For Robert Manson, the Simmental breed offers everything a commercial producer could ask for—maternal strength, good temperament, efficient growth, and the kind of adaptability required on the farm’s varied land. Brodieshill Farm is located near Forres, one of the...
Keith Nelson runs a mixed farm in Rosslea, County Fermanagh alongside his family, where they milk 120 pedigree Fleckvieh and Holstein cows in a robotic system, run a small suckler beef herd and a bed and breakfast pig system. For Keith, focusing on genetics is crucial...
Sales at Thainstone, UA Stirling, Caledonian Marts, Lanark, Ayr, Newton Stewart, Quoybrae, and Dumfries featured. Moving round the UK, we’re back in Scotland and looking at markets across Scotland in this last two to three weeks and where flexible, efficient...
It’s another massive tip of the hat to James Alexander, Randalstown, who sold his heifer, the day’s Simmental Champion, for £7800, at the Royal Ulster Beef & Lamb Championship on Tuesday 26th November. The £7,800 figure is a Simmental record at what was the seventh staging of this event, held in the Logan Hall at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn, and with the quality and auction prices of beef cattle, calves and lambs, described as being ‘off the chart’. Great to see Simmentals right in the thick of the top prices!
£7,800 ‘Katie’, 2024 Simmental Champion at the 2024 Royal Ulster Premier Beef and Lamb Championships, from James Alexander, Jalex, Randalstown. Pictured with Katie is Cormac O’Kane.
The stand out Simmental heifer, Katie, who was given the breed’s Overall Championship & Heifer Championship, weighed in at 724kgs. October 2022 born, Katie is sired by Edenbann Lionheart bred by NI breeder Nevin Smith, Garvagh, Coleraine. Come sale time this heifer was knocked down at £7,800, or £10.77 per kg, to Messrs Campbell, Co Antrim.
Prolific winners at the Royal Ulster Beef & Lamb Championships, this was a ‘four-peat’ with it being the fourth year in a row that the high profile Jalex herd, noted for breeding and selling high quality replacement heifers, has won the Simmental Championship.
2024 Reserve Simmental Champion at the 2024 Royal Ulster Premier Beef and Lamb Championships, from Shauna McKenna, Clougher. Pictured is Declan McKenna.
The Reserve Champion Simmental title, and Reserve Champion Heifer, was awarded to Shauna McKenna from Clougher. Her December 2023 born heifer weighed in at 524kgs and went on to sell for £2,800.
Judge for the day was the well-known and experienced man in the middle, Arfon Jones from North Wales. Well done to all the Simmental exhibitors!
