High of 5,800gns for Blackface females
The show and sale of Blackface in-lamb females at Lanark topped at 5,800gns for the champion, a gimmer by McCoy LAL out of a Spectre-sired dam from J. and J. Murray, Crossflatt, Muirkirk. Carrying a single to Titan, it sold to R. and I. Shaw, Lochgilphead.
Next at 5,000gns was a gimmer in-lamb with a single to £23,000 Dalchirla, consigned by E.J. MacMillan, Lurg, Fintry, which sold to Messrs Connell.
Thomas Muirhead's Orchilmore flock, Crieff was next at 3,400gns for a one-crop ewe by £6,000 Auldhouseburn, due with a single by the £32,000 Auldhouseburn, which sold to J. and J. McAlister.
This was followed at 3,200gns by a gimmer consigned by J. Wight and Sons, Grains. By the £30,000 Midlock, a son of the £200,000 Dalchirla, it sold having been AI'd to the £30,000 Crossflatt, to sold to R. Mackay, Oban.
Messrs Wight also sold a gimmer sired by £30,000 Midlock, carrying twins to Emperor, for 2,800gns to M. Hamilton, Woolfords, West Calder for their South Cobbinshaw flock.
Averages: overall 39 females, £1,681.35; 14 aged ewes, £1,736.25; 24 gimmers, £1,675.63; 1 ewe hogg, £1050.
Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.
Trump tops Charolais bulls at 9,200gns
The sale of pedigree Charolais at Swatragh topped at 9,200gns for October 2022-born Brogher Trump, a Whitecliffe James son going back to Blelack Digger and out of the Mornity Nero-sired Brogher Ripple from Trevor Phair, Florencecourt. The buyer was W.J. Fraser and Sons, Ballindalloch, Scotland.
The reserve intermediate champion Drumacritten Toby from G.E. Nelson, Drumacritten, was next at 9,000gns, selling to C. McDonnell, Glenariff, Co Antrim. Out of Drumacritten Jessie, this bull was also sired by Whitecliffe James and carried two copies of F94L.
The senior champion, male champion and overall champion went to S. and D. Bothwell, St Angelo, with Killadeas Trevor, a Cloonglasna11 Padraig son out of Killadeas Octavia. This August 2022-born champion was snapped up by J. and G. Smith, Stromness, Orkney, for 8,000gns.
The intermediate champion Glencoe Thanos, from P. and V. McDonald, Killeavy, made 6,800gns and went to M. Johnston, Toomebridge, Co Antrim. This Liscorran Magic son is out of a Clyth Diplomat-sired daughter, Beechdale Lupin.
Pedigree breeders J. and D. Watson and C. Curry, Northumberland, paid 6,000gns for the reserve junior champion Stranagone Unrivaled by Ocean-sired Strangagone Saphir from R. McWilliams, Maghera.
Average - 19 bulls, £5,620 (+£1,370 on 2023).
Native breeds to £3,000 at Brock
Trade at the inaugural sale of pedigree native cattle at Brockholes Arms topped at £3,000 for Coley Endure Y654, an Aberdeen-Angus bull from H. Whittaker and R. Clarke, Halifax.
At £2,800 was another Angus, Three Peaks Master Earl Y039 from Pemberton Farms, Ingleton. This was followed by £2,700 for Woodmoss Phoenix Y039 and £2,500 for Woodmass Preston Y043 from Woodmass Farming, Ormskirk.
Pedigree Aberdeen-Angus females topped at £2,300 twice for R. Parker's Mereside herd, Ormskirk, with pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cows and calves from the same home to £2,250. A pedigree in-calf Aberdeen-Angus heifer from J. Walsh's Buckhurst herd, Bury, made £2,200.
Pedigree Hereford bulls sold to £2,700 for Taymar Arnie from S. Taylor and D. Marsh, Preston. Other Hereford bulls sold to £2,050 for Sandham Bon, a younger bull from Clive Hurt, Preston.
Hereford females topped at £2,000 for the bulling heifer Eveter 1 Demelza 9 from R. and E. Jackson, Chorley.
A pedigree Longhorn stock bull, Kirklan Victor, from Cowell and Moore, Preston, sold for £1,900.
Auctioneers: Brockholes Arms Auction Mart.
Strong dairy trade at Leek
The entry of 133 at Leek's dairy sale had a 100 per cent clearance topping at £3,000 paid by June Baskerville, Lichfield, for an Applejax daughter which was one of 12 heifers from the Needham family, Rushton, which averaged £2,515.
At £2,950 was a 31kg Augustus daughter which sold to Angela Bailey, Brown Edge. Another Applejax daughter reached £2,700 to Andrew Hulme, Basford, and two Pursuit daughters made £2,650 each, again to Mr Hulme.
Cows reached £2,360 for a 12 generation VG/EX third calver from David Brailsford, Chesterfield.
All milkers including the commercial entry averaged £1,882.
Auctioneers: Leek Auctions.
High of 6,000gns at Border and Lakeland sale
The Border and Lakeland Holstein Club sale at Carlisle topped at 6,000gns for Peak Darlingo Rhapsody VG86, a second lactation daughter of the three-time UK Dairy Expo champion, Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody EX97 and sister to the Irish national champion, Milliedale Dusk Rhapsody EX96. It was consigned by the Bunting family, Dumfries, and sold to David Leyburn, Northern Ireland.
Boclair Holsteins, Glasgow, sold Boclair Chief Apple, the junior heifer in-milk class winner, for 3,200gns to Baltier Farming Co, Newton Stewart.
The overall champion was Denmire Crushabull May, a Crushabull daughter from the Dennison family, Ulverston, which sold for 3,100gns to Messrs Coulthurst, Preston.
The reserve champion from Wormanby Farms, Carlisle, was Wormanby Pepper Anita by Delaberge Pepper, which sold for 2,700gns to St Main Dairy Farming Company, Perthshire, with its consignment of five averaging £2,814.
A group of 70 yearling heifers from John and David Airey's Newcroft Holstein herd, Kirkby Lonsdale, topped at 1,900gns for the 15-month-old heifer Newcroft Rubels Redrose by Rubles Red, which was bought by the Hastwell family, Kirkby Stephen.
The heifer calves from this group topped at 1,600gns for six-month-old Newcroft Alongside Adeen by Barbantdale Alongside bought by the Crowther family, Annan.
Averages - 17 cows in-milk, £2,446.50; 114 heifers in-milk, £2,594.33; 45 bulling heifers, £1,230.17; 23 heifer calves, £1,184.67.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Cheviot record smashed at Longtown
A new South Country Cheviot female record of 2,200gns was set at the Cheviot Sheep Society sale at Longtown.
This was for a gimmer by Castle Hitman, in-lamb to GDM Dundee, a Hindhope Cavalier son, from James Cochrane, Castle Crawford. The buyer was E. MacMillan of the Lurg and Townhead flocks, Stirling.
Judge, Gordon Jackson, Blackburn, selected as champion a one-crop ewe from W.N. Douglas, Catslackburn, Yarrow. Out of the £12,000 Catslack Halo and in-lamb to the £10,000 Crossdykes champion at last year's society ram sale, it made 1,900gns to J. Pugh and Partners, Ty Talgarth, Mid Glamorgan.
W.J.C. and S.J. Weir, Mainside, Hownam, took 1,200gns for a two-crop ewe by Castle Assasin and in-lamb to Catslack Weir`s Wonder. The buyer was Lorraine Luescher, Glendinning, Westerkirk, who sold the reserve champion at 700gns, a Castle Glendinning Harris gimmer, in-lamb to Stirkfield Firefly.
There were three 1,000gns sales - a Castle Go-Getter gimmer from R.H. Paton, Castle Crawford, to J. Anderson-Roskell, Ragithwhaite; a Catslackburn gimmer in-lamb to £12,000 Tweedshaws which went to William Nixon, Cooms, and a three-crop ewe by Becks On Top from T. Elliot, Hindhope, which sold to Messrs Pugh, Harlech.
Averages - Ewes, £845; gimmers, £868; 1 geld hogg, £336.
Auctioneers: C. and D. Auction Marts.
Swaledale dispersal tops at £6,000
The dispersal of the in-lamb pedigree Swaledale sheep on behalf of Patrick and Kirsty Sowerby, Barras, topped at £6,000 for a three-crop Del Boy-sired ewe in-lamb with twins which sold to Messrs Ridley, Haltcliffe.
A four-crop Del Boy-sired ewe in-lamb with twins sold for £5,000 to Messrs Ewbank, Middlesmoor.
Selling for £4,500 was a three-crop Elvis-sired ewe carrying triplets which went to Messrs Robinson, Catlow. At the same money, a five-crop Bull and Cave-sired ewe carrying a single sold to Jack Hallam, Whitby.
One-crop ewes sold to £4,000 for a Nelson-sired ewe carrying twins.
Shearlings topped at £1,800 for an Oakbank Harry-sired entry which sold to Messrs Scarr, Muker.
Averages - 200 Swaledale ewes from shearlings to 10-year-old ewes, £675.31.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Limousin bulls top at record 17,000gns at Ballymena
Records were shattered at the British Limousin Cattle Society's show and sale at Ballymena when the junior and overall champion sold for 17,000gns setting a new record for a Limousin bull sold at auction in Northern Ireland.
This was 18-month-old Ampertaine Teus by Ampertaine Foreman out of Ampertaine Joy, a Goldies Fantastic daughter, from James McKay, Maghera.
With a beef value of LM56 and two copies of the F94L myostatin gene, it sold to Mark McKinstry, of the Ballyaulkin herd, Co Antrim.
Next top price of 8,500gns was paid to John O'Kane and Sons, Garvagh, for their intermediate champion, 19-month-old Gleneagle Trooper by Ampertaine Majestic, out of the Mereside Lorenzo daughter, Gleneagle Polly. The buyer was Stephen McGookin, Carrickfergus.
Making 5,600gns was the reserve senior champion from Ian Davidson, Larne, 21-month-old Ballyrickard Trigger LM43 by Foxhillfarm Lordofthering, which sold to A. Abbott, Lisburn.
Average: 18 bulls, £5,160 (100 per cent clearance).
Auctioneers: J.A. McClelland.
Brock dairy sale tops at £3,050
The Burrows family, Barton, led the trade at Brockholes Arms dairy sale at £3,050 for the second prize-winning heifer, Stardale Lambda Legacy which sold to Aubrey Greenhalgh, Preston.
The also took the reserve championship with the first prize cow, Stardale Maui Vaakje 4, which went on to sell for £2,880 to Evan Ellis, Shropshire, and then sold Stardale Robert Legacy second calved cow for £2,620, with the consignment averaging £2,667.
The championship rosette went to the first prize heifer from the Tomlinson family, Preston, with Bilsrow Amulet Olympia which sold for £2,600 to Evan Ellis, Shropshire. Other heifers from this home sold at £2,450, £2,350 and £2,150.
The consignment from Thompson Bros, Claughton-on-Brock, sold to £2,400 for the second prize cow, with heifers to £2,000.
Robanne D Helena from R. and A. Jolleys, Forton, topped their consignment at £2,250 and a pedigree heifer from D. Fryars and Son, Poulton le Fylde, sold to £2,200.
In-calf heifers from Messrs Jolleys sold to £1,580 and pedigree bulling heifers from the Tomlinson family topped at £1,050.
Auctioneers: Brockholes Arms Auction Mart.