SIMMENTAL: THE COMMERCIAL BREED YOU CAN BANK ON

SIMMENTAL MARKET BRIEFS: SIMMENTAL CATTLE TOPPING COMMERCIAL SALES AT ABERDEEN; DUMFRIES; FORT WILLIAM; CARLISLE; SHREWSBURY; DARLINGTON; HOLMFIRTH; QUOYBRAE; DINGWALL; STIRLING; AND HUNTLY

At Aberdeen & Northern Marts sale of cast cows, bulls and prime cattle on behalf of Shetland consignors on Thursday 16th September, beef cows Sold to 143.5p per kg for a 634kg Simmental from A G L Duncan, I Hillock, Dunrossness.
C & D Auctions held their weekly sale of Primestock on Wednesday 15th September 2021 at Dumfries. Beef averaged 141p/kg to 172p/kg and £1298.60 for a Simmental from Cormaddie.
At Fort William on 15th September, Dingwall and Highland Marts Ltd sold 348 weaned calves and store cattle, 19 OTM cattle, and 12 adult head of breeding cattle. Heifers (135) averaged 295.2p (+37.3p) and sold to 358.6p per kg for a 145kg Simmental cross from Ardtornish Farms, Morven.
At Harrison & Hetherington’s sale of store cattle at Carlisle on 14th September, topping the day’s trading was J A Riddell, Newstead with a thumper of a Simmental x Steer at £1400
On 9th September at Thainstone’s sale of Cast Cows, Bulls and Prime Cattle forward from Orkney consignors, beef cows sold to £1,570 gross for a 848kg Simmental from J I & W N Stout, Whitehall, Stronsay. At the market’s sale of prime cattle held on the same day bullocks averaged 209.9p per kg and sold to 215p per kg and £1,569.50 for a 730kg Simmental Cross from Diamonds. At the sale of cows and bulls, Beef Feeding Cows averaged £1,046.17 and sold to £1,230 including a 580kg Simmental Cross from Midtown, Strachan.
Shrewsbury Auction Centre’s Store sale on 9th September saw 123 Steers sold to an overall average of 210.03p/kilo and £990/head selling to a top price of £1425 twice from a super run of strong Cattle from M/s J Hanmer & Co Ltd which were both Simmental x Steers weighing 725kgs and 720kgs.
At Borderway’s Store and Weanling Cattle Sale on 8th September at Carlisle, bulls continued to fly for all types with young Simmental bulls leading the trade. £1280 was the top for one from Gerrard House, Wigton. Messrs Gwynne, Castlewigg also had Simmental bulls at £1260 and £1200.
Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding stock on Monday 7th September 2021. The beef trade remains ultra-solid and the cow beef is no exception. Top price per kilo was a lovely fleshy Simmental OTM from C & E Gaskin, Hillingdon Farm, Marwood when she sold for 216 pence
At Holmfirth Market on 7th September and the sale of store, prime and OTM cattle, the OTMS top price gross was the Simmental at £1248.30/head from J A Miller sold to JB Eastwood & Sons.
At Quoybrae on 6th September, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 957 store cattle at their anniversary show and sale. Champion in the Harbro and W & A Geddes Ltd sponsored show and sale judged by Arnott Coghill, Skinnet, Halkirk was a 604kg Simmental cross bullock from W Barnetson & Sons, Lynegar, Watten and sold for £1,500 to Backmuir Livestock, Keith. Heifers (468) averaged 229.6p to 257.6p, and to £1,480 gross for a 576kg Simmental Cross from 5 West Murkle.
At Thainstone on 3rd September, Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 611 Store Cattle including BVD Virus Free and Vaccinated Bulling Heifers, Young Bulls and Young and Weaned Calves. BVD Virus Free and Vaccinated Heifers (101) averaged 261.6p and sold to 344.2p per kg for a pair of 526kg Simmental’s and £1,820 gross for a 588kg Simmental both from Berryleys, Grange. Bulls sold to 241.1p per kg and £1,205 gross for a 552kg Simmental from Broomhill Farm, Methlick.
At a sale of cast cows and bulls at Thainstone on 2nd September, Aberdeen and Northern Marts, Beef Feeding Cows (60) averaged £1,046.17 and sold to £1,410 for a 794kg Simmental from Milton of Collieston, Ellon. Bulls (23) averaged £1,175.91 and sold to £1,510 for a 950kg Simmental from Upper Tillenhilt, Midmar. On the same day a sale cast cows, and bulls forward from Orkney consignors saw beef cows sold to £1,610 gross for a 890kg Simmental from E S H Harcus & Co, Quanterness, St Ola and 203.4p per kg for a 654kg Simmental from Holland Farm, Stronsay. On the 3rd September a sale of store cattle on behalf of Orkney consignors saw heifers sold to a top of £1,330 gross and 288.8p per kg for a pen of three 450kg Simmental crosses from T Lyth, Heatherhouse Farm, Tankerness.
At Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd sale of prime cattle on 31st August, prime bullocks averaged 237.5p and sold to 239.0p per kg and £1,577.40 gross for a 660kg Simmental cross from Hallhill, Kinneff
On 30th August at Carlisle, Messrs Gwynne, Castlewigg Farm sold the top priced Simmental cow for 776kg and at the top price per kg of 216.5p, totalling £1680 and bought by Jewitt Meats.
Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 159 cows and bulls at Thainstone on 26th August. Beef finished cows averaged £1,360.80 (+£47.40) and sold to £1,630 gross for A 920kg Simmental from 5 West Murkle, Thurso.
At Dingwall & Highland Marts on 24th August, prime heifers averaged 244.7 (+3.3p) and sold to 257.0p per kg for a 540kg Simmental cross from Lyne of Urchany Farm, Nairn selling to Neil Menzies Butchers, Braemar.
United Auctions at Stirling on Wednesday 25 August 2021 sold 1055 store cattle, 77 rearing cattle & 135 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls. Bullocks (660)– averaged 230.51p to £1490 for a 641kg SimX from Forrestmill. Out of Spec Cattle averaged 213.94p to £1590 for a SimX from Blackburn.

At Huntly on 26th August, United Auctions sold 478 store & OTM cattle at their anniversary sale where all types met an electric demand. In the OTMs a SimX sold to £1410, 168.9p for Whitehills, Grange.

On Thursday 26th August, Caledonian Marts Ltd sold 119 Cattle compromising of 55 Bullocks, Heifers and Young Bulls and 64 OTM Cattle at their Stirling market.
Prime Bullocks sold to £1794 for a Simmental from H A Brown, Molemount, Galston purchased by McGregor Meats, Stirling. The cows sold to a strong average of 136ppkg selling to 175ppkg for a Simmental from J McAdam, Callendoune, Helensburgh and to £1400 for the same beast.