Cornwall Club Report

Cornwall Simmental Club

Report by Barrie Wynter, Chairman

2021 began quietly with scaled down firework displays and extensive plans for celebrations, sales, visits and shows on hold. Eventually once again postponements and cancellations dominoed across the British Isles. The relatively new concept of on-line timed auctions emerging in 2020 was widely adopted by livestock auctioneers. On-line viewing and bidding at sales continued as a successful addition to marketing options. Progressive breeders used social media and impressive videos to promote their own sales with overloaded systems crashing and frustrating outcomes as the bid button requires faster decisions than ring side procrastination.

The outstanding headline for the year has been the prices secured by commercial Simmental stock in markets across the British Isles. Store sales at the south-west markets of Truro, Hallworthy, Exeter, and Sedgemoor throughout 2021 have seen a strong demand for Simmentals resulting in top prices. Special mention to Jim and Jean Buckland, Wellatree herd and Ant Hart, Treverbyn herd for leading the trade at Hallworthy on more than one occasion and featuring in Kivells market report videos.

The trend for virtual shows continued. The Society held their second event which received tremendous support from breeders across the British Isles with huge numbers of entries across all the classes. Congratulations to the Cornish herds listed in the results.

Four club herds entered the Stithians cattle section all-beef breeds classes in July. There were twenty-one Simmentals forward out of the thirty-six photographs posted: with Simmental cattle winning three of the four classes. Bosahan were delighted to win several prizes in the cattle section including Championship and Reserve in the beef breeds division. Stock forward were judged by Jonny Dymond the senior auctioneer and auction centre manager at Shrewsbury Auction Centre. He joined Halls in 2017 and started his career with Kivells in his native Cornwall and Devon.

The Champion Kinclaven Infusion is a polled British Simmental bull born 15th August 2017 and was bred in Perth, Scotland. He was purchased at Stirling Bull Sales in February 2019 and selected as Reserve Male Champion at Royal Cornwall Show the following June by David Barker. Winning the beef bull any age class of 13 entries the judge described him as exactly what he looks for in the senior stock bull, stylish head, wealthy even shoulder, extra length, solid flesh in the loin and deep full rounds.

Bosahan Harmony Whitney

Selected in Reserve was Bosahan Harmony Whitney born 19th February 2016 a third calver she is currently rearing twin heifer calves by Heathbrow Freddie Star P. Shown successfully at Royal Cornwall in 2017 winning the yearling heifer class. John Moore went on to choose her as his reserve female champion. Winning the beef cow class of 11 entries the judge described her as a fabulous maternal cow, she strikes me as a real character with the natural instincts of the Simmental breed which are outstanding milk producers compared to their continental counterparts. Being very milky with desirable teats she should rear her calves well.

Killiworgie Knightrider

In August two Cornish herds supported the North Devon alternative along with South-West Club entries. Simmentals shone again heading all five classes. Steve and Gill Gummow’ s breeding won four classes with Killiworgie Elderflower’s Jamesia, by Killiworgie Emperor, lifting the championship and Killiworgie Knightrider a son of Lynfield Hamish reserve. The latter being Bolankin’ s new stock bull.

By August a few organisers took the brave step of staging their shows. Steve Buckland and Megan Wellington with their supporters made successful cross border raids at Okehampton Show.

Angwelha Fantastic Lotti

Steve standing Champion with Angwelha Fantastic Lotti a February 20 heifer by Carbery Jaguar x a Sperrin View Director dam going back to the Heywood Fantastic maternal line.

Viewing the Wellatree Herd

Cornwall club held its annual herd competition visits in September. Following the 2020 club photography competition Mrs Judith Borlase, from the Sacombe Herd, agreed to return to her home county to see our cattle first- hand. Chauffeured around by the Cornwall Club Chairman, fifteen pedigree and commercial herds were visited over four days covering 400 miles. It was a privilege to catch up with club members after a prolonged absence and see tremendous cattle the length and brength of the county. Thank you all for entering the competition and for the wonderful hospitality provided. A special mention for our President, Mrs Penny Lally who has generously given a new trophy for the best commercial herd.

October Suckled Calf Sales

The British Simmental Society offered the Cornwall Club four hundred pounds sponsorship for breed promotion.

The committee decided to award £300 to Truro Livestock Market, £75 per class for the top lots in the fourth Special Simmental Sired Suckler Calf Sale held in conjunction with Lodge & Thomas’s third 2021 autumn suckler calf sale. There was tremendous support from commercial breeders using Simmental bulls. Numbers entered saw a massive 120% increase from the 2020 sale. With Simmentals making up over a third of the entries forward, super quality stock attracted repeat buyers and a firm trade for heifers being sought for breeding.

Many buyers fed back that Facebook, Twitter and Website advertisements had been seen.

Winning Suckler calves at Truro

Pennytinney Keepsake & Lemon Drizzle

Megan’s Pennytinney Keepsake stood Reserve. Keepsake is a March 19 heifer with Crackley maternal bloodlines on both sides from the Cadette and Cornelia families. Joined by her half-sister Pennytinney Lemon Drizzle, a January 20 heifer by Sowenna Illuminate a son of Castlegale Eric, they were awarded the Champion Beef Pair. Congratulations to Adrian and Ryan Roberts and Peter& Steph Hooper and David Reeves winning the classes. Thank you to all that entered including Messrs PM & A Jewell, Mrs P.E. Williams, Mr Liam Vague, Messrs Langton and Messrs Thomas

A fast trade saw increased prices averaging £100 per head for steers and £50 per head for heifers. The year-on-year interest in this sale suggests it is becoming a very important event in both the Cornwall Club’s and Lodge & Thomas’s calendar with hopefully Society financial support set to continue.

The remaining £100 was match funded by the Cornwall Club to award £100 each to the top Simmental Sired Steer or pen of steers and top Heifer or pen of heifers at Hallworthy Stockyard across their Southwestern Suckled Calf Association sale and open suckler calf sales. With over 800 calves entered for Tuesday 26th October the judge, Ricky Cobbledick, selected a pen of five pure bred Simmental steer calves from Jim and Jean Buckland Wellatree as champions and subsequently selling to Berkshire for £970 per head.

Killiworgie Lockdown

Congratulations to Steve and Gill Gummow for selling Killiworgie Lockdown, by Dinton Imperial, to Genus Breeding A.I. Stud with straws destined for China as well as the home market.

Coose Monopoly P

Wellatree pen of steers

Jim Buckland - Champion Trophy Presentation Ant Hart has imported from the Republic of Ireland. Securing a new stock bull to follow Skylark Geronimo. Coose Monopoly is a polled January 20 son of Coose Jericho out of a Kilbride Farm Delboy dam.

Newbiemains Lorenzo

Following these sales there has been a noticeable increase in traffic to the Cornwall Club Website and new followers on our Facebook pages.

Cornwall Club Chairman Barrie Wynter (BSCS Council Member) and Vice Chairman Piers Hawkey attended the Society A.G. M. held at the Stirling Bull Sales on the Cornwall Club’s behalf. Stewart Stronach was re-elected as BSCS President and Kevin Thomas, Crowgey Herd, and second Cornish Club Council Member, was elected as Chairman of Shows and Sales South, (covering England and Wales) Not an easy task and the Cornwall Club members wish him a successful tenure.

With many members and commercial breeders seeking improvements by investing in new stock bull genetics the Simmental breed goes from strength to strength in Cornwall. There is interest nationally in our cattle and the future looks promising. Recently the Wellatree herd has acquired Newbiemains Lorenzo from the Goldie family. A February 20 son of Moorglen Hillbilly to use on Carbery Jaguar sired females out of Sperrin View Director dams.

Finally, Kevin & Tanya Thomas of the Crowgey herd await the arrival of Rathlee Master P from The Republic of Ireland. An October 20 son of Curaheen Gunshot P x Curaheen Grace a polled daughter of Auroch Bullet P.

We held our A.G. M. in November where serving officers and committee members were re-elected en-bloc to serve a further two- year term with the option to co-opt any members expressing an interest in taking a more active role in the club.

The Meeting was preceded by a supper with our 2021 herd competition judge, Mrs Judith Borlase, attended by 33 members.

Cornwall Simmental Club Herd Competition 2021 Results

Judge’s comments: “What an honour and privilege to be invited to judge the Cornwall herds competition taking me back to my homeland to see some great cattle across the county. It is 33 years since Penny and John Lally visited the Sacombe Herd and purchased the cow Sacombe Palma and two heifers Solar and Sunshine to form the Chyanhal Pedigree Simmental Herd the first in Cornwall.

Penny together with James Lawrey, Phil Johnson, Roger Pascoe and John Langdon became the driving force to spread the word Simmental and to start the Cornish Club. One day Penny rang us and asked, if she was able to get Simmental classes started at the Royal Cornwall Show would Sacombe support it. The rest is history and the next year we set off on what was to become our annual trip to Wadebridge all 300 miles of it winning several Championships along the way.

In my opinion is the Cornwall Club is the strongest club within the breed. Established pedigree breeders encourage very keen young and new members, ably supported by very enthusiastic commercial breeders. My judging stint took me over 400 miles throughout the County. There were thirteen classes to be judged, counting the championships, and all pedigree herds had some commercial cattle to be considered at the same time. It was good to see that breeders were being very selective regarding potential stock bulls and either steering male calves for the suckled calf and store sales, where they are making tremendous inroads in the sale rings in the South-West or producing early finishing bull beef.”

My first two classes were for bull calves born between 01/10/20 to 31/12/20 and those born in 2021. My two standout calves were Steve and Gill Gummow’s Killiworgie Mr Motivator, and Piers Hawkey and Family’s Sowenna Mars. On the day Mr. Motivator just had the nod.

CLASS 1. BULL CALF BORN 2021 1st Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Mr Motivator 2nd Piers Hawkey and Family – Sowenna Mars 3rd Lucy and George Hosken – Tregowris Matthew

Like Father Like Son Killiworgie Lieutenant v Islavale Jerico

CLASS 2. BULL BORN 01/10/20---31/12/20 1st. John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan Lancelot 2nd. Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Lieutenant

Castlegale Eric

Class 3 Senior Stock Bull: This was won by the Hawkey Family’s very powerful Castlegale Eric a true bull breeder, he exuded breed character, length, and depth of fleshing. He was followed by Anthony Hart’s Skylark Geronimo, a bull with great mobility, length and softness of fleshing, closely followed by the Buckland family’s Carberry Jaguar another very easily fleshed bull leaving some great females.

Class 4. Heifer Calf Born 2021

Sowenna Marigold

Hawkey family’s Sowenna Marigold, a very well grown calf, who was long, clean with very easy fleshing a real cow maker for the future. She was followed by the Olds family’s very sweet, well grown calf Bosahan Magic Doll, and in third place came Ant Hart’s very well grown smart heifer Treverbyn Milly.

Class 5. Heifer Born between 01/10/20 and 31/12/20

Bosahan Lupin Clover

Steve and Gill Gummow’s Killiworgie Hemerra’s Libby led the way a very feminine sweet heifer followed by the Hawkey family’s Sowenna Libra very well grown and thick, in third came the Olds family’s very well grown heifer Bosahan Lupin Clover by Ranfurly Confederate, with potential to make a great brood cow.

Class 6 In Calf Heifer

Treverbyn Hayley Bosahan Gold Magic Baby

Class 8. Young Stock It was great to see promising stock for the future which augers well for the breed. This class was led by the Gummow Family’s tremendous young females all exuding quality, and breed character, closely followed by the Buckland Family’s very impressive group of heifers, which will make a great herd of cows in the future, The Hawkey family then came into third place with some very powerful young stock, with a natural depth of fleshing

Killiworgie Young Heifers

Killiworgie Young Bulls

Treverbyn Keira

A very strong class where my first three were just my type, All with true breed character, feminine and with great bone structure, depth of body, length, and with good feet and legs. The class was led by Ant Hart’s Treverbyn Keira, followed by the Olds Family’s Bosahan Kellie Pearl Velia, followed by Viv Hall’s Chegwidden Bambino’s Keira. The standard throughout this class was very strong.

Class 7. Cow any Age

Killiworgie Exotic Rose

This class of eleven cows was led by the Gummow’s fifth calver, Killiworgie Exotic Rose, who just oozed quality, presence, and breed character. Treverbyn Hayley followed a very deep bodied cow and very easily fleshed In third came the Olds family’s fourth calver, Bosahan Gold Magic Baby, a Skerrington Armada daughter who has been the standout influential sire in this herd for me.

Class 9. Homebred Female Judge’s Choice any age

Winner: Steve and Gill Gummow’s Killiworgie Exotic Rose a beautiful cow full of breed character, and quality. In reserve she was closely followed by Ant Hart’s Treverbyn Keira.

Class 10. Commercial within the Pedigree Herds

First place went to a super heifer calf from the Hawkey Family, by Castlegale Eric out of a Belgian Blue cow, in second came another heifer calf from Ant Hart out of a HerefordXFriesian cow by Skylark Geronimo, these were followed by Steph Hooper’s calves by Tregnether Jackpot (more comments on this herd in the commercial section).

I was really impressed with the thought that Lucy and husband George, also a Young Member, have put into sourcing foundation females for their young Tregowris herd.

Their thirst for knowledge, willingness to ask questions and to listen carefully to advice was admirable. I was delighted that they had done their homework and sourced sexed semen from one sire to use across the herd to establish a uniformity for their next generation.

Champion Small Herd. Ant Hart. Treverbyn Reserve Champion. Adele Jewell. Rosewin

Lucy Hosken

Champion small herd

Champion Large Herd. Steve and Gill Gummow. Killiworgie Reserve Champion Jim, Jean, and Steven Buckland Wellatree

Overall Champion Herd. Killiworgie Reserve Overall Treverbyn.

Champion large herd and overall

Commercial Herds Competition

I had absolutely no idea what to expect and shouldn’t have been surprised at the quality of the suckler herds that I saw.

1st and Champion Edward White Bolankin

This herd was full of quality females with tremendous calves by Bolankin Herbie, top suckler herds throughout the country would be hard pressed to produce better suckler females than those established in this herd. A type that should be promoted to all commercial suckler breeders.

In second place came Steph Hooper, her father Peter and partner David Reeves – Tregnether. What a sight to drive into a field of forty Blonde d’Aquitaine cows all with calves at foot by the homebred Simmental bull, Tregnether Jackpot they were picture perfect just like peas in a pod. We then went onto another field of forty cross bred cows again with tremendous Simmental sired calves, which were hard to fault. The fatstock calf producers should be beating a path to their door. In third place came Iain Backway with a very impressive herd of Simmental cross bred cows running with Killiworgie Iceman, everything here Iain takes through to finishing. Nothing is housed but run out until open yarded and finished on silage and meal, a low-cost system that is working well for him.

Next came Mrs Williams and Family’s herd almost on the cliffs of Lands End. Here the type of cattle being bred were aimed at the replacement suckler cow market. I saw some superb young stock by Bolankin General.

BEST COMMERCIAL PROGENY GROUP. 1st. Edward White. By Bolankin Herbie 2nd Steph Hooper By Tregnether Jackpot

Tregnether Jackpot

White Bolankin claves by Bolankin Herbie

As I conclude my report for the 2021 journal, on behalf of the Cornwall Club, I would like to wish Jim Buckland a complete recovery from an unfortunate accident in April and congratulate the family on hosting a charity ploughing match raising over £3300 for Devon Air Ambulance. I’m sure we all will be eternally grateful for their suburb professional first responder treatment and Jim’s subsequent care at Derriford hospital.

Finally, I extend an invitation to clubs and individual breeders alike to attend The Royal Cornwall Show due to be held on 9th, 10th & 11th June. It is our premier show, well supported across all sections and worth a visit. Alternatively, the club would be happy to organise a leisurely break in our glorious county to see our cattle and diverse countryside.