THERE’S MORE TO SIMMENTAL: TOPPING COMMERCIAL SALES AT 34 MARKETS AROUND THE UK IN JANUARY 2025

THERE’S MORE TO SIMMENTAL: TOPPING COMMERCIAL SALES AT 34 MARKETS AROUND THE UK IN JANUARY 2025

ABERDEEN; BALLYMENA; THAME; ST BOSWELLS; DARLINGTON; HUNTLY; THIRSK; GISBURN; STIRLING; THIRSK; TRURO; AYR; HEXHAM; SALISBURY; MALTON; BROCKHOLES; CARLISLE; BAKEWELL; SWATRAGH; CASTLE DOUGLAS; WORCESTER; HALLWORTHY; EXETER; WHITLAND; DUMFRIES; FROME; PENRITH; MARKET DRAYTON; LANCASTER; DUNGANNON; OSWESTRY; MARKETHILL; HUNTLY; GISBURN.

Beef prices continue to hit unprecedented levels and the Simmental breed remains front and centre, topping commercial sales and sections around the UK.

Commercial producers taking sight of the forward industry know that their suckler cows are the engine of their beef enterprise. They’re turning to Simmental to future proof their herds, and with the benefits in milk, easy calving, fertility, and ability to rear a quality calf year on year, that adding Simmental genetics brings.

Include the Simmental’s proven abilities in age at slaughter and daily carcase gain, all with significantly reduced finishing costs, and less environmental impact, and it really does add up to money, performance, and efficiency for producers.

SIMM STORES TO 477.3P AT THAINSTONE
At Thainstone on 31st January, Aberdeen & Northern Marts sold 581 store cattle and young bulls. Heifers (339) averaged 379.6p and sold to 477.3p per kg for a pen of seven 264kg Simmental Cross from Bogmore, Duncanstone. On the same day and a sale of 95 store cattle on behalf of Orkney consignors, bullocks sold to £2390 gross for a 660kg Simmental Cross from Workwell, Orphir, with heifers selling to o £2300 gross for a 620kg Simmental Cross from Workwell.

At Ballymena on 31st January, and a sale of breeding bulls, dropped calves, suckler cows, and weanlings, sucklers were topped by E Gillan with a Simmental at £2300, and who had other Simms at £2100, and £2020.

At Thame Farmers Auction Mart’s sale of 165 store cattle on 31st January, M/S Benford topped the heifer trade with six Aberdeen Angus X Simmental 22 months at £1785, and a second pen at £1570. Simmental X from the same farm sold at £1565.

SIMM BULLOCKS TO 447.1p AT ST BOSWELLS
At St Boswells store cattle sale on 30th January held by H&H, bullocks topped at 447.1p for Simmentals from Mossilee. The same vendor had further Simmental bullocks at 444.4p, and 427.5p. Mossilee also sold Simmental heifers to £2290.

SIMM PRIME HEIFER TO £2840 AT DARLINGTON
Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on 30th January 2025. Forward were 225 cattle. In the clean cattle (139) , the gross values continue to climb by the week and further success for Scotland was evident as our leading beast in the lump was a superb Simmental heifer from S & J E Andrew, Letter Farm, Loch-of-Lowes at £2840

At Huntly on 30th January, United Auctions Huntly 166 Store Cattle and OTMS. Store Cattle trade continues to climb with buyers eager for all sorts. Heifers (53) sold to a top gross of £2060 for a 565kg SimX from Auchnairn, Keith.

At Thirsk on 30th January, and a sale of cull cows, top price in the lump was a 69m, Simmental cow which sold for a fabulous £2250 consigned by F & D Cornforth, Hambleton and purchased by R Pearson & Son, Bradford.

In a sale of cast cattle at Gisburn on 30th January, continental beef bred cows sold to a high of 324ppk for a fed Simmental cow from Dales farmers Mason & Gardner.

STIRLING BULLOCKS TOPPED BY A SIMM AT £2470
At Stirling on 29th January, United Auctions sold 1256 Store Cattle and 163 out of spec cattle, cast cows and bulls, and 31 Rearing Cattle. Bullocks (724) sold to £2470 for a 682kg Simmental from Whiteside. Simmental heifers sold to £2400 from Hatton of Newtyle. Bulls (15) sold to £2970 for a 906kg Simmental from North Balloch. OTM bulls were topped by North Balloch with a Simmental at £2970, followed by West Mains with a Simmental at £2890.

Holsworthy’s sale of store cattle on 29th January, saw younger stores topped by 13mth Simmental steers from Messrs CR & CF Timms & Son, Inwardleigh at £1410.
In a sale of rearing calves at Truro, two month old Simmentals topped the bull trade at £550 from Messrs AD & JA Bray of St Martin, Helston.

At Ayr on 28th January and a sale of calves and stirks, bullocks topped at £1300 for a 8 Month Old Simmental Cross Bullock off Messrs Mathewson, Thorn.

In a sale of prime cattle at Hexham on 28th January, Messrs Graham, Miller Hill sold Simmental cross heifers to £2236.80 to feature in the leading prices.

In a sale of barren cows and bulls at Salisbury Livestock Market on 28th January, an under three year old, Tb tested, farm assured, Simmental x grazing cow from Gemma, Will and George Edwards reached a market record price per kilo of 269p. In the OTM clean cattle, a run of farm assured, over thirty month, steers and heifers from Tony Nutland and family met an exceptionally strong trade to reach 314.5p or £2204.65 for Simmental x steers and 311.5p or £2071.48 for Simmental x heifers.

A small sale of OTM cattle at Malton on 28th January saw heifers topped by a 695kgs Simm X from SF Stubbings at 337.50ppk (£2345.63).

In a sale of cast cows at Brockholes Arms Auction Mart on 28th January, the cows just keep getting dearer and dearer. In the lump it was K & L Wildman’s Simmental which topped at £2088.

At Carlisle’s primestock sale on 27th January, Mr Tom Byres, Ellen Bank sold a 41 month Simmental cross bullock for 866kgs, 325.5p, £2818 to Charles Kirkpatrick. In the prime bulls Messrs McCulloch, Overhill, Bathgate sold 1055kg Simmental to £3054.23.

At Bakewell on 27th January, a small sale of OTM bulls were topped by a six year old Simmental at £2500 from P Cafferty, Ashover.

In the sale of 479 store cattle at Darlington on 27th January, beasts under a year saw the highlights include Simmental and Charolais steers from E Parsons, Newstead Farm to a top of £1610. On the same day, a flying stock bull trade saw Simmental bulls sell to over £2500.

At Swatragh on 27th January there was a super demand for all kinds of stock. Cows sold to a top of £2280 per head for a Sim at 770kg (296p/kg) from a Cookstown producer.

Wallets Marts, Castle Douglas on 27th January had forward 205 OTM and Store Cattle. Top per kilo on the day was 304ppk for a Simmental from also from Messrs Black, Hillside.

In a sale of store cattle at Worcester on 25th January, continental heifers were topped at 317ppk for Simm X’s from M&EA Ford.

SIMM HEIFERS TO £2390 AT THAINSTONE STORE SALE
At Thainstone on 24th January, Aberdeen & Northern Marts sold 1295 store cattle, young bulls, and weaned calves. Heifers (494) sold to a top gross of £2390 for a pen of four 684kg Simmental Cross from Euchries, Crossroads. Bulls (41) sold to £2300 gross for a 780kg Simmental Cross from Brawliemuir, Drumlithie.

On 23rd January and a sale of cull cows at Thirsk, topping both the ppk and pph was a superb 37 month, 798kg Simmental cow from BW & AM Mook of Flaxton which sold for a whopping 293.5ppk or £2342 and was purchased by R Pearson & Son, Bradford.

At Hallworthy’s store sale on 23rd January, the sale of the day was the young suckler Steers with Mr J Buckland of St Buryan who had his usual run of pure Simmental Steers at 9-10 months with huge frame and plenty of conformation to £1625 for three.

In a sale of rearing calves at Truro on 22nd January, a pair of Simmental x steers flew away to top the trade at £585 for Messrs A D & J A Bray from St Martin, Helston.

On 21st January at Whitland Mart and a sale of weaned calves, the steers were led by a nine month old Simmental at £1050 from Jones, Tegryn.

C&D Auctions Ltd held their fortnightly sale of OTM and Prime Cattle in Dumfries on 20th January 2025. Bulls were led at £2300.40 by a Simmental from Dollard. Feeding steers were topped at 235ppkgg for a Simmental from Killervan.