A DISAPPOINTING trade for pedigree Limousin bulls saw averages fall almost £1000 on the year – despite a top price of 38,000gns and a further 19 bulls attracting five-figure prices.
While there was a good, solid demand for pedigree and commercial bulls which sell at 20,000gns or more, there was a distinct shortage of buyers which many put down to the poor wet spring and some stressful lambings and calvings.
However, anything with a touch of class as always made big money, with the sale leader Cowin Tequin selling jointly to pedigree breeders Robert and Hazel McNee of the Westhall herd, based at Tealing, Dundee and the Adam family, who own the Newhouse herd based at Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar. “You don’t get many bulls like him coming to the market and he’s got the depth, width and fleshing ability we were looking for,” said Mr McNee, adding that both herds run 80 pedigree Limousin females.
Taking their eye was a second prize senior bull from Welsh breeders Dyfan and Carol James and son Rheon. Producing a personal best for this 75-cow herd from Carmarthenshire was aN AI son of the 19,000gns Ampertaine Jeronimo, a bull that has previously bred sons to 35,000gns, out of a Dinmore Jonesy cow that goes back to Requin. Tequin, which is bred from the best cow family in the herd, also boasts a double copy of the F94L easy calving gene and growth traits in the top 1% of the breed.
The breeder of the sire, James McKay, Northern Ireland, also had a great day selling four bulls to average £14,175, with his three dearest all by home-bred Ampertaine sires.
Tops here at 22,000gns was Ampertaine Tornado, the senior champion at the pre-sale show, purchased by Hugh Annett, Widdrington, Morpeth. This rising two-year-old, carrying a single copy of the F94L gene, is by Ampertaine Majestic, a bull that sold for 35,000gns and has bred sons to the same money. The dam, Ampertaine Miranda, an Ampertaine Jamboree daughter, goes back to the Vanessa family that bred the 27,000gns Ampertaine Superstition and 24,000gns Tiara to name but a few.
Mr McKay also received 14,000gns and 10,000gns for equally well-bred bulls. Dearest was Ampertaine Texas, an October 2022-born son of Ampertaine Elgin, another sire that has bred numerous five-figure priced bulls, out of Ampertaine Perfection, an Ampertaine Foreman daughter. Reserve intermediate champion at the pre-sale show and Best Young Bull in the NI Herd Competition, Texas changed hands carrying a double copy of the Q204X gene to Frank Page, Elkington, Northampton.
Ampertaine Token, a September 2022-born bull and another by Ampertaine Jeronimo, was rejected at the pre-sale inspection, but sold for 10,000gns to Andrew Richardson, Bewaldeth, Cockermouth. He is bred from the same family as the 38,000gns Ampertaine Foreman and the 20,000gns Ampertaine Commander.
Iain Scott, farm manager for Allan Jenkinson’s Whinfellpark herd based near Penrith, bought three bulls including the junior champion and reserve overall at 28,000gns. This was Craig and Matt Ridley’s Haltcliffe Umpire, a 17-month-old son of Haltcliffe Iceman bred from the Westpit Omaha daughter Haltcliffe Romance that stood reserve female at the National Show.
Umpire changed hands with a F94L/Q204X myostatin pairing.
Also heading to Whinfellpark at 20,000gns was Sarkley Tyndall, a 17-month-old first prize winner from Glyn Pennie and sons Chris and Nigel’s 150-cow herd from Montgomery, Powys.
Their bull is an AI son of Foxhillfarm Ourbest which bred last year’s 52,000gns sale leader and out of the Ampertaine Commander-sired Sarkley Leanne which is bred from the same cow as the 180,000gns record priced Graiggoch Rambo. Tyndall sold carrying a double copy of the F94L myostatin gene.
The last of Mr Jenkinson’s big purchases, at 16,000gns, came in the form of Steven and Richard Priestley’s Brontemoor Theoutsider, a similarly aged bull from Cracrop, Brampton. He is by the AI sire Haltcliffe Doctor, a Rossignol son and bred from the Ronick Hawk daughter, Brontemoor Nightingale – one of 90 pedigree cows in the herd which runs alongside 30 commercial cows.
Two other bulls went under the hammer for 16,000gns to include the reserve senior champion Loosebeare Tesla, from Paul, Mark and Andrew Quick, Devon. Tesla, a 23-month-old is by their stock sire Ampertaine Jeronimo and out of Loosebeare Ness, which is sired by their own Loosebeare Fantastic and has already bred sons to 8500gns. Final bidder was Mark Meldrum, Shenval Farms, Ballindalloch.
The intermediate champion and supreme overall, Bernish Toplad, from Kieran McCrory, Omagh, Co Tyrone, made the same money when selling to R and C Greenwood buying for their new Skiptonmoor herd, Low Bradley, Skipton.
Another by Foxhillfarm Ourbest, this November 2022-born entry is bred from the 2022 Northern Ireland Rising Stars champion Bernish Princessjuli, a Wilodge Cerberus daughter that was overall champion at the Northern Ireland Rising Stars in 2022.
Northumberland-based breeder Andrew Proctor was another in the money, taking 15,000gns for his second prize winner, Swarland Topaz, an October 2022-born bull and double F94L carrier purchased by Robert Neill, buying for his pedigree and commercial herds at Upper Nisbet, Jedburgh.
By the stock sire Ronick Nissan, that has sired just under 100 calves at Swarland including two 12,000gns bulls since his purchase in October 2018, he is out of the black coated Swarland Macey, by Emslies Enigma.
Matching that price was the 18-month-old Anside Tonto from the Irvines of Braehead, Keith, Banffshire. A first prize winner at the pre-sale show, Tonto is by the prolific AI sire Ampertaine Elgin, while his dam is the Powerful Irish-sired show heifer Anside Owena that also produced the reserve champion at last year’s May sale at Stirling at 14,000gns. Stephanie Dick of the Ronick herd based near Stirling was the final bidder on this entry which boasts a F94L/Q204X myostatin pairing.
Just behind on 14,000gns, Wendy and Ian Callion, Balfornought, Stirling, sold Lodge Timothy, a September 2022-born son of the AI sire Uptonley Livingthedream to RJ Shennan, Farden, Girvan. Timothy is bred from the first calf bred from Lodge Ritzy, which goes back to the French sire Mattben, and again sold carrying the F94L/Q204X pairing.
There was more top breeding behind Stephen and Thomas Illingworth’s Glenrock Timetoshine, from Howgillside, Lockerbie, which also made 14,000gns when selling to Messrs Rutter, Morpeth, Northumberland.
Maternal brother to the award-winning Glenrock Ruby, this November 2022-born entry is an ET and the result of a flush from Glenrock Jewel, a daughter of Glenrock Spangle and sired by Claragh Franco, which originally did so well for Eric and Elaine Norman and more recently for Robert and Jean Graham
Another all-Scottish transaction saw Andrew and Jim Gammie, Laurencekirk, sell their similarly aged embryo calf, Westpit Tisallgood, to Andrew Ewing of the Fairywater herd based at Annan for 13,000gns. For his money he gets a bull bred from the Ampertaine Elgin-sired cow, Wilodge Option, which is a full sister to the record priced Wilodge Poshspice that sold for 250,000gns in 2021. The sire is Jalex Itsallgood. Tisallgood changed hands carrying a double copy of the F94L gene.
Poshspice’s breeders, Paul and Christine Tippetts of the Wilodge herd from Shifnal, Shropshire, came up with the goods too, taking 12,000gns for the double Q204X gene carrier Wilodge Topbrass, a blue ticket holder purchased by Walter Crukshank of the Clury herd from Dulnain Bridge, Grantown-on-Spey. An ET, Topbrass is the result of a flush from the herd’s top producing and grossing female Wilodge Diamante, and sired by Powerful Irish
Just behind, on 11,000gns, Co Derry breeder Michael Diamond sold Pointhouse Terry, an AI son of Plumtree Fantastic bred from the Goldies Jackpot daughter, Pointhouse Rapunzel, to Welsh breeder GL Howatson, of the Plas herd, Denbigh. Terry is another carrying two F94L myostatin genes.
A further four bulls made 10,000gns with the first of those being Ian and Andrew Nimmo’s Maraiscote Topjob, from Wishaw, purchased by Peter Kirton of the Ashledge herd from Bewdley, Worcester.
Topjob, brought out by Sophie Harvey, is sired by Sliabh Felim Mourinho and bred from the Bassingfield Machoman daughter, Maraiscote Octopussy.
Stuart Fotheringham, Ballinloan, Dunkeld, bought the first prize winner, Millgate Triumph, from Michael and Christina Loughran, Co Tyrone for the same price.
For his money, he gets a son of Gleneagle Icon out of Millgate Neon, a Norman Ely-sired cow.
Bradley Robertson of the Mayen herd, Banffshire, also went to 10,000gns for the first prize junior bull, Rosellie Ulmas, from Peter Walker’s 30-cow herd from Lund, Driffield.
His pedigree features Plumtree Fantastic and the Ballyrobin Neptune-sired heifer, Rossellie Rose.
The last of the five-figure sales came for Clive Knox’s Beachmount Umpire from Kelso, which sold to WI Suddes and Sons of the Cornsay herd, Durham. This 15-month-old bull is out of the Loosebeare Justin daughter, Impulsive Nikita, which was bought here.
Mr Knox also topped the females sold before the bulls, at 6000gns. Selling at this price was Frogmore Ursula, a 16-month-old heifer bred by Chris White, purchased by Mary Cormack, to join the Rougemont herd, Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
Ursula is by Loosebeare Master and out of the Ampertaine Magnum-sired Frogmore Ruby.
Minutes later, the 23-month-old Haltcliffe Topsy made 5000gns to DE Ayres and Co, Ludlow, Shropshire, for the Woofferton herd. Consinged by Craig Ridley, Wigton, she is a daughter of the Westpit Omaha and bred from the Sympa-sired Haltcliffe Nobility.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Averages: 80 bulls, £8213.63 (-£965.34 for the same number); 19 heifers, £3547.89.
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