News

7000GNS RANFURLY BEAUTY 13TH K2 LEADS STRONG SIMMENTAL DEMAND AT RANFURLY & BALLINALARE SALE

• Ranfurly Beauty 13th K2 tops the trade at 7000gns • Eleven lots make 4000gns and more • 18 Ranfurly animals average £4243.75 • Top price from Ballinalare herd makes 4900gns • Animals sold to Scotland, England, Wales, Republic of Ireland, & N Ireland

The much anticipated third production sale from the Ranfurly and Ballinalare pedigree Simmental herds, held on Friday 4th September at Dungannon Farmers Mart, met with a strong demand and a healthy trade that saw a top price of 7000gns, and further prices of 5600gns, 5500gns, 5200gns. In all eleven lots from the forty-three sold made 4000gns or more. The sale attracted interest from all over the UK and Ireland with animals selling to Scotland, England, Wales, Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Many of the lots were sold through online bidding in addition to the registered audience at ringside.

Taking the top price at 7000gns for Mr WD & JD Hazelton, Cohannon House, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, was the January 2019 born heifer Ranfurly Beauty 13th K2. By Grinalta’s Excel 8N, she is out of Ranfurly Beauty 8th F9 (ET). Beauty’s dam is a genetic full sister to Curaheen Tyson, Vio and Bandit, the same cow family as the 16,500gns Beauty 5th C4. Heading over to Scotland this heifer was purchased by Mr WS Stronach for his well-known Islavale herd at Berryleys Farm, Grange, Keith, Banffshire. Commenting on his purchase Stewart Stronach, who had travelled over to N Ireland the previous week to see the Ranfurly cattle before bidding online on sale day, said: “I really liked what I saw across all of the sale cattle, they were ready for the sale, not over done, and looking 100%. Ranfurly Beauty 13th K2 is just our style of heifer with a lot of potential for the future. She brings something different in the bloodlines for us to try being by the Canadian bull and combines that with proven breeding in the dam line.” The Islavale herd presently comprises of 150 pedigree breeding females run with 50 commercial Simmental cows.

The Ranfurly herd put forward eighteen lots on the day which averaged a terrific £4243.75. Founded in 1971 the Ranfurly herd has consistently been a top performing pedigree Simmental herd both within the sale and show ring. Offering a high health status and a depth of breeding, the herd presently comprises of seventeen cows all of which are classified as excellent or very good. Commenting after the sale a delighted David Hazelton said: “We are extremely pleased with the sale and trust that the cattle go on to do well for their new owners. Over the years we’ve placed emphasis on proven cow families being mated to proven bulls. Focusing on the market place we are trying to breed cattle that are relevant to both the pedigree breeder and commercial producer. To do this we’ve used performance recording and the classification scheme as helpful tools which has worked to advantage.”

The day’s second top price was the 5600gns paid for the maiden heifer Ranfurly Weikel 30th K1. January 2019 born this heifer, which was a junior heifer class winner at the NI Simmental National Show at Omagh in 2019, is by Cleenagh Flasher and is out of Ranfurly Weikel 18th H2. Another to go over the water, this animal was purchased by B & E Chadwick for their Chadston pedigree herd at The Hedgerows, Hilton, Derby.

From the same breeding line Ranfurly Weikel 27th J16 sold for 5500gns to M Quinn, Dunamore Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone. A rising two year old, this heifer is by Team Celtic 11 and is out of Ranfurly Weikel 4th W20 whose previous progeny had sold to 9100gns at the herd’s first production sale. Ranfurly Weikel 27th J16 carried an impressive Milk figure of +21 and was sold PD’d in calf to Curaheen Bandit.

The very last lot in the ring, Ranfurly Weikel 38th L5, confirmed the day’s strong trade when making 5200gns. January 2020 born, this heifer calf is by Carnkern Titan and out of the noted South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd EX 93. Combining pedigree and performance, Weikel 38th L5 is a full sister to Ranfurly Formula One, Supreme

Ranfurly Beauty 13th K2 7000gns

Ranfurly Weikel 30th K1 5600gns

Ranfurly Weikel 27 J16 5500gns

Champion at Stirling October 2016, who sold for 15000gns. Purchasing this calf was SP McDonald who runs the pedigree Coolcran herd at Coolcran, Tempo, Co Fermanagh.

The top price in the Ballinalare herd offering from Mr J & Mr A Wilson, Dorans Hill, Newry, Co. Down, was the 4900gns paid for Bannhill Farm Jinx. April 2018 born this heifer, scanned in calf to Rabawn Ernie, is by the noted Raceview King, and is out of Ballinalare Farm Fleur, an Auchorachan Wizard daughter. This calf was snapped up by Mr DG Rooney for their Veaghmore pedigree herd at Ballymartin, Newry, Co Down. The second top price from the Wilson’s offering was the 4400gns paid for the September 2018 born Bannhill Farm Juliet. This heifer, by Kilbride Farm Bantry and out of Ballinalare Farm Fuscia, was sold scanned in calf to the noted Camus Brandy. Heading to the Republic of Ireland, this heifer was bought by G Neenan, Coolnafarna, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.

At 4800gns was the September 2018 born Ranfurly Kleeb 41st J14. With a full brother having previously sold at Stirling for 6500gns, this heifer is another by Team Celtic 11 and is out of Ranfurly Kleeb 32nd D14 EX 92. Again with a strong Milk figure of +17, Ranfurly Kleeb 41st J14 was bought by Mr JN Glasgow for his Bridgewater Farm herd at Creevagh Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone.

The good trade for maiden heifers continued with the April 2019 born Ranfurly Weikel 32nd K10 making 4600gns when selling to the Lisglass herd of JL & CJ Weatherup, Irish Hill, Ballyclare, Co Antrim. By Anatrim Bodybuilder this heifer is out of Ranfurly Weikel 20th H6 VG, making her the first granddaughter of South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd EX93 to be sold.

The very next lot, and from similar breeding, Ranfurly Weikel 34th K12 sold for 4500gns. This ET calf is by Salisbury Challenger and out of the noted South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd EX93. Buying this lot was W McKittrick, Ternagreeve Road, Loughgall.

Averages:

Ranfurly Herd: 18 animals averaged £4243.75 Ballinalare Herd: 25 animals averaged £2614.50 Sale gross: £141,750

Ranfurly Weikel 38th 5200gns

5800GNS CORSKIE KING TOPS SIMMENTAL TRADE AT ANM’S ONLINE EVENING SALE

Auchorachan Kevin Aultmore Knockout

The January 2019 born Corskie King 19, from from Mr WJ &J Green, Garmouth, Fochabers topped the Simmental trade at Aberdeen & Northern Marts online sale held on Monday 5th October, when selling for 5800gns. Corskie King 19 is a heifer’s calf being out of Corskie Highness VG 86, a Bel Dhu Capercaillie daughter, and is sired by Auchorachan Farmer 14.

The January 2019 born Aultmore Knockout 19, from Wm Patterson & Son, Upper Forgie, Aultmore, Keith, took the second top price when selling for 5500gns. This bull is by Auchorachan ACDC 09 9, and is out of the Banwy Wonderboy daughter Drumpark Rosebud 3rd .

Selling at 5,000gns was Auchorachan Kevin 19 from D & R Durno & Sons, Glenlivet, Ballindalloch. This February born bull is by the imported sire Auroch Hudson (P), and is out of the homebred Auchorachan Hilly 6 VG 87.

Corskie King

Other prices included:

4500gns Glenlossie Jimmy 18 4200gns Garmouth Knightrider

Incheoch Keystone £6200 Incheoch Kincaid £4600

£6200 INCHEOCH KEYSTONE LEADS THE SIMMENTAL TRADE AT THE ‘WORKING GENES’ SALE

• Six Simmental bulls average £4433

The £6200 pedigree Simmental bull Incheoch Keystone led a terrific commercial trade at the Working Genes Sale for Neil & Debbie McGowan, Incheoch Farms, Alyth, Blairgowrie on 3rd September. Held virtually this year due to the Covid-19 situation, the sale was conducted entirely online and through ‘Yourbid’, a website system based in New Zealand. This was the 13th staging of the Working Genes Sale of shearling rams and within that, the 3rd staging of a bull sale.

The online sale met with a ram record £5000 price paid, record averages for the 97 rams sold, and a very healthy average of £4433 for the six Simmental bulls sold! The 13 bulls sold in all, many of which hadn’t been seen in the flesh by the buyers, included both Angus and Luing offerings.

The Simmental leader, Incheoch Keystone, is a January 2019 born homozygous polled bull by Gibby’s Real Deal and out of Incheoch Polarine H3 (P), a daughter of Dirnanean Sioux S10P who bred a previous stock sire, Dirnanean Apostle. Incheoch Keystone was bought by John Ritchie, Dunning, Perthshire, to cross with Saler x cows to breed replacements. Incheoch Kincaid, also homozygous polled and by BBN Polled Century, sold at £4600 to Ian McKie of Lanton Estate in Northumberland to run with Luing cows.

Incheoch Kelly, by Auroch Deuter, a further homozygous polled bull, went at £3,800 to run with Luing cows with Angus and Ewan McCall, Culmailly, Golspie. Incheoch Kidson, just over 15 months on sale day, by Dirnanean Emerald and out of an Apostle dam, sold at £4000 to the James Hutton Institute, Glensaugh, Fettercairn again to run with Luings. Two further Simmentals are off to commercial herds in the Scottish Borders.

Commenting within the sale catalogue, Neil McGowan said: “The Incheoch Simmental herd of 40 - mostly polled - cows is based on the most functional cow families from the previous ‘Dirnanean’ herd. Calving ease, structural soundness for longevity and a calm, maternal character have always been a priority - we’ve turned up the pressure on lower mature weight, ease of fleshing and fertility in order to find you sires that will leave lower maintenance, regular calving, long lasting daughters...and a steer with do-ability and a good top.”

AVERAGES:

6 Simmental Bulls £4433 13 Bulls (in all) £4207.69

HEYWOOD SIMMENTAL DISPERSAL TOPS AT 5000GNS

The Dispersal Sale of the Heywood herd in December at Sedgemoor brought to an end a lifetime of breeding for David Barker and one of the most renowned herd names in the Simmental herdbook. The sale saw a top call of 5000gns for the much admired calved heifer ‘Heywood Empress 10th’, who goes back to the Golden Show Cow Stuartslaw Melody, along with her October born heifer calf Empress 11th – the very last Heywood Simmental to be born. This outfit was bought by the Chard herd of Laura French, Greenacres, Chard, Somerset.

The maiden heifer from the famous Star Fanny line sold for 2800gns to the Palk family, Stantor herd of Paignton Devon. Another cow from the Fantastic family due again in April to Grandslam and her May bull calf sold for a combined total of 2800gns. The 14 month old bull calf Heywood Kracker by Dinton Nautical from the Empress line sold for 2300gns to John May, Priorton herd.

AVERAGES:

2 Bulls £2,152.50; 5 Cows & Calves £2,851.80; 2 Served Heifers £1,653.75; 3 Maiden Heifers £2,170.00

IRISH ALL-BREEDS RECORD PRICED €52,000 SIMMENTAL HEADS TO THE POPES HERD, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE

It was a record-breaking day on Saturday 24th October 2020, when the Simmental bull Clonagh Lucky Explorer sold for an all-breeds record price of €52,000 (£47,285) at the Irish Simmental Cattle Society’s Roscommon Sale.

Heading to the UK, this May 2019 born bull, bred by Garett Behan, Clonagowan, Ballyfin, Portlaoise, Co Laois, was purchased by JH&VG Wood, Popes Farm, Clitheroe Road, Dutton, Preston, Lancs for their noted Popes pedigree herd. Packed full of British Simmental genetics Clonagh Lucky Explorer, described by Garett Behan as the best bull ever bred at Clonagh, is by Manor Park Hansome 16, a Slievenagh Extra Special 13 son. He is out of Clonagh Dora the Explorer, a Banwy T Rex daughter, which features both Sterling and Skerrington breeding.

The €52,000 was double the previous Irish Simmental record price and is an all-breeds Irish record price. Speaking of their record priced purchase, and with the bull safely at Popes Farm soon after the sale, Vicki Wood said: “This is a very special bull that we have watched since he was a calf. It’s not often you get the chance of a bull with the balance of quality and outstanding proven bloodlines that he brings and we’re delighted to have bought him. He’s a big investment in the future and just has that x-factor that we’ve been looking for to take the herd forward to a new level.” Bringing quality, width, and soft fleshing the Woods feel that the Clonagh bull will fit well with their 50-cow herd adding that he introduces different breeding through his bloodlines.

For good measure the Woods also purchased the second highest bull price in the sale, Clonagh Latin Lover at €6800, and also from the Behans. Another May `19 born bull Latin Lover was also by Manor Park Hansome and out of another National Livestock champion Clonagh Darling Eyes.

RESEARCH PROVEN

CATTLE BOOSTER

IMPROVE PERFORMANCE FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT.

 Boosts forage digestibility by 10% and dry matter intake by up to 15%  Improves DLWG by 16-20%  Increases pregnancy rates by 5-15%  Enhances normal sperm numbers by up to 20%  Typical daily intakes 100g-150g youngstock, 10-15p head/day  Typical daily intakes 150g-200g sucklers and bulls 15-20p head/day

+44 016973 32592 info@crystalyx-global.com

Find your nearest stockist at crystalyx- global.com

Crystalyx

‘VINTAGE’ HEPPLEWHITE CHAMPAGNE HIGHLIGHTS THE LONGEVITY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND VALUE IN SIMMENTAL BREEDING FEMALES

Hepplewhite Champagne 11, a 16-yearold pedigree Simmental cow from John and June Trafford, Hepplewhite herd, Cockermouth, Cumbria, has proven to be a ‘vintage’ Simmental breeding female having calved her 14th pedigree calf in June this year. Sired by Sacombe Wishfull Thinking, and out of Hepplewhite Champagne 10th, Hepplewhite Champagne 11 has had a very balanced 7 heifers and 7 bulls over 13 calvings, including a set of twins. Her most recent calf, a heifer calf Hepplewhite Champagne 36th is by the polled bull Rooklea Hunter 16 and was born on the 24th June.

All fourteen calves have been born unassisted, and all have been reared by mum who, on every occasion has been quick to get back in calf within a couple of months. John has kept and sold some of the progeny. Of the six female calves born, not including this years, four have been retained for breeding and who have themselves gone on to have a further 23 calves registered in the British Simmental Herdbook. There are now four generations of this line in the herd, including Great grandmother, Grandmother, Mother, and Daughter. The herd has now got to Hepplewhite Champagne 36 in this Champagne line which was started in 1980. The original Hepplewhite Champagne is by the prolific AI sire Scottish Neff and is out of Henna which is one of the three original Simmentals John imported in 1973.

The bulls Hepplewhite Champagne 11 has produced have mainly been sold for commercial breeding and have met with a ready commercial demand, but John says Hepplewhite Champagne 11’s strength as a breeding cow has been the quality of breeding females that she has produced.

So what a package of longevity, productivity and profit this all adds up to. Let’s just look at the traits and economics of what this one cow has added up to:

• Fantastic longevity has seen fourteen calves from thirteen calvings • Terrific fertility producing a calf every year and easily got back in calf. • Extremely easy calving with no assistance required for any calvings • Great milking and mothering ability with mum easily able to rear all fourteen calves • Producing quality breeding females, retaining these same traits and genetics, and which has seen a further 23 calves registered in the herdbook. • Increased calf performance from a mature cow. • Producing in demand bulls for commercial breeding that have met a ready market.

All of this, and at the end of a highly productive working life, a cull value that could be reasonably be expected to be around £1000£1200. Fantastic profit and performance for a Simmental female and typical of the maternal traits of the breed!

John and June Trafford joined the British Simmental Cattle Society in 1971, putting them amongst the earliest members of the Society, and they imported their first animals in 1973. They had previously used Ayrshire cows for milking, and introduced Simmentals originally as a dual purpose breed to produce more of a beef animal before eventually concentrating on pure bred Simmentals as a beef animal. John first took his bulls to Perth in 1977 and has been attending the Perth and Stirling sales ever since and ‘having not missed many’! A strong affinity to the breed and a highly respected breeder, John has had two spells on BSCS Council and has judged Simmentals at a number of shows, including the Great Yorkshire, Royal Bath and West, and Royal Cornwall amongst others. Looking back on the breed’s development in the UK John believes the Simmental 1978 event was a real pivotal platform for the breed’s recognition in the UK industry as a top line beef breed.

Advertise your animals for sale online today!

View all animals available for sale, including pictures, links to their pedigrees, any accompanying notes, and the contact details of the owner breeders.

www.simmentalmarket.co.uk

TRIPLET SIMMENTAL BULL CALVES BORN IN THE WROXALL HERD!

It’s nice to go out in a morning and find an unexpected set of triplet pedigree Simmental bull calves born with no assistance, and doing well!

That was the lovely bonus awaiting the Wroxall team of Dan and Rob Evans, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick on Thursday morning, 16th September. Entirely homebred, the triplet calves got by natural service are out of Wroxall India Patience, a Wroxall Cocker Leeky Soup daughter, and by the heterozygous polled bull Wroxall Electric 13.

Wroxall India Patience is only a second calver and the Evans team will give a little thought to looking after mum and how best to rear the calves from here. Commenting, Rob Evans said: “This was a lovely surprise and a little bit of unexpected ‘sunshine’ after a tough year with the weather.”

For the Wroxall herd, one of the original British Simmental herds and established in 1970, the birth of the triplets was a ‘first time’ event but the third time in a matter of months that British Simmental have reported on a hat-trick of calves!

HARROP HERD SCORES A ‘HAT-TRICK’ WITH SIMMENTAL TRIPLETS!

First-time Simmental mum, Harrop Victoria Izzie, from the Harrop herd of John James Bradley-Wainwright, Adlington, Cheshire, has given birth to pure-bred Simmental triplets. Whilst triplet births are so rare in beef cattle that scientists have very little information to compile statistical data, the odds of it happening are estimated to be about one in more than 100,000! Harrop Victoria Izzie, sired by Winford Grenadier 15 and out of Fole Nutwood Victoria 46, is a first time calving heifer, and surprised owner Mr BradleyWainwright when she gave birth to three calves in June. Calves Harrop Victoria Lemon, Harrop Victoria Lime, and Harrop Lucky Third Time, sired by Eaton Impeccabull 17 are all doing well, as is Harrop Victoria Izzie, who is happily rearing two of the calves, with the third being taken off her by the breeder. Mr Bradley-Wainwright has a small herd of Simmentals with his father near Macclesfield, and bought Harrop Victoria Izzie’s grandmother when he was 13, which was his first cow. Mr Bradley-Wainwrights father has been involved with the Simmental Society since 1988, and as well as Simmentals they have 300 lambing ewes and 160 cattle.