Ranfurly Weikel 56th Reserve Supreme, and Junior Champion Lisglass Real Deal wins Male Championship The sun shone on the Simmental breed and the first calved heifer Ballinalare Farm Nikita from Joe & Alan Wilson, Newry, who with her twin calves at foot, strode to...
20,000gns Grangewood Platinum equals Simmental bull record in England New Simmental centre record average at Carlisle of £9788 (+£5,185) 7 bulls sell at 10,000gns or more 100% clearance of bulls Breed records tumbled again at Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Saturday 10th...
25 bulls set new £8795 May Sale record average, up £2075 on the year 100% clearance of bulls forward Seven bulls make 10,000gns and above Islavale bulls take Championship and Reserve Fifth consecutive year a new record Simmental average set at the Stirling May Sale...
SIMMENTALS TOPPING SALES AT: TRURO; HOLSWORTHY; MARKET DRAYTON; SEDGEMOOR; MELTON MOWBRAY; FROME; SALISBURY; THAME; LANCASTER; THAINSTONE; RUGBY; AYR; THIRSK; STIRLING; CARLISLE; OSWESTRY; MONMOUTHSHIRE; DINGWALL; BAKEWELL; QUOYBRAE; HUNTLY; GISBURN; LANCASTER; CROOKLANDS; LUDLOW; HALLWORTHY; HEXHAM; LANARK; SELBY; LERWICK; EXETER; & BALLYMENA
Industry figures show, calves by a Simmental sire finish 36 days earlier than those by continental sires, and 46 days earlier than calves by native sires.
The average daily carcase gain (DCG) of the progeny of a Simmental bull out of all dams is 4.6% better than the DCG of the progeny of a Continental sire out of all dams, and 17.5% better than the DCG of the progeny of a native sire out of all dams.
Add to that the maternal attributes of milk, fertility, easy calving, temperament, and ability to rear a quality, growthy calf year on year and pound for pound, there’s more to Simmental!
The Simmental breed continues to do the business at commercial sales around the UK showing its all-round abilities, efficiency, flexibility, and added value.
Here we catch up on the Simmental Market Briefs from April and highlight Simmental cattle leading store; prime; breeding; calf; and cull sale sections at some 32 UK livestock markets.
There’s more to Simmental with the combination of leading age at slaughter; leading daily carcase gain; and the benchmark maternal attributes of milk, fertility, easy calving, temperament, and ability to rear a quality, growthy calf year on year.
Simmental breeding females were on fire, in numbers, at a sale of 333 adult breeding cattle at ANM Group Ltd’s Thainstone Centre on 30th April. Cows (21) sell to a top of £8200 for a pure Simmental cow with a Simmental bull calf at foot from W G Macpherson, Blackford, Croy. The same vendor also topped the section of cows with heifer calf (31) with another pure Simmental cow with Simmental heifer calf at foot selling at £5900. Bulling Heifers (122) sold to a top of £3850 for a pair of tremendous 19-month-old Simmental heifers from A D Sutherland & Sons, Connachie, Kellas, and some £1100 above the section average of £2750. The section of In Calf Cows (9) sold to a top of £2000 for a Simmental from Whiteinches, Pitcaple.
Simmentals featured strongly throughout the sections and the depth of the trade and demand for Simmental breeding is highlighted by the leading (Simmental) prices here:
Heifer with Bull Calf: SimX – Ardhuncart, Kildrummy £4900, Auchtygall £4850, £4800 (X2); Sim – South Blachrie, Fyvie £4850.
Heifer with Heifer Calf: SimX – South Blachrie £4950, £4900 (X2), £4800 (X2), Auchtygall £4800, Rennieshill, Newmachar £4700; Sim – Auchtygall £4900;
Cow with Bull Calf: Sim – Whitehouse, Lumphanan £4350, Crudie Farm, Arbroath £4300, £4050; SimX – Whitehouse £4250, Crudie Farm £4000;
Cow with Heifer Calf: SimX – Whitehouse £4200; Sim – Crudie Farm £4200, £4000, £3950;
Bulling Heifers: SimX – Connachie, Kellas £3850, £3350, £3300, £3250; Brodieshill, Alves – £3600, £3500, £3400; Northton, Cullerlie £3200, £3150.
At Truro Livestock Market’s sale of store cattle on 30th April, a super trade from start to finish, topped at £2525 on behalf of Mr D Moyle of Camborne for his stand out single Simmental steer.
In a sale of 210 store cattle at Holsworthy on 30th April, top on the day was £2560 for a Simmental from Mr S Norman, Dolton
At Market Drayton on 30th April, a Simmental bull (24 months) from George Wainwright made £4960.
At a sale of 209 finished and forward cattle at Sedgemoor on 30th April, steers sold to £2808.20 for a 760kg Simmental from CHJ Atwell & Sons, Claverham.
In a sale at Melton Mowbray on 29th April, the bulls saw a Simmental bull from JR Goddard reaching £3650 selling David Johnson and featuring in the top prices.
At Frome on 28th April, and a sale of 104 calves, a cracking run of Simmentals from M Carver & Son saw £560 and £550 and Simmental heifers flying to £498 and £485. Simmental heifers from NAC Taylor to £460.
In a sale of young stores at Salisbury on 28th April, topping the charts was a wonderful run of fed 12 m.o. Simmental stores from regular sender Nick Doggrell, these quality sorts saw heifers sell to £1600, steers to £1850, £2110, £2130 and £2410, an exceptional result.
On 25th April, and a sale of store cattle at Frome, in the young continentals the Marklove family producing some outstanding homebred suckled Simmentals these best of types 10mo saw amazing prices with steers £1650 – £1880, their heifers £1310. Hard Dairy x Simmental steers (11-15mo) from Nigel Hitchens easily to £1620. Forward heifers equally sought after with Simmental heifers to £2450 (24mo) again from HJ Marklove.
At Thame’s sale of 508 store cattle on 25th April, M/S EW & JE Masters topped the heifers at £2300 and £2280 for homebred Simmentals.
Lancaster’s sale of store cattle on 25th April incorporated the monthly sale of stirks with these considered an unbelievable trade. Heifers topped at £1400 for a Simmental at nine months old from WJ&EA Woodhouse, Nateby. A pair of Simmental bullocks from WJ&EA Woodhouse, Nateby, to £1600 at ten months old.
In a sale of prime cattle at Thainstone, Aberdeen & Northern Marts, on 24th April, under 30 month – prime bullocks sold to £3227 gross for an 870kg Simmental Cross from Woodbank, Drumblade. 30 to 36 month – bullocks sold to £2844.35 gross for an 815kg Simmental Cross from Mains of Corsegight, New Deer.
A sale of baby calves at Rugby on 24th April saw the top price going to Andrew Hall and a Simmental Bull Calf realising £580, other prices of note £560 & £510 for Peter Hemmings Simmental Heifers.
At Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd’s Ayr market on 24th April, Simmentals topped both the bullocks and the heifers in a sale of 433 store cattle. Top price of the day was £2840 for a Simmental Heifer off Stoopshill. Bullocks peaked at £2820 for four Simmentals from the same vendor.
Thirsk’s sale of 230 cattle on 24th April saw the top price of the day achieved by Chris & James Burton of Cottam, with an outstanding, 98m, Simmental X cow, weighing 793kg, topping the pounds per head at £2740 and being purchased by Morgan Helliwell, Rochdale.
At Stirling on 23rd April, United Auctions sold 2326 Store & Native Bred Cattle and 170 out of spec cattle, cast cows, and bulls. Leading Simmental prices in the bullocks included: Neuk £2600, Gilmanscleugh 519.0p; Wester Mye £2570, Little Aiden 513.0p; Drummie £2540, Callendoune 508.40p. Leading Simmental heifer prices included: Garvald Mains £2720, Grange of Lindores 516.40p; Grange of Lindores £2520, Oatridge 504.00p. In a sale of rearing cattl, Stirling stirks still on fire with 5 month old Dairy X Simm stirks to £1380.
In a sale of store cattle at Truro on 23rd April, the section for one year old heifers was topped at £1810 for Simmentals from Mr J Gregory of Chacewater, truro. In a sale of rearing calves on the same day, another fantastic trade, with a ringside full of buyers saw the best of the bull calves racing away to £720 for a 12 week old Simmental x bull sold by Messrs L W & S Hosken from Helston.
On 23rd April, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of weaned bulls and stirks at Carlisle. Store bulls break Ring 4 record with T & C Todd, Wyndham House selling a 14 month Fleckvieh bull, away for breeding at £3500.
Oswestry on the 23rd April saw the dispersal of the Pickhill Old Hall suckler herd of the Ormrod family. Within that a fantastic run of 50 store cattle from the herd sold at the end of the catalogue met a tremendous trade topping the sale with some Simmental bullocks weighing 340kgs at 553ppk. Top price for steers in the store sale lump was £2580 for a 24-month-old Simmental from J Hamlet, The Marches. British Blue and Simmental steers 6 -7 months sold to 515ppk from D Clay, Cross Lanes Farm.
At Monmouthshire on 23rd April, and a sale of store cattle, grazing sorts continue to be easy to place and sold to 494p/kg (£1780-360kg) for Simmental crosses from S Goldsmith, Glascoed.
At Salisbury on 22nd April and a sale of finished cattle, heifers sold to 378.5p for Stuart Morgan’s very tidy Simmentals.
At Dingwall on 22nd April, Dingwall & Highland Marts sold 875 store cattle and 91 OTM cattle. Heifers (479) sold to £3,200 gross for a 630kg Simmental from Blackford Farm, Croy. Young Bulls sold to £2,160 gross for a 545kg Simmental from Blackford Farm, Croy.
On 22nd April, Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 102 Prime and Cast Cattle at their sale in Ayr. Prime Cattle sold sharper again with more quality forward. Clean Heifers sold to £2550 (418p) for a Simmental from J McCornick, Drumjargon.
Bakewell’s sale of finished cattle on 22nd April saw a top of 422p or £2844 for a smart suckler bred Simmy from Kevin Atkin (Atkin Bros) Barrow on Trent.
At Quoybrae on 21st April, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 332 store cattle. Heifers (128) averaged 453.7p per kg and sold to 554.9per kg for a pen of 364kg Simmentals from Ha, Durran and sold to £2,360 for a 564kg Simmental Cross from Roadside, Kirk.
On 21st April at Borderway, Carlisle, and a sale of cast cows and stock bulls, Messrs Gwynne, Castlewigg Farm sold the top priced Simmental cow for 909kg, 323.5ppk or £2940 to Morgan Helliwell.
United Auctions on 19th April at Huntly sold 714 store cattle and OTMS. OTMS sold to a top gross of £2580 for a 980kg SimX from East-Brae, Grange.
