‘HARD WORKING, NO NONSENSE’ SIMMENTALS TOPPING COMMERCIAL SALES AROUND THE UK AND AT GISBURN; FROME; DARLINGTON; CARLISLE; STIRLING; MELTON MOWBRAY; BENTHAM; MARKET DRAYTON; DUNGANNON; LOCKERBIE; BAKEWELL; QUOYBRAE; WHITLAND; ABERDEEN; SEDGEMOOR; THIRSK; DUMFRIES; MARKET DRAYTON; SKIPTON; AYR; LANARK; PENRITH; & LANCASTER

Renowned for its milk and maternal traits, backed up with growth rates and age at slaughter, the modern Simmental has a distinct British signature with the breed showing its adaptability to all geographies and systems around the UK. Here we have the latest Simmental market briefs with Simmentals consistently featuring at the top end of some 21 markets in what is a strong cattle trade for all classes.

Simmental is a no-nonsense beef breed! Easy to look after, efficient, flexible, giving you added value, and with a hard-working ethos that gets the job done!

20 MIXBURY HALL SIMMENTAL STEERS AVERAGE £1272 (Pictured)
Vernon & Jon Bailey, Mixbury Hall sold their annual consignment of pure Simmental steers 10-12 months old at Thame on 10th February. 20 steers sold to £1290.00, £1285 and £1270, and to average £1272. The steers topped the trade in price for age by some distance.

Gisburn’s sale of prime cattle on 9th February saw trade up a gear and young bulls selling to a high of £2075 for a 607kg Simmental from JE Bracken.

On 9th February at Darlington Gary Christie sold the 17-month-old Rockytop Milton as a prime bull. Weighing in at 854kg he sold for £2,245.56 (276ppk), to feature amongst the leading prices.
Frome’s sale of prime cattle on 8th February saw a demand for heifers with shape and finish. Top gross price UTM heifer at £1655 was a Simmental x from RMJ & AL Robinson.

At H&H’s sale of weaned cattle at Borderway Mart, Carlisle on 8th February, ‘you have to see it to believe it’ was the auctioneers comment on the trade. Simmentals led the breed averages for young bulls at £1133.75 and with a top of £1480 from Sloan, Stockbridgehill.

At Stirling on 8th February, United Auctions sold 1096 store cattle, young bulls and 165 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls, 4 Breeding cattle & 43 Rearing cattle. Heifers (389) – averaged 268.08p and to £1830 for a 700kg SIMX from Greenshields. Young Bulls (61) averaged 256.73p and to £1380 for a SIMX from Hole O Clean. OTM bulls were topped by a Sim from Springfield at £2020.

‘Can this trade get any dearer’? was the question asked by Melton Mowbray auctioneers at their sale of stores & breeding cattle (156) on 8th February. Top in the breeders went to S & E Dow with in-calf Simmental X heifers at £1620 with others to £1570 and £1500.

At Bentham on 8th February a busy ringside of both travelled and local buyers descended on Bentham ensuring that all classes were in strong demand and met a fantastic trade throughout. Strong feeding cattle generally £1550-£1700 with other notable prices including £1750 to regular vendors P & JM Wilson with Simmentals.

Market Drayton’s sale of store cattle on 8th February saw a ‘serious trade in front of a ring full of hungry buyers’! Right at the top end of prices, a 538kg Simmental from H Kelsall & Son made £1,490.00.

The sale at Dungannon Farmers Mart on 8th February saw in-calf cows sold to £1660 for a 2016 born Simm presented by D Scott.

At H&H’s sale of store cattle at Lockerbie on 7th February, trade was ‘up, up, & up”! The heifer trade was led at £1350 by a Simmental from Maxwellbank. In the steers, Simmentals from Messrs Rae, Muirhead, made 301.4p.

SIMMENTALS TOP RECORD BREAKING SALE AT BAKEWELL MARKET
• Simmental cow to a new market record high of £2459.20
‘Ripping up the record books’ was how auctioneers Bagshaws described the commercial cattle sale at Bakewell Market, Derbyshire, on February 6th and with Simmentals leading the way. ‘Every cow today was beyond all expectations’ was the quote, with a Simmental cow from David Donnelly, Hulland Ward setting a record price when selling at £2459.20. A 734kg Simmental cow also topped the pence per kilos when Harold & Brian Ponsonby, Tidswell Moor, sold a four year old Sim to 244p/kg. OTM Bulls were also topped by a Simmental and to £1930 for an entry from Thorp Farms, Baslow. Young bulls were a strong trade and a 780kg Simmental from S&D Fearn, Wardlaw Mires made £1996.80 or 256p/kg. 280 steers averaged £1019 and Simmentals featured at the top end of prices with DC&ME Andrews, Flash realising £1620 for a Sim X.

At Quoybrae on 6th February, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 257 Store & Breeding Cattle. The small sale of breeding cattle sold to £1280 for a Simmental Cross from Elzy Farm, Staxigoe.
At Whitland Marts sale on 4th February, barren cows and overage saw a strong trade with tested cows selling to a top of £1,610 for a Sim from Blaeneifed Farms Ltd, Llangoedmor also sold Simms to £1,280 & £1,230.

At Sedgemoor’s store sale on 4th February, heifers topped at £1600 for a red Simmental from GB Tuttiett, who sold more at £1450 and £1350. More Simmentals £1240 x2 The Clarence Herd, Shillingford.

Aberdeen and Northern Marts on Friday 3rd February 2023 sold 952 Store Cattle, Young Bulls and Young and Weaned Calves, at Thainstone. Bullocks up to 300kg sold to £910 or 329.7p for a SimX from Craggan View. Bullocks 701-750kg sold to a top of £1900 and 269.1p for a SimX from Feaval, with a SimX from Essil at £1,820. Heifers up to 300kg were led by Craggan View with a SimX at £980, and bulls up to 350kg were topped by Cuttlehill with a Sim at £870. Bullocks 301-350kg sold to a top of 318.8p for a SimX from Cuttlehill (SimX). Heifers up to 300kg were topped by Craggan View with a SimX at 331.1p. On the same day and a sale of store cattle on behalf of Orkney consignors, bullocks sold to a top of £1,900 gross for a pair of 706kg Simmentals from J & J Fraser.

At Thirsk Market’s weekly Primestock Sale on 2nd February, the best grossing steer was £2243.58 for a Simmental X from Chester & Dale, Helperby purchased by J Penny & Sons, Rawdon.

On 1st February at Dumfries Livestock Mart’s Primestock Sale, the beef cows comprised of predominantly feeding cows to ave 178.4p/kg to 215p/kg and £1795. Simmentals from Newbie Mains topped at £1795.25 per head, and to 215p.

Market Drayton’s sale of 279 store cattle on 1st February saw Simmentals lead the way at £1,570.00 and 550kg from Mr C.H. Forrester. Further Simmentals from the same home made £1,560.00 at 570kg.

SIMMENTAL HEIFER SETS MARKET RECORD AT FROME!
Frome’s prime cattle sale on 1st February saw heavy Simmental heifers to £1971 from E M Horn & Son and which the auctioneers believe is a new market record for a commercial heifer! Charlie Butcher had a fantastic consignment with Simmentals trading to 246.5p/kg, 245.5p/kg (twice), 245.5p/kg and 238.5p/kg or £1606.

At Melton Mowbray’s sale of Prime Cows, Stock Bulls & OTM Cattle on 1st February trade was described as ‘simply ballistic’! Top grossing cows included Chandler & Dickman selling Simmentals to £1859.44.

At Dungannon Farmers Mart on 1st February, a good entry of dropped calves sold to a height of £380 for a Fleckvieh bull calf presented by F Collins.

On 1st February at Skipton, Simmentals had the joint top average of £1252 for store heifers which was £44 above the continental breeds average, and £245 above the native breeds average. Simmental store heifer prices included: £1350 JF&C Saunders; £1290 £1190 Brian Kaye; £1270 Williamson Bros.

At Ayr on 31st January Craig Wilson Ltd had a sale of prime and cast cattle and where bulls sold to a top of £1800 including a Simmental from Dalfask.

On 30th January at Lanark, Lawrie and Symington Ltd had forward 111 cattle comprising of 32 bullocks and heifers, 79 cast cows. Beef cows sold to £2080 per head for a Simmental from Messrs Taylor, Heatheryhall Farm, Lanark.

On 30th January, Penrith & District Farmers’ Mart LLP held their fortnightly sale of 251 Store Cattle. Strong cattle were presented to an eager ringside of buyers. Topping the sale at £2,055 was a cracking Simmental X bullock from Messrs A & S Robley, Nelson Hill Farm, purchased by Mr D Barker. The same home sold other Sim bullocks to £1925, and £1875.

Gisburn’s sale of breeding cattle on 28th January saw in-calf heifers top at £1320 for a Simmental from S Pepper.

At Aberdeen & Northern Marts sale of cattle from Shetland Consignors on 27th January, store cattle bullocks sold to £1,045 gross and 281p per kg for 372kg Simmentals from A & D Hunter, Scatsta, Brae. Heifers Sold to £860 gross and 266p per kg for 324kg Simmentals also from Scatsta. At a sale of store cattle on the same day from Orkney consignors, bullocks 401-450kg were led by Maesquoy with a Sim to £1,290 and 290.5p.

On sale day at Lancaster Auction Mart on 27th January, another strong entry of 120 cull cows sold to an exceptionally fast trade with an overall market average of 184p/kg. Heavy well fleshed beef cows sold to 264p/kg for a Simmental from C & AJ Woodhouse, Millom who sold others at 249.5p/kg.
Aberdeen & Northern Marts on 26th January held a sale on behalf of Orkney consignors. Beef Cows sold to £1,890 gross and 236.8p per kg for a 798 kg Simmental from T & G Ritch, Kastal, Langskaill, Birsay.

Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 611 Store Cattle at their sale in Ayr on 26th January. All classes sold firm again with 335 Bullocks averaging 260.8p or £1198.12. Top Price of the day was £1800 for a Simmental bullock off Ravenslie.

At Stirling on 25th January, United Auctions sold 1140 store cattle, young bulls and 222 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls. Young Bulls averaged 258.02p to 287.20p for a SIMX from Philiphaugh. Out of Spec Cattle sold to £1550 for a SIMX from Mount Lothian. OTM Bulls topped at £2610 for a Sim from Balbuthie.

Dungannon Farmers Mart on 25th January saw fat cows sell to a height of £1420 for a Fleckvieh presented by a Dungannon producer.