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SIMMENTALS met a top call of 18,000gns with the 57 bulls averaging 5,961, up 372 on the year for five more sold and with a clearance rate of 58 per cent.

Lowther females led the bidding in the Beef Shorthorn female section for Charles Lowther, Askham, Cumbria, with 11,000gns and 10,000gns bids for two maiden heifers.

Blelack genetics took the high bids in the Aberdeen-Angus section at this year’s October Stirling event for Neil and Graeme Massie, Aboyne, peaking at 24,000gns for overall male champion, Blelack Prince Cartier W035.

An entry of six Beef Shorthorn bulls sold to a 7,200gns high, to average 4,830 (up 420 on the year for one less sold) with a clearance rate of 43 per cent.

Trade at the complete dispersal of the Blelack Aberdeen-Angus herd soared when a heifer calf and its dam sold for a combined 62,000gns.

A call of 28,000gns led the Charolais bidding on the final day at the October Stirling event, with averages up for the 59 bulls sold (+1,700 for 16 more sold).

With the use of sexed semen increasingly becoming the norm for a growing number of dairy producers, dairy vet and consultant Dave Gilbert offers some tips on getting the best results and return on investment. Hannah Park reports.

With a reliance on technology to optimise production processes growing on UK dairy farms, a research team at Bristol University is embarking on a project to investigate where cyber security vulnerabilities might be.

Retaining a social licence to operate is a growing issue for dairy farmers who are facing a newfound societal backlash against what they do for a living.

Retaining a social licence to operate is a growing issue for dairy farmers who are facing a newfound societal backlash against what they do for a living.