bulls demanded by the commercial producer. It’s all about ticking the right boxes – the more boxes a bull ticks for the commercial breeder, the more likely you are to sell that bull,” John said.
“Good Simmental bulls have got to have the shape, size, growth rates, figures and have the right pedigree. They also need to have the health status and be of the right colour.”
To achieve such high standards, John and Michael have bought in to several top breeding female lines over the years to include the Trixie Belles, Melodys and Matildas which in turn have bred several top-performing bulls to sell and keep for their own use.
One of those purchases, Raceview Dawn Matilda, which was bought over the ‘phone at a breed sale in Roscommon for €8500, produced Denizes Impeccable – the sire of Denizes Lancelot and Logic sold in February last year for 30,000gns and 10,000gns respectively.
The herd’s star breeder at present, Denizes Hamish, is another son of a well-known breeding female. Hamish, whose first 14 sons averaged £7000, is the first calf out of Auroch Eve. He is also the sire of the herd’s first overall champion at Stirling in Denizes Monty which made 20,000gns at Stirling in October 2022, alongside another that made 12,000gns.
Denizes Hamish sire of the five bulls for Stirling Bull Sales and the Barlows top price bull to date at 30,000gns – Denizes Lancelot
Eve was purchased at just two hours of age for her pedigree when her sire is the Hillcrest Champion son, Auroch Ace, while her dam, Auroch Wave, boasts the show cow Darsham Kit Kat and Raceview Merle-Beauty in her pedigree.
Eve herself is also one of the breed’s leading show cows having been crowned The Scottish Farmer’s Champion of the Decade in 2020, after winning the Highland Show in 2015 and 2016. She also boasts championship titles from the Great Yorkshire, the Royal Norfolk and at the Scottish National at the Black Isle Show, when she landed the breed honours when Hamish was her bull calf at foot.
Going further back, it was Ashland Tornado, another private purchase acquired at just five months of age from Pat and Frank Kelly, Northern Ireland, that helped to put a stamp on the herd. He was also purchased on the back of his genetics.
“He bred some good sons, but it’s his daughters that have been particularly impressive, having produced the 30,000gns Lancelot and grandsons to 20,000gns. Tornado daughters are good, well-balanced females and the type that we aim to breed from. They’re structurally correct, medium-sized cows that do well with various bulls,” John said.
In more recent years, the Barlows bought Blackford Galaxy privately from the Macphersons, Croy, after the bull stood reserve champion at the Royal Highland Show in 2017 and the following year took the supreme under their ownership.
Denizes heifers at 10 months old are daughters of Blackford Galaxy
Last year, they also bought Saltire Impressive privately as a five-year-old; Corksie Nutmeg, the junior champion at the Royal Highland Show; and Coose Gambler, a former Cogent AI bull.
“We like Hamish and Impressive for their red colour and for their easy-calving characteristics, producing calves with shape and size while Nutmeg is more likely to be a cow breeder. Gambler was bought for his polled genetics and to put over the heifers,” said John.
Ideally, the duo look for a balance of muscle and size in their cattle with their ideal sized cow weighing in at 800kg and heifers calving at 30 months of age.
Heifers calve in February, and March, with the cows in June to September, inside. Being so easy fleshed they are fed a straw-based ration and plenty of minerals in the run-up to calving. They are also given time to calve instead of rushing in with the calving jack, which they believe is key to reducing calving problems and boosting herd fertility.
“We’re big on pre-calving minerals and make sure we don’t rush calving. In the past, we’d be too quick to assist, but we’ve learned to give them plenty of time and they normally calve themselves without any issues.”
While the boys look at calving figures, they are more likely to check the accuracy and gestation figures when buying a bull.
Easy-calving sires can breed easy-calving daughters too, with Denizes Hamish not only being in the top 1% of the breed, but also boasting gestation and calving figures of -2.9 and +9.2 respectively, with his daughters producing progeny with figures of +9.4.
Denizes Monty was overall champion at Stirling in February 2022, and sold 20,000gns
Hamish also breeds impressive looking progeny, being the sire of the inter-breed group of four at the Royal Lancashire Show last year. The quartet of yearlings, included Denizes Neff, Nugget, Nero and Nacho, caught the eye of the overall judge, David Leggat of United Auctions, who declared: “That’s one of the best inter-breed teams I have ever seen.”
Interestingly, those four, along with another Hamish son, Denizes Newton, are bound for Stirling this month.
The Royal Lancs is the first show for the family and it’s also the busiest as John aims to ‘break’ all cattle for the year when the two-day event is a 10-minute drive away and all entries are kept tied up overnight in a marquee.
“Last year, we took 21 cattle and this year we aim to take 35. It’s a great way to train youngstock for future showing because they get used to a big event at a young age.
Stirling Bull Sales comes first though, and if you can’t get a bull, you could buy a trailer or rent a motor home for a couple of weeks in the summer!
FARM facts
Family farm: Third generation family farm run by Michael and Doreen Barlow and son John
Livestock: Oldest herd of MRI dairy cows in the UK running 80 cows with a herd average of 7500kg at 4.7%BF and 3.49%P and 80 pedigree Simmentals to produce breeding bulls and heifers for sale mostly through United Auctions’ Stirling and Carlisle.
Diversification: Barlow trailers; motorhome rental; on-farm music festival.
ON THE spot
Best investment? “Buying Ashland Tornado to breed a herd of cows and Auroch Eve to breed Hamish.”
Biggest achievement? Breeding Denizes Lancelot which sold for 30,000gns when he is backed by home-bred genetics on both sides having a home-bred sire, grand-sire and dam.
Best advice? “Use Dinton Nautical on Auroch Eve to produce Hamish which is still going strong at eight years of age.”
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