EFFICIENT, FLEXIBLE SIMMENTALS CONTINUING TO TOP LIVESTOCK SALES AROUND THE UK!

THE LATEST MARKET BRIEFS WITH SIMMENTAL SIRED CATTLE TOPPING SALES AT DARLINGTON; QUOYBRAE; STIRLING; FROME; LANCASTER; HALLWORTHY; GISBURN; LONGTOWN; TRURO; MARKET DRAYTON; LLANDOVERY; DUNGANNON; DINGWALL; MELTON MOWBRAY; HOLMFIRTH; LOCKERBIE; CARLISLE; WORCESTER; ABERDEEN; LANCASTER; ST BOSWELL; CARLISLE; OSWESTRY; BAKEWELL; DUMFRIES; HUNTLY; SEDGEMOOR; & AYR

Efficient and flexible, Simmentals complement all breeds; are easy calving maternal, milky mothers; produce beef from grass and are easy fleshing, fast growing and the UK’s leading continental beef breed for age at slaughter! This all-round ‘efficiency package’ continues to tick the boxes with commercial beef producers and seeing the breed performing where it matters, on farm and in commercial sale rings, for all classes of stock, at markets around the country and from Caithness to Cornwall!

Leek auction mart had a sale of 163 calves on 18th April. Good calves good to sell with the top seven over £315 and with a top price of £395 for a superb Simmy bull from Messrs Higginson, Knutsford.

At Darlington’s sale of store cattle on 17th April, the feeding buyers were extra keen to step on, with the thirty-three offered levelling well over £1000 with an average age of just 10 months; best of all were a quality quintet of 8–10-month-old Simmental bulls from regular consignor E Parsons, Newstead Farm which sold for a wonderful £1460 per head.

At Quoybrae on 17th April, Aberdeen & Northern Marts sold 585 store cattle. Store heifers (241) sold to £2,000 gross for a 719kg Simmental from Mavsey, Lybster.

Caledonian Marts Ltd, Stirling had 537 Cattle Forward at their fortnightly sale on 17th April. Bullocks sold to £1960 for a pen of Simmentals from J & J Brown, Loanrigg, Slamannan.

In Frome’s sale of store cattle on 14th April, a really good show of younger continentals were forward, and with single suckled well shaped sorts again on fire. Good runs of Simmentals presented by RM & JE Brown IOW, PJ & PP Samways, Swanage and P & S Foot, Weymouth all produced wonderful prices. Phil Samways saw his homebred outwintered steers 11mo at £1060, 9mo at £880 and heifers to a marvellous £820. Sam Foot of P & S Foot continuing to produce the very best of cattle seeing bunches of 12mo steers at £1172, £1090 and £1050. 12mo heifers from the same home to £1115, £1012 and £960. Quality Simmental steers and heifers from Westcourt Farm again from IOW saw bunches at £1100, £925 while their smart heifers topped at £900.

In a sale of cast cattle at Lancaster on 14th April, beef cows sold to 249.5p/kg for a Simmental x from JE&AC Clarke & Son, Melling. Top grossing beef cow was a Simmental from Barlow Bros, Croston, achieving £1973 with a further Simmental from the same home at £1897. AJ&AC Clarke & Son, Melling achieved £1739 also for a Simmental.

£1850 CENTRE RECORD AT HALLWORTHY
Simmentals were setting new market records at Hallworthy’s sale of store cattle on 13th April. Some real deep bodied and tremendously well fleshed cattle from AP & DJ House of St Issey, saw a pair of Simmental x with depth and width at a new centre record mark of £1850, with another pair of Simmental x to £1765. In the heifers, AP & DJ House were on top again with an absolute stunner of a pen of four Simmental x Heifers, deep muscled and wide as a house to a top of £1630, with a second pen of four to £1505.

In a sale of rearing calves at Gisburn on 13th April, Graham Billington’s trio of Simmental bulls all one month eight days old sold very well indeed at £412 a piece heading up to the North East.

Another good entry of cast cows forward at Longtown on 13th April met with a competitive ringside of purchasers. The sale peaked at £1,590 for a Simmental shown by DR & E Nichol, Gowanburn, Kielder, with others to £1,325 from A Maclean, Killeonan, Campbeltown. Top per kilo of 248p for Simmentals from Gowanburn.

In a sale of prime cattle at Truro on 12th April, Simmentals featured in the top prices with Messrs R E, G L & M R Body of Hayle marketing a fine Simmental steer at 268p/kg, with a larger Simmental following on at 257p/kg. On the same day in the sale of store cattle, a 15 month old Simmental from Messrs D R & J C Vincent and Son of Tregavethan, Truro, sold to £1110. A good pair of 1 year old Simmental steers from Messrs L E C White and Son of St Buryan, Penzance marketed at £1105.

In Frome’s sale of prime cattle on 12th April, prime bulls in short supply but very much wanted with Simmental bulls from LJ & AJ Curry to 258p/kg for 675kg, grossing a top price of £1738. The same vendor also led the cull cow trade at £1679 for a Simmental.

Market Drayton’s sale of clean cattle and young bulls on 12th April saw the top headage being £2,025.10 for a Simmental heifer weighing 770kgs from A.J. Warner & Sons, Woodseaves. In the store sale on the same day, Simmentals sold to £1,700 for a 690kg steer from DE&SE Furnival Ltd.

United Auctions, Stirling on 12th April sold 1530 store cattle, young bulls and 104 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls. Simmentals featured throughout with leading bullock prices including: Yonderhaugh £2000 & £1840, Balquhatson 334.40p; Leaston £1575, Cockerstone 314.00p; Strath £1550 & £1545, Overton 308.50p; Wester Highgate £1440, Mount 305.10p; South Kirklane £1400, Killnochonoch 304.10p; Cockerstone £1400, Craegorry 298.10p; Craegorry £1350, Strath 297.10p. Simmental heifer prices included: Strath £1650, £1520 & £1500, Balwherrie 308.60p & 298.10p; Balwherrie £1500, Balquhatson Mains 294.60p; Wester Mye £1470, Strath 294.00p.

At Dungannon on 12th April, suckled cows and calves sold to £1470 for a 2014 born Sim Cow with AA Bull Calf at foot presented by N Berry, and £1380 for a 2015 born Sim Cow with an AA Bull Calf at foot.

Dingwall’s sale of store and OTM cattle on 12th April saw OTM prime & feeding cows average 197.4p per kg and sold to 239.5p and £2,060 gross for a 860kg Simmental cross from Kinnahaird Farm, Contin.

Melton Mowbray’s sale of prime cows on 12th April, saw the top cow being a heavy weight Simmental from James Griffin Farming which sold to £1804.96. In the sale of breeding cattle on the same day, Simmental cows & calves from Kingarth farms sold to £2220, £2020 and £1750 respectively. In the store ring, Howard Farms sold yearling Simmental heifers to £1290 ahead. In a bumper sale of calves, Chandler & Dickman had 3 week old Simmental x bull calves to £285, with heifers from the same run to £250.

At Holmfirth on 11th April, the top price in the cows with calves at foot was £1430 for a Simmental outfit from G Ellis and sold to L Broster.

Lockerbie Auction Market saw a blinding trade for store cattle at its fortnightly sale on 11th April. Buyers came from far and wide in search of all types but especially grazing cattle. Simmental bullocks sold to 375.5ppk from Messrs Robson, Laverockhall.

In a sale of prime bulls at Borderway Mart, Carlisle on 10th April, an 840kg Simmental from Ward Farms, Westmains Farm, Lanark sold to £2633.40 to feature in the leading prices.

At Worcester’s sale of store cattle on 8th April, Simmentals took the top two prices in the continental heifers with a Simmental X at £1305 (264ppkg) from T Barbour & Son, and a further Simmental X from DJ & M Edwards at £1000. A 13-month old Simmental X at £1055 took the second top price in the steers and again from DJ & M Edwards.

At Thainstone on 7th April, Aberdeen & Northern Marts held a sale of Cast Cows and Bulls on behalf of Orkney consignors. Beef Cows sold to 280.5p per kg for a 638kg Simmental from Holland Farm, Stronsay.

On 7th April and a sale of cull cows at Frome, RM & JE Brown led the way at 220p/kg grossing £1470 for a Simmental X.

In a sale of OTM cattle at Lancaster on 7th April, steers sold to to 259.5p/kg and £1925 for a Simmental from A Kirkby & Co, Pilling.

At Gisburn’s sale of rearing calves on 6th April, Jonathan Peel’s month old Simmental bulls sold to £400 and to feature in the leading prices.

At St Boswells sale of store cattle on 6th April, Simmental bullocks from South Common sold to 338.7ppkg to feature in the leading prices.

In a sale of store cattle at Truro Market on 5th April, young steers sold well with Messrs A M & V R Pascoe of Gweek, Helston featuring in the top prices when they sold five 14 month old Simmentals at £940 and a trio of 13 month old Simmentals at £930.

On Wednesday 5th April, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of Store Cattle at Carlisle. Dairy bred bullocks sold to £1940 for a Simmental x from Auchengray Farm, Dumfries.

In a sale of calves at Oswestry on 5th April, Simmental heifers aged 2-3 months sold for £358 & £320 from J R James & Son, Church Farm.

UA’s sale of 43 rearing cattle on 5th April at Stirling, and consisting of mainly stirks, was topped at £740 for a SimX heifer from JCN & Sons.

Market Drayton’s sale of clean cattle and young bulls on 5th April saw the young bull trade race away to 326p (£2,092.92) for a Simmental from distant traveller Mr Richard Taylor, Park Lane. In the sale of store cattle, a 548kg Simmental from Mr David Swinson led the steers at £1390.

At Llandovery’s feeding cow sale on 4th April, Simmentals sold to a top of 205.70ppk or £1730 from MO Jones, Pantyrefail.

On 4th April Lawrie and Symington sold 920 Store Cattle at their April Show and Sale at Lanark. 590 bullocks were sold to a top of £1900 for 2 Simmental’s from Messrs Gilmour, Broomknowes.
In a sale of store and breeding cattle at Bakewell on 3rd April the trade for bulls was led at £2550 for a Simmental from WHI Mellor, Hazel Grove.

In a sale of weanlings at Market Drayton on 3rd April, heifers topped at £750 for 11-month Simmentals from R.W. Adams & Son, Stoke-on-Trent.

In a sale of store cattle at Dumfries on 3rd April, bulls topped at £1490, & £1450 for Simmentals from Lantonside, and to £1360 for Simmentals from Abune the Brae.

At UA’s Huntly Mart on 1st April, 905 cattle were sold. OTMs sold to average 215.7p per kg selling to 253.2p per kg or £2220 for SimX from Corskie, Garmouth.

At Gisburn’s sale of rearing calves on 30th March, J & RJ Parsons, Barnoldswick had the second top price of the day with a beautiful Simmental bull calf, 1 month and 21 days, at £445.

In a sale of calves & stirks at NWA’s J36 Crooklands auction mart on 29th March, a run of suckler bred six month old Simmental bullocks from A&M Carter, Witherslack topped at £870.

At Dungannon 29th March, suckled stock saw in-calf heifers top at £1320 for a Sim presented by B Sheridan.

At Borderway, Carlisle’s sale of weaned cattle on 29th March saw the trade of bulls up massively on the week. Leading the sale was Simmental bulls sold to £1580 from Messrs Tallentire, High Griseburn, with further Simmentals sold to £1400 from Messrs Skelton, Waterloo.

Market Drayton’s sale of clean cattle and young bulls on 29th March saw a blistering trade. Distance traveller Richard Reynolds sold Simmental bulls to 313p (£1,740.28), 306p (£2,001.24), & 290p (£1,629.80). In the heifers, the Warner Family’s Simmental returned at £1,974.46.

In the sale of prime cattle at Frome on 29th March, some cracking well fed steers from EM Horn & Son topped at 262p/kg and £1974 for a Simmental x at 18mo. Others from the same good home returned at £1931, £1863.

At Oswestry’s sale of calves on 29th March, J R James & Son, Church Farm sold smart Simmental heifers aged 2-3 months for £392, £390 & £385.

At Sedgemoor’s sale of prime cattle on 27th March, heifers rose to £1,786.05 for a quality pure bred Simmental from R Bigwood, Burnham on Sea, who sold another at £1,726.46.

On Monday 27th March, Lawrie & Symington Ltd had forward 139 cattle comprising of 52 bullocks and heifers and 87 cast cows at Lanark. Beef cows sold to 274p/pk for a Simmental from Messrs Lowry, Newsteadings Farm, Lanark.

A flying sale of store cattle at Darlington on 27th March saw bulls around 12 months of age impress as local producer E Parsons sold Simmental’s to £1430 and to feature in the top prices.

Market Drayton’s sale of cull bulls on 27th March saw Simmentals lead the way at £2168 from Paul Mullee & family.

At Gisburn on 25th March, feeding cows were a flyer, selling to a high of £1260 for a Simmental X from Stephen Duckworth.

On 23rd March, at Market Drayton’s Orange Market Sale, a strong trade saw the best yarding cattle top at £1480 for a 548kg Simmental steer.

At a sale of 603 store cattle at Ayr on 23rd March, 250 Heifers Averaged 269.2p or £1147.64. Heifer prices topped at £1850 for a Simmental off Laigh Drumdow.

In a sale of prime cattle at Frome on 22nd March, Simmental heifers with shape and cover from Waddon Farm sold to 257p/kg and to lead the gross prices at £1603.