British Simmental Review 2022

SIMMENTAL 2022

THE REVIEW

SIMMENTAL BULLS TO 30,000GNS IN STRONG YEAR OF SALES

BULL BUYERS’ SURVEY RETURNS

94% APPROVAL RATE

COMMERCIAL HERD FEATURES

HIGHLIGHT SIMMENTAL EFFICIENCY

SIMMENTAL FEMALES TO 18,000GNS AT NEXT GENERATION II

Kilbride Farm Simmentals

Kilbride Farm Jetstream P 4 Sons already away to Pedigree Breeders!

Follow us on Facebook Instagram @kilbridefarmsimmentals website www.kilbridefarm.co.uk

We have 3 sons going to the Stirling bull sales in February

Or Contact:

Michael 07968814180

Norman 07968814182

Billy 07968814191

Matthew 07975531910

Semen available from 4 trait leader Sneumgaard Imperator PP + Flopp Agrochyt PP new from the Czech Republic, Cairnview Snazzy, Kilbride Farm Hans PP

We believe we are leading the way for polled genetics, by carefully selecting the highest quality genetics worldwide! Visitors are always welcome with both NI ports and airports only being 20 minutes away! Elite level of stock constantly available on farm with exports and transport easily arranged.

Kilbride Farm Majestic P Kilbride Farm Landmark

2022 Annual Review

No. 43

SOCIETY STAFF

General: 02476 696513

Registrations: 0800 505 3954

Monday – Thursday: 9am – 5pm Friday: 9am – 3pm

Email: information@britishsimmental.co.uk

www.britishsimmental.co.uk

British Simmental Cattle Society

NAC

Stoneleigh Park

Warwickshire

CV8 2LG

Find us on social media

@britishsimmental

@britishsimms

bscs2017

Design & Printing Ghost Design

Iain Kerr iain@britishsimmental.co.uk

Nicky Moreton nicky@britishsimmental.co.uk

Rachel Foley rachel@britishsimmental.co.uk

Sue Stenner sue@britishsimmental.co.uk

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2023

Mr Norman Robson, President

Northern Ireland

106 Cogrey Road, Doagh, Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT39 0PX

Tel: 02893 352348 Mobile: 07968 814182

Email: norman@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Chris Martindale, Vice President & Chairman Of Finance

Midlands

Coedfa, Mount Bradford Lane, St Martins, Owestry, Shropshire, SY11 3HQ

Tel: 01691 772266 Mobile: 07801 184368

Email: chris@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Stewart Stronach, Chairman of Shows & Sales North

Scotland

Maisley, Keith, Banffshire, AB55 5QH

Tel: 01542 882294 Mobile: 07779 782777

Email: stewart@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr John Barlow, Chairman of Shows & Sales South

Four Oaks, Ulnes Walton Lane, NR Leyland, Lancashire, PR26 8LT

Mob: 07850 602679

Email: Johnb@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Robin Boyd, World Simmental

Federation Representative

Northern Ireland

Slievenagh Farm 78 Ballynafie Road, Portglenone, County Antrim. N Ireland, BT44 8DQ

Tel: 02825 820070 Mobile: 07799 346784

Email: robin@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Andrew Clarke

Northern Ireland

19 Breaghey Road, Tynan, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland BT60 4SU

Tel: 02837 568669 Mobile: 07756 021706

Email: andrew@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Michael Durno

Scotland

Auchorachan, Glenlivet, Ballindalloch, Banffshire, AB37 9DN

Tel: 01807 590213 Mobile: 07718 467868

Email: michaeld@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Adrian Ivory

Scotland

Strathisla Farms, Moolies, Meigle, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH12 8RF

Tel: 01828 640227 Mobile: 07711 288346

Email: adrian@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Dafydd Jones

Wales

Maesllymystn, Foel, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 0NX

Tel: 01938 820231 Mobile: 07717 683353

Email: dafydd@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Richard Storer Smith

Midlands

Spath Farm House, Ashbourne Road, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5AP

Tel: 01889 563200 Mobile: 07508 403333

Email: richard@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Kevin Thomas

Cornwall

Huntsman Court, Crowgey Farm, Wendron, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0NN

Mobile: 07565 156469

Email: kevin@britishsimmental.co.uk

Mr Barrie Wynter

Cornwall

Bolankin Farm, Crows-An-Wra, St Buryan, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6HY

Tel: 01736 810787 Mobile: 07590 501096

Email: barrie@britishsimmental.co.uk

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Fellow Simmental breeders, in my first President’s message can I open by saying what a great honour and privilege it is to have been elected as the 27th President of the British Simmental Cattle Society. At a personal level it also means a lot to me to be the third member of my family to hold this position and following on from my father (Billy), and brother (Michael). I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Stewart Stronach, not only for his terrific two year term as president, but also for the ongoing achievements with his Simmental herd and attaining some record prices and averages at Stirling. I just hope he has passed on the ‘lucky sale charm’ along with the presidency!

As Simmental breeders we all know the many strengths and attributes of our breed, both maternal and terminal, and what it has to offer a future beef industry that will be focussed on efficiency and added value. Simple aims and plans in the year are built around getting these messages out through breed promotion and marketing. There is no substitute for the hard yards of getting in front of producers, auctioneers, calf groups, processors, retailers, and the industry at large to promote the attributes and profitability of the breed and to initiate and develop opportunities that may arise thereafter. In 2023, the Society over and above its usual activities, will be holding three commercial open days to show case how the breed performs under different management systems. I would really encourage all members to help promote these days and to get as many potential customers to attend as possible. These types of days are indicative of the increasingly commercially focused approach to promoting the Simmental breed, and I hope this is also reflected within the Review and through the Society’s high profile digital and social media platforms.

Having put the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 behind us, who would have envisaged what was to happen in 2022. We have beef prices at a record high but unfortunately our inputs are also at a record high. This has left a lot of people

questioning the future of beef production, but I feel the beef sector has a bright future as producers become more efficient and this is where the Simmental breed has a major role to play. The AHDB data continues to show the Simmental as the No1 continental breed for age at slaughter. Add to this the breed’s milk and maternal qualities with the abilities of the Simmental cow to rear a good calf without creep feeding, and we have the efficiency, versatilitiy, and profitability to be at the centre of a future beef industry.

I am very heartened by the Bull Buyers’ survey, reported in this Review, where buyers have endorsed the commercial performance of the breed with a 94% approval rate, and confirmed that they will purchase further Simmental bulls. Simmental breeders are to be congratulated for improving the breed to where it’s at today and I encourage everyone to keep continued breeding, selection, and improvement as a hugely important forward objective. Maternal milkiness remains a fundamental strength of British Simmental, and we have seen the breed average EBV increase by 50% since 2000. Similarly, we have also seen a 50% increase in terminal genetic traits in the same period. For us to market the Simmental breed for efficiency and good economics, we must collectively strive to continue these trends and gains. At present we have the BLUP system from ABRI to measure our performance and I would encourage all members to enter as much performance information as possible. The more data that goes in, the more reliable and accurate data comes out and this is valued by our customer base. Council are also looking at further technical work to provenance and promote the Simmental breed and with an initial aim of evidencing the breed’s efficiency and carbon credentials.

It was pleasing in the year to see Society sales, collective sales and breeders sales, breaking the £2 million barrier. Along the way a welter of new marks were set with breed record averages at each of the February, May, and October Stirling sales, almost certainly being a first for the breed. Solid

sales were held throughout the regions and the second staging of the Next Gen Sale at Carlisle saw both a terrific top price and averages for maiden heifers. If we can continue to provide the standard of cattle that meet the needs and expectations of commercial beef producers, then I hope this breed performance at sale can be sustained and built upon. Out with the domestic market we are also now seeing a strong export demand for British Simmental genetics, which looks like it has the potential to really grow over the next few years. There is some potential at this point that the United Kingdom may be awarded the 2026 World Simmental Fleckvieh Congress. If this does transpire it may be a very timely point at which to showcase British Simmental genetics to a domestic and international audience.

Sitting alongside the performance at sales it was great to see a rise in pedigree registrations in the year, along with a significant number of new breeder members joining the BSCS. There will be a challenge for all breeds to maintain registration numbers with the rise in industry costs and also the reducing number of suckler cows. However the assurance is there that the Society will continue to work hard at providing a high level of core promotional and technical services and try to continue to add value to pedigrees when you register your calves.

Whilst the Society looks to have a commercial focus, there is a recognition that the summer majors, county, and local shows still provide an important shop window for quality Simmental cattle. I would like to congratulate all those who represented the breed so well at summer and autumn shows through 2022 and wish those starting to prepare stock for the year ahead good luck. There really is a strong programme of major and National shows to take aim at in 2023. At the year’s shows and sales we have also seen the many talented Simmental Young Members we have at the forefront of the breed. They are the future of the Society and must be encouraged through inclusion and co-ordinated SYMA activities.

In closing, we have a motivated Council and staff, and positive regional clubs who have a plan to take aim at. Let’s harness the collective resource we have and move forward positively, sharing ideas, communicating, working together, promoting and developing British Simmental, and building a consistent brand message to all areas of the UK.

I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Simmental Review, and I look forward to meeting as many members as possible at the various sales, shows, and events throughout my term in office.

With best regards

Norman Robson

HER MAJESTY, QUEEN ELIZABETH II

The British Simmental Cattle Society opens the 2022 Review by marking the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II dedicated 70 years of her life in remarkable service, dedication, and with an inspirational sense of duty. Admired and respected worldwide this unique monarch put the Great into Britain and led with a steadfastness and dignity that touched and influenced so many lives in such a positive way. In celebrating her Platinum Jubilee earlier in the year, we reflected upon what a committed supporter of British agriculture and the farming and country way of life

Queen Elizabeth II had been. In mourning her passing and reflecting on her life we dearly cherish those thoughts.

BRITISH SIMMENTAL PEDIGREE REGISTRATIONS & NOTIFICATIONS SURGE TO AN INCREASE OF 15% ON THE YEAR

• Official Simmental Society Sales in the Year Gross £2,003,927

Astrong 2022 year of performance for British Simmental saw pedigree registrations and birth notifications surge with an increase of 15% in the year to an overall total of 7,388, up by 960. The figures released by the British Simmental Cattle Society were for the pedigree registration year of 1st July 2021 to 30th June 2022.

Sitting alongside these figures was a similarly strong performance at the point of both commercial and pedigree sales and which saw Official Society Pedigree Sales in the same period nudge through the £2Million mark to gross £2,003,927. In the course of the year the Simmental breed enjoyed some record sale averages and clearances, most notably at Stirling in February when 89 pedigree bulls sold to a new breed record average mark of £6,835. In a new sale fixture introduced to ‘grow the reach of the breed’, the Next Generation Sale of Females & Weaned Calves at Carlisle in December saw a top price of 16,000gns, with heifer averages of £4,396, and bull calf averages of £6,174.

In the registration year, pedigree registrations increased by 13.5%, with birth notifications enjoying a 19.8% increase and this overall surge for the Simmental breed was warmly welcomed by the then Society President Stewart Stronach, Maisley, Keith, Banffshire, who said: “Simmental females are naturally efficient, healthy, easy to manage, and just full of milk. Adding value to any cross, they are maternal

mainstays of the commercial suckler herd, can calve at two years old, and can wean calves at 50% of their bodyweight at 200 days.”

“In 2021 AHDB confirmed Simmental as being the leading continental beef breed for age at slaughter, and this couples with Simmental sired progeny being fast growing, with terrific weight for age and leaving a high yielding, profitable carcase. These are the natural attributes and efficiencies of the modern British Simmental that are driving demand, forging a profitable commercial future in an industry with a higher cost base, and meeting the ‘green’ challenges of reducing beef productions carbon footprint.”

“We welcome these improved registration and sale figures, and collectively our focus will be to continue to work hard and provide commercial beef producers with future fit, profitable dual purpose Simmental genetics.”

* Further to these figures, the strong sale trade continued in the year with the October Stirling Simmental bull trade seeing a new breed record sale average of £7,559, up by a remarkable £1,597 on the year. This meant that all three 2022 sales at Stirling in February, May, and October had seen new record marks set. The second staging of the Next Gen Sale at Carlisle in December, saw a breed centre record top price of 18,000gns and a heifer average of £5,202, up by £806 on the year.

DRUMSLEED LEGACY WINS SIMMENTAL ‘CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE’

• Banhill Farm Lord places third as UK Simmental breeding takes centre stage

The two-year old bull Drumsleed Legacy from Gerald and Morag Smith, Drumsleed, Fordoun, Laurencekirk, has won the Simmental Championship of Europe within the ‘Simmental Champion of the World’ competition run online by the Texas based Simmental Breeder.

The April 2020 born Drumsleed Legacy is by the herd’s 11,000gns stock bull Wolfstar Gordy and is out of Drumsleed Farina 14. A strong breeding female line, Drumsleed Farina’s previous calf, Drumsleed Kingsman, sired by the herd’s noted show bull Drumsleed Hivy, sold for 11,000gns at Stirling in February 2021. Farina was also Simmental Reserve Champion at this year's Black Isle and Turriff shows respectively. Earlier this year Drumsleed Legacy himself won the Male Championship at the 2022 Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, and it was this win that qualified him for the European and World Simmental competitions. After securing the European title Drumsleed Legacy went on to place a highly creditable third in the World Championship finals, where he was narrowly pipped by entries from South Africa and Mexico. Commenting, Gerald Smith said: “It really is a great honour for Drumsleed Legacy to be crowned the Simmental Champion of Europe and we are really delighted. It’s a fantastic achievement for us with the Drumsleed herd of course, but also for British Simmental as a whole.” The Drumsleed herd presently comprises of 100 pedigree breeding females.

UK breeding was very much to the fore in the European section. Over and above the Championship win, the Northern Irish bred bull Bannhill Farm Lord took third place for Welsh breeders Mr and Mrs MO and LD Jones, Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire. Male Champion for the Jones family at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, the February 2020 born Bannhill Farm Lord is sired by the noted Saltire Impressive 17 and is bred out of Ballinalare Farm Fuscia. Banhill Lord was bred by Alan Wilson, Rathfriland, Co Down.

The Simmental judges for both the ‘Champion of Europe’ and ‘Champion of the World’ awards consisted of Juan Pablo Lattanti Murguía (Argentina); Tom Baker (Australia); Jim Goldie (Scotland): and Cary Crow (USA).

This win for Drumsleed Legacy is the third time in four years that a British Simmental bull has won the ‘Champion of Europe’ award, with Lisglass Goldstar from Gordon Clark, Cupar, Fife, having been crowned in 2020 competition, and prior to that Heathbrow

Important from David and Lesley Sapsed, Herts in 2019. These awards have been won at a time when there has been a growing demand for British Simmental genetics internationally. Over the last eighteen months, exports of semen and embryos have been secured to the USA and Australia, whilst exports of breeding females and young bulls have been made to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. UK and USA based breeding companies have also been securing an increasing number of British Simmental bulls for significant semen exports to China and Asian markets.

Drumsleed Legacy.

Bannhill Farm Lord.

JAKE GREGORY, KURLYCOAT SIMMENTALS, WINS ‘BEST YOUNG FARMER 2022’ IN CORNWALL FARM BUSINESS AWARDS

The hard work and dedication of Cornwall’s farming community was on display at the annual Cornwall Farm Business Awards in late October 2022 where Jake Gregory (26), who is the Head Butcher at Cornwall’s premium pork producer, Primrose Herd, was presented with the coveted title of ‘Best Young Farmer 2022’. In addition to his role with Primrose Herd, Jake runs the Kurlcoat pedigree Simmental herd at Kerling Farm, Chacewater, Truro.

The awards were hosted at the Eden Project by the Addington Fund, a farming and rural charity which provides vital support to individuals, families, and communities during times of crisis.

Commenting Sally Lugg, Owner and Manager of Primrose Herd, said: “The fact that Jake is able to sustain a full-time job in a tough industry such as ours, as well as excel as an internationally respected breeder of pedigree sheep and cattle, is extremely impressive. He’s a credit to the Cornish farming community and an inspiration to the next generation of farmers and food producers.”

Jake began a career in butchery at the age of 16; in 2014 he started working for Primrose Herd who specialise in pork from traditional breeds, reared slowly and naturally with lots of time outdoors.

In 2015 Jake started his own herd of pedigree livestock, which now includes British Simmentals, Charolais and Suffolk sheep. To date he has sold breeding animals throughout the UK, and his pedigree bulls have sired offspring worldwide. Speaking of his Simmental cattle Jake said: “they are a good milky beef breed with exceptional growth rates”. His first Simmental was Cathedral Cookie Crumble, purchased from the Cathedral dispersal herd sale in 2015. In purchasing this Royal Cornwall Show Supreme Champion, Jake showed his intent from the start to have a breeding philosophy concentrated on the

best genetics that he could. “I keep my numbers low but the animals I keep I think are of top quality. Bulls are bred for breeding and the best heifers retained. Anything that doesn’t make the grade I kill and sell through the butchers.”

The ‘Best Young Farmer’ category was sponsored by NatWest and the judges were ‘extremely impressed by Jake’s enthusiasm and his future plans to work with local schools to educate children and young people about the importance of farming in the UK.’

Speaking at the time, Jake explained: “I think the next generation of farmers are going to be so important. As well as doing our day jobs, we have to be out there educating people too. That’s why I want to work with local schools, so kids have a better understanding of farming methods and ultimately will grow up to make good choices when it comes to buying food.” Of winning this high profile award Jake went on to say; “I was so happy to pick up such an amazing award, it’s still sinking in really! But there’s not much time to take stock in my line of work; my animals always need looking after, there’s loads of admin to keep on top of with pedigree breeding, and things are getting busy here in the butchery as Christmas orders start to come in.” It’s great to see such enthusiasm and farming talent being involved within the Simmental breed and a huge ‘well done’ is extended by the Society to Jake!

Jake Gregory (right) receiving his ‘Best Young Farmer 2022’ award.

The Small herd with a Huge Impact

SOME OF OUR RECENT NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

OUR BREEDING POLICY:- STRONG CLASSIFIED COW FAMILIES MATED TO TOP PROVEN AI BULLS OF OUR CHOICE. PRESENT HERD 16 COWS : 2 EX95, 1 EX93, 3 EX90, 10 1ST CALF HEIFERS & YOUNG COWS ALL VG

Ranfurly Kleeb 32nd EX95

A prolific breeder having reared 3 sets of twins

1 bull Indiana sold at Stirling Oct 2019 6,200gns

5 heifers have sold to average 3,900gns With 2 retained in the herd

Now rearing her 11th calf, having turned 10 years of age

Bulls, Heifers and Embryos usually for sale

VISITORS ALWAYS WELCOME

Raceview Goldie Dreamer EX95

Roscommon Yearling champion 2016 NI Female of the Year 2019

First two sons have sold to average 13,000gns: Knockout and Limelight

Ranfurly Jackall J9 18 EX93

Supreme Champion Stirling October 2019

Sold to Strahisla Farms for 14,000gns

Already in the top 5% of the breed for 200, 400 & 600 Day Growth and top 1% for Milk

Ranfurly Limelight L11 20

Reserve Intermediate Champion Stirling February 2022

16,000gns 2nd top price, sold to Messrs Fairhurst

SIMMENTALS COMPLEMENTING AN EXTENSIVE REGEN SYSTEM At

The Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry

We visit the Beaty brothers, Tom and Adam together with Adam’s daughter Charlie, at the Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry, who are finding their low maintenance grading up Simmental herd is future fit and complementing an extensive regenerative farming system.

“We’re looking for a quick return by maximising output from a very simple, minimum input, self- sufficient livestock system that has to fit in with the arable operations, which had been managed by just the two of us until Charlie decided to come home a couple of years ago,” Tom explains. “And we’ve found that our Simmentals are delivering.

“We’ve been grading up our commercial sucklers - they’ve virtually reached purebred status, and together with their calves, they’re thriving on pure forage diets.

“The herd grazes our 50ha of river meadows, which are in Countryside Stewardship, from April turn out until December when outwintering is extended. The herd is introduced to strip graze 13ha stubble turnips and brassicas prior to housing at the end of the month. Once housed, they’re fed silage until after calving in January when we introduce them to homegrown rolled oats to give milk a boost.

“The same applies to the calves; they graze with their dams until weaned in November, when they’re housed and introduced to least cost

silage, ad lib homegrown oats and molasses prior to trading in the store ring to repeat buyers - steers averaging 12 months around 400kg, and 16 to 20-month-old heifers, an average 450kg, apart from those retained for replacement purposes.”

Adam continues: “We’re scheduling these heifers to calve at 24 months and an average 650kgs - it’s a more cost-effective weight and contributes to a smaller, more efficient cow. Going forward we’re targeting the graded-up Simmental herd to reach 700kg maximum mature cow weight; we don’t want big 800kg cows, they eat more, take up more space and require more bedding, and they don’t wean a bigger calf.

“The vast majority of cows and heifers calve within the first six weeks and rearing rate percentage is in the high 90s. We make a point of being around during calving, however I can count on one hand how many we’ve assisted. Calves are lively and soon up and sucking. Simmentals are noted for their milk, and our cows know how to look after their calves.”

The Beatys have been running a Simmental bull with their sucklers for the last 11 years prior to which they had introduced a

FARM FACTS

The Dairy Farm, Meriden, Coventry

• 285ha mixed, tenanted all within ELS/HLS

• 365ha mixed, contract farmed

• 85 suckler cows, grading up to purebred Simmental status

• 350 ewes

Herd KPIs

• 24 months age at first calving

• 700kgs target max mature cow weight

• 95% calving within the first six weeks

• 95% calves reared

• 14 - 16-year lifespan

continental sire, however the calves proved to be ‘too wild’. They then progressed to native breed genetics, but the 12-month-old calves weren’t sufficiently grown to meet with market demand, Tom explains.

example, we’re considering introducing weigh cells to enable us to more accurately assess herd performance and act accordingly.

“As well as launching a box meat enterprise, I’ve taken over managing the sheep and am currently working towards closing the flock.

“We are also planning to further incorporate our livestock enterprises in to the rotation for example, introduce the sucklers to a forage brassica mix ahead of potatoes, whilst grazing the sheep on OSR undersown with a white clover companion crop mix,” she explains adding: “The future for us is about focusing on the margins, not the yields, by further reducing input costs and remaining profitable in the pending ELM scheme. We are confident our Simmentals will complement that plan.”

When Charlie Beaty returned home she says she was determined not to let the grass grow under her feet. “I went to Harper Adams University, graduated in Agriculture in 2017, spent the next two years in Australia driving combines and working on a stock property before flying home and then considering other jobs in the industry, however I didn’t find anything that suited,” she says.

“Instead I’ve made a space for myself in the family farming business which has eased the pressure all round. Yes, I’m the skivvy, I get a lot of flak, however I’m all about further stepping up the unit’s efficiency and providing all round help including introducing new ideas. For

We looked at all the options, however we’d spoken to one or two finishers around the store ring and found they liked Simmentals for their growth and coverage; we were also aware the breed had a better temperament and agreed it would be much safer and quieter to work with. And that’s proved to be the case.”

Meriden Farm beef and lamb box scheme

Charlie Beaty’s beef and lamb box enterprise is providing a welcome boost to the family’s farming business.

“Yes, there are margins to be made, however we’re also getting a lot of satisfaction from selling our own Simmental beef at the farm gate: it’s 100% forage fed, locally slaughtered, hung 28 days, totally natural, no processing,” she says. “And it’s particularly rewarding to hear from repeat customers - we love the interaction; they come back saying they’ve never eaten such high-quality meat before. We know we’re getting things right.

“By close of 2021, we’d sold nine cattle through the beef boxes in 12 months, whilst demand for lamb boxes has almost doubled in the last two years to 15 boxes per month. Margins on the lamb box are slimmer than those for beef, however we regard lamb as a marketing tool to selling more beef.

“We keep things simple. I use social media for marketing purposes - I’ve over 10,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, whilst all sales are via social media too. The boxes have to be pre-ordered one month in advance prior to collection at the farmgate on one set day per month. The logistics require quite a lot of organising the day before collection, however we don’t have any real over heads and the whole sales operation is completed for the month in a very short time period.”

Prior to launch, Charlie with some help from her mother, Mary Ann carried out essential market research and then established price points to ensure the enterprise would be economically viable. “We used local Facebook groups to determine the level of interest in locally reared, forage reared beef and grass-fed lamb, and concluded that living halfway between Birmingham and Solihull does have advantages, however we’ve since found the majority of customers live in affluent areas within a fivemile radius of the farm.

“While lamb was relatively straight forward to market with a limited volume and number of cuts per carcase, beef has proved more of a challenge. One 375kg heifer carcase can be split in seven different cuts - quick and slow roasting joints, rump and sirloin steak, mince, stewing and braising steak - packed in to 22 general boxes, leaving the high value rib of beef and ribeye steaks for individual sale along with fillet steaks.

“Initial trade was helped by (Covid) lock down, particularly in the start-up months, however, confident that we have an established customer base with potential for growth, in the near future we would like to increase sales to at least 12 cattle per year through the beef boxes.”

BOSAHAN JADE MAGIC BABY AND BOSHAN MERLIN SELL FOR 7,000GNS AND SET EXETER LIVESTOCK MARKET RECORD

PRICE

• Further cows and calves at 5,500gns and 5,000gns

• Cows and calves average £3,382.50

Cows and calves met with a strong trade and were led at 7,000gns at the Reduction Sale of the noted Bosahan Herd of John & Bridget Olds, Bosahan Farm, Falmouth, Cornwall, at Kivell’s Exeter Livestock Centre, on Friday 20th May.

Setting what was a record price for Exeter Livestock Market, was the very first lot in the ring, the June 2018 born Bosahan Jade Magic Baby. Sired by Heathbrow Freddie Star 14 (P) and out of Bosahan Gold Magic Baby, Bosahan Jade Magic Baby who was PD’d back in calf, was sold with her October 2021 bull calf at foot Bosahan Merlin (P), a Kinclaven Infusion 17 (P) son and described as ‘one of the most promising bull calves the Bosahan herd has ever bred’. Purchasing the top lot at 7,000gns was John and Susan Pritchard, for their Norton pedigree herd at Lower Norton Farm, Dartmouth, Devon.

At 5,500gns was Bosahan Husky Angelika. 2016 born, she was sold with her November 2021 born bull calf at foot, the Vale Royal Hamish sired Bosahan Macnamara. Bosahan Husky Angelika is by the herd's noted Skerrington Armada and is out of Bosahan Angelika. This lot went back to Cornwall when selling to Messrs Eustice, Hay Farm, St Breock, Wadebridge.

Continuing the strong run for cows and calves, was the February 2018 born Bosahan Jessica Star who made 5,000gns. Jessica Star is another sired by Heathbrow Freddie Star and is out of Bosahan Galaxy Star. A second calver, Bosahan Jessica Star was sold with her Knockreagh Immanuel sired, November 2021 born, bull calf at foot, Bosahan Meteor 21, to Mr GM & Mrs SJ Reed, for their Skylark pedigree herd at Well Farm, Bickleigh, Tiverton.

Leading the trade at 4,600gns for the three bulls entered was Bosahan Libertine 20 (P). A heifer’s calf, and heterozygous polled, the November 2020 born Libertine’s dam line, goes back to the fertile, milky foundation cow Beanhill Penny. This young bull was purchased by commercial producer PC Friend, Wadland Barton, Ashbury, Okehampton. The further Bosahan young bulls sold for 3,200gns, and 2,800gns respectively.

AVERAGES:

14 Cows and calves £3,382.50

10 Served and/or maiden heifers £2,320.50

3 Young bulls £3,710.00

Bosahan Merlin P 2.

Bosahan

Jade Magic Baby.

Bosahan Husky Angelika.

OVERHILL HOUSE SIMMENTAL HEIFER MAKES

£4,000 FOR UKRAINE CHARITY

In April 2022, the January 2021 born pedigree Simmental heifer, Overhill House Mary, from Richard McCulloch, Overhill House, West Lothian, sold for a cracking £4,000 at Caledonian Marts, Stirling, with all proceeds going to two charities helping children and refugees from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Heading to Ayrshire, Overhill House Mary, sired by Aultmore Goliath and out of Islavale Caitlin, was purchased by Messrs Smith, Low Bow Hill Farm, Newmilns. Overhill House Mary, was in Richard’s own words, “a quiet, tremendous heifer with a pedigree to match and put forward to raise money for a very worthy cause”.

With some outstanding and varied lots forward from farmers and local businesses, the auction held by Caledonian Marts saw all funds raised going to UNICEF’s campaign to Help Protect Children in Ukraine, and for Central Plains Group, a regenerative farming business with operations in Ukraine, who are raising funds to help refugees streaming into Western Ukraine from Kiev and East Ukraine.

Well done to Richard McCulloch for putting this quality heifer forward for such a worthy auction, and a big thank you is extended to the Smiths for their purchase.

STRONG DEMAND AS SIMMENTAL BULLS SELL TO 6,200GNS AT THE INCHEOCH ‘WORKING GENES’ SALE

The Incheoch ‘Working Genes’ Sale of Neil & Debbie McGowan, Incheoch Farms, Alyth, Blairgowrie, held online on Thursday 1 September, saw a good demand for Simmental bulls with eight selling to average £5,325, up £225 on last year.

Included in the Simmental lots were three sons of Canadian homozygous polled Gibby’s Real Deal, who leaves maternal, correct, easy-doing cattle, which averaged £5,800. The first bull bid to £6,200, snapped up by Douglas Gill from Easter Ross, was the January 2021 born Incheoch Maori, a heterozygous polled bull bred out of the 9,000gns Dirnanean Redstar D23 and sired by the aforementioned Real Deal. Also selling for £6,200 was the 18-month-old Incheoch Major. Sired by Slievanagh Joker, he is out of the homebred Incheoch Grizel I12, who goes back to Dirnanean Fontana 14. Combining polled genetics with real power, correctness and character, he was sold unseen to be put to Luings in Eire with Jimmy Cosgrave.

Neil McGowan commented: “We have developed the Working Genes sale to help match the right genetics to the right home –that is what all the recording and data is about”. Speaking before the sale in regard to his bulls he said “Robust bulls, bred from functional, efficient cows has been our goal for many years now. We run just over 200 pedigree, performance recorded cows, and select hard for fertility, structural soundness, good temperaments and easy calving. We find that easy fleshed, medium framed cattle with a bit of maternal character tend to be the ones who tick the boxes.”

Incheoch Major.

Incheoch Maori.

MCNEE’S SIM-LUING HEIFERS SELL TO £3,150 AT STIRLING

Sim-Luing cattle sold to a top of £3,150 to lead a solid trade at the autumn breeding Sale of Luing and Sim-Luing cattle, held at United Auctions’ Stirling centre on 29th October. The growing popularity of the Simmental-Luing cross (Sim-Luing) in suckler herds saw some 65 bulling heifers sold on the day, and with 25 in-calf heifers also sold.

Winning the overall pair of heifers with their show pen of Sim-Luing in-calf heifers was Andrew McNee and family from Woodend Farm, Armadale, West Lothian. This pair of 2 ½ year-old heifers by a Finlarg Simmental sire, Benhar Hendry a Ranfurly Confederate son, topped the Sim-Luing In-Calf heifer section, when selling to £3,150 per head, and were purchased by Messrs Thomson, Wester Tulloch, Midmar, Aberdeenshire.

Robert McNee Ltd, Over Finlarg Farm, Tealing, Dundee, also sold a single Sim-Luing In-calf heifer to £3,150, and again to Messrs Thomson. Woodend sold 14 Sim-Luings to average £2,586, the top average of the day. Colin Little, East Bracklinn sold 11 to average £1,971, and to a top of £2,000. Overall, 29 Sim-Luing in-calf heifers averaged £2,297. Sim-Luing bulling heifers were also in demand and sold to a top of 2,300gns for Messrs Halligan and Burke, Nether Stewarton, Peebles and were purchased by Messrs Meiklem and Sons, Lochran, Blairadam, Kelty.

The hybrid vigour of the Simmental-Luing cross is seeing the SimLuing finding favour with commercial producers, who are realising the benefits of these hardy, easy care cattle who have strong maternal qualities, good milk, and are top forage converters.

SIMMENTAL CHAMPION TREVERBYN NORMAN WINS ALL-BREEDS TITLE AT CORNWALL PEDIGREE CALF SHOW

Abig congratulations to Ant Hart, Carloggas Farm, Treverybyn, St Austell, Cornwall, who with his January 2022 born bull calf Treverbyn Norman, won the Overall All-Breeds Supreme title at the Cornwall Pedigree Calf Show, held on 22nd October at the Royal Cornwall Showground.

A heterozygous polled calf, Treverbyn Norman is by Coose Norman P, and is out of Treverybyn Keira, a Skylark Geronimo daughter. Having come through the Simmental classes and lifting the Championship from Simmental judge Jonny Ward, Treverbyn Norman then went head to head with the other breed champions to lift the Overall title, this time in front of the judge Mrs Ria Rice, daughter of Philip Warren the noted Launceston based butcher. In what was the tenth staging of the Cornwall Pedigree Beef Calf Show, this is the first time the Overall Supreme Championship has been won by a British Simmental.

Well supported by Simmental breeders, the classes featured entries from the Treverbyn, Bosahan, Wellatree, Angwella, Tregnether, and Loxton herds respectively, and with the catalogue featuring

90 entries in all across the breeds. A great win for the Harts and for Cornish Simmental breeders!

Continuing his run, Treverbyn Norman followed on by winning the British Simmental section at the Agrifest South West event held on Wednesday 2nd November at Westpoint, Exeter.

STRONACH FAMILY FEATURE IN ROYAL NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY (RNAS) 2022 AWARDS FOR GOOD FARMING PRACTICE

Abig well done to immediate past BSCS President Stewart Stronach and family, Berryleys Grange, Keith, who in October 2022 were awarded the Reserve prize in the Royal Northern Agricultural Society’s (RNAS) prestigious 2022 Good Farming Practice Award.

The awards were launched in 2005 and are decided following on-farm visits to nominated businesses by an independent judge. Entries are assessed against a range of criteria including stock, crops, equipment, environmental management, enterprise and general impression.

For more than 35 years, the family farm business of WS Stronach and Partners has expanded from 200 acres to nearer 750 acres. The mixed farm is run by fourth generation Stewart Stronach Jnr with partner Fiona, son Michael and Stewart’s parents Stewart Snr and Hazel. The business includes 200 suckler cows and 300 breeding ewes with all lambs finished on grass. At the forefront of the family’s enterprise is the renowned pedigree Islavale Simmental herd which also keeps Stewart’s four daughters Lauren, Ellie, Emma and Aimee busy, and regularly successfully features in Society shows and sales.

This year’s judge was Murray Mitchell of Castleton Farm, Fordoun who said: “The high standard of entries made judging difficult because every farm is completely unique and hard to compare, so it was a close-run thing. It was a pleasure to visit the Stronach's

well-run, traditional family unit which they have worked hard to build up over time, making very best use of their farm. I was extremely impressed with the closed herd and flock they have, and I will be watching with interest how they get on at the forthcoming (Stirling October) bull sales, having been treated to viewing such an excellent line-up of stock during our judging visit.” *Please see the sales section for the October Sale report and where the Stronachs enjoyed a memorable trade.

FOCUS ON BREEDING FEMALE LINES KEY TO PRODUCING ‘FUTURE

FIT’ MODERN SIMMENTAL GENETICS

IN THE DENIZES HERD

Herd feature on Michael Barlow and sons John and Matthew, and their Denizes pedigree herd at Littlewood Hall Farm, Lancashire.

Simmentals have been kept at Littlewood Hall Farm in Lancashire since the 1980s, but a shift in focus and a change of breeding philosophy twelve years ago, has resulted in a huge amount of success within the breed for the Barlow family in recent years. In fact, 2022 saw them achieve their top price to-date when Denizes Lancelot sold at 30,000gns, the second top price paid at a UK auction for a Simmental bull, and their nine bulls and heifers sold at auction over the year averaged out at £10,500.

The team includes brothers John and Matthew Barlow, who work alongside their dad, Michael (a past BSCS President),

on the 340-acre unit, all of which is grass. On that, there are 430 head of cattle, including 70 milking cows and the Denizes herd of 80 pedigree Simmental cows. John explains: “We worked away with the Simmentals over the years, selling the better young bulls straight off the farm, but bringing out bulls was never a priority. During my degree in agriculture, I did a placement with Wilson and Geraldine Strachan, working with stockman Andrew Reid at their Balmaud herd in Banff, which really changed my outlook on our own Simmentals. I could see the potential with the breed and I believed we could be achieving a lot more with them.

This new objective clearly worked. Since 2010, the Barlows’ seventy-three bulls sold at Society sales in Stirling alone, have averaged £5,600. The family have built up customers for every bull born in the herd – those not sold at Society sales find homes with dairy customers and commercial herds. To breed bulls with the desired attributes, John says it is the female lines they have concentrated on improving and he cites the privately bought bull Ashland Tornado as a turning point.

“We bought Tornado at five months old from Pat and Frank Kelly in Northern Ireland, having researched the bull’s family line. He has gone onto breed some good sons, but it’s his daughters that have been particularly impressive – they have bred sons to 30,000gns and grandsons to 20,000gns. They are very well-balanced females, which is the type we aim to breed; structurally correct, medium sized cows that will do well with various bulls,” says John, who suggests this concentration on female lines probably comes as a result of their dairy background.

“That’s how we think with the dairy cows. They tend to breed daughters like the mother, so if we can get good female lines, they will breed good calves with different bulls. We do a lot of research into bloodlines and study what works.”

This approach results in the Barlows often buying in females from particular family lines off other high health herds and then breeding them with home-bred bulls. The 30,000gns Denizes Lancelot, sold in February 2022 at Stirling, had two generations of home-bred bulls on the sire side, while the dam was Denizes Hannadante, a 13-yearold daughter of Ashland Tornado. Likewise, Denizes Monty, which secured the Barlows their first overall championship at Stirling and went onto sell for 20,000gns in October 2022, is sired by the home-bred Denizes Hamish.

“Hamish is out of our ‘golden cow’ Auroch Eve, which we bought as a calf. She won several calf shows and went onto win at the Royal Highland Show twice. Hamish was her first natural calf and was winning calf shows too, until he broke his leg at 11-months-old. We thought so much of him that we paid to have it operated on and kept him as a stock bull. His son Monty made 20,000gns and we’ve another good son of his for Stirling in February,” explains John.

We considered what the commercial buyer was looking for – easy fleshing, shapely bulls, with length and back-ends – and from that time on, we began focussing on breeding that type of bull.”

Denzies Lancelot 30,000gns. Top price Simmental in 2022 and sold at Stirling February Sale.

Denizes Monty 20,000gns. Supreme Champion at Stirling in October 2022.

John and Michael Barlow pictured at Stirling in February 2022.

Along with keeping commercial traits in mind when breeding bulls, the Barlows say the whole herd is run very commercially. Cows are fed on a straw-based diet and plenty minerals and calve between June and September, while heifers calve from 2½-years-old, in February and March, with the calving system arranged with Society sale dates in mind. John says they aim for a 280-day calving interval.

“We’re big on pre-calving minerals and we also make sure we don’t rush calving. In the past, we’d be too quick to feel we had to assist with calvings, but we’ve learned to give them plenty time and they normally calve themselves with no issues,” he adds.

When it comes to deciding which females to breed from, the Barlows are very selective. They go by their Grandad’s theory ‘sell your best, keep your very best and beef the rest.’

There’s a huge demand for Simmental females and we’ve definitely seen that increase in recent years. They have so many positive traits – good temperament, calving ease and milk.”

“That’s what Grandad always said, and it’s still relevant today. We sell some of the best females privately or at Society sales, but there’s a good market for other types to sell as recipients. There’s a huge demand for Simmental females and we’ve definitely seen that increase in recent years. They have so many positive traits – good temperament, calving ease and milk.

“Our own breeding cows tend to get three chances – if it doesn’t work the first time, we’ll change the bull, but if she’s still not breeding to the standard that we’re looking for, we don’t keep her after the third calf,” says John.

The family sold the heifer, Denizes Eve’s Beauty 7th at December’s NxtGen sale at Carlisle, for 8,000gns. She is a daughter of Auroch Eve, and sired by Blackford Galaxy, another privately bought bull that’s proved his worth in the herd. He was breed champion at the Royal Highland in 2018 and has bred sons to 9,500gns. More recently, Saltire Impressive joined the herd, a bull with excellent figures, including huge growth rates but also ease of calving.

“We do pay a lot of attention to figures because we’ve found they do make a difference. Denizes Hamish is in the top 1% for calving ease – he was a small when born but thrived from that day onwards and that’s what you want. The buyers are noticeably paying attention to figures too – we had eight bulls at a sale recently, four with better figures than the other four. There was a far higher demand for the four with better figures, they sold easily.

“Growth is important, along with ease of calving, but customers are also looking at milk figures. Commercial buyers often outbid pedigree buyers at sales – it just depends where your priorities are. For us, we would rather buy the bull we want than a tractor.”

Despite plenty of success at shows and winning the breed championship at the Royal Highland three times, John says they are not breeding cattle to win a show – they’re breeding for what the commercial buyer wants.

“We’re very much focussed on sales rather than shows but having some success at the shows definitely helped us build up the name of the herd and it’s a good opportunity to break in the young bulls. The

main reason we show though, is because we enjoy the social side of it!,” adds John, who has noticed an increase in new breeders over the past 3-4 years.

“It’s a fairly accessible breed for new breeders to get into, compared to some other breeds. If you turn up to a sale with a good commercial bull, it will sell, no matter who you are. From Cornwall to Thainstone, there’s a huge demand for Simmentals all over the UK.

“I think the breed is particularly relevant now. They are a long-lasting, low input breed that can rear a calf – and as costs continue to rise, these qualities are more important than ever,” adds John.

EASY KEEP, VERSATILE SIMMENTALS

LEAVING MORE MONEY FOR CUMBRIAN DAIRY FARM

Snap shot feature of the Ladds family at Benson Hall Farm, Kendal, Cumbria where the versatility of the Simmental is adding £200-£300 per calf.

By using a Simmental bull on their dairy herd to produce strong, sellable store cattle, the Ladds family at Benson Hall Farm, Kendal, Cumbria have developed a low input, high output system that works well within their busy farming enterprise.

Brothers Richard and Chris Ladds, work alongside their wives Beth and Brooke and parents Andrew and Cath. In all, the Ladds milk 180 Holsteins and 22 pedigree Jerseys, with 800 breeding ewes (North of England Mules) and 40 pedigree Texels. They also run a contracting business and a caravan site. Within the Holstein herd, sexed semen is used on the heifers and young cows to breed replacement heifers, with an Angus bull used to sweep up the heifers. For the past four years, they have been using a Simmental bull to sweep up the young cows and on the older cows.

Richard explains: “We have tried a few different beef breeds over the years and thought we’d try something a bit different. We wanted frame and carcase, but also something that would be cheaper to feed and calving ease was a major priority. The Simmental seemed an ideal option, so we spoke to the Barlows, told them what we were looking for, and they were able to provide us with a decent, easy calving bull from their Denizes herd, which we bought privately.”

Calves are left on the dam for 24 hours before going onto a powder replacement milk for 12 weeks, then a ration of straw and cake until they are six months old, when they then go onto clamp silage.

The Simmental calves hit the ground running and are easier and cheaper to rear than other beef breeds we’ve tried – they do really well off silage and a little cake. Costs obviously vary, but we think we’re around £200-£300 per calf better off, with the Simmentals,” says Richard.

One of the main advantages the Ladds have found is being able to sell the calves two months quicker than previously. They are sold as strong stores at 22-months, through Lancaster Mart, to a high demand. The 2021 batch of stores averaged £1,380.

Richard adds: “Our steers sell to a regular buyer, who has noted that the Simmental crosses go on and do well for him. There’s a good demand for the heifers through the ring, with some of them being bought as breeding heifers. We also bulled a few heifers this year and sold them as cow and calf outfits, so we have a lot more versatility with the Simmentals too.

“We’ve found it worthwhile buying a decent bull, as it definitely helps to sell the heifer calves – a lot of buyers do take note of the sire.”

The current bull is Denizes Kodak, sired by the Dinton Nautical son, Denizes Hamish, which is in the breed’s top 1% for calving ease.

“In our experience of using Simmental bulls, the breed does what it says it’s going to do. They are versatile and easily calved and the calves go on and do well,” adds Richard.

SIRE: ROMA JAGUAR 18 DAM: BROOMBRAE DELIGHT H13

ALCHESTER KRACKER 19

SIRE: TEAM CELTIC 11

DAM: ALCHESTER CLOVERS HARPER

SCOTLANDHILL LOXELY 20

SIRE: CLONAGH KING EYES DAM: SCOTLAND HILL EMILY JILLY

FALLHILLS MARVEL 21 (P)

SIRE: WOLFSTAR JUST DO IT 18 (P)

DAM: MENDICK ELSIE 13

COOSE NORWAY

SIRE: TULLA JAGUAR

DAM: COOSE FAMOUS

SIMPLY LIKE A LEGEND

SIRE: MULLYKNOCK GALLANT 15 DAM: DERRYCALLAGHAN TOP GIRL

For more information on our Simmental range, call:

Cogent’s exclusive portfolio of Simmental sires offers the modern day breeder an unrivalled combination of pedigree, performance and power. Influenced by globally respected, polled bloodlines, the range boasts eye catching phenotype and high-ranking breed indexes.

www.cogentuk.com

BRITISH SIMMENTALVIRTUAL SHOW THE 2022

KILLIWORGIE MIRANDAS LOTTI IS CROWNED THE SUPREME CHAMPION OF THE 2022 SIMMENTAL ‘VIRTUAL’ SHOW

• Auchorachan Malt awarded Overall Reserve

• 286 pedigree Simmentals entered the online competition

After some seven weeks of online judging, the January 2020 born heifer Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti from Steve & Gill Gummow, Higher Killiworgie Farm, Newquay, Cornwall, has been crowned as the 2022 British Simmental

‘Virtual’ Show Champion. In what is the third staging of the online competition, this stylish heifer just got the nod in front of the Male Champion and Overall Reserve, Auchorachan Malt from D & R Durno & Sons, Ballindalloch, Banffshire.

Supreme & Female ChampionKilliworgie Mirandas Lotti

The Simmental ‘Virtual’ Show was launched in 2020 to bring ‘some fun and competition’ for breeders who were missing the summer show season during the Covid pandemic. Due to its popularity in both the inaugural year and in 2021, the Society ran the competition again in 2022. Acknowledging that the summer show season had returned in the 2022 year, the Simmental ‘Virtual’ Show had a reduced format of three male and three female classes followed by the Championships. The support was again terrific with a fantastic 286 entries received from around the UK.

The Supreme Champion Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti firstly came through her class of 71 heifers before being awarded the Female Championship. In all, a tremendous 185 females were entered over the three female classes. Sired by the 2017 English National Show Reserve Champion Lynfield Hamish 16, Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti is out of Boars Head Miranda EX90, bred by Mr RJ Grenham, and who goes back to the Irish-bred AI bull Seaview Prince Charming. Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti is in-calf to the herd sire Islavale Jerico 18, who was purchased at Stirling in October 2019 for 14,000gns. Speaking after the Championship ‘big reveal’ was announced, Gill Gummow said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this year’s competition. We couldn’t quite believe it when we won the Female Championship, so to go on and win the Overall Supreme is really just fantastic. The whole competition has again been a lot of fun and we have loved looking at the Simmental cattle from breeders all over the country in these last few weeks.”

Judging the Overall Championship was David Sapsed of the noted Heathbrow Simmental herd, Codicote, Hertfordshire, which was established back in 1995. Commenting David Sapsed said: “I’d like to thank the British Simmental Cattle Society for asking me to judge the 2022 Simmental ‘Virtual’ Show Championship.

“It was a very difficult choice and I should take nothing away from my Overall Reserve, the Male Champion Auchorachan Malt who I particularly liked. He’s a tall bull, upstanding and stylish with good legs and feet, a great body with an excellent head, neck and shoulders. He also should have a bright future in front of him. Both the Male and Female Champions represented great examples of young Simmental animals. Congratulations to the champions and to everyone who entered this year’s competition.”

The Reserve Supreme and Male Champion Auchorachan Malt is entirely homebred. March 2021 born, Malt is by the noted Auchorachan Hercules 16, whose sons averaged £10,500 in 2021 and have sold up to a top price to date of 18,000gns. Auchorachan Malt’s dam is Auchorachan Hilly 8 EX90, a daughter of the 9,000gns Team Fergus 14 EX91. Auchorachan Malt’s Championship win saw him prevail from over 100 Simmental bulls entered across the three classes. This classy young bull now takes aim at the Stirling Simmental Bull Sale February 2023.

Commenting on the 2022 Simmental ‘Virtual’ Show generally, the then BSCS President Stewart Stronach, Maisley, Keith, Banffshire, said: “Huge congratulations to the Killiworgie and Auchorachan herds for their Championship wins. The Killiworgie herd is based in Cornwall, and with the Auchorachan herd from Ballindalloch in the North of Scotland. This is the very essence of the Simmental ‘Virtual’ Show with breeders from all over the UK coming together to compete with their quality Simmental cattle in a fun online competition. The Virtual Show really has gained a remarkable following on social media not just in this country but around the world. I’d like to say a big ‘well done’ and thank everyone who entered the 2022 competition and again promoted the British Simmental breed so well.”

The Society would like to thank the Supreme Champion judge David Sapsed and all of his fellow judges who kindly gave up their time to select the winners of the 2022 show: the Female Champion judge Richard McCulloch; the Male Champion judge Simon Key; and the class judges Gary Christie, Jonny Hazelton, Richard Cumming, Frank Kelly, Gavin Brown and Rob Fitton, and who all did an excellent job.

I felt that the Killiworgie heifer was a really well-balanced beast, very feminine looking and stylish, with a superb top line, tremendous width and length, and excellent legs and feet. All of these attributes nudged me to choosing her as my Supreme

Champion. Given good luck she should grow into a wonderful Simmental breeding cow.”

Reserve Supreme & Male Champion - Auchorachan Malt 21

CLASS 1

‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

Bull calf born on or after 01/08/2021

CLASS 1 RESULTS

Mixbury Hall Neon.

Cladymore Mr Muscle.

Kilbride Farm Mustang. Mixbury Hall Nathaniel.

Neptune.

‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

Female calf born on or after 01/08/2021

CLASS 2 RESULTS

Haystar Diamond 2.

Grangewood Wanda's Myrtle.

Grangewood Tollie's Millie.

Auchorachan Modesty Weigela. Auchorachan Matilda Hilly.

CLASS 3

‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

Bull born on or between 01/01/2020 and 31/07/2021

CLASS 3 RESULTS

Auchorachan Malt 21.

Auchorachan Magic.

Kilbride Farm Majestic 21.

Kilbride Farm Merlin 21.

Rockytop Macduff.

‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

Heifer born on or between 01/01/2020 and 31/07/2021

CLASS 4

3rd

CLASS 4 RESULTS

Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti.

Auchorachan Liqueur Madie.

Corskie Le-enna.

Kilbride Farm Eunice 327M. Thorncliff Moya.

Senior bulls born on or before 31/12/2019 CLASS 5 ‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

CLASS 5 RESULTS

Grangewood Kingpin 19.

Coose Gambler.

Lintmill Jedi 18.

Skerrington Iceman 17.

Kilbride Farm Jetstream 18.

‘VIRTUAL’ BRITISH SIMMENTAL SHOW RESULTS

Cow any age, In milk

CLASS 6 RESULTS

Gerrard Belinda 60th

Mixbury Hall Galaxy.

Newbiemains Ice Queen.

Eaton Kenita. Kilbride Farm Eunice 223H.

SIMMENTAL BULL BUYERS’ SURVEY

94% BULL BUYERS' SURVEY

OF BULL BUYERS CONFIRM THEY WILL PURCHASE FURTHER SIMMENTAL BULLS!

A fantastic ninety four percent of Simmental bull buyers have confirmed that they will purchase further Simmental bulls at future Society sales. That’s the strong endorsement of the Simmental breed following a snapshot survey of bull buyers at Society sales held between 2017 and 2019.

The survey saw buyers through these years being sent a detailed questionnaire covering the initial reasons for purchasing a Simmental, and thereafter how satisfied they have been with the abilities and the performance of their bulls to date. A broad range of questions invited respondents to score and comment on the performance of bulls bought and including: calving ease; temperament of the bulls and their progeny; fertility and serving capacity; longevity and physical condition of the bull; and performance of progeny, including growth rates and perceived food conversion. Further questions asked buyers about the most important traits when buying a Simmental; the principle purpose of the bull; use on heifers; and the importance of herd health information, pre-sale inspections, performance figures, and pre-sale fertility testing.

Unsurprisingly maternal traits featured highly in the characteristics of the Simmental breed most attractive to buyers, and including mothering ability and easy calving; milk; producing replacement heifers; and fast-growing progeny. The top characteristic for buyers was temperament and this was emphasised later in the survey with 97.18% saying that the temperament of their bulls was good (88.73%), or average (8.45%), and with 92.53% saying that the temperament of the progeny was very good or good. Across these two categories less than 5% of purchasers responded that the bulls or their progeny had been below average for temperament.

Just over 70% of buyers indicated that performance figures and EBVs were a ‘quite’ or ‘very’ important aid when purchasing a bull. Of the traits, EBVs for calving ease were ranked the most important and with Maternal (Milk), a close second.

The Simmental breed has taken a lead in many aspects of herd health at sales over the years and the importance of this is shown in the survey with 98.59% of respondents saying that it was ‘very important’ (83.10%), or ‘important’ (15.49%), for them to purchase bulls from herds with a high health status. Over 90% of buyers placed importance on bulls having passed through a pre-sale inspection with 57.34% saying it was ‘very’ important.

Interestingly, and perhaps indicative of some strong Simmental sales, 36.23% of buyers said that they had changed from a different breed of bull in the previous five years, and predominantly from other continental breeds. 53.62% of buyers run over five Simmental bulls with a further 40.58% indicating that they had one to five Simmental bulls. The makeup of buyers’ farms shows that 60% of the bulls have gone to hill farms, and with 40% to lowland. The bulls are used on mainly suckler herds (93.25%), and with the dominant breed of suckler cows being Simmental/Simmental X, followed by Limousin/Limousin X; Angus/Angus X; and Luing/Luing X. The largest percentage of buyers run 31 to 100 cows (41.43%); with 37.14% having 101 to 200; and just over 21% having over 200.

The working abilities of the breed are again highlighted with 94.12% of buyers saying that they were happy with the physical and structural condition of the bulls bought, and with over 85% of the bulls still working in purchasers’ herds. In an anticipated strength of the breed, just over 92% of buyers said that they retained heifer calves as herd replacements. 42.86% of buyers said that they used bulls on heifers, and of those, 44.12%, aim to calve the heifers at 28 months and under.

In another strong endorsement of the performance and commercial attributes of the Simmental breed, a remarkable 89.65% of those surveyed said the progeny of their bulls had been of the standard they expected (81.03%), or better than expected (8.62%), and with 10.34% saying that the progeny had been average. No respondents replied that progeny from their bulls had been below expectations. At the conclusion of the survey buyers were asked for ‘any other

BULL BUYERS' SURVEY

comments’, and again these were a combination of extremely positive, constructive, honest, and insightful points. A number of comments remarked on what they saw as the ‘big strides’ in ongoing improvement in the Simmental breed over the last ten years. A further similar sentiment was that if the breed maintains and improves its strengths in milk, easy calving, docility, and good locomotion, ‘Simmental bulls will sell themselves’ in the forward industry. Breeders were given some ‘signals’ for forward sales to not overfeed bulls, and the importance of feet, good legs and mobility. Herd health, the versatility of Simmentals on all breeds, the importance of good growth rates, and food conversion from grass were all noted. Producing ‘bulls that make good cows’ was also a sentiment, with a clear overall emphasis on the desire for Simmentals many recognised maternal strengths.

Commenting on the survey BSCS General manager Iain Kerr said: “It’s really important for the Society to engage with Simmental buyers to find out how satisfied they have been with their purchases, and to outline their thoughts and feedback to breeders. The Simmental breed is renowned for breeding quality heifer replacements and for being first class suckler cows with plenty of milk, good fertility, easily calved and crossing to advantage with any other breed.

We

also

see Simmental progeny

being easy fleshing, with good growth rates, top weights for age, and being the industry leader for age at slaughter. To have these qualities recognised and endorsed by the breeds buyers, with an approval/ repeat customer rate of 94%, is really encouraging.

“A massive well done is extended to pedigree Simmental breeders for these results and for consistently bringing forward a high standard of bulls. There is an ongoing commitment from the breeders and Society, in the sum of all its parts, to keep working hard to consistently produce the choice and quality of bulls that commercial beef producers and pedigree breeders require.”

NEW EBVS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY

With farmers facing ongoing uncertainties including changes to basic payments and increased pressure to reduce carbon emissions, many suckler farmers are investigating ways to improve the efficiency of their cattle enterprises. Could AHDB’s new maternal breed evaluations be the answer? Dr Alex Brown, AHDB’s Senior Beef Breeding & Genetics Manager, explains more.

In the past, much of the interest in improving efficiencies has been focused on terminal traits including growth rate and carcase quality. However, with 70% of the cost from suckler beef production, plus emission levels both originating from the suckler cow, farmers are starting to turn their attention to maternal efficiency.

For the past year, AHDB have been working to promote the production of heifers that are efficient, profitable, and fit for the future, under the Maternal Matters campaign. Alongside appropriate management and nutrition, choosing the right genetics for breeding heifer replacements is a key long-term investment, as the benefits are cumulative and permanent.

In 2018, AHDB launched their National Beef Evaluations providing estimated breeding values (EBVs) for five commercial carcase traits in beef cattle, using national data from processors, breed societies and the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS). Thanks to further research and analysis in conjunction with Scotland’s Rural College, it has been possible to leverage further value from routinely recorded BCMS data, and release three new maternal EBVs through the National Beef Evaluation database. These are:

1. Age at first calving

2. Productive lifespan

3. Calf survival

Understanding the new maternal trait EBVs

This set of EBVs is derived directly from commercial data and should therefore be of high interest to commercial producers as well as the pedigree sector. So, as well as being useful when making your own breeding decisions, these EBVs could also be used as a marketing tool when selling stock bulls. These new EBVs provide an opportunity

to have a cumulative and permanent impact on suckler herd performance by improving your herd genetics, and they link tightly to key maternal performance indicators (KPIs).

Age at first calving

Definition: An EBV predicting the age at which a heifer has her first calf. Selecting for this EBV will produce animals more likely to hold service at a younger age.

Calculated from: Birth and calving dates from BCMS

Unit of measurement: Days

Interpretation: Dirnanean Elixir has an age at first calving EBV of -42.3 days. On average, he will produce progeny who calve 21 days earlier than progeny from a bull with an age at first calving EBV of 0.

KPI: Age at first calving.

Productive lifespan

Definition: An EBV predicting how long females will stay in the breeding herd.

Calculated from: Birth, calving and death dates from BCMS

Unit of measurement: Parities (number of calvings)

Interpretation: Dirnanean Elixir has a productive lifespan EBV of 0.27. Based on a herd of 100 cows, a herd sired by Dirnanean Elixir will have an average of 13.5 more calvings between them before being replaced, than a herd sired by a bull with a productive lifespan EBV of 0.

KPI: Herd replacement rate

Calf survival

Definition: An EBV predicting the likelihood of tagged calves surviving to 10 months of age.

Calculated from: Birth and death dates from BCMS

Unit of measurement: %

Interpretation: Dirnanean Elixir has a calf survival EBV of 4.46%. On average, he will produce progeny who are 2.23% more likely to survive to 10 months of age than progeny from a bull with a calf survival EBV of 0.

KPI: Calves weaned, as a % of females put to the bull.

Remember: The EBV relates to the bull’s genetic merit. He contributes 50% of his genetics to his progeny, therefore the average progeny performance is 50% of the EBV value.

What this means for your business

We see high variation for these three traits in all breeds, and as usual the variation within breeds is higher than the variation we see across breeds. The heritability of these new maternal EBVs ranges from 4% (calf survival), to 11% (age at first calving). Although the genetic influence on these traits is fairly low, there is still good progress to be made using genetic improvement because these traits have such a high economic value.

All the EBVs available on the National Beef Evaluations database are available to compare across breeds, which is not possible via breed society evaluations. However, we recommend looking at our EBVs alongside Breedplan’s pedigree evaluation, as the two sets of information are complementary to each other.

How to access the data

The new EBVs are hosted alongside EBVs for carcase traits on the AHDB National Beef Evaluations website at www.ahdbbeef.egenes. co.uk, and you can search by pedigree name or ear tag number. You can also access them directly from the animal record page on Breedplan.

Developments have also been made to the National Beef Evaluation website, including details of trait definitions, release dates, and both across and within-breed benchmarking tables, as well as a handy reference page listing the pedigree evaluation service providers for each beef breed. Further improvements in the pipeline include a comprehensive FAQ page and an EBV search function.

Driving the data forward through sire recording

The production of these EBVs relies on sire details being recorded on passports to be able to identify genetic links between bulls and

recorded progeny. In the latest genetic evaluation (December 2022), there were over 6 million records that could not be used in the National Beef Evaluation analysis because the sire was not recorded in BCMS, so genetic links could not be made. We continue to urge farmers to make sure they record known sires when registering animals with BCMS as this is the best way to improve the range and accuracy of these EBVs. As well as continuing to record all known sires for your own herd, please encourage buyers of stock bulls to do the same. Increasing the level of sire recording will allow us to identify genetic links between cattle and improve the accuracy of the results.

AHDB Beef & Lamb have produced a Suckler Breeding Plan to help farmers record sires used on groups of animals if you don’t have computer software. This can be found at https://ahdb.org.uk/ knowledge-library/suckler-breeding-plan-for-better-returns

Interested in improving the efficiency of your breeding herd? Find out more about AHDB’s Maternal Matters campaign at https://ahdb. org.uk/knowledge-library/maternal-matters

An update on the carcase trait evaluations

The National Beef Evaluation for commercial carcase traits was first published in November 2018. Abattoir data flows into the database on a weekly basis from processors, with evaluations carried out 3 times per year, in April, August, and December.

Since the first evaluation was released in 2018, the number of pedigree Simmental cattle with carcase EBVs has risen by 23%, meaning we now have EBVs published online for over 200,000 pedigree registered cattle. Once commercial cattle are considered, the number of animals with published EBVs rises to over 700,000.

Breed benchmark tables are now produced for the National Beef Evaluation, which allow you to assess the genetic merit of your cattle on both a within and an across breed basis. The table below is an extract from the within-breed benchmark, and we can see substantial differences in genetic merit between the bottom 5% and top 5% of cattle for each trait. For example, on average, progeny from a top 5% bull for age at slaughter will finish to a constant carcase weight 15 days earlier than progeny from a bottom 5% bull. Because of the level of variation in the population and the high heritability of the carcase traits (~40%), using these EBV’s in your breeding decisions should result in good genetic progress for carcase traits.

As always, the top performing bull for a particular trait or index isn’t the best bull for every system. When using EBVs to assist your breeding decisions, make sure you have identified your target market, and what your cattle need to achieve to meet those requirements, so that you can identify which traits should be the strongest focus for improvement.

More information on bull selection, breeding and genetics can be found in AHDB’s choosing bulls for better returns manual at https:// ahdb.org.uk/Contents/Item/Display/22686

National Beef Evaluation – Simmental within-breed benchmark

HEIFER REPLACEMENT STRATEGIES: COST REDUCTION IN THE SUCKLER HERD

In 2019, Sarah Pick, AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager, undertook a Nuffield Farming Scholarship investigating heifer management practices in the suckler herd. Here, she discusses her main findings which remain highly relevant today.

Age at first calving can have a big influence on suckler profitability, with heifer management costs equating to around 10% of the total cost of production. Calving heifers at two years of age, rather than three, has been shown to be an effective way of reducing those costs. Studies have shown that calving heifers at two not only reduces management costs but also increases the number of calves the heifer produces over her lifetime.

Calving heifers at two years of age is still quite uncommon within the English suckler herd, due to concerns over additional feed costs, increased risk of calving difficulties and challenges getting first calved heifers to rebreed again.

The USA, Canada and Australia have been calving heifers successfully at two years of age since the 1970s, and therefore, as part of my Nuffield Scholarship, I wanted to travel to these countries to address some of the challenges preventing English suckler farms from implementing the practice.

What I found was that successful heifer development was underpinned by:

• Genetics

• Nutrition

• Selection

Genetics

Selecting animals purely on their visual characteristics is risky and can result in undesirable animals being bred. The producers I visited had clear breeding goals and were effectively using genetics to achieve them. Many of the estimated breeding values (EBVs) which were being selected for included calving ease daughters, age at first calving, scrotal circumference, mature size and milk.

They saw the importance of focusing on the female rather than the finished animal, with one producer asking: “Why do we raise cattle the finisher wants, when two-thirds of the cost of a finished animal relates to the suckler cow?”

Nutrition

One of the biggest challenges with calving heifers at two years of age is getting them to rebreed again after their first calving. Interestingly, body condition before calving is the most important factor controlling when heifers come back into bulling after calving.

During my travels, most producers that I visited calved heifers down at body condition score 3, to prevent an extended postpartum interval (time between calving and bulling). Calving thin heifers not only influences their reproductive success but also influences colostrum quality, leading to an increased risk of calf mortality.

Selection

Implementing a strict selection criteria ensures that only the most suitable heifers are retained in the herd. Most herds I visited did not retain heifers from cows which:

• Required assistance at calving

• Calved late in the breeding season (+42 days)

• Had large teats

• Had a bad temperament

The producers I visited were operating a 60-day breeding period so that calving was compact and management easier. This also indirectly selects for fertility, with only the most fertile heifers reaching puberty and successfully conceiving within the recommended short bulling period.

Replacement heifers are the lifeblood of the suckler herd and a valuable source of genetics, and therefore ensuring that only the most functional heifers are retained is essential. By implementing a well thought out breeding plan and carefully choosing the genetics you want within your herd, age at first calving can be reduced, leading to a more productive and profitable suckler herd.

SIMMENTAL MATERNAL TRAITS CAN BE KEY FOR SUCKLER COW EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY

Here Lesley Wylie, Beef Specialist, SAC Consulting, takes a look at the key maternal traits required for suckler beef profitability, and highlights what the role of the Simmental breed in suckler cows may be in the forward industry.

The popularity of the Simmental breed has increased considerably in recent years, with a 13.5% increase in pedigree registrations and 19.8% increase in birth notifications in the last 12 months. Whilst this only indicates pedigree calves born, the demand for this breed will be filtering down into the commercial sector due to the many positive attributes that the Simmental breed can bring to the suckler cow.

The high cull cow values seen this year, alongside profitability challenges, have encouraged farmers to clear out those older or problematic cows that perhaps don’t suit their system anymore. This has provided a great opportunity to rethink what the ideal suckler cow looks like for their system, that is perhaps one that is less reliant on inputs but still producing a marketable animal, be that store or finished.

From a maternal point of view the Simmental breed ‘s influence on a suckler cow is clear to see in the milkiness of the cows, helping to produce calves with strong weaning weights and less reliance on the feed bag to get to these weights.

With labour availability on farms continuing to be a challenge, there is a real need for docile cows that can calve down with little intervention that produce calves that get up and suckle quickly, again with very little assistance.

Fertility is key to suckler beef profitability with UK average weaning percentages at around 85%, yet the cattle and sheep enterprise profitability booklet produced by QMS each year shows that to breakeven suckler producers need to wean nearly 92 calves per 100 cows. Therefore, the breed needs to ensure that these cows, whilst producing a live calf, need to get back in calf in quickly, with relatively short bulling periods.

Most breeds have been guilty of chasing 400-day weight figures, leading to larger mature weights. However, one problem with this is that a high 400-day weight EBV tends to lead to increased calving difficulties, another is that finishers are reporting that some of these cattle are harder to get the desired level of finish on, as they just keep growing and struggle to lay down adequate fat levels.

From an emissions perspective reducing cow size by 10% would reduce emissions due to the lower feed and fertiliser requirements the cow would have.

Many producers argue that a larger cow gives you a higher cull value but if she is costing you more every year to keep than a smaller cow it is a false economy. Looking at a 200-day winter, a 600kg cow requires 75MJ ME per day which is 2,600 MJ ME over the winter less than a 750kg cow that requires 88MJ ME per day. Financially this could result in a potential saving of £34,200 for a herd of 100 cows based on 760kg less silage per cow (based on silage cost of £45/t FW).

At a time when feed costs are exceptionally high and the end market has implemented weight limits, it makes sense to consider where the optimum mature cow size is for the breed, to ensure it can produce suckler cows with relatively low maintenance requirements that are also easy fleshing.

From a terminal point of view the growth rates of Simmentals continue to be strong and this has resulted in the breed being joint top (alongside Charolais) of the leaderboard for the December 2022 AHDB National Beef evaluations Days to Slaughter EBVs. This trait is important for two reasons:

1. Farm profitability – good growth rates and better use of feed results in less days to slaughter, which decreases the costs to finish that animal.

2. Carbon footprint – it is well documented that reducing age of slaughter to 18 months from 24 months will reduce methane emissions from beef by around 10%.

Looking to the future, the breed needs to maintain its strong maternal traits and be careful not to over select on muscle or 400-day weights, which would have a detrimental effect on fertility and ease of finishing. If fertility, milk, calving ease and other important maternal traits are lost in favour of terminal genetics, then they may take many generations to get back.

Improved grassland management with help with lower cost production systems in suckler enterprises and with that we need cattle that can utilise the grass well and still maintain strong growth rates.

The industry is currently one of the most scrutinised sectors which continues to face many societal and environmental challenges. There is continued pressure on the viability of livestock, food security concerns and the role they play in the environment, biodiversity and what effect they have on carbon emissions.

lesley.wylie@sac.co.uk

Science into practice: IVP

Cattle breeders seeking to improve their herd’s genetic potential are introducing In-Vitro embryo Production (IVP), a costeffective service from specialist artificial breeding technology company, AB Europe. “IVP is a widely used method globally for producing embryos where it outcompetes MOET for its flexibility and multiple benefits to breeders and their donor animals,” explains AB Europe’s vet, Gavin Tait.

“IVP is providing breeders with opportunities that could never have been dreamt of. The process features some of the most technically advanced procedures, initially developed in human IVF, to produce embryos from collected oocytes which are fertilized within a petri dish by selected semen and subsequently cultured for seven days until the fully developed embryos can be transferred or frozen. IVP can be performed in sexually mature heifers and in calf breeding females enabling cattle breeders to keep steps ahead.”

Heifers + IVP

We are performing IVP in beef heifers at around 10 to 11 months of age, and dairy heifers from as young as eight months. There will be variation between breeds and individual animals mainly attributed to sexual maturity, however you should be able to gauge if she is sufficiently mature to collect from according to her size and if she has started to cycle.

The IVP process allows you to start collecting oocytes – unfertilized eggs, from heifers at a considerably younger age over MOET which requires animals to be 13 to 15 months of age and is more size dependent.

Collecting oocytes from younger animals is enabling breeders to produce embryos and realise the potential from their highest genetic value animals much sooner. For example, if we collect from a ninemonth-old heifer, her first calf will be born by the time she is 18 months of age.

Young heifers are averaging around three embryos within a range of one to 10 embryos compared with cows averaging five, and we have found from experience that collecting at an early age doesn’t compromise her future breeding potential at all. We’ve collected from heifers which have gone on to achieve a normal pregnancy.

Pregnant donors + IVP

IVP provides an exclusive opportunity to collect oocytes from in-calf females. The service is practical up to 12 to 14 weeks of gestation, after which point it becomes very donor dependant as to whether her ovaries can still be reached by the vet. We carry out the same process as we do for non-pregnant animals, the success rate is the same and there is no difference in hold rates.

IVP is allowing breeders to continue to collect oocytes from their ‘best’ animal while she is in calf; they no longer have to hesitate whether or not to perform IVF and compromise her becoming out of synch with the rest of the in herd, or even miss a year of breeding.

Embryo vitrification

Vitrification is another process which was developed in human IVF and has since been introduced to the cattle breeding sector. Vitrification features a two-part process; initially the embryo is dehydrated - all the liquid inside them is removed, after which it

AB Europe IVP vet, Gavin Tait

Vitrification - hook carrying rapidly frozen embryo

is rapidly frozen on a specially designed hook. The technique prevents ice crystals forming within each embryo which could be detrimental when it thaws. It is also the preferred method of freezing used in human IVF. (See image p54).

As long as embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen they can be stored indefinitely, regardless of the processing or storage method. We find that Grade 1 embryos tend to hold equally as well, whether they are vitrified or conventionally frozen. However, there is a marked improved hold rate when Grade 2 embryos are vitrified.

GRADE 1

Picture perfect embryo. Inner cell mass (ICM) is neat and tidy with even cell size, shape and colour; no evidence of fragmentation

GRADE 2 ICM cellular distribution less compact with minor fragmentation

GRADE 3

No clear cellular boundaries with >50% fragmentation; not viable for freezing or transferring

Cattle IVP Services

AB Europe offers farmers professional and reliable services as well as access to the latest reproductive breeding technologies to maximise and accelerate genetic gain from their superior cows

A group of embryos

AUCHORACHAN HERCULES TOPS THE SIRE RANKINGS

FOR THE MOST PEDIGREE PROGENY REGISTERED IN 2022

With a few ‘new movers’ hitting the rankings, the 2016 born Auchorachan Hercules has moved straight into the number one position of most calves registered to a sire in 2022, with 71 calves added to the BSCS Herdbook. Auchorachan Hercules was bred by D&R Durno & Sons, Glenlivet, Ballandalloch, Banffshire, and was the result of an embryo purchased from the Ranfurly herd of David Hazelton. Sired by the noted 12,000gns Auchorachan ACDC, Hercules is out of the Ranfurly herd’s prolific show cow South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd EX93. Clearly making his mark, Auchorachan Hercules breeder Michael Durno says: “Hercules has bred really well and is passing on all his great attributes to his progeny including length, carcase, style, and character!” Auchorachan Hercules carries a +11 figure for Maternal (Milk) placing him in the top 5% of the breed. In October 2021 Auchorachan Landmark sold at Stirling for 18,000gns, the highest price for a Hercules sired calf, and with Hercules sons at sale averaging £8,500 to date. In the summer of 2022, Auchorachan Hercules was sold in a private deal to Jim & Patricia Goldie, Newbie Mains Farm, Annan, Dumfriesshire for their Newbiemains pedigree herd.

In second place with 53 calves registered to him in the year, and another new entrant to the top 20, is Denizes Hamish from MA Barlow and Sons, Four Oaks, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancashire. January 2016 born Denizes Hamish is by Dinton Nautical and is out of the herd’s much decorated show cow Auroch Eve, a two time Simmental Champion at the Royal Higland Show. In October 2022, the Hamish son Denizes Monty won the Supreme Championship at the pre-sale show of Simmental bulls before going on to sell for 20,000gns. Hamish’s first 12 sons sold at Stirling have averaged 7,500gns. Commenting, John Barlow says: “Denizes Hamish is breeding progeny with the full package of pedigree and performance figures, the noted Simmental maternal traits, and with shape and muscle. He’s leaving some very modern Simmental calves.” Denizes Hamish is in the breed’s top 1% for Calving Ease Direct, the top 5% for gestation length, and the top 1% for both Eye Muscle Area, and Retail Beef Yield.

Other noted entrants to the top rankings include Coose Lincoln (42); Curaheen Bandit (41); Annick Klondyke (39); and PHS Polled Worldwide 14 (39).

Hercules

GOLDEN COW AWARD

Introduced in 2018, the Golden Cow is a replacement for the Elite Cow Scheme. As well as looking at the EBV’s for a cow and her progeny, the Golden Cow also takes into account the physical attributes of the cow from the Classification scores awarded to her.

Qualifying criteria for Golden Cow Award

• Cow must have five calves with an average calving Interval of 13 months (twins are classed as one calving)

• Cow must have indexes above breed average

• All calves must have indexes above breed average

• Cow must be classified as Excellent

Once awarded Golden Cow status this award remains whilst the cow is live and active in the herd book.

Golden Cows

COW OWNER

ISLAVALE ELISHA EX 93

KILLIWORGIE ELIZA EX 90

MIDHOPE EVERLIGHT EX 94

ISLAVALE FASHION EX 92

ISLAVALE FREDA EX 91

STRATHISLA FATE’S TWIGGY EX 90

STRATISLA FOXY’S MIRA EX 93

STAR GREEN DAPPY’S GRAPEFRUIT EX 91

STRATHISLA GHITA’S GERALDINE EX 90

STRATHISLA GLORIA’S GERALDINE EX 91

MR W S STRONACH

MR S A GUMMOW

MR W J & J GREEN

MR W S STRONACH

MR W S STRONACH

STRATHISLA FARMS

STRATHISLA FARMS

MR P V JOLIFFE

STRATHISLA FARMS

STRATHISLA FARMS

‘MODERN’ KILBRIDE FARM

SIMMENTALS HIGHLIGHT A

50 YEAR COMMITMENT TO PROGRESSIVE PEDIGREE BREEDING

Feature on the highly regarded Kilbride Farm Simmental Herd of the Society’s recently elected BSCS President Norman Robson, and the Robson family, based at Ballyclare, Co Antrim.

Elected in October 2022, British Simmental Cattle Society President Norman Robson is the third member of his family to hold this role – following in his father Billy and brother Michael’s footsteps. It is testament to the family’s enduring passion for the Simmental breed, which they’ve now been involved with for more than half a century.

Based in Ballyclare, Co Antrim, Norman and Michael run the Kilbride Farm herd in partnership, with Billy and Eileen officially retired, but still helping out – as do Norman’s son Angus and Michael’s son Matthew. It was founded in 1971,

with the purchase of four heifers from Germany, which formed part of the breed’s first importation to Northern Ireland. A further six heifers were bought the following year, which formed the basis of the herd.

Norman explains: “My father wanted to get into pedigree cattle and he felt that the Simmental offered us the most opportunities, which proved to be the case. Much of the progeny of those first females were exported to America –there was a big demand for Simmentals over there, and at that point they couldn’t import directly from Europe, but they could from us.”

Angus, Norman, Billy and Michael Robson.

The family worked away at improving the herd, using the best semen they could buy at that time, until their first stock bull was acquired in 1980. Billy ventured to France to select the bull ‘Orage’, which did exactly what they hoped he would. “Orage certainly put a stamp on the herd. He helped us increase growth, conformation and milk within the herd, and sired our first champion at the Perth Bull Sales, Kilbride Farm Perry, which went on to sell for 6,000gns, in 1985,” says Norman.

A few years later, the stock bull Moncur Sensation was bought privately and became the first Simmental to win the inter-breed title at Balmoral Show, also winning the breed’s Male of the Year title the same year, in 1989. Another bull that proved particularly influential on the herd in the earlier days was Milnafua Graduate, bought at Perth in 1998, which sired sons to 11,000gns, in addition to many high performing daughters.

Norman says: “Graduate daughters were very square females that calved easily on any bull and had plenty milk – we’ve had a lot of good bulls out of Graduate cows. While we were using Graduate, he hurt himself, which resulted in us using a home-bred bull, Kilbride Farm Newry, a son of Dovefields Gallant. We used him for two years before selling him to AI Services.” Newry went onto have a

huge influence on the breed and was one of the most used AI sires ever – topping the registration figures for several years in a row. For the Kilbride Farm herd, he sired successful breeding females and sons that made five-figure prices, including Kilbride Farm Strabane, which was champion at Perth in 2006 and sold for 10,000gns to the Blackford herd.

Another privately bought bull that performed well was Seaview Prince Charming, sire of the 2008 Perth champion Kilbride Farm Tarrant, which made 10,000gns to Corskie. And, Cairnview Snazzy, bought at Perth for 15,000gns, went onto be the sire or grand-sire to four Stirling champions, including Kilbride Farm Comber, the October, 2012 champion, which made 20,000gns.

The herd’s top price to-date is the 22,000gns Kilbride Farm Foreman, sold at Stirling in February 2016, where he was placed reserve supreme champion. His sire, Crugmelyn Brenin, was bought privately after being spotted at the English National Show. In addition to Foreman, a further two sons of Brenin sold privately at five-figure prices and his daughters became some of the best in the herd, with a few still remaining. Norman explains: “We do a fair bit of research before selecting a stock bull; we look at breeding lines and which ones are consistently doing well. Based on his genetics, we bought

Kilbride Farm Eunice 213G.

Kilbride Farm Iris 17F, dam of Iris 25LP.

the homozygous polled bull Sneumgaard Imperator, as a threemonth-old calf from Denmark. Michael was over there judging and visited the herd – they had two exceptional cows and he was a son of one of them.

We have been gradually introducing the polled gene over the years, slowly, in order to also maintain the qualities that our herd has become known for. Imperator has helped accelerate this.”

Imperator has been breeding well and as a result, 75% of the cows in the herd are now polled. The Robsons are also using a home-bred son of Imperator, Kilbride Farm Jetstream, which is out of a Brennin daughter. Of his first crop of calves, four sons sold to pedigree herds in 2022, and a further three are entered for the upcoming sale at Stirling in February ‘23.

In addition to realising the long-term benefits of breeding polled cattle, the Robsons also appreciate the advantages that new

technology has brought to the breed. “We have always supported performance recording and can see the improvements that have been made in the breed as a result of having access to this information. If we’re importing a stock bull, we always take into account the growth rates and calving ease, from whatever system that country has. We have a 300-sow pig unit and have witnessed the major improvements that the pig industry has been able to make by using this technology.”

At present, the cattle herd comprises just short of 100 breeding pedigree cows, with half calving in the spring, from the end of March, and the rest between August and October. Norman says they run a commercial system and the cows are ‘not pampered in any way’. “They are housed on slats through the winter and they need to be very structurally sound to hold up to those conditions. The cows are naturally fleshed so they are cheap to keep over the winter. The spring calves are speaned when they come in, at six to seven months old, with the early autumn-born calves speaned in April when they go out to grass and the later autumn ones kept on the cow until June,” he adds.

Bulls and heifers have always been sold at Society sales at Stirling and Dungannon, but also privately, off the farm. This method

increased in popularity during lockdown and Norman notes that the demand for private sales has remained high since then. Post-Brexit protocols with regards to movement rules, have resulted in Northern Ireland sellers being far more cautious when it comes to taking bulls across the water to sales. “There was a time when we would take a dozen bulls to Perth or Stirling, but there’s no way we would risk that now, with the current movement restrictions. I’d say the bulls that we sell at home are a slightly different type to the ones we send to Stirling, where a slightly bigger framed bull is more in demand. We have a good market for polled bulls sold from home.

“Those that don’t make the mark are kept entire and sold at just over a year old, direct to ABP. The last batch that went weighed an average 453kg and averaged out at £1,893 per head. Amongst them, there was one E grade, one R grade and the rest all U grades. The Simmental has always been renowned as a maternal breed, but it can also compete in the store market too, with impressive growth rates and days to slaughter.”

However, the demand for Simmental females, both pedigree and commercial, continues and in 2021 the family held an online sale

to celebrate the herd’s 50th anniversary, where 13 heifers sold to average 4,500gns. At home, no bought-in females have been added to the herd for around 20 years. Instead, bulls are carefully selected to go on the five main cow families – Eunice, Dora, Laura, Iris and Fanni, which have all been breeding well for several generations.

Whilst Kilbride Farm stock often makes it into the top prize-list at pre-sale shows, the Robsons have not shown at summer shows for many years. Norman says they enjoyed their new-found free time the year of Foot-and-mouth when the shows were cancelled and haven’t gone back to it since.

“It also helps us protect the health status of the herd, but I can definitely see the benefits of showing at the summer events, from a promotional and social point of view”, he says.

“My father first got into Simmentals because he could see the potential of the breed and the opportunities for the breed to progress have never been greater.

"With the environmental impact of beef farming under such scrutiny, the efficiency and sustainability of the Simmental will come to the fore – I’m proud to be President of the Society at this time and can hopefully help promote this message,” adds Norman.

We must build on the performance benefits the Simmental breed offers all types of farming systems – no other breed has the flexibility of the Simmental; from crossing on a Luing cow on the hill, to high output lowland suckler herds and as a crossing sire onto the dairy herd.

Norman Robson.

Kilbride Farm Jestream.

SYMA

SIMMENTAL YOUNG MEMBERS ASSOCIATION

Simmental Young Members featured strongly throughout the Simmental year in 2022 playing an integral part at shows, sales, and major events. Here we have a montage of just some of the highlights of Simmental Young Members participating, achieving, and showing their fantastic abilities, including:

Exhibiting the Champion at Borderway Agri Expo; showing at the summer ‘majors’; winning young handlers championships at Stars of the Future; preparing and showing at the Stirling Bull Sales; calf show young handlers championships; stockjudging at the English and NI National Shows; and winning young stockpersons awards at Stirling.

The SYMA continues to be the forum for young members to develop their interest and knowledge in all things Simmental and cattle breeding generally. Hugely important it is a foundation for the development of young Simmental members and the improvement of the Simmental breed in the future.

LOOKING TO BUILD A SIMMENTAL FUTURE

Simmental young members can be found in all the affiliated Clubs around the UK and the Society is keen to grow SYMA membership and activity. Collectively, with support from the SYMA officeholders, and the British Simmental Cattle Society, events are organised at both local and national level and can typically include:

• National and regional SYMA stockjudging

• Exchange visits and trips

• Courses in cattle preparation, feeding, halter training, clipping, showing cattle and general stock knowledge

• Herd visits and open days

• Technical days and online courses on cattle breeding, genetics, EBVs and genomics

• Marketing of Simmental cattle and use of online forums for breed promotion

• SYMA social events

The Simmental Young Member Association is a fantastic forum for you to learn more about cattle and the livestock industry generally. It’s a lot of fun, educational, and a great opportunity to meet and mix with people who share a common interest in British Simmental, one of the UK’s leading beef breeds. Want to join the SYMA and help us grow the organisation? Then please contact us at information@ britishsimmental.co.uk or on 02476 696513

Welcome to

New Members

Great to see new breeders from all geographies of the UK joining the Society in 2022. A warm welcome is extended to all and we hope that you enjoy your membership of British Simmental as you build your pedigree herd.

MEMBER’S NAME

N & N ABRAHAM

S & L AWDRY

JOHN BOSHER

J M & M E EUSTICE

SCOTT ANDREW EWING

E & M FAIRHURST & SON

PATRICK J FITZSIMONS & ANDREA MCKIBBIN

HUGH P & CIARAN HAMILL

MR ALEX HEATH

MARK HERON

PHILIP & SHEA LARGEY

IAN MAGILL

WARREN MCCONNELL

MARK MCKINSTRY

SAMUEL, RICHARD & ROY MORRISON

MR R F & MRS RJ PARKER

AD & JM PRITCHARD

J G A RAYMONT & SON

M W RIDGWAY

DESSIE ROONEY

RUSSELL & JESSICA STEER

P & E STEWART

SAM & CHARLIE TANNER

STUART TANNER

SION WYN JONES & SONS

RUARIDH JOHN MACARTHUR

JAMES MCCOMB & ANDREW WHITE

FINLAY SOUTTER

ANNA VERNON

REGION

PREFIX

Northern Ireland CORHOLLAND

Cornwall TRENDEAL

South East DORNEYLILLIES

Cornwall HAYVIEW

Scotland OVERTON

North East FAIRHURST

Northern Ireland BALLYFITZ

Northern Ireland OAKTOWN

Midlands SUREFIRE

North East BRINKBURN

Northern Ireland LAGAN

Northern Ireland BALLYROLLY

Northern Ireland BINNIANVIEW

Northern Ireland BALLYAULKAN

Northern Ireland OTAGO

East Anglia TAVERHAM

Midlands LILWALL

Cornwall TREVEAN

Scotland NETHERHOWDEN

Northern Ireland ROSEMOY

South West RUSHLADE

Scotland MOSSYWOOD

South West NORTONBROOK

South West HOMEMEADFARM

Wales PERTH

Scotland DALMORE

Northern Ireland MILLCOMB

Midlands MILLENNIUM

Midlands FERZILL

JUDY MCGOWAN

Dirnanean Simmentals

1943 - 2022

The sudden death of Judy McGowan, Incheoch, Alyth, in November has seen the Simmental breed lose one of its long serving supporters. Judy was a firstclass organiser and with this ability she helped husband Finlay establish, run and promote the Dirnanean Simmental herd and was actively involved in various livestock clubs, breed societies and events. She was widely respected by the farming industry who recognised her practical knowledge and her ability to get things done.

Judy was born 20 minutes after her brother Walter to James and Annie Biggar of Chapelton, Castle Douglas on 24th July 1943. The twins were the eldest of the family that grew with Kay and later Donald. The house was often full of international visitors and conversations in ‘The Bull Room’ (based around bull sales, herd sires and shows), were really about the great characters from all over the world who visited often.

Although brought up amongst pedigree herds of Galloways and Shorthorn cattle, the family involvement with the Simmental breed started when her father, along with great friend Frank Young of Congeith and accompanied by William Young of Skerrington Mains, were dispatched to Switzerland to select an early importation for the UK. James Biggar remembered seeing a young bull calf called Neff running down a hillside and striding into a byre with all the character he would end up bringing to the breed worldwide.

Following education at Haugh-0f-Urr, Ambleside and ‘the Mount’ in York, she enrolled at

Edinburgh University attaining an MA degree in Physical Geography and Political Economy, with Moral Philosophy and Psychology. However, her proudest achievement of this time was receiving the Queen’s Guide Award.

Guides opened the door for traveling and she visited Israel and spent some time living in a kibbutz. She was always very supportive of any organisation encouraging young people to travel – and then very welcoming to the stream of people who have landed at her door. She was always quick to organise a laundry, work out what they needed to see and supply more contacts while filling a table with food.

In 1964 she travelled to Canada, meeting up with family and cattle contacts – including a visit with her twin brother Walter who was doing similar – working at the Lowada Hereford ranch at the time. It was not long after her return home that Walter was tragically killed in a car accident while still in Canada.

A stint at secretarial college in London honed skills that took her to the Borders to help set up a service helping farmers with records and bookkeeping that became Farm Business Records (FBR). A keen interest in the Young Farmers movement introduced her to many firm friends but also grew into a job which took her back to Edinburgh for a few years as assistant to National Secretary, Bob Gregor.

While working for rural Scotland’s unofficial marriage agency – she met Finlay, not at a Young Farmers event, but a Shorthorn dinner dance in the Station Hotel, Perth at a February

Bull Sale. They were married on the 1st June 1973.

The couple took on a small hill farm in the Lomond Hills of Fife and after three years the chance came up to buy a 5000 acre hill farm, well up a Highland Perthshire glen – lock, stock and barrel. The couple scraped absolutely everything together to forge a deal and moved to Dirnanean on the last day of 1976. A flitting in a lorry through snow – with Neil as a toddler, Clare on the way and Meise – 1 Swiss Simmental cow. A strong marriage, one Simmental cow and a whole lot of debt and determination was how Finlay and Judy’s farming adventure really began.

Taking over the resident herd of Luing cattle proved to be a turning point in their farming, but it was with the Simmental breed they found the most success initially. Show and sale success with bulls including Stuartslaw Joseph, Congeith Malcolm, Dirnanean Nugget and Norseman, sparked Judy’s involvement with the breed and she became secretary of the Scottish Simmental Club for 14 years – organizing events and trips as far afield as Norfolk and Northern Ireland with busloads of members intent on seeing cows and getting up to all sorts of nonsense. She really enjoyed trying to keep them all shepherded and the camaraderie of it all.

The Simmental Club dinner in the City Mills hotel in Perth, which she organised with a ceilidh and charity raffle, brought many old friendships together, kindled new ones and also inspired a lot of mischief – but also good-will towards the breed. Her go-to people for getting those nights going were many, but included Jim Webster, Hector MacAskill and Alastair Houston – and I like to fancy they may all be having a good time again, without us.

One of Judy’s proudest achievements was organising the Dirnanean Open Day in 1984 where the ‘Sim-Luing’ was launched as a branded breeding female. Although the day included a wealth of speakers, a trailered farmtour around the hill, lunch and a bar (Judy found a way around licensing arrangements) her best memories were of the people that came and the fun that they had later that day.

A farm move for a few years to Stuartslaw near Duns was a steppingstone to the more extensive stock farm they were looking for and the family were soon on the move again to Incheoch, Alyth, in 1994 where they finally settled. Both children based there too, returning after spells

of work and travel and later joined by Neil’s wife Debbie and then grandchildren Tally and Angus.

In just short of 50 years of marriage the couple moved house 10 times.

Settling down at Incheoch Judy produced the Luing Journal for a year, which then turned into the position of secretary of the Luing Cattle Society for the best part of a decade. She was in this role over the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 when everything turned on its head –there was great demand from herds restocking, and with direct farm to farm sales only, the Luing office held a big role in getting new herds set up - a challenge she relished.

During her time with the Luings, Judy dealt with a growing membership and registrations, but was most proud of the joint open days held in conjunction with Simmental and Charolais cattle societies – when commercial herds were showcased. Breed complementarity and hybridvigour was the message, but it didn’t interest her as much as what people could achieve when they worked together.

Simmentals took Judy on many adventures – parties at the Royal Show, expeditions into blizzards in Canada looking for polled cattle and various trips to Ireland, sometimes returning with a bull, but always rejuvenated by meeting people.

Retirement from some farm duties meant actively organising community events and organisations including the Isla Parishes churches and Skene Tryst Lunch club for the elderly in the district. Judy continued to be actively involved in the farm, often with clipboard to hand, and took great pleasure in the challenge of the annual on-farm ram and bull sale, particularly enjoying the opportunity to meet friends – old and new.

She is survived by her husband Finlay and the farm is now run by son Neil and daughter-in-law Debbie, with the help of Judy’s daughter Clare. Judy also has two grandchildren.

The Dirnanean Simmental herd was dispersed in 2015, with a core of females starting son Neil’s Incheoch herd. When writing the foreword for the sale, Judy was asked what her best memories were of the Simmental cattle. She had many – but they were all about the people she had met, the parties and the fun that was had. This pedigree cattle business is really about people and friendships – and the Simmental world has lost a good friend in Judy McGowan.

IVIE HAIR

WASHAWAY SIMMENTALS

1940 – 2022

Ivie was born in Scotland where his grandfather and father farmed in Largs, Ayrshire. In 1960 the family took the major decision to buy Hendra Farm, St Kew in Cornwall. The organisation of moving their stock led to the unprecedented sight of a train pulling cattle wagons into St Kew station, which featured in the local press with black and white pictures capturing the event for posterity. Life continued with the family milking and breeding Hereford cattle, until Ivie was offered the opportunity to manage Pencarrow Estate for James Molesworth St Aubyn in 1989.

Ivie and Jennie, who he met in 1983, settled into the bungalow where he remained until his death. Initially continuing the home farm Hereford suckler herd, Ivie encouraged the transition to Simmentals in the early 90’s obtaining foundation females from the Lancombe, Sacombe, Hendra, Huntsland, Langford, Felixstowe, Dunninald and Efford herds. The herd was expanded using AI and a stock bull Carnon Warleggan, acquired from John Langdon. A decade later the Pencarrow herd was dispersed due to the owner’s ill health. Ivie and Jennie bought some land and cattle from the estate and the Washaway Simmental herd was established.

A Cornwall Simmental Club foundation member and serving on committee for many years, Ivie’s passion for the Simmental breed never dwindled. He attended the 2022 Royal Cornwall Show aided by a mobility scooter, oxygen cylinder and Jennie’s caring assistance. Ivie advised and mentored several fledgling Simmental herds in the county, including Killiworgie, Sowenna and Pennytinney. His experience, zest for life and mischievous humour will be missed.

Our condolences to his widow and three sons.

BETTY WILSON

CAIRNVIEW HERD

1943 - 2022

Betty was born at Cauldhame Farm, Dunlop, Ayrshire, to William and Jean Struthers. She was the fourth daughter of five girls, in what was a close family. Betty always enjoyed working outside with her dad, being given the name Tam – the son her dad never had. Betty attended Dunlop Primary and Stewarton High schools. After leaving school, she went to secretarial college before starting work with Mortons Auctioneers in Kilmarnock. After Betty’s eldest sister married, she came back home to work. Sadly their dad died suddenly in 1961 and the family farm was sold.

Betty married Sandy Wilson in 1963 and had three children, Robert, Jean and Sandra. This marriage ended and Betty met Andy (also Wilson) and they were married in 1988, now becoming Betty Struthers Wilson. When married, they lived at Cairnview, Kilmacolm, which is where the Simmental herd got its prefix. Betty was never sure if Andy loved his cows more than her. They moved to Burnhouse and then to Westcroft in 1998. Some great friends were met through the Simmental Society and happy times were spent at Simmental outings, including the Stirling Bull Sales and taking the caravan to the Royal Highland Show. The kist parties were the highlight of the show, meeting old and new friends, and the good craik. When Betty managed to drag Andy away from the cattle, they enjoyed cruising and a visit to the Toronto Winter Fair.

Betty leaves behind a loving husband and dear friend Andy, her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and step family.

IAN STEELE BLAKEWELL HERD

5th December 1946 – 23rd January 2022

Ian William Steele travelled a less than usual route into the Simmental breed. Born and brought up in the city of Hull, son of William and Maude and brother of Patricia and Margaret, his early life passions were football and motor vehicles. This saw him leave school to take up an apprenticeship with Hull Corporation and train as a fitter on the buses.

Life takes twists and turns that can never be foreseen and through a friend he met Margaret Douglas, the eldest daughter of a farmer from Easington, a village on the coast, 20 miles from Hull. As they say, one thing leads to another and Ian and Margaret were married on the 23rd March 1968 and set up home on Blakewell Farm going on to have two sons, Andrew and Barry. Shortly after the marriage, a decision needed to be made; should Ian continue to commute to Hull to work or should he change direction and start to work on the farm, which at the time carried a dairy herd, a pig breeding and finishing herd, laying hens and an arable enterprise. This was the start of his farming life, working alongside Margaret’s father and uncle and explains why the business has always traded as F Douglas & Sons.

Ian and Margaret’s first foray into the Simmental breed occurred in 1992 when purchasing Longfield Cindy from Ken Jobling’s sale in the same area of Holderness. That same year, they joined the Simmental Society and their 30 years association with the breed had started. Later additions included females from the Island, Brinkton, Salisbury, Sterling, Solway and Greenside herds.

Ian made many friends through Simmental cattle. Shows such as Driffield, Great Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland and Lincolnshire were successfully attended regularly throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s.

It was always nice to come away with a few rosettes and they certainly had their fair share from animals such as Blakewell April’s Glory and Blakewell Evening Kiss. Ian always referred to these years as the best years for showing due to the friendships forged and the banter that he enjoyed so much. On the back of this, successful sales came at Carlisle on a regular basis as well as supporting sales at Thirsk, Newark and Skipton.

Ian took particular pleasure from animals he sold going on to be successful for other breeders. Never really one for the limelight, he loved it when his granddaughters were old enough to get involved with the cattle. He encouraged them into the show ring and was at his happiest watching proudly from the edge, always ready to help out if a heifer misbehaved.

It’s probably fair to say that Blakewell animals always bred better than they sold. Ian loved his cattle and their future breeding potential was paramount – showing was fun, a holiday away from the farm, a chance to catch up with friends. Rosettes were a bonus not a priority. All the cattle were genuine and their health was his main priority. Indeed, the Blakewell herd would be one of the first in the Simmental breed to gain Elite Health Status and this guaranteed a ready market for his heifers, if not for pedigree or commercial use, then as embryo recipients. No one ever bought a Blakewell animal not knowing that should anything go awry, Ian would be more than fair.

Since Ian passed away, we have been overwhelmed with the messages from fellow breeders and friends within the Simmental community. The most common description of Ian that we receive is that he was a Gentleman. That’s not a bad way to be remembered and as Ian himself may have said, “It’ll do”.

PAUL RADBURN

DILMORE HERD

1956 - 2022

Paul passed away in March 2022, aged 66, following a very short illness. He farmed a smallholding in Claines, Worcester, consisting of around 50 Simmentals and a few Hereford cows. He was born in the small village of Cutnall Green near Droitwich and lived in the countryside all his life. Although not originally from farming stock, he just loved the outdoor rural life and all his friends were farmer’s children. He spent hours at weekends and school holidays down on the farm.

His parents and grandparents were market gardeners but Paul was always more interested in the chickens, ducks and geese who shared the fields. They had a pig sty at the bottom of the garden so his dad bought a couple of small pigs for Paul to look after as a young teenager, and that was the beginning.

A family friend in the village had a livestock transport business so Paul soon became a “driver’s mate” helping to load animals and deliver them to other farms and markets. Paul didn’t get on well at school, mostly because his mind was already made up – he wanted to be outside caring for animals and couldn’t see the point of academic stuff. As soon as he was old enough he got his HGV license and joined the company transporting animals around the county. He loved it.

As he grew older he wanted more animals for himself and was lucky that when his aunt retired from the Post Office in Cutnall Green, she bought a cottage in Claines which had a pig farm attached. Paul lived there with his aunt for the next 40 years. Paul developed the pig farm and supplemented his income by running his own haulage lorry with his name across the top.

But it was always about the animals. At its peak the pig farm had over a hundred breeding sows and was very hard work. The trade became quite poor and Paul couldn’t make a living from the pigs, so he made the switch to breeding high quality pedigree cattle. Firstly Charolais then Simmentals and recently adding a few Herefords. Whatever animals he reared, his buyers would always comment on how well they looked and how well they had been cared for. Simmental breeders were often calling to find out if he had animals for sale.

Paul was a big strong man but very gentle with it. He became a carer for his aunt and looked after the house they shared. He was a very private man and never married. He treated his animals as his family and would do anything for his neighbours and local farmers. They held him in high regard as a friend and this became very obvious in the days and weeks following his death when many of them turned up to help feed and care for his animals in such difficult circumstances.

Paul would never have done well on Eggheads or University Challenge but he made up for it with other talents. It is doubtful if many of the Eggheads would be much good at reversing a large trailer full of cows through a small gateway. Paul was brilliant at it.

For a big “no nonsense” type of man, he was incredibly tolerant and calm when things weren’t going well. He has been severely challenged and let down by many builders and contractors whilst trying to get his barn conversion completed over the last two years and it is such a shame that he was only just starting to enjoy his hard work. He will leave someone with a brand new bungalow but he will leave us all with lots of warm and positive memories.

Ifor Williams Livestock Trailers

Ifor Williams Tipping Trailers

Ifor Williams Horsebox Trailers

Ifor Williams Sheep Trailers

Eventa Horse Trailers with Living

Corskie Ebay

Manor Park Lachlan

Manor Park Hansome

Manor Park Hayden

SIMMENTALS BREEDING QUALITY FEMALE REPLACEMENTS, AND TOP QUALITY STORE CATTLE

FOR THE MANSON FAMILY AT BRODIESHILL

Feature on Colin and Robert Manson, Brodieshill Farm, Alves, Forres and their 140 cow Simmental based suckler herd. The Mansons will welcome visitors on 8th July 2023, when they host a British Simmental Open Day at Brodieshill Farm.

Since introducing the Simmental as a dual-purpose sire, the Manson family from Morayshire has been able to produce home-bred, medium sized replacements which can sustain the type of ground on their unit.

Father and son team Colin and Robert Manson, farm at Brodieshill, Alves, and have built up a good reputation for selling hi-health commercial bulling heifers and store cattle sold through Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ Thainstone Centre. The family has been at the 550-acre Brodieshill unit since 1947 and they now farm a total of 1100 acres which includes 400 acres of spring barley for malting, 25 acres of beans, 200 acres of rotational grazing and the rest permanent pasture, much of which is reclaimed hill ground.

Robert Manson.

Outwith the commercial suckler herd of 140 cows, the family also keeps 500 breeding ewes, 100 of which are Suffolk cross Mules lambed early in February. The main batch lamb in mid-March, with the first lambs away by the end of June when sold direct to Woodhead Bros at Turriff or Dunbia. Roberts’ wife Nicola has also diversified and opened a natural play area earlier this year, where she holds sessions for parents and children to explore, play and assist with animal care, and become more familiar with the farming seasons through information boards.

Colin and Robert previously used the Charolais as a terminal sire over Simmental crosses, producing bull beef and finished heifers, and bought in all replacements from other herds. “The first Simmental cross heifers were purchased 18 years ago from Bill and Garry Patterson, Upper Forgie, and we’ve never looked back since,” said Robert.

“Simmentals are docile and good to work with, and we needed a big, framed female that was fit to handle bigger Charolais calves. The only downside was that we couldn’t produce our own replacements with the Charolais, and we were having some difficult calvings so that’s why we’ve now moved to Simmental bulls, with a Salers used over the heifers for easier calving.”

The first Simmental bull used was Burghbridge Ricardo, purchased on recommendation from Gibby Scott, and the family now tend to buy top-quality bulls from local herds such as Islavale, Rockytop and Blackford. One of the dearest stock bulls to date is the 11,000gns Blackford Island Warrior, which is leaving more flesh and shape, with the recent Islavale sires doing equally well and bringing size into the breeding herd.

At present, the herd includes 140 suckler cows which are split calving from the end of February onwards and then from the end of July. All heifers have been pelvic measured since 2015 to cull out any not suitable for breeding.

“We like to run a tight calving period, so bulls are out with the cows for 12 weeks and just 6 weeks with the heifers,” commented Robert. “Since moving away from the Charolais, we haven’t seen much of a difference in the weights of the calves, and we generally find that the Simmental calves are a good weight for age. The males used to be kept entire, but we soon realised that the stots could stand up to the other breeds in the store ring, so that’s the system we are following now.”

kept inside for six weeks before being sold privately. The autumn calving cows calve outside next to the steading and they’re housed from the end of November. Only the cows and heifer calves head outside in May, with heifer calf outfits weaned from their mothers and kept inside on feed until being sold six weeks later.

With the Simmental being the only terminal sire amongst the cows, the females at Brodieshill are almost pure. Around 15 is kept for each herd, with the remainder sold to returned buyers through Thainstone in May, at 18 to 19-months-old.

Last year’s consignment averaged £1,625 (-£150 on the year) and the herd received a top price to date of £1,950. “We still have a fattening pen on the farm for any heifers that we don’t think would make the grade for breeding,” commented Robert. “We only sell what we would be happy to breed from ourselves.”

Robert is finding the Salers to be a successful cross over the heifers, producing hybrid vigour and females with good udders and feet.

The spring cows are kept outside until the end of January, before coming inside and being wormed/fluked and blood tested for the Premium Cattle Health Scheme, which the herd has been a member of since 2016. They are also vaccinated with Rotavec prior to calving at the end of February and are then housed with their calves until May time, before calves are introduced to creep feed from midJuly. These cows and calves spend all summer on the reclaimed hill ground which Robert said is old grass and tough going.

“The Simmental is capable of thriving on this type of ground, but it helps that our cows are medium-sized and generally weigh around 800kg,” said Robert. “If we were breeding bigger Simmental cows around the 900kg-1000kg mark, I don’t think they would cope as well.”

Calves are weaned in mid-October and receive the first vaccination and wormer in September when the cows are scanned, and then are brought inside one month later when they receive their second vaccination. They thrive on a mix of home-grown barley, silage, beans, and cattle 35 pellet from Harbro, before being sold in February at Thainstone, where last year’s batch averaged 507kg at £1,197.57, and at 334 days.

More recently, autumn-born bullock calves have been weaned and

“I think it’s important that breeders keep focus from a commercial point of view and focus on maternal traits,” concluded Robert. “When buying stock bulls, it’s important that they can produce replacements. As such we look for long, deep bulls with a bit of shape that will pass through onto our females.”

*Look out on the Society’s Facebook page for details of the 2023 British Simmental Cattle Society Open Day at Brodieshill Farm on Saturday 8th July.

The Simmental is capable of thriving on this type of ground, but it helps that our cows are medium-sized and generally weigh around 800kg.”

HEATHBROW

Dispersal Sale

October 23rd 2023 at Stirling

QP Advert

Heathbrow Ko Ko Star (P)

Champion at Great Yorkshire 2021

Champion at Edenbridge 2021 Champion at Royal Norfolk 2022 Decendant from AWL Starlet (P) family

Heathbrow Important (P) EX 93 4 Interbreed Championships

Unbeaten during 2019

European Simmental of the Year

Stock Bull at Blackford & Heathbrow

Decendant of the

Dirnanean Sarah EX 90 family

HP Advert

South East Area Herd Competition Champion Herd 2022

DAVID & LESLEY SAPSED

SHOW REPORTS 2022

‘STYLISH’ ASHLAND HEIFER SCOOPS SUPREME SIMMENTAL TITLE

AT 2022 RUAS BALMORAL SHOW

• Ashland Topaz Lopez takes

Reserve Overall in the Interbreed Beef Champion of Champions

• Ashland Topaz Mair takes Overall

Interbreed Reserve in the Beef Junior Champion of Champions

• Ashland Topaz Lopez earlier wins the Interbreed Beef Performance

Heifer Championship award

The September 2020 born heifer Ashland Topaz Lopez bred by Pat Kelly, and son Frank, from Tempo, County Fermanagh, came through a small but quality entry to lift the Female Championship and the Overall Supreme Simmental Championship on day one of the 2022 RUAS Balmoral Show, held on Wednesday 11th May at Balmoral Park, Belfast.

Judge David Lowry.

Supreme Overall & Female Champion Ashland Topaz Lopez.

This ‘stylish’ heifer immediately caught the eye of the Simmental judge, Mr David Lowry, who runs the 65-cow Keeldrum Herd based at Lanark in Scotland, and who returned to home soil to judge the Simmental entry at the four-day show. Originally from County Down, the former auctioneer has been living in Scotland for 22 years.

Commenting Mr Lowry said:

The Champion is a very stylish and powerful heifer, with tremendous length. She oozes style and ring presence, is full of breed character, and displays great locomotion. Just a great heifer, and a worthy winner!”

Sired by the 14,000gns Saltire Impressive, she is bred from the Ashland Brandy daughter, Ashland Topaz 2nd, one of ten cows in the herd. This muchadmired heifer had previously won the Simmental Senior championship at the inaugural Four Breeds Calf Show, held at Dungannon in November 2021. For the Ashland herd this was their second supreme Balmoral title, having previously won the award in 2007 with the home-bred Ashland Lady Diamond 3rd

Following up on her Overall Supreme Championship in the Simmental judging, day two of the show saw Ashland Topaz Lopez lift the first beef Interbreed title on offer at the show, when being crowned Interbreed Beef Performance Heifer Champion. Open to heifers born after 1st July 2020, the aim of this Interbreed, judged by Albert de Cogan from County Cork, is to highlight the heifers which best combine the traditional values of conformation, and the scientific values of performance data.

Capping a tremendous show for the Kellys, Ashland Topaz Lopez went on to be tapped out as the Reserve Overall Champion in the Interbreed Beef Champion of Champions, judged by Michael Durno, Ballindalloch, Banffshire. Commenting, Frank Kelly said: “It’s been a tremendous week and my father and I are both delighted and humbled to win the Simmental Supreme Championship and take these Interbreed honours against such high quality opposition and at such a major show”.

Lifting the Overall Simmental Reserve Championship, and the Overall Reserve Simmental Female Champion was Ranfurly Stella 12th from David and Jonny Hazelton’s 20-cow herd in Dungannon. Born in October 2020, Stella 12th is by Whitemire King Kong, and bred from the

Male Champion & Reserve Junior Champion Craigy Max 21.

Junior Champion Ashland Topez Mair.

Reserve Overall & Reserve Female Ranfurly Stella 12th

Hillcrest Champion daughter Raceview Fancy Winty – purchased at Roscommon in 2016 for 4,600 Euros. This heifer is a maternal sister to the 9,000gns Ranfurly Jackpot, sold at Stirling in February 2020. “The Reserve Champion is another classy and stylish heifer, with great length and good locomotion,” added the judge David Lowry.

Brothers Shane and Paul McDonald of the Coolcran herd, Tempo, Co Fermanagh, won the Simmental Junior Championship award with the January 2021 Ashland Topaz Mair. Purchased privately from Pat and Frank Kelly last autumn, this heifer was also sired by Saltire Impressive, the sire of the Overall Champion, and bred from the Whitemire King Kong daughter Ashland Topaz 3rd, a maternal sister to the dam of the Overall Champion.

Continuing the Simmental run of form across the show, this heifer went on to take the Overall Interbreed Reserve in the Beef Junior Champion of Champions, again judged by Michael Durno. “The Junior Champion is a powerful junior heifer, with great width and tremendous fleshing ability,” commented David Lowry.

Claiming the Male and Reserve Junior Championship honours was the March 2021 bull Craigy Max bred by William, Jane, Jamie and Lewis Dodd from Saintfield. Sired by Longbeach Darius, his dam Ranfurly Kleeb 35th was purchased at the Ranfurly herd’s second production sale in 2016 and is one of 12 pedigree cows in the Craigy Herd. David Lowry added: “This junior bull is a fine example of the breed, and has a level top line, with great width throughout, and good locomotion.”

The Reserve Male Championship went to Ballinalare Farm Mack, an eleven-month-old bull bred by Joe and Alan Wilson, Rathfriland. He was sired by the herd’s 8,200 Euros stock bull Rabawn Ernie, Champion at the Irish Society’s 2014 sale in Tullamore. His dam Ballinalare Farm Helena 2nd, is an Auchorachan Wizard daughter out of Glenturk Tulip, a heifer won by Joe Wilson in a charity raffle.

Joe and Alan Wilson also won the award for the best pair of

Simmentals. The winning duo were Ballinalare Farm Ladybird and Ballinalare Farm Lizabel, described by the judge as well balanced and matching heifers. They are both daughters of the 10,000gns herd sire Denizes Fantastic – Reserve Junior Champion at Stirling in February 2016.

Supreme Champion Ashland Topaz Lopez & Reserve Supreme Champion Ranfurly Stella 12th

Reserve Male Champion Ballinalare Farm Mack.

Best Pair of Simmentals - Ballinalare Farm Lizabel & Ballinalare Farm Ladybird.

KILLIWORGIE ELDERFLOWERS KIWI WINS SIMMENTAL SUPREME

AT THE ROYAL CORNWALL SHOW

• Leeherd Legend take

Simmental Male & Overall Reserve

• Simmental Team of Five Wins Reserve Interbreed

Whilst the 2022 show season largely returned to normality across the country, Covid still had a role to play in the run up to the 2022 Royal Cornwall Show held on 9th – 11th June held at Wadebridge, North Cornwall. After a positive test, the invited judge Michael Durno of the noted Auchorachan herd, Ballindalloch, had to withdraw only a few days prior to the show. Ably stepping up to the plate at short notice was Mrs Judith Borlase, of the equally noted Sacombe herd, Hertfordshire. The following is an edited report on the show of British Simmentals and with Judith’s reflections throughout:

Commenting generally on the day Judith Borlase said: “It is always a pleasure to return to my home County, especially the Royal Cornwall Show, and to be amongst the Cornish breeders who are doing a tremendous job in promoting the breed and breeding good Simmental cattle. It was great to see such enthusiasm and also younger breeders showing for the first time. They will have learnt a lot from their experience and from the help and encouragement other breeders gave them”.

“In the first class, bulls born before 1st January 2021, I had three bulls, all very different in type. My winner Leeherd Legend from Jake Gregory of the Kurlycoat herd, Kerling Farm, Truro, is a very modern bull, with great power, depth of natural fleshing, with a tremendous spring of rib, who stood on good feet and legs. The April 2015 born Skylark Geronimo from Ant Hart, Carloggas Farm, Treverbyn followed him, a bull full of breed character, depth, and mobility. In third was David Reeves’s home bred bull Tregnether Jackpot, a long clean bull, shown in his working clothes, one I’m sure will do an excellent job, and we will hear more about his progeny. With sadly no junior bulls forward, my Male Champion was Leeherd Legend, who I later tapped out as the Reserve Supreme Champion and followed by Skylark Geronimo in Reserve.

Speaking on the Cow or Heifer born in 2019 class Judith said “Here I had two October born heifers forward. Steve and Gill Gummow’s Killiworgie Elderflowers Kiwi, and Killiworgie Hemaras Kandice. For me Killiworgie Elderflowers Kiwi had the edge over her stable companion. She oozed femininity, had great depth, mobility, and was tremendous across the plates with natural flesh. I look forward to

Supreme Champion Killiworgie Elderflowers Kiwi.

seeing her with a calf at foot, and this is why I also later chose her as my Overall Supreme Champion.

“In the next class, Heifer born in 2020, my first heifer Ant Hart’s Treverbyn Lily, with a nine-month advantage, just had the maturity and stature to pip Steve and Gill Gummow’s Killiworgie Elderflowers Lily. They were followed by the Hawkey family’s Sowenna Lauren a very nice heifer but a slightly different type to my first two. Next up I had a class of three heifers born between 1st January and 31st March 2021. Ant Hart’s Treverbyn Milly and Treverbyn Molly followed by the Grose family’s Trewarnevas Megan Jolene. My first two heifers were very closely matched, but on the day, Milly just edged Molly. In the final class of heifers born on or after 1st April 2021, I found my Junior Female Champion in Ant Hart’s, July born Treverbyn Morwenna. From the moment she entered the ring she had that ‘wow factor’ and ‘look at me’ presence. She did not disappoint when I handled her and is definitely one to watch in the future. She was followed by stable companions Treverbyn Maddie and Treverbyn Myra, and Maddie was my pick for the Reserve Female Junior Champion”. Thursday night also saw the club provide aged Simmental sirloin joints for the herdsmen’s supper kindly provided by Bowlands Foods and the excellent beef was the talk of the cattle and sheep sheds the next day.

Friday brought sunshine to the show and the interbreed competitions. The Simmental Team of Five selected by Judy Borlase went on to be crowned as Overall Reserve Interbreed Champions. Capping a fine show, the final day saw four young handlers paired up with Simmental entries. Big congratulations to Charlie Carey for taking Reserve young handler and well done to all exhibitors and prize-winners.

Royal Cornwall Show Team of Five Interbreed Reserve Champions.

Junior Simmental Champion Treverbyn Morwenna.

BACKMUIR WINS 2022 ROYAL HIGHLAND SIMMENTAL SUPREME WITH ISLAVALE LULLABY

• Backmuir Win Overall Supreme & Female Championship

• Annick Ginger’s Lucia Takes Overall Reserve

• Drumsleed Legacy Lifts Male Championship

• Denizes Monty Crowned Simmental Junior Champion

• Brandane Millie Wins Junior Female

• Blackford Local Hero Wins Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder Interbreed

• Simmentals Place Champion & Reserve in Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder Interbreed

The cattle and the crowds were back to normal at Ingliston, Edinburgh, as the 2022 Royal Highland roared into life on Thursday 23rd June and featuring a strong Simmental section of some seventy-five entries.

Judge for the day was Northern Ireland’s Joe Wilson who runs the noted Ballinalare Farm herd of some 60 Simmental cows at Dorans Hill, Newry, County Down. Played out in front of a large ringside crowd, and after working through some ten classes of bulls and females, the judge tapped out Islavale Lullaby from Reece & Andrew Simmers, Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire, as his Female Champion and as the 2022 Simmental Overall Supreme Champion.

Overall & Female Champion Islavale Lullaby.

Judge Joe Wilson of the Ballinalare Farm herd.

Bred by Mr WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Grange, Keith, this April 2020 born heifer by Shacon Hannibal 16 and the first calf out of Islavale Inspire GP 82, was purchased by the Simmers for 8,000gns at the Society’s inaugural Simmental Next Generation Sale of females and weaned calves at Carlisle in December 2021, where she had also stood Overall Champion.

Commenting on his choice of Champion Joe Wilson said:

Of the show generally, Joe went on to say: “With the advent of Covid I’ve been waiting some three years to judge the Highland! It’s been a great honour and fully lived up to expectations. I’d like to congratulate all the exhibitors for the quality of the stock forward and have no hesitation in saying that the future of British Simmental looks very bright.”

For the Simmers, this Supreme Championship win was the ‘next step up’ and followed hard on the heels of the last full Royal Highland in 2019 and where the Backmuir herd secured the Reserve Overall Supreme Championship with Sterling FCUK Impuls. Established in 2018, the Backmuir herd now features some 80 pedigree Simmental cows and is already an increasingly prolific herd in both the sale and show ring. Commenting after the judging a delighted Reece Simmers said: “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet but it’s a tremendous honour to win the Simmental Supreme Championship at what is the blue riband show in Scotland and with such a rich history. The standard of competition here within the breed and from fellow exhibitors is really high. To come through that and win the Championship is just fantastic and quite humbling.”

Of Islavale Lullaby, Reece Simmers continued: “Islavale Lullaby was bought as a new bloodline and as an investment in the future of Backmuir Simmentals. We are really pleased with how she has come on and very much hope that she will be a cornerstone female in the herd.” Mr Simmers noted that Islavale Lullaby had been served by the herd’s 18,000gns stock bull Wolfstar Jackaroo who was purchased at Stirling in February 2020.

It was very much a Simmental ladies’ day and taking the Reserve Female Championship and

“This heifer just had tremendous quality throughout. Super stylish, she was full of breed character, was well fleshed and moved really well. Overall a terrific heifer and just the kind of Simmental I’d love to take home with me!”

Overall Junior, Junior Male and Overall Reserve Male Denizes Monty.

Male Champion Drumsleed Legacy.

Reserve Female & Overall Reserve Supreme Annick Ginger’s Lucia.

the Overall Reserve Supreme Championship was Annick Ginger’s Lucia from the herd of the late Lachlan Quarm, Holehouse Farm, By Irvine, Ayrshire. February 2020 born this heifer, by herd sire Wolfstar Gold Digger and out of Annick Colleen’s Ginger VG 88, placed second in her class to the Overall Supreme, before following her all the way through to the Championship places. Following a string of wins at local and regional shows this summer, a strong Annick team at the Highland saw the herd pick up the Reserve Overall; the Reserve Female; the Reserve Junior female; along with two first prizes, two seconds, and a third in the classes, and a reserve in the group of three. The Annick group comprised of Annick Trixibelle 29th; Annick Desiree’s Midnight; and the young bull Annick Maximus 21. The 2022 show season provided a showcase for the Annick herd which was, at the time of the show, set to be fully dispersed at United Auctions Stirling Market on Saturday 10th September and following the sad passing of Lachlan Quarm last year.

Lifting the Male Championship was Gerald and Morag Smith, Drumsleed, Fordoun, Laurencekirk with their April 2020 born bull Drumsleed Legacy 20. This bull is by the herd’s stock bull Wolfstar Gordy, who himself has had sons up to 11,000gns, and is out of Drumsleed Farina 14. No stranger to the showring herself, Drumsleed Farina has twice been Reserve Champion at the Simmental Scottish National Show and her last son sold for 11,000gns. For the 100 cow Drumsleed herd, the Male Championship was secured for the second year in a row with Drumsleed Hivy having won this accolade, along with the Overall Simmental title, at last year’s 2021 Royal Highland Showcase event. Fantastic supporters of the Royal Highland since 1983, the Drumsleed herd have secured numerous titles including three Overall Supremes in 1998, 2002, 2010, and the showcase event in 2021.

Another bull to secure a bounty of prizes was Denizes Monty from MA Barlow & Sons, Four Oaks, Near Leyland, Lancashire. This January 2021 born bull placed first in his class of thirteen young bulls, the largest on the day, before moving through the gears to take the Overall Junior Championship; Junior Male; and Overall Reserve Male Championship titles. Full of breeding and performance figures, Denizes Monty is by Denizes Hamish who has sold bulls up to 9,500gns and with his first eleven sons having averaged 6,000gns. He is out of Denizes Trixi-Belle 6th, who herself has had sons up to 10,000gns. Again strong supporters of the Royal Highland, the Denizes herd have had a strong last six years at the full show which have seen them win three Supremes, an Overall Junior & Reserve Male; a Reserve Male; and with Michael Barlow himself judging in the other year. Next stop for Denizes Monty was the October 2022 Stirling Simmental Bull Sale.

Reserve Junior Male Corskie Mikah.

Junior Female & Overall Junior Reserve Brandane Millie.

Heathbrow Koko Star.

Taking the Reserve Junior Male Championship was the January 2021 born Corskie Mikah from Mr WJ&J Green, Corskie, Garmouth, Fochabers. This young bull placed second in his class to the Junior Male Champion, and again in the day’s largest class, before following him through to the Reserve position. Corskie Mikah is by Kilbride Farm Haka and is out of Corskie Elissa VG 88 who is a Dirnanean Bradley 10 EX 93 daughter. Later in the day the Corskie herd picked up the Group of Three award with Corskie Mikah being joined by the heifers Corskie Mimic and Corskie London.

Back in the females and winning the Junior Female Championship and Overall Junior Reserve was Brandane Millie from the herd of Jimmy McMillan, The Beeches, Back Lane, Bradwell Ash, Bury St Edmunds. A well-known figure in Simmental show and sale rings around the UK over a prolonged number of years, this was Jimmy McMillan’s first time showing at the Royal Highland on his own behalf. No stranger to the winners’ circle, Jimmy has been at the halter of a number of Supreme Champions at the Highland and including for such noted herds as Darsham and Sterling respectively. On this occasion Brandane Millie is out of Sterling Candy’s FCUK, a female bought at the Sterling Sale, and whose first calf was the aforementioned Sterling FCUK Impuls, the Simmers 2019 RHAS Reserve Supreme Champion. Sired by the AI bull Sterling Gino 15, this young heifer is February 2021 born. With a show record behind her already, Brandane Millie was Reserve Interbreed at Suffolk Show and will now move on to the Royal Norfolk.

First time and welcome exhibitors in Simmental classes at the Royal Highland Show were David & Lesley Sapsed, all the way from High Heath Farm, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Their long journey met with reward when securing two red tickets in the classes. First up was the April 2019 born Heathbrow Koko Star, last year’s Supreme Champion at the Great Yorkshire, and who won the class for Females calved before 3 years or due to calve before 3 years old, in Milk, or in calf born in 2019. The Sapsed’s second first prize winner was for Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy who secured the Female born in 2017 or 2018 in Milk or certified in Calf at the time of Show.

Rolling on to the second day, Friday 24th June and the Simmental breed secured the first beef Interbreed of the show when winning not only the Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder title but also landing both the Champion and Reserve positions. This Interbreed title takes into account a combination of the animal’s conformation and performance figures. Winning the Interbreed, in front of judge Michael Durno, Glenlivet, Ballindalloch, was the December 2020 born Blackford Local Hero (P) from the noted Mr WG MacPherson (A FIRM),

Blackford Farm, Croy, Inverness. This young polled bull is by the show sire Heathbrow Important (P), and is out of Blackford Echo VG 86, a Curlieu Knight daughter. This is another bull that went to the Stirling Simmental October 2022 Bull Sale. For the MacPhersons, this latest win made it a nap hand of five Interbreed wins over the years with Simmentals in the Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder competition. Lifting the Reserve was the previously mentioned Corskie Mikah from WJ & J Green.

To common acclaim it was great to be back at the Royal Highland Show and a big thank you and congratulations are extended to all the prize winners and exhibitors and to the Simmental judge on the day, for a job very well done, Mr Joe Wilson.

Heathbrow Girlie's Ivy.

Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder Champion Blackford Local Hero.

THE SUN SHINES ON POPES PRINCESS LUMI AT THE GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW

• Popes Matchmaker

21 wins Male & Junior

Male, and Reserve Junior Interbreed

• Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy lifts Overall Reserve Supreme

The prolific Popes herd of Messrs J H and V G Wood, Dutton, Lancashire, lifted the blue riband Simmental breed championship title in glorious sunshine at the 2022 Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, held in July with their April 2020-born heifer Popes Princess Lumi. Judging the Simmental section was Norman Robson of the noted Kilbride Farm Simmental herd, Doagh, Ballyclare, Co Antrim.

With a strong pedigree behind her, Popes Princess Lumi is sired by the AI bull Team Celtic 11 and is out of the herd’s much admired Popes Princess Cleo EX95, who has previously won Overall Interbreed titles at both the Great Yorkshire and Royal Welsh Shows. Lumi’s granddam, Popes Nellys Princess was the Simmental Overall Supreme Champion at the Royal Show back in 2007.

Claiming the Reserve Championship title was the class winner Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy with her four-month-old bull calf at foot, Heathbrow Nationwide 22, who was bred and exhibited by DA & LA Sapsed, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Girlie’s Ivy is a heifers calf bred out of Heathbrow Girlie’s Freesia and sired by the homebred Heathbrow Findlay. Her bull calf Heathbrow Nationwide 22 is sired by the 10,000gns stock bull Blackford Galaxy 15. It was a stout defence of a terrific run that has seen the Heathbrow herd win the last two Simmental Supreme Championships at the Great Yorkshire Show with Heathbrow Important taking

Reserve Champion Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy.

Overall Champion Popes Princess Lumi.

the award in 2019, and with Heathbrow Koko Star (P) repeating the feat last year. For good measure Heathbrow Important also secured the Overall Interbreed title in 2019.

Commenting on the day, Norman Robson said: “Thank you to the Great Yorkshire Show for the invitation to judge at what is one of the largest livestock shows in England.  It was an unbelievably warm day and I’d like to congratulate all of the exhibitors for expertly presenting what was a small but select show of Simmental cattle.

The Female and Overall Champion was an easy winner for me on the day. A near perfect example of the Simmental breed, she had growth for age, shape, soft flesh, style, femininity and good locomotion. My Overall Reserve Champion was a strong cow with a good calf at foot and again had a lot of good Simmental attributes about her.”

It was the Popes herd who dominated the day with a strong Simmental team securing both breed and interbreed honours. In addition to Popes Princess Lumi winning the Female and Overall Supreme Champion, the young bull Popes Matchmaker 21 took first in his class followed by the Male Championship, and Junior Championship, and before going on to be Reserve Junior Interbreed Champion. The classy Popes Trixies Mikala also took first in her class and the Simmental Reserve Junior Champion award. Long time Simmental exhibitors at Harrogate, the Great Yorkshire Show is an event where the Woods have enjoyed much success having previously secured Overall Individual Interbreed titles, the equally prestigious Blytheswood Interbreed Pairs title, as well as Supreme Championships, and Overall Junior Championships in the Simmental section.

The March 2021 born bull Popes Matchmaker, described by the judge as “a very smart junior bull with plenty of shape and potential”, is by the 12,000gns Denizes Impressive, and is out of the Banwy Wonderboy daughter Popes Whispers Della (TF) EX90. The herd’s Reserve Junior Champion was the March 2021 born heifer Popes Trixies Mikala. Again by Denizes Impressive, Trixies Mikala is out of Popes Trixies Inoa whose grand dam is Greenside Trixie-Belle 5th, the mother of the famous Popes Laird who has bred so well in the Corskie herd. With a show record behind her, Popes Trixies Mikala was the Overall and Female Champion at the Simmental Calf Show held at the English Winter Fair in 2021.

Taking the Reserve Male Championship was Dermotstown King Kong exhibited by David Donnelly, Atlow House, Ashland, Derbyshire. Originally bred by Christopher White, Republic of Ireland, this 2018 born ‘well-muscled senior bull’, is by Dermotstown Delboy EX92, and is out of Broomfield Belle.

Dermotstown King Kong.

Popes Matchmaker.

Popes Trixies Mikala.

GWILI MELODY HITS THE TOP NOTE AT THE 2022 ROYAL WELSH SHOW

• Hirwaun Lemon & Lime takes the Reserve Supreme

•

Bannhill Farm Lord wins Male Championship

The glorious summer weather continued at the 2022 Royal Welsh Show held on the spectacular showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on the 18th - 21st July. From within a small but quality Simmental section, the Female and Overall Supreme Champion came in the shape of Gwili Melody 2 exhibited by Callum Croft, Pontarddulais, Swansea. This February 2021 born heifer, bred by Mr MK Beynon, Pontarddulais, Swansea, is by the Irish bred Coose Jericho, and is out of Gwili Emma, a Popes Barclay daughter. Judging the Simmental entries was Chris Martindale of the Forsdale herd, Coedfa, Oswestry, Shropshire, and he was quick to praise the quality of his Champion: “Gwili Melody is a really classy heifer. She’s long & clean with a good top line and is well-muscled. A modern Simmental female and a very worthy Champion.” Of the overall show Chris went on to say: “It was a great honour to judge the Royal Welsh and I’d like to thank the RWAS for the invitation. It was arguably the hottest day of the year and as such I’d also like to say well done to the exhibitors and to thank them for putting on a good show of cattle.”

Supreme & Female Champion Gwili Melody 2.

Judge Chris Martindale.

Commenting on his Championship win, which was full of family sentiment, a delighted Callum Croft said:

recognised by such a prestigious event and at a show which I have attended every year since the age of four! Melody is one of the best heifers we have had in our herd and I am excited to see what she produces in the future. Her dam, Gwili Emma is one of the last cows my grandfather bred. She has been an exceptional cow with three sets of backto-back twins and is scanned again with another.”

Following through to take the Reserve Supreme and Reserve Female champion was Mr A Davies, Ponthirwaun, Cardigan, Ceredigion, with his August 2020 born Hirwaun Lemon & Lime. This heifer is sired by the AI bull Team Celtic 11, who has bred almost 350 sons and daughters in the national Simmental herd, and is out of Mainview Jezabel, a Milnafua Graduate daughter.

The day’s Male Champion was Bannhill Farm Lord, a February 2020-born bull sired by Saltire Impressive 17 and bred out of Ballinalare Farm Fuscia. Exhibited by Mr and Mrs MO and LD Jones, Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire, a prolific winner at previous Royal Welsh Shows, Bannhill Farm Lord was bred by Alan Wilson, Rathfriland, Co Down. Underlining their day, Mr & Mrs Jones also won the Junior and Reserve Male Championships for their bull Penwern Merlin, a 15-month-old son of the 15,000gns Cairnview Snazzy and out of Deerhurst Helen 16. Penwern Merlin was bred by Mr R W Jenkins, Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion.

It means a lot to have my breeding and family’s effort

Reserve Supreme & Reserve Female Champion Hirwuan Lemon & Lime.

Male Champion Bannhill Farm Lord.

Reserve Male Champion Penwern Merlin.

Best Group of Four – Gwili Melody 2, Mwnt Mwynwen, Penwern Merlin & Hirwaun Lemon & Lime.

‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’

ASHLAND HEIFER WINS

2022 NI SIMMENTAL NATIONAL SHOW

Lopez, the Supreme Overall Champion at the NI National Simmental Show held within the Armagh County Show on Saturday 11th June.

Born in September 2020 Ashland Topaz Lopez was bred by Pat Kelly, and son Frank, from Tempo, County Fermanagh. She is a daughter of the 14,000gns Saltire Impressive, and is bred from the Ashland Brandy daughter, Ashland Topaz 2nd, one of ten cows in the herd. Stewart Stronach added: “The Female and Supreme Champion is an exceptional heifer. She is very correct, square and long, and has great breed character and ring presence. This is a once in a lifetime heifer!”

Ashland Topaz Lopez was Senior Champion at the inaugural FourBreeds Calf Show at Dungannon last November. Her latest success comes hot on the heels of winning the Simmental Championship, Beef Performance Heifer Interbreed Championship, and the Reserve

‘A superb heifer and the type of animal that every pedigree herd owner aspires to breed’, is how Scottish judge and the then BSCS President Stewart Stronach described Ashland Topaz

Principal sponsors Mark Forsythe and Rodney Brown, Danske Bank, and Scottish judge Stewart Stronach BSCS President with the Supreme & Reserve Supreme Champions.

Supreme Overall & Female Champion Ashland Topaz Lopez.

Interbreed honours at Balmoral Show in May. Stewart Stronach, who runs the 160-cow Islavale Herd alongside a 40-cow commercial enterprise, said it was a great honour to judge the NI National Show.

It has been an amazing show, with quality entries in all classes. I have really enjoyed judging, and I’d like to thank the exhibitors for putting on such a great show. One of the highlights for me was the pairs class. Seven top-quality pairs filled the ring, and it was a tremendous spectacle. The Simmental breed is definitely in good hands in Northern Ireland!”

The one-day event, held in conjunction with the 175th Armagh County Show attracted a good turnout of exhibitors and spectators from across the Province and further afield. The Kelly family’s Ashland prefix was also behind the breeding of the Junior Champion, Reserve Female and Reserve Supreme Champion Ashland Topaz Mair. Born in January 2021, this heifer was purchased privately last autumn by brothers Shane and Paul McDonald for their Tempo-based Coolcran Herd. Again sired by Saltire Impressive, this one is bred from the Whitemire King Kong daughter Ashland Topaz 3rd – maternal sister to the dam of the Supreme Champion. She was Junior Champion at Balmoral Show, and went on to secure the Reserve Junior Interbreed honours. Stewart Stronach commented: “This is another very correct and stylish heifer. Similar to the Champion, there isn’t much between them.”

Shane and Paul McDonald had a memorable day at the NI National Show, also chalking up the Male Championship and Reserve Junior award with the home-bred bull Coolcran Maximus. This September 2021 bull is by Wolfstar Elusive, and is bred from the Ashland Brandy daughter Coolcran Lady Erin – Reserve Female Champion at Balmoral Show in 2015. “This is a super young bull with a lot of potential for the future. He boasts great shape and length, and is square over the plates,” added the judge.

Claiming the Reserve Male Championship was Ballinalare Farm Mack, a yearling entry bred by Joe and Alan Wilson, Rathfriland. He is by the 8,200 Euro stock bull Rabawn Ernie and is out of a home-bred dam by the 20,000gns Stirling Junior and Supreme Champion Auchorachan Wizard. This young bull also secured the Reserve Male title at Balmoral Show. “Another wide and correct young bull. There is very little between the male champions,” concluded Stewart Stronach.

The young handlers’ classes were judged by Fiona Sutherland. The top placed junior handler was Jamie Dodd from the Craigy Herd based at Saintfield. The senior handling class was won by Thomas McAlister from the Ranfurly Herd in Dungannon. NI Simmental Club Chairman Keith Nelson thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the show. “Special mention to our judges, Armagh County Show, principal sponsor Danske Bank, and the numerous agri businesses and local companies who sponsored the various classes at the show.”

Junior, Reserve Supreme & Reserve Female Champion Ashland Topaz Mair.

Male & Reserve Junior Champion Coolcran Maximus.

Junior Handler class winner Jamie Dodd with Judge Fiona Sutherland and Trevor Nesbitt, Fane Valley Stores.

Thomas McAlister, Dungannon, won the senior handler class at the NI National Simmental Show. He was congratulated by judge Fiona Sutherland, Scotland; and Trevor Nesbitt, Fane Valley Stores.

POPES PRINCESS LUMI WINS

THE 2022 ENGLISH NATIONAL

AS SIMMENTALS ‘LIGHT UP’ THE ROYAL LANCASHIRE SHOW

• Popes Princess Lumi wins Overall Supreme

• Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd lifts Overall Reserve

• Popes Princess Lumi wins Overall Supreme Interbreed

• Popes, Denizes, and Heathbrow combine to win Interbreed Team of Four

• Hannah Wood and Callum Leedham win Young Breeders’ Stockjudging

The Royal Lancashire Show, Salesbury Hall, Ribchester, provided the stage for a quality line up of Simmentals at the breed’s 2022 English National Show, held on Saturday 23rd July. In typically damp Lancashire conditions, the April 2020 born in-calf heifer Popes Princess Lumi from Messrs JH & VG Wood, Popes Farm, Dutton, Preston, lit up the day in front of the healthy ringside crowd when lifting the Supreme Overall Championship and Female Championship titles before the judge Iain Green of the noted Corskie herd, Fochabers, Moray. Adding to what was a terrific couple of days for the Popes herd and the Simmental breed, Popes Princess Lumi went

on to win the show’s Supreme Overall Interbreed title the following day and this time under the watchful eye of judge and well-known Carlisle auctioneer, James Little. From the many sponsors involved, the Overall Supreme Championship was sponsored by the Midlands based Town & Country Meats.

Popes Princess Lumi’s further win at the Simmental English National Show followed hard on the heels of the recent Great Yorkshire Show, where this stylish heifer had also won the breed’s Overall and Female Champion titles. With a pedigree packed full of top breeding

Supreme & Female Champion & Supreme Interbreed Beef Champion Popes Princess Lumi.

lines, Popes Princess Lumi, who is in calf to Popes Barclay, is by the prolific AI bull Team Celtic 11 and is out of the herd’s decorated show cow Popes Princess Cleo EX95, who herself has previously secured Overall Interbreed titles at both the Great Yorkshire and Royal Welsh Shows respectively. Lumi’s granddam, Popes Nellys Princess was the Simmental Overall Supreme Champion at the blue riband Royal Show back in 2007 and, like her granddaughter, won the Royal Lancashire Show Interbreed in 2006. This female breeding line all goes back to Tintoside Nelly’s Wonder, a daughter of the breed’s much noted Cloford Nelly.

Commenting on his Supreme Champion, the Simmental judge Iain Green said:

Of the show generally Iain Green went on to say: “It’s an absolute honour to have been asked to judge the Simmental English National Show and within what is a new venue for the event at the Royal Lancashire Show. I’d like to congratulate all of the exhibitors who entered what was a select and terrific show. The standard on display puts the breed on a sound footing for the future and the quality of the females really shone through.” A past British Simmental Cattle Society President, Iain Green runs 200 pedigree Simmental breeding females along with 400 Simmental cross sucklers. No stranger to the show ring he has previously judged the Simmental section at such shows as Balmoral; Royal Welsh; Stirling Bull Sales; Royal Norfolk; and interbreeds at the Royal Highland, and Three Counties to name a few.

For the 50 breeding female Popes herd, this was a second English National Show Supreme Championship, following on from a win with Popes Rhona back in 2018. With the Royal Lancashire being in the Wood’s home ‘backyard’, the Popes team enjoyed an outstanding show day and secured a host of titles including: Individual Interbreed; Supreme Simmental Champion; Female Champion; Male Champion; Junior Champion; The Pairs; and the Dam Group. Quite a haul! Speaking at the end of the day, Vikki Wood said: “It’s been a super Simmental show and just great to see the breed on the front foot and with such an interest at ringside. We are really delighted to have done so well with the team and its extra special to win at the Royal Lancashire and a show where we can sleep in our own beds at night!”

Of the Popes cattle forward Vikki Wood went on to say; “Our simple aim is just to continue to breed quality bulls and females that are market relevant, and that keep improving and modernising the Popes Simmental herd. Commercially the breed has all the attributes of milk, fertility, growth and terrific carcases. We think the Simmental is hard to beat in what it can offer commercial beef producers.”

Keeping it very much a day for the Red Rose county, the Reserve Overall Supreme Champion, and Reserve Female Champion came in the shape of the winner of Class Five, Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd from

This heifer was full of style and carried tremendous length and width whilst being very correct on her legs and good on her feet. She is a great example of the Simmental breed and just has everything to go on and be a top breeding female.”

Supreme & Reserve Champions Popes Princess Lumi & Denizes Eve's Beauty 3rd

Reserve Supreme & Reserve Female Champion Denizes Eve's Beauty 3rd

Reserve Male & Reserve Male Junior Champion Popes Matchmaker.

Male & Junior Champion & Interbreed Best Homebred animal Popes Memphis.

MA Barlow & Sons, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancs. Another Simmental female packed with quality bloodlines, the January 2020 born Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd’s parents are both previous Supreme Champions at the Royal Highland Show. The sire is Blackford Galaxy 15 whilst the dam is the multi title winning Auroch Eve, an Auroch Ace daughter. Of his Overall Reserve, Iain Green said: “Just another tremendous Simmental female. Again, a well grown heifer, full of length, and with great breeding potential.” Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd is in-calf to Denizes Lancelot who sold for 30,000gns at Stirling in February this year. The Reserve Overall Championship was sponsored by Carlisle auctioneers Harrison & Hetherington.

Denizes breeding also featured strongly in the Popes show line up with the bull Denizes Impressive, purchased by the Woods for 12,000gns at the Stirling February 2019 Sale, being the sire of a number of the day’s prize winners. Amongst these included the Overall Male Champion, and Overall Junior Champion, Popes Memphis who was at his first summer show. The February 2021 born Popes Memphis is by Impressive and is out of Popes Diamonds IO. Again with plenty of breeding on the dam line, Diamonds is by Popes Fearless, who himself has featured in winning Royal Welsh and Great Yorkshire Pairs Interbreeds with Popes Princess Cleo, and is out of Clonguish Diamond who was purchased for 10,000 Euros in Ireland. Come the Sunday, Popes Memphis also picked up an Interbreed Championship when winning the title for Best Homebred animal. At the backend of 2021, Popes Memphis also won the Male Championship in the Simmental Calf Show at the English Winter Fair.

Of Popes Memphis, Iain Green said:

Describing him as ‘one of the best bulls we have bred to date’, Vikki Wood said that ‘a lot of interest’ has been shown in this exciting young bull.

Following this bull through from his class and to take Overall Reserve Male, and Junior Male Reserve, was another from the Popes herd in the shape of Popes Matchmaker. Again by Denizes Impressive, this March 2021 born calf is out of the Banwy Wonderboy daughter

This is a very impressive young bull with great potential. He has length and width and super locomotion. I’m sure this bull will go on to have a great future as a high-end breeder’s bull.”

Senior Cow Champion Heathbrow Girlie's Ivy.

Senior Bull Champion Dermotstown King Kong.

Junior Female Championship -Popes Trixies Mikala.

Best Group of Four D A & L A Sapsed with Heathbrow Lavender, Heathbrow Girlie's Laurel, Heathbrow Girlie's Ivy & Heathbrow Koko Star.

Popes Whispers Della (TF) EX90. With a summer track record behind him, Popes Matchmaker had secured the Junior Interbreed Reserve and Simmental Male Championship at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

Taking the Senior Bull title and the Lord Hesketh Cup was the 2018 born Dermotstown King Kong shown by David Donnelly, Atlow House, Ashbourne, Derbyshire. This bull, bred in Ireland, is by the well-known Dermotstown Delboy and is out of Broomfield Belle.

Back in the females, and the Burytown Trophy for the Best Senior Cow was won by the 2017 born Heathbrow Girlies Ivy from David and Lesley Sapsed, High Heath Farm, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Entirely homebred, Girlies Ivy is by Heathbrow Findlay 14, and is out of Heathbrow Girlie’s Freesia (P) (TF) EX93. A further title for the Heathbrow herd was secured when they won the Memorial Trophy for the Best Calf at foot with the January 2022 born Heathbrow Nova Star (P). Again with plenty of breeding behind him this heifer’s calf is by Heathbrow Important, the multi-title winning stock bull, and is out of Heathbrow Koko Star (P) the 2021 Supreme Simmental Overall Champion at the Great Yorkshire Show. Capping a fine show for this noted herd, Heathbrow won the Simmental Group of Four award, and also had Heathbrow Girlie’s Laurel featuring in the winning Interbreed Team of Four.

Continuing their roll call of prizes, the Woods team also picked up the Junior Female Championship with the March 2021 born heifer Popes Trixies Mikala. Once more by Denizes Impressive, this calf is out of Popes Trixies Inoa whose grand dam is Greenside TrixieBelle 5th, the mother of the herd’s noted bred bull Popes Laird. Popes Trixies Mikala was the Overall and Female Champion at the Simmental Calf Show held at Stafford in 2021, and this year was Simmental Reserve Junior at the Great Yorkshire.

Recapping the breed’s Interbreed success on the Sunday, the Supreme Beef Champion award went to Popes Princess Lumi; the winning Interbreed Team of Four comprised of Popes Princess Lumi, Popes Princess Maya, Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd, and Heathbrow Girlie’s Laurel; the Interbreed Best Homebred animal was won by Popes Memphis 21; and the Reserve Interbreed Pair went to Popes Memphis 21 and Popes Trixies Mikala.

Special mention must also go to the Young Breeder’s Stockjudging held on the Saturday afternoon. Hosted by the Simmental Society, and open to all breeds at the show a fantastic eighteen young breeders of the future had a go with a heady mixture of enthusiasm and no little skill. The senior section prize went to Hannah Wood of the Popes herd, with Callum Leedham of the Grangewood herd, Pickering, North Yorkshire, picking up the junior section prize. Earlier in the day Callum had also secured the Forsdale Trophy for the Young Stockman within the English National Show.

ISLAVALE LULLABY ‘ROCKS’ TO SCOTTISH SIMMENTAL NATIONAL SHOW CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE BACKMUIR HERD

• Backmuir achieve the 2022 double of Scottish National Show, and Royal Highland Show Championships with Islavale Lullaby

• Islavale Lullaby wins the Overall Interbreed at the Black Isle Show

• Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd takes Simmental Overall Reserve

The April 2020 born heifer Islavale Lullaby scooped the Overall Supreme Championship for Reece and Andrew Simmers, Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire, at the 2022 Scottish National Simmental Show, held within the Black Isle Show, on Thursday 4th August. For good measure the stylish Islavale Lullaby then went on to win the day’s Overall Individual Interbreed title.

This latest win at the Scottish Simmental National Show secured a memorable 2022 double for the Simmers with Islavale Lullaby, following on from their Simmental Supreme Championship at the Royal Highland Show in June.

Bought for 8,000gns at the British Simmental Cattle Society’s inaugural Next Generation Sale of females and weaned calves at Carlisle in 2021, where she also stood Champion, Islavale Lullaby was bred by Mr WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Grange, Keith. By Shacon Hannibal 16, she is the first calf out of Islavale Inspire GP 82, an Atlow Dixon 12 EX91 daughter. Described in June as ‘a new bloodline for the herd with all the qualities to be a cornerstone female’, Islavale Lullaby has been served by the Backmuir herd’s 18,000gns stock bull Wolfstar Jackaroo, who was purchased at Stirling in February 2020.

Commenting on his Champion, the judge for the day John Moore of the noted Omorga herd, Beragh, Omagh, Northern Ireland, said: “My

Islavale Lullaby, Overall Simmental Supreme & Female Champion, and Interbreed Champion.

Champion on the day Islavale Lullaby was just exceptional, a really super heifer. She has all the qualities you would want in a modern breeding female and I just knew that she would go on to do well in the Overall Interbreed, I am really delighted that she was crowned the Interbreed Champion.” Of the Scottish Simmental National Show generally John Moore went on to say: “I was delighted to be asked to judge the National Show and I would like to thank the Scottish Simmental Club and also the Black Isle show for their very warm welcome. It was a great show of animals, especially the females which really impressed me.”

At the conclusion of the Scottish Simmental National Show, Islavale Lullaby did indeed move on to secure the Overall Individual Interbreed Championship of the Black Isle Show and this time in front of interbreed judge Michael Durno, Auchorachan, Glenlivet. The Scottish Simmental National Show rounded off the 2022 series of breed National Shows which saw the English National within the Royal Lancashire, and the Northern Irish National within the Armagh County Show.

Commenting, the Society’s General Manager Iain Kerr said:

breed across the UK and to highlight established genetics and youngstock with forward potential. A big well done is extended to all exhibitors through the summer who have showcased the breed so well.”

Lifting the Overall Reserve Supreme and Reserve Female Champion at the Scottish Simmental National Show was Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd from MA Barlow & Sons, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancs. With a pedigree full of performance and quality bloodlines, the January 2020 born Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd parents are both previous Supreme Champions at the Royal Highland Show, with the sire being Blackford Galaxy 15 and the dam being Auroch Eve, a two-time Highland Champion and voted as the Highland’s Simmental Champion of the Decade in 2020. This latest title for Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd follows hard on the heels of this heifer securing the same Reserve Overall position at the recent English Simmental National Show, where she also featured in the winning Interbreed Team of Four.

Of his Reserve Champion, John Moore said: “Another quality female, Denizes Eve’s Beauty 3rd was a different type of female to the Champion but equally good in her own way. A strong heifer, she’ll make a great cow and go on to do well in the future.”

Throughout the show summer the quality of Simmental females has been very much to the fore and that again proved to be the case at the Simmental Scottish National Show. Lifting the Overall Junior Championship, and the Junior Female title was Corskie Mimic from the noted Corskie herd of Mr WJ & J Green, Corskie, Garmouth, Fochabers. January 2021 born, Corskie Mimic is by Kilbride Farm Haka 16 and is out of Corskie Imitation EX90, an Auchorachan Farmer 14 daughter. Doubling up in the Juniors, the Corskie herd also lifted

These Simmental National Show events provide a tremendous promotional window through which to see the depth of quality within the Simmental

Best Calf born in 2022 Corskie Nutmeg.

Reserve Junior Champion & Male Junior Champion Corskie Mikah.

Overall Junior & Female Junior Champion Corskie Mimic.

Reserve Supreme Champion & Reserve Female Champion Denzies Eve’s Beauty.

the Junior Male Championship, Overall Junior Reserve, and Reserve Male Champion with the January 2021 born Corskie Mikah. Another by Kilbride Farm Haka, Corskie Mikah is out of Corskie Elissa VG88 who is a Dirnanean Bradley 10 EX93 daughter. Earlier in the summer this young bull, who went to the October Stirling Sale, placed Reserve Junior Male Champion at the Royal Highland Show. Rounding off a strong show the Corskie team also took the red ticket in the Calf Born in 2022 class with Corskie Nutmeg 22, again by Kilbride Farm Haka and this time out of Corskie Jasmine, a Bel Dhu Capercaillie daughter.

Capping a fine show for the Backmuir team, and a strong summer season, the homebred Backmuir Kingsley 19 took the Overall Male, and Senior Male Championship awards. This bull is by Islavale Hamilton 16 and is out of Starline Kristle 24th, a Skerrington Warlord 2 daughter. For the record, the roll call of titles at the Scottish Simmental National Show for the 80-cow Backmuir herd included: Interbreed Champion; Overall Supreme; Female Champion; Male Champion; Overall Senior Champion; Senior Male Champion and Best Pair.

Another herd to feature strongly on the day was the noted Blackford herd of Mr WG MacPherson, Blackford Farm, Croy, Inverness, who took four red ticket first prizes in the classes before moving on to take the Reserve Senior Male; Reserve Junior Male; and Reserve Junior Female Championships. Standing second in his class to the Supreme Champion and taking the Reserve Senior Male position was Blackford Local Hero 20 (P). This young polled bull is by the show sire Heathbrow Important (P), and is out of Blackford Echo VG 86, a Curlieu Knight daughter. At this year’s Royal Highland, Blackford Local Hero 20 (P) led a Simmental 1-2-3 when winning the Marks & Spencer Beefbreeder Interbreed. This is another bull that went to the Stirling Simmental October 2022 Bull Sale.

Taking the Reserve Junior Male title, and placing first in his class, was another Heathbrow Important (P) son, in the shape of Blackford Mustang 21 (P). April 2021 born, this bull is out of Blackford Frosty VG89, a Kilbride Farm Doubleaction 12 EX93 daughter. Continuing the run, the August 2021 born Blackford Malia also won her class before moving on to the Reserve Junior Female title. With the same sire as the day’s Reserve Overall, Blackford Malia is by Blackford Galaxy 15 and is out of Blackford Wagtail VG86, a Kilbride Farm Strabane daughter. The remaining Blackford red tickets came in the shape of Blackford Hyalite, a Kilbride Farm Doubleaction daughter who won the class for best female born before 31st July 2019, and the Ranfurly Confederate son Blackford Mosby 21, who won the best bull born on or between 1st July 2021 to 31st December 2021.

Supreme & Reserve Supreme Champions Islavale Lullaby & Denzies Eve's Beauty 3.

Reserve Junior Female Champion Blackford Malia.

Reserve Junior Champion Blackford Mustang.

Male & Senior Male Champion Backmuir Kingsley.

Judge John Moore with Richard Pettit - Scottish Club Secretary & Patricia Goldie - Scottish Club Chairperson.

A ‘NOBLE WYNN’ FOR NEWBIEMAINS AT THE BORDERWAY CALF SHOW

• Newbiemains win Junior and Senior Championships, plus the Overall Supreme

• Springfield Niagra lifts Reserve Supreme

The British Simmental Cattle Society and North West Simmental Club annual calf show took place within Harrison & Hetherington’s Borderway Agri Expo at Carlisle on Friday 28 October. Featuring 14 classes including a young handlers section, Simmental breeders travelled from throughout Scotland and the North of England to show off their Simmental young stock.

The judge for the day was Varrie Loggie, who had travelled from Strathaven, Lanarkshire for the event. Having grown up with Simmental cattle, Varrie now spends her evenings and weekends helping her mum and dad Jim and Elizabeth Dyet, whilst working in graphic design during the week. The family have 90 head of cattle, including 60 pedigree Simmentals in the noted Merkland herd, as well as 700 sheep on their 600 acre holding.

After working through the classes and section winners, Varrie’s pick for the Supreme Champion was the young bull Newbiemains Noble Wynn, bred and exhibited by Jim and Patricia Goldie, Annan, Dumfrieshire, and who had been tapped out as the Junior Champion just moments before. “This is a young bull with lots of breed character, full of length and with plenty of shape. He’s got tremendous potential and I look forward to seeing how he gets on in the future” Varrie said. At only eight months old, Newbiemains Noble Wynn is the first son to be shown by the 9,000gns Auchorachan Kennedy, who was purchased by the Goldie’s at Stirling in February last year. His dam is the homebred Newbiemains Kannwynn, bred from one of the herds top female lines. Her grandmother Newbiemains Eclypse was a Royal Highland Show and Great Yorkshire Show champion. The next stop for the Champion was back at Carlisle in December to feature in the high-profile Simmental NxtGen II sale at Borderway Mart on Friday 2 December.

The Goldies had a very successful day, winning three classes and also securing the Senior Championship with their August 2021 born bull Newbiemains Moosala. From the first crop of calves by the homebred Newbiemans Jericho, who has now been sold for commercial breeding, he is the second calf bred out of Newbiemains Icandy. Icandy’s sire Woodhall Fantastic has bred very successfully for the herd with four of his sons being sold to an Italian AI stud who the Goldies have been dealing with for the past three years and have now sent a total of seven bulls to. Jim and Patricia established their pedigree Simmental their herd back in 2004, after using Simmental bulls over their dairy herd. Building their herd from the best stock available, they are pioneers of type classification within the breed, a process which has helped them to establish high quality female lines and in turn has created a demand for their bulls.

Reserve Supreme & Reserve Junior Champion Springfield Niagara.

Senior Champion Newbiemains Moosala.

Supreme & Junior Champion Newbiemains Noble Wynn.

The Reserve Supreme and Junior Champion was bred and exhibited by Gavin Brown, of the Springfield Simmental herd. This was his second visit to the show having secured the Supreme Championship last year and with Springfield Major. Gavin who topped the female section at 6,000gns at the recent Stirling Sale, is based in Penicuik, Midlothian. In the eight years since he has joined the Simmental Society, he has grown his herd from his two foundation cows to its present 30 head. Exporting Simmental bulls and semen to Turkey and China, his Facebook sales have now grossed over £68,000 alone.

Gavin’s Reserve Champion was the April born bull Springfield Niagara. From the second crop of calves sired by Islavale Jabba, who has bred daughters to 6,000gns and averaged £4,700 for his eight progeny sold to date, Niagara is out of Springfield Italia, who goes back to the Irish-bred Shiloh Freedom, the first stock bull purchased to work at Springfield.

The Reserve Senior Champion, Chestermann Gibble Lulu 3, was bred and exhibited by N and N Gwynne, Whithorn, Newton Stewart. Out of the homebred Chestermann Wick Lulu, a Kilbride Farm Wick daughter, this November 2021 born heifer is sired by the homebred Chestermann Gibble, classified as EX93, who has bred bulls to 7,000gns. Mr Gwynne is a long-time supporter of the Borderway Simmental Calf Show, with him showing for the ninth consecutive year.

The young handlers section was split into two age groups this year for the first time and the junior class of 10 to 15 year olds was won by Callum Leedham, who travelled across from Rowan Farm, Lockton, Pickering, North Yorkshire, with his Mum and Dad Andrew and Yvonne, who had themselves earlier topped class five with their January 2022 born heifer Grangwood Wanda’s Myrtle. This is the second time that the 15-year-old Callum has won the young handlers at the Calf Show. A keen Simmental enthusiast, he has shown an animal at this year’s English National show, where he also took part with great success in the young person’s stock judging. William Loftus of the Clearwater herd, Preston Lancashire placed second and with Cloe Fitton, Bolton, Lancashire, placing third.

The senior section of 16 to 28-year-old was headed up by Abby Forsythe in her second consecutive win. At 24, Abby is an Agricultural Officer for the Scottish Government and has been involved with cattle showing all of her life. Taking an interest in Simmental over the past eight years, she can regularly be found helping the Newbiemains herds at Society sales and shows. Placing second in the class was Frank Gwynne of the Castlewigg Simmental herd, Newtown Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway.

Judge Varrie Loggie with Senior Young Handler winner Abby Forsythe.

Senior Champs. Junior Champs.

Judge Varrie Loggie with Junior Young Handler winner Callum Leedham.

Reserve Senior Champion Chestermann Gibble Lulu 3.

QUALITY SIMMENTAL CALVES ‘A STAR TURN’ AT STIRLING

• Overhill House Neil wins Overall Junior Champion

• Islavale takes the Senior and Junior Female titles

• Springfield Moss wins Overall Senior Champion

Ahigh-quality show of Simmental calves lit up the ring at the Stars of the Future Pedigree Calf Show, held at United Auctions Stirling Livestock Centre on Saturday 12th November. A much-anticipated annual event, the Stars of the Future is becoming an annual showcase of the strength in depth of Simmental breeding combined with calves destined for forward sales at Stirling, and the establishing Next Gen sale of females and weaned calves at Carlisle.

Judging this year’s Simmental section and Championships was Gayle Campbell of the noted Saltire herd at North Berwick, East Lothian, who had a catalogued entry of forty-four Simmentals to work through, with breeders from the North East to the South West of Scotland.

Taking top honours in the juniors, Richard McCulloch, Armadale, West Lothian lifted the Junior Male and Overall Junior Championship with Overhill House Neil. January 2022 born, this calf is by Islavale Heston, who was purchased for 24,000gns at Stirling in February 2018, and is out of Overhill House India, a Curaheen Drifter daughter. Islavale Heston is proving to be a consistent breeder in the 160 cow Overhill House herd and has bred calves sold at Stirling at up to 8,000gns so far. Having featured in the Championship prizes previously, this was the herds first time showing at Stars of the Future for a few years.

Winning Reserve in the Junior Males, and Reserve Junior Overall, was Islavale Noah from Mr WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Keith, Banffshire. Born 2nd April 2022, this entirely homebred bull is by Islavale Kerching, and is out of Islavale Glossy EX92, a Delfur Casanova daughter, and described as a ‘tremendous breeding cow’ in the herd. The Islavale then headed to the Simmental Next Generation II Sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle

Islavale Noah - Reserve Overall Junior Champion & Reserve Male Junior Champion.

Overhill House Neil - Overall Junior Champion & Junior Male Champion.

on December 2nd with the herd’s Stars of the Future Overall Junior Female Champion, Islavale Nestle, and the Senior Female Champion Islavale Mango.

All round, it was another strong day for the prolific Islavale herd. Following on from the recent Stirling bull sales where the herd averaged a remarkable £13,500 for seven bulls sold, Islavale breeding featured in all four of the Stars of the Future section and overall champions, and with specific wins for the herd in both the Junior Female and Senior Female Championships, and Reserve Overall in both the Junior and Senior sections. Commenting, Stewart Stronach said:

Stars of the Future is a first class event to promote calves with forward potential, and it’s a nice time of the year to get calves out to show. We are delighted to feature in the Championship prizes and within a show that we thought was a great advertisement for the Simmental breed.”

Rounding off the event for the family, Emma Stronach powered through to win the Intermediate Champion Young Handler title and followed by the Reserve Overall Young Handler award.

After working through the heifer calves, the Overall Junior Female Champion came in the form of the Stronach family’s Islavale Nestle. The 22nd April 2022 born Islavale Nestle is by Coose Lincoln EX90, and is out of Islavale Elisha EX93, a Curaheen Bandit daughter. On the day both the Junior and Senior Female Champions were the first calves to be shown from Islavale by their herd sire Coose Lincoln EX90, a bull bought privately out of the Republic of Ireland just prior to the Covid lockdown. Nestle’s dam Islavale Elisha EX93 also has some performance behind her, having previously bred the 7,600gns Islavale Jammy Dodger, a bull who was sold online during the Covid crisis at the 2020 Stirling May Sale. Following Islavale Nestle through from the class and to take the Reserve Junior Female title was Rockytop Jewel’s Nutmeg, from Gary & Angela Christie, Birchfield, Glass, Huntly. This calf, 14th April born, is another entirely homebred heifer being by Rockytop Inferno 17, and out of Rockytop Friday’s Jewel, a Kilbride Fearless daughter.

Taking the day’s Overall Senior Championship and Overall Senior Male was Springfield Moss from Gavin Brown, Springfield Farm, Penicuik. This calf, 18th July 2021 born, is by the herd’s stock bull Islavale Jabba and is out of Cleenagh Eliza, a Drumlone Anchor daughter. This latest title comes hard on the heels of the recent Simmental Calf Show at the Borderway Agri Expo and where the Springfield herd lifted the Reserve Supreme and Junior Championship with another Islavale Jabba son, Springfield Niagara. An Islavale Jabba daughter topped the females at the recent October Stirling Simmental Sale and with progeny from the bull sold at sale so far averaging £4,700. Speaking afterwards Gavin Brown said: “Stars of the Future was a great show with really good numbers and the quality was right up there. The age range was slightly extended for the senior classes, so we were able to enter our two senior bulls and fortunately this is where the success came from with our Champion,

Islavale Nestle - Junior Female Champion.

Rockytop Jewel's Nutmeg - Reserve Junior Female Champion.

Springfield Moss - Overall Senior Champion & Senior Male Champion.

Islavale Mango - Reserve Overall Senior Champion & Senior Female Champion.

Springfield Moss. At this point we are aiming to take him to Stirling in February next year. His dam was purchased back in 2015 and she has gone on to be a great breeder for us, producing two heifer and four bull calves so far, and two of these bulls have been sold back through Stirling.”

It was back to the Stronach team for the day’s Senior Female Champion and Overall Senior Reserve, in the form of the November 1st 2021 born Islavale Mango. Another by Coose Lincoln EX90, the same sire of the day’s Junior Female Champion, Mango is out of Islavale Faith EX90 a Woodhall Walker daughter.

Commenting on her choice of champions, and the overall show, the judge Gayle Campbell said: “The Simmental breed has continued to evolve and improve since I first stepped into the judging ring. Today there is a favour towards darker animals but based around both the maternal traits that the Simmental is renowned for, and also the breeds ever improving terminal qualities”. Of the Simmentals at Stars of the Future, Gayle went on to say; “The standard was really high across the classes with some excellent calves forward. When judging females I am looking for stylish and balanced animals, they need to be feminine and show great breed character, but with a sweetness about them. I certainly found that with my Champions Islavale Nestle and Islavale Mango, two terrific calves. My choices for the Male Champions also just caught my eye as soon as they came into the ring. I was looking for young bulls with potential, power and shape, and Overhill House Neil and Springfield Moss certainly fit the bill and have a lot of future in them. A great show of Simmental calves and well done to all of the exhibitors.” A passionate advocate of the Simmental breed, Gayle Campbell first judged Simmental classes at the Stirling May Sale in 2011 and since then has gone on to judge at shows throughout Scotland and also at such shows as the English Winter Fair.

Standing Reserve Senior Male Champion was Newbiemains McGregor from Jim and Patricia Goldie, Newbie Mains Farm, Annan, Dumfriesshire. Another entirely homebred calf, the September 2021 born Newbiemains McGregor is another from the first crop pf calves by Newbiemains Jericho and is out of Newbiemains Janabelle, a Newbiemains Golden Eye 15 EX91 daughter. This further title adds to the Goldies recent strong showing at the Simmental Calf Show at Borderway Agri Expo where the herd won the Senior Championship with another Newbiemains Jericho son, Newbiemains Moosala, and also lifted the Junior and Overall title with Newbiemains Noble Wynn. Competing in a strong class at Stars of the Future Newbiemains Noble Wynn stood second in his class to the Overall Junior Champion Overhill House Neil.

Winning the Reserve Senior Female title, having won the class for females born 8th August to 16th October 2021, was Delfur Weigela M1 from Delfur Farms, Rothes, Aberlour. Born 18th October 2021, Delfur Weigela M1 is by Woodhall Instinct 17, and is out of the Auchorachan ACDC daughter Delfur Margaret D100. Woodhall Instinct 17 was also the sire of Delfur Maverick who was sold for 16,000gns at the recent October Stirling Simmental Sale. Further Woodhall Instinct sons, Delfur Mean Machine and Delfur Marvel, took first and second place in the class for Senior Males born on or between 18th October and 28th December 2021.

Newbiemains McGregor - Reserve Senior Male Champion.

Delfur Weigela - Reserve Senior Female Champion.

Emma Stronach, Intermediate Champion Young Handler.

Gayle Campbell, Simmental judge for the day, in action.

POPES WEIKELS NADINE WINS SIMMENTAL CALF SHOW AT THE ENGLISH WINTER FAIR

• Popes Calves Take Overall Champion & Reserve

• Wroxall Megga Mountaine Wins Reserve Male

It was another red-letter day for the prolific Popes herd of JH and VG Wood, Popes Farm, Clitheroe Road, Preston, Lancashire, when they won both the Overall Championship and Overall Reserve title at the Simmental National Pedigree Calf Show, held within the English Winter Fair at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire, on Saturday 19th November. Judging the Simmental section was the well-known Danny Wyllie, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire.

Taking the top honours on the day was the stylish April 2022 born heifer Popes Weikels Nadine, who is by the Irish-bred Clonagh Latin Lover and is out of Popes Weikels Gracie VG85. Gracie was the

outcome of an embryo bought from Northern Irish breeder David Hazelton to introduce breeding from that herd’s famous Weikel female line. All five of the Popes entries shown at the English Winter Fair were from the first crop of calves by the herd’s Clonagh Latin Lover, who was purchased for 6,500 Euros. A bull full of breeding, Clonagh Latin Lover was purchased for his maternal influence, being out of the noted Clonagh Darling Eyes who was the online Simmental Miss World in 2018 and Overall Irish Simmental of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Sired by Manor Park Hansome, Clonagh Latin Lover combines pedigree with performance having excellent Maternal (Milk), and Carcase figures.

Popes Weikels Nadine - Champion.

On the day, Popes calves sired by Clonagh Latin Lover won the respective male and female sections before moving on to secure the Overall and Reserve Overall titles. For the Woods family it was the second year in a row that they had secured the double at the English Winter Fair, and followed on from a highly successful show year at both the Great Yorkshire and English National shows.

Commenting afterwards, Vikki Wood said: “As a family we are delighted to win this Championship again and at the same time to help put on a good promotion of the British Simmental breed along with our fellow exhibitors.” Of the Champion, and Clonagh Latin Lover generally, Vikki went on to say: “Latin Lover was bought primarily for his maternal lines and to breed what we hope will be the herd’s next generation of females. Our aim and type in breeding females is to have the typical Simmental attributes of sweetness, femininity and breed character, correctness, and with no extremes. The Champion calf today looks to have those attributes at this early age.”

Taking the Overall Reserve and Overall Reserve Female title was Popes Diamonds Nella. Another April 2022 born calf by Clonagh Latin Lover, Nella is out of Popes Diamonds IO who is a Popes Fearless daughter. In the bull calves the Championship honours went to the Wood’s April born Popes Nexus. This calf, now being provisionally aimed at the October 2023 Stirling Bull sale, is again by Latin Lover and is out of Popes Nellys Illia, a Swingletree Emporor daughter who goes back to Tintoside Nellys Wonder.

Winning the Reserve Bull Championship and the Senior Bull Calf Class was Wroxall Megga Mountaine (P) from CH Evans and Son, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick. October 2021 born, Megga Mountaine is by the herd’s noted Coose Gambler (P) and is out of the homozygous polled Wroxall Jazz Superior (PP), a Wroxall Electric daughter. Coose Gambler (P) was the Irish National Ploughing Match Junior Champion Bull in 2016 and the Reserve Champion of Europe in the World Simmental Championship online competition in 2020. Owned by the Evans’ since 2017 Gambler has produced over

100 progeny for the herd, with sons sold to 5,000gns. This was the Wroxall herd’s first time showing at the English Winter Fair, but they have had a successful summer securing Championship and Reserve titles at both the Staffordshire County Show and the Three Counties Show this year.

A feature of the weekend was the Simmental breed promotional stand put on by the Midlands Simmental Club and situated at the main ringside. With some tremendous display cattle, professional breed promotion and literature, and plenty of home baked hospitality, the stand was extremely busy over two days. In a fine reward for all of the Midlands Club’s hard work the stand was judged the best Breed Society stand before securing the Best Trade stand at the show.

The promotional cattle, showing the outstanding maternal attributes of the breed, were three crossbred bull calves out of pure Simmental cows, and supplied by CH Evans and Son, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick. February born, the calves weighed up to 458kgs for a 26th February born calf, and to a daily live weight gain of 1.81kgs.

Wroxall Megga Mountain - Reserve Male Champion.

Simmental team in the Duke of Norfolk Trophy from the Popes herd.

SPRINGFIELD MOSS IS ‘THE BOSS’ AT LIVESCOT PEDIGREE CALF SHOW

• Springfield Win Championship and Reserve

Gavin Brown, Springfield Farm, Penicuik continued his strong run at the 2022 winter calf shows when he picked up both Simmental Champion and Reserve at the fledgling Pedigree Calf Show, held within the Live Scot event at Lanark Agricultural Centre on Friday 25th November.

Lifting the Championship award was the July 2021 born Springfield Moss. Sired by Islavale Jabba and out of Cleenagh Eliza, a Drumlone Anchor daughter, this latest title follows on from the recent Stars of the Future Show and where Springfield Moss won both the Overall Senior Championship and Overall Senior Male.

The judge at Live Scot was Garry Patterson of the noted Aultmore herd at Upper Forgie, Keith, Moray, who commented on his Champion: “Springfield Moss is a good, correct bull with fantastic style and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve in the future.”

Springfield Moss will now be aimed at the February 2023 Stirling Simmental Bull Sale.

Making it a Springfield one-two was the April 2022 born heifer Springfield Nita, who lifted the Simmental Overall Reserve Championship. Again by Islavale Jabba, this calf is out of Springfield Goldie, a Popes Barclay daughter. Of his Reserve, Garry Patterson said: “My choice of Reserve is a very young, sweet heifer full of potential, and just the kind of Simmental heifer that I like”.

Soft shell jackets; hoodies; gilets; T-shirts; polo shirts; baseball caps; wooly hats and beanies

COOLCRAN AND LISGLASS CALVES LEAD THE WAY AT NI SIMMENTAL CALF SHOW

• Coolcran Maximus Wins Senior Champion

• Lisglass Nightingale Lifts Junior Championship

Afantastic display of Simmental cattle was the general ringside consensus at the second staging of the Four Breed Calf Show held in Dungannon Farmers Market on Saturday 26th November 2022. Judging of the Simmental classes was in the very capable hands of Neil McIlwaine of the well-known Corrick Herd, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone and sponsor of the Simmental section was Ann Kennedy from Centra Ballinderry Catering Service.

Winning the Senior Championship was Coolcran Maximus from Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo, Co. Fermanagh. This September 2021 born calf is by the 10,000gns sire Wolfstar Elusive and is out of the Ashland Brandy daughter Coolcran Lady Erin, the Reserve Female Champion at Balmoral Show in 2015. Commenting on his Senior Champion, Neil Mcilwaine said: “This is an excellent example

Senior Champion Coolcran Maximus from S & P Mcdonald. Shane McDonald pictured alongside sponsor Ann Kennedy.

Junior Champion Lisglass Nightingale from Leslie and Chris Weatherup. Chris Weatherup pictured alongside sponsor Ann Kennedy.

of a clean, modern Simmental bull. He has great locomotion with excellent width, topline, and squareness of his plates. Just a very well-balanced bull with fantastic length.”

Earlier this summer, Coolcran Maximus won the Male Championship and Reserve Junior Championship at the NI Simmental National Show at Armagh County Show.

Lifting the Junior Championship was Lisglass Nightingale from Leslie and Chris Weatherup, Ballyclare, Co Antrim. January 2022 born, Lisglass Nightingale is by Omorga Jaguar, a Mullynock Gallant sired bull, and is out of the homebred Lisglass Gypsy, a Kilbride Farm Bantry daughter. Of his Junior Champion, Neil Mcilwaine said: “This is a well grown, very stylish heifer with an excellent top line and plates. Again, she has great locomotion and really oozes femininity.”

Taking the Reserve Senior Champion was Ranfurly Lady Diana 41st M14 from WD & JD Hazelton, Dungannon Co Tyrone. October 2021 born, this heifer is by Auchorachan Hercules 16, and is out of Ranfurly Lady Diana 33rd. Ranfurly Lady Diana 41st is another calf to have featured at the NI Simmental National Show and where she won her class for junior heifers born between September and December 2021.

Back to the juniors and it was Haystar Diamond 2 from G Hayes & Son, Lisburn, Co Antrim, that won the Reserve Junior Championship. January 2022 born, this calf is by Kilbride Farm Delboy and is out of Raceview Her Royal Diamond. Earlier this year, Haystar Diamond 2 won class two of the British Simmental Cattle Society’s Virtual Show and from a class of 63 heifers from all round the UK.

Drumnagarner Nikki from Eamon McCloskey. Pictured is Eamon McCloskey, family and Sponsor Ann Kennedy.

Prize Winning Pair from the Drumbulcan Herd of Kenneth Stubbs, with Drumbulcan Nala and Drumbulcan Nelson. Pictured are Kenneth’s daughters Zara Clarke and Alice Bradley.

Scribby Farms Nelson from Keith Nelson. Young Harvey Nelson pictured alongside his Dad.

Winning Drumbulcan Nathan from Kenneth Stubbs.

Reserve Junior Champion Haystar Diamond 2 from G Hayes & Sons.

Reserve Senior Champion Ranfurly Lady Diana 41st M14 from WD & JD Hazelton.

PISTYLL ‘NITRO’ BLOWS AWAY

THE COMPETITION AT THE WELSH PEDIGREE CALF SHOW

The Inaugural Welsh Multibreed Pedigree Beef Calf show held at Carmarthen Livestock Market on Saturday 10th of December 2022 proved to be a great success, with ninety entries forward from fourteen breeds represented and with the Simmental classes having twelve calves forward.

The days Simmental Supreme Champion, Male Champion, and winner of the Wynnstay Group Plc Perpetual Shield, was an entry from the Pistyll herd of GA & HM Francis, Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire. Pistyll Nitro 22, is a May born bull by the popular AI sire Ballinalare Farm Galaxy and is bred out of Pistyll Heledd, a daughter of the herd’s Irish bred stock bull Carbery Fintona. From one of the herd’s best dam lines, his granddam Celtic Glamour is a full sister to the 8,000gns Pistyll Sam.

Speaking to Mr Francis after the show he said “We were delighted to be tapped out as Champions, and within what was such a good quality of Simmental calves forward. We have been breeding Simmentals for 30 years now and our 15 breeding females are doing well for us. We run them alongside our 45 strong suckler herd on which we use our Simmental bulls, selling the resulting calves at Ludlow, bulls for beef at 10 months and heifers at 14 months. Our aim is to show Pistyll

Nitro through next summer, and including at the Royal Welsh, before potentially taking him to Stirling next October. His half-brother Pistyll Major 21 is entered into the Stirling February 2023 sale”.

Judge on the day was Anthony Eynon, Cwm Miles, Carmarthenshire, of the Barlo pedigree Simmental herd. A Simmental breeder for over 30 years, he runs his operation on a ‘strictly commercial’ basis. Commenting on his pick for Champion he said

When choosing a bull, I’m looking for a bull which will leave good a commercial carcase. The Champion stood out to me on the day, he was the youngest and smallest calf there but I felt he had tremendous all round potential and especially with his commercial conformation qualities”.

Pistyll Nitro.

Standing Reserve Supreme Champion, was the April-born Hirwaun Nos Da 22, who had been tapped out as the Reserve Male Champion just moments before. A heifer’s calf bred out of the Salisbury Challenger daughter Hirwaun Kitty VG8, he is sired by the popular AI bull Curaheen Bandit. Nos Da was bred and exhibited by the Davies family, Ponthirwaun, Ceredigion; Aled and Rachel, their two girls Catherine and Lilly and Aled’s father Huw, of the five cow strong Hirwaun herd, which was established in 1996 and is run alongside their pedigree sheep enterprise of 50 breeding ewes consisting of Blue and Badger Face Texels. Hirwaun Nos Da will also be shown again in the summer and the family are aiming him at Stirling next October.

The Simmental Female Champion was Fole Vivian 93, an October 2021 born heifer sired by the 16,000gns Blackford Falcon. Vivian was purchased as a calf at foot at Worcester in May at the Fole Herd dispersal sale of Joe & Rachel Ede, Checkley, Stoke on Trent. Her dam is the Dellfield Wyvis daughter Fole Vivian 69 who, since her purchase, has produced a second calf also by Blackford Falcon.

Vivian was exhibited by her new owners Richard and Jennifer Jones who, along with their sons Gareth and Robert, run the Willowgreen Simmental herd at Helygenlas, Peniel, Carmarthenshire. The family’s main business is their dairy, where they run 150 cows to produce milk for their First Milk contract for Tesco, which is used to produce Pembrokeshire cheese. They purchased their first Simmental bull 10 years ago and are now producing ‘cracking’ Simmental sired calves which they sell at 3 – 4 weeks old at Carmarthen and Whitland, with them holding the centre record of £460.00 for the top priced 3-weekold calf at Carmarthen.

Showing the calf on the family’s behalf were Richard and Jennifer’s daughter and son in law, Elin and Steven John. Commenting after the show Richard said, “We are delighted that this calf has done so well on her first show outing. We intend to show her again in the summer and time willing we are hoping to take her to the Royal Welsh Show in July”.

The Reserve Female Champion was an entry from Merion Jones, Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire. A well-known figure in Welsh Simmentals Mr Jones, whose Dyfed Simmental herd consists 20 cow and followers, has been a member of the Society for some 40 years. Alongside his Simmental cattle, Merion also keeps a small herd of Welsh Black cattle and over 60 breeding ewes, consisting of Jacobs, Herdwicks and Dutch Spotted. His Reserve Champion was the 11-month-old Dyfed Angharad 8, a polled heifer sired by the Irish bred Coose Jericho and out of Dyfed Angharad 6th who goes back to Losning Iver.

 Reduces the risk of milk fever, difficult calvings and retained placenta

 Promotes calf health and vigour (more “get up and go”)

 Supports and maintains a strong healthy immune system to help withstand infectious challenges post-calving

 Enhances post calving conception rates

 Promotes rumen condition for improved lactation

 Low required intakes 200g/cow/day

Fole Vivian 93.

SIMMENTAL:

THE BACKBONE TO A COMMERCIAL LOW INPUT, HIGH OUTPUT FAMILY FARMING BUSINESS

The Review features the Turner family at Stone Acton Farm, Church Stretton, Shropshire and where the multi trait strengths of the Simmental breed are providing the basis of a flexible low input system.

Simmental genetics have played a major role in the Turner family’s low input, high output commercial beef enterprise for more than four decades, and they have a firm future - pedigree heifers are being introduced to the unit to develop a new added value aspect to the business.

“Simmentals have consistently demonstrated great maternal instincts, they look after their calves and produce a lot of

milk which encourages good growth rates, and they mature sufficiently early to calve at two years,” James explains. “They’ve also proved to fit our system being good forage converters, the same reason why we thought introducing the Hereford to a new crisscross breeding strategy over 50% of the herd would work, and it’s proving to be complementary, retaining all the maternal traits and adding to the docility element.”

The Hereford has not only achieved the Turner’s quest for hybrid vigour, but it has also opened up two new buyers for added value markets. All store calves by a registered Hereford bull, apart from those retained for replacement purposes, are sold to finishers for Waitrose’s Hereford Beef Scheme and a local butcher interested in selling branded meat.

Over half a century ago the Turners farmed a miscellany of native bred sucklers. Charolais was the first Continental breed to be introduced to Stone Acton, before swapping for the fast-emerging Simmental in the late ‘70s. “Temperament and ease of calving led us to source a pedigree Simmental bull and the breed has stood the test of time here for going on 45 years,” says Phil.

“We bought a few in calf cows and went on to steadily grow the pedigree herd. We did the county show circuit and sold bulls and replacement heifers, however by the late 80’s we realised it was becoming too time consuming, so we

decided to rack back and concentrate on running a commercial spring calving herd producing store cattle along with replacement heifers for sale. Calves continue to be either sold weaned at eight months averaging 365kgs or overwintered on forage diets and sold as yearlings at an average 425kgs.”

“Wroxall genetics have remained at the heart of the herd with bulls bought privately and selected for polled bloodlines, with EBVs for ease of calving used as a guideline,” James explains. “Wroxall Hannibal threw some very shapely calves, however it was Wroxall Accumulator and Wroxall Hannibal who left the best bloodlines. They not only had

FARM FACTS

The Turner family: James, his father Phil and uncle, Simon Stone Acton Farm, Church Stretton, Shropshire

• 320 acres LFA grassland inc Mid-Tier

• 20 acres woodland

• 100 Simmental and Hereford cross Simmental breeding females

• 5 pedigree Simmental heifers

• 24 months age at first calving

• 96% scan

• 97% calves reared inc twins

• 10 to 14 crops of calves

Phil & James Turner

shape, but they were also well fleshed and had very good growth rates. We are optimistic our new herd sire, Wroxall Lost Property will deliver similar quality calves – his first are due on the ground in 2023.”

Attention to detail is paramount at Stone Acton, a level of management that’s reflected in the herd’s performance. “All the heifers, for example, calve at 24 months, and in the last five years they’ve all reared their own calves,” James explains. “The whole herd achieves an average 97% calves reared from females put to the bull. In a so-called normal year, we would have between 95 and 105 cows and heifers in calf. We would normally only lose one or two calves and then if we’re lucky have one or two sets of twins, ensuring most cows would have at least one calf, all being well. However there have been exceptional years - in 2017 we had 17 sets of twins off 96 in calf cows and heifers.

“We bolus every female to enhance fertility and provide supplementary buckets pre calving, otherwise the herd totally depends on forage – grazing and quality silage and hay, and the majority calve in the first six weeks.”

Simmental is demonstrating the longevity factor too for the Turners.

All cows would have at least 10 calf crops and some up to 14. We still have cows that were born here in 2006, they started annually producing calves in 2008 and are scheduled to calve again in March 2023.

“We also pride ourselves on maintaining herd health. Apart from buying in high health status bulls, the herd has remained closed for over three decades. It is currently BVD accredited, Lepto vaccinated and Johne’s free.

“In addition, we’ve always invested in both Simmental and Hereford poll bulls and as a result don’t have to do any dehorning at all; polling takes away the stress for both us and the animal and removes any potential growth checks,” says James.

2023 sees the Turners embarking on a new journey when they introduce the first new pedigree Simmental genetics to their Stone Acton herd in 30 years. “We considered we needed some new bloodlines and buying in registered stock is providing us with the opportunity to rebuild the pedigree herd and develop a new added value enterprise.

“We’ve purchased five heifers from the Mixbury Hall herd, specifically selected for their high health status being BVD and IBR accredited, Johne’s Level I and Lepto vaccinated.”

To the future and James says the family is planning to maintain a flexible low input system. “There’s scope to make more from forage, potentially cutting back on the volume of sheep taken on winter tack, making minimal fertiliser applications, exploiting the red clover introduced to the silage leys and introducing GS4 mixes.” It’s a strategy that perfectly fits with Simmental which will continue to have a firm place.”

INTRODUCING SIMMENTAL TO NORTHUMBERLAND SUCKLER HERD ADDS MILK, GROWTH, AND EASE OF MANAGEMENT

Alnham Farm located within the Northumberland National Park, has been run for over 90 years by four generations of the Sordy family who firmly believe the time spent working amongst the animals is a key to the suckler herd’s success. Alnham Farm joined the AHDB Farm Excellence project in 2021 for a four-year period as one of its four Monitor Farms.

Talk to Harry Sordy about the Sordy family’s suckler herd’s genetics, and he says Simmental has proved to be a great piece in the jigsaw puzzle. “Whilst Angus had formed our herd’s backbone, we’d been losing cow performance and wanted to add extra milk and subsequent growth. So we introduced Simmental as a maternal line back in 2015 in an attempt to add some hybrid vigour and the crisscross strategy has achieved our objective. We’ve some very milky cows producing a good solid calf,” he says. “They’re weaning calves at an average 300kg at eight months.”

What’s more the Simmental has not only enhanced performance but also the family’s quest for improved ease of management. The entire herd comprising 230 breeding females and followers is mostly managed by the Sordy’s stockman, Craig Hardy. “They’ve such a quiet temperament which makes them so easy to manage, in fact I could take on and manage significantly more cows if a decision was taken to expand the herd,” he says.

While we are calving, I walk through the shed and check every five hours around the clock, they really do calve themselves. Last season saw as few as 3% of the cows and heifers requiring assistance, and seven out of those eight cows were twin bearing.

“Then the Simmental’s strong maternal instincts kick in, I rarely have to teach a calf to suck, and both cows and heifers look after their calves; we don’t get mismotherings.”

Turning the clock back and Craig says calving is now a far cry from before the Sordy’s replaced Charolais with Simmental genetics and established a split calving herd. “We had to pull far too many calves - the Charolais Angus combo was just not fit for purpose,” he says.

FARM FACTS

Alnham Farm, Alnwick, Northumberland

• 1,216ha mixed farm rising to 1,650’ inc

• 1,102ha permanent pasture and temporary grassland

• 33ha arable

• 20ha kale mix

• 100ha temporary pasture (ryegrass and herbal leys)

• 230 spring calving cows

• 2,500 breeding ewes

Harry continues: “We’ve been selecting Simmental sires for maternal traits and ease of calving, and preferably homozygous poll too –we’re trying to cut down on dehorning, it’s one job we don’t like to do. Furthermore, we take EBVs seriously and would never buy a bull without accompanying data. We’re currently running three bulls including two from Incheoch - they’re good commercially raised bulls leaving easily calved well fleshed calves.”

Nowadays, the Sordys are running one spring calving herd which is split between Simmental cross Angus genetics which they return to the Simmental bull, while Angus cross Simmentals go to the Angus. Craig explains: “We select the heifers for replacement purposes according to their dam’s performance and temperament. Hybrid vigour kicks in and since the calves are much better grown reaching a minimum 400kgs at 14 months bulling, the strategy has enabled us to go from calving heifers at 28 months to 24 months. The bulk of those heifers calve within the first two weeks, while the entire herd calves within three cycles; any that fall outside are culled.” Last season the herd scanned 95% and reared 93% calves.

Pre and post calving the herd thrives on forage, a silage-based diet supplemented with straw and pot ale syrup whilst housed. Plans are

to turn out to graze if there’s sufficient grass two days after calving, however this is a weather dependent decision. Cows and steer calves continue grazing a paddock system until weaning at eight months when steers are housed, whilst cows with heifer calves are more commercially raised and drafted to the hill.

All progeny, apart from replacements, have historically been sold on to the store market at 10 to 12 months, however Harry says the family is changing strategy.

The suckler herd is part of the bigger picture at Alnham Farm. “Historically the cattle have been hill improvers and extremely complementary to the 2,500 ewe outdoor lambing flock. “The herd

No one knows where the store market will be, it’s uncertain, whereas finishing provides us with more control, so we are trying to see if finishing off forage can be cost effective.”

continues to be a hugely valuable asset, they’re one of the farm’s building blocks and will have a place going forward if we continue to have anything to do with the decision making,” says Harry.

While we are living in uncertain times, there are so many good farmers out there to learn from. We are frequently picking up and reading that we’d be better off trying to reduce our costs rather than increasing output. We’ve identified housing cows for 20 weeks of the year from 1 November as one of our biggest costs and consequently a key area for focus,” he says.

“We don’t expect to completely eliminate the housing period, however, ideally we’d like to cut it by eight weeks to 10 to 12 weeks while continuing to house all the cattle a head of calving in March and make savings in terms of straw and fuel. So far, so good – by the third week of December the Simmental crosses were coping well outdoors. “If the weather does turn really bad, we always have the sheds available to bring the cows inside.”

Alnham Farm joined the AHDB Farm Excellence project in 2021 for a four-year period as one of its four Monitor Farms, a network of a further 15 AHDB Strategic Farms.

Outwintering at Alnham Farm: three main groups have been established

• 40 Angus and Simmental cross heifers bale grazing 4ha of deferred grass, with haylage bales which are estimated to last until the mid-January

• 70 Simmental cross cows on 9ha of bale grazing

• 60 Angus cross cows strip grazing 34ha of hill

“We have been quite particular about the sites we have chosen. They all have quite shallow soils and free draining, meaning they’re less likely to poach,” Harry explains.

“After weaning, well-conditioned Angus cross cows are turned away onto hill ground, where they remain until midJanuary, weather permitting. These are the unit’s priority group and if the weather does turn, they will be the first ones to be housed.”

The Sordy family are not against calving outside, however they feel they need to build their confidence in the system first. “We went on a study tour to the Scottish Borders with the Monitor Farm programme and visited farms which were already outwintering. Learning from other farmers in this way is so valuable.”

AREA CLUB OFFICERS

CHAIRPERSON SECRETARY

1. SCOTLAND

Patricia Goldie

Newbie Mains Farm, Annan, Dumfrieshire, DG12 5QY

Mobile: 07802 698723

Tel: 01461 205135

Email: patriciam.goldie@outlook.com

2. NORTH EAST

Andrew Leedham Midhope Hall Farm, Midhopestones, Sheffield, S36 4GW

Tel: 01226 764192

Email: grangewood13@gmail.com

3. NORTH WEST

Peter Burgess

High Keenley Fell Farm, Allendale, Hexham, Northumberland NE47 9NU

Mobile: 0771 0447807

Email:  tilbrooksimmentals@gmail.com

4. NORTHERN IRELAND

Mr Keith Nelson Lakeview Farm, 39 Clogh Road, Scribby, Rosslea, Co. Fermanagh, BT92 7DJ

Mobile: 07764895100

Email: keithnelson39@tiscali.co.uk

5. MIDLANDS

Hannah Wood Popes Farm, Clitheroe Road, Dutton, Preston

PR3 2YT

Mobile: 07738 643229

Email: hannahv.wood@hotmail.com

WALES

Aled Davies

Wern Villa, Ponthirwaun, Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA43 2RL

Tel: 01239 710497

Mobile: 07866 282766

Email: aledtal76@hotmail.co.uk

7. CENTRE WEST

Richard Price

Old Woodbury Farm, Drove Road, Gamlingay, Sandy, SG19 2HS

Tel: 01767 651053

Email: richard.price@lowther.co.uk

8. EAST ANGLIA

James Brice

1 Countess Wells Cottage, New Road, Framlingham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 9JE.

Mobile: 01728 720116

Email: jamesrobinbrice@gmail.com

Mr. Richard Pettit

Den Farm, Fochabers, Morayshire, IV32 7PQ

Mobile: 07739 079403

Email: rmspettit71@gmail.com

Katie Boyes

Deerholme Grange, Marishes, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6UG

Tel: 07495 667532

Email: bigkb98@icloud.com

Miss Sarah Ford

High Keenley Fell Farm, Allendale, Hexham, Northumberland NE47 9NU

Tel: 01434 618344

Email:  nwsimmentalclub@gmail.com

Julie Stinson

55 Boho Road, Roscultan, Springfield, Enniskillen, N. Ireland BT74 5AQ

Tel: 02866 341411

Mobile: 07999 622201

Email: julies345@hotmail.co.uk

Andrea Booth

Gun Lane Farm, Gun Lane, Nether Heage, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 2JX

Tel: 07774 797344

Email: andrea.booth@talktalk.net

CHAIRPERSON SECRETARY

9. SOUTH WEST

Callum Croft

Gwalyrhwch Farm, Llanedi, Pontarddulais, Swansea, SA4 0YT

Tel: 079201 09398

Email:  cjbcroft@icloud.com

Clare Price Old Woodbury Farm, Drove Road, Gamlingay, Sandy, SG19 2HS

Tel: 01767 651053

Mobile: 07887 753324

Email: whalegreensimmentals@gmail.com

Zara Curson

Hollybrook Farm, Pound Lane, Welbourne, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 3LG

Mobile: 07824 380334

Email:  zaradack82@hotmail.co.uk

Mr A J Curry

Lowerdown Farm, Felton, Bristol, Somerset, BS40 9UF

Tel: 01275 472268

Mobile: 07546 207496

Email: ljajcurry@hotmail.co.uk

10. CORNWALL

Mr B R Wynter

Bolankin Farm, Crows-An-Wra, St Buryan, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6HY

Tel: 01736 810787 / 07590 501096

Email:  brwynter@outlook.com

11. SOUTH EAST

Bridget Borlase

Sacombe Hill Farm, Sacombe Hill, Watton at Stone, Hertfordshire, SG14 3NL

Tel: 07850 443136

Email: info@bridgetbs.co.uk

Rachel Reed

Well Farm, Bickleigh, Tiverton EX16 8HQ

Tel: 01884 855508

Mobile: 07866 259995

Email: well.farm@btinternet.com

Bridget Olds

Bosahan Simmentals, Bosahan Farm, Constantine, Falmouth, TR11 5QB

Tel: 01326 340976 / 07890384094

Email:  oldsbosahan@aol.com

Brenda Hide

42 Strand Meadow, Burwash, Etchingham, East Sussex, TN19 7BP

Tel: 07703 277600

Email: brendahide@hotmail.co.uk

6.

Scottish Simmental Club

Report

by Richard Pettit, Secretary

Through 2022 the country thankfully started moving out of the covid restrictions and back to ‘some kind of normality.’ Scotland is of course the home of the Stirling sales, the breed’s largest sales of the year, and it was another very strong year of performance. Breed record sale averages were achieved at both the February and May fixtures, and were capped off by yet another record average in October of £7,559, up by £1,597 on the year. Scottish vendors and buyers were very much to the fore, and then again at the second staging of the Next Generation Sale at Carlisle in December where they featured in the championship awards and leading prices on the day. Well done to all of the breeders and buyers involved across these sales in the year. Avoiding duplication, please see all of the respective reports and pictures from the Stirling, Aberdeen, Next Gen II, and Annick Dispersal sales within the sales section of this year’s Review.

Annual General meeting

Kicking off the year at the Scottish Club’s AGM, Patricia Goldie was re-elected as Chairperson with Jim Dyet as Vice-Chairperson. New members elected to the committee included: Gavin Brown, Ross King, Geoff Anderson and Tom Bruce. Big thanks are extended to retiring committee members Jonathan Gunn, Nadia Gwynne, and Emma McAlister for their time, input and hard work.

Simmental Promotion at Scotsheep

In early June the Scottish Club joined forces with the Society to have a breed promotional stand at Robert & Hazel McNee’s Over Finlarg Farm, Tealing, Dundee, who along with their children Kate & Alan, hosted a memorable NSA Scotsheep 2022 event. The McNees run the Finlarg pedigree Simmental herd within their 740-acre unit and the Simmental fingerprint both pedigree and commercial was very visible on what was a cracking day. On the promotional stand the Simmentals ‘shared’ a display pen of quality Sim Luings, the increasingly popular and easy managed suckler females, along with the Luing Cattle Society and which drew much attention.

Highland Show

It goes without saying that everyone was delighted to get back to the Royal Highland show! The Simmental judge was Joe Wilson, Ballinalare herd, Northern Ireland, who placed Islavale Lullaby as his Supreme Champion, from Reece and Andrew Simmers, Backmuir, with Annick Gingers Lucia from the Annick herd taking Reserve. Gerald and Morag Smith were awarded the Male Championship with Drumsleed Legacy.

On the Friday night in a packed marquee of members and friends, everyone enjoyed a hog roast with some ‘extended’ socialising and plenty of laughs. Along with the Society, the Club also extended some hospitality to the breed’s bull buyers of the year and this again went extremely well. Please see the show section in the Review for the full show report and pictures, and see here some additional presentation pics.

SimLuing heifer at Scotsheep.

Matt Gilliland accepting the Reserve Championship award on behalf of the late LD Quarm for Annick Ginger’s Lucia from Judge Joe Wilson.

Phill Simmers being congratulated by Club Chairperson Trish Goldie on winning the Supreme Championship with Islavale Lullaby.

Gerald Smith accepting the Male Championship award for Drumsleed Legacy from Judge Joe Wilson.

John Barlow accepting the Junior Championship award for Denizes Monty from Judge Joe Wilson.

Scottish National Simmental show

With the previous staging being held in 2019, the Scottish National Simmental Show made a welcome return in 2022 when being held within the Black Isle Show in August. The show started on Wednesday night with a BBQ cooked by Cameron MacIver (Coltfield) and myself, and was greatly enjoyed by all who attended. May I take this opportunity to once again thank ABP for sponsoring the steaks.

A big thank you goes to our judge John Moore from the well-known Omorga herd in Northern Ireland, who did an excellent job. John placed Reece and Andrew Simmers, Backmuir, with Islavale Lullaby as his Overall Champion, with the furthest travelled exhibitor John Barlow, all the way from Lancashire, awarded Reserve Champion with Denizes Eves Beauty 3rd. The Championship win secured a memorable double for the Simmers following their earlier win at the Highland with Islavale Lullaby.

Patricia presented the Club’s former show convenor, Tom Henderson, with a portrait of his top priced bull Blackford Worzel, by way of thanking Tom and his family for all his hard work over the years in organising the Scottish National Simmental Show.

Thanks to all the following sponsors, without whom we couldn’t have run the Scottish National Simmental Show:

Mill n Mix (main sponsor); Roadhead Feeds; Ravenhill Ltd; Denis Brinicombe; A Young Engineering; Moray Coast Vets; M.A.M.

Contracting; D. Woods; Netherton Tractors; Highland Tractors; Caithness Livestock Breeders; Simpsons Oils; United Auctions; Ross Agri Services; Aberdeen & Northern Marts; Dingwall and Highland Marts; Johnston and Carmichael; Norvite Ltd; Charlie Smith; Gavin Brown; and ABP.

Please see the show report and pictures in the show section of this publication.

Scottish National Simmental Show 2023

Please note that the 2023 Scottish National Simmental Show will be held within Dumfries Show on Saturday 5th August. This is a new venue for the National and in an important area for the breed to really put on a Simmental showcase. We hope that you will be able to support it. Look out for updates on the Club’s Facebook page and please also contact Dumfries Show for entry forms at info@ dumfriesshow.co.uk

Other Scottish Based Events in 2023

On Saturday 8th July, the Club along with the Society will be hosting an open day at commercial producers Colin and Robert Manson, D & G Manson & Sons, Brodieshill Farm, Forres, Inverness. The Mansons have 145 head of suckler cows, the majority of which are Simmental crosses, calving in the Spring and they breed all of their own replacements.

On Tuesday 6th June 2023, the Scottish Simmental Club plan to have a promotional stand within the Scottish Beef Event which will be hosted by Dalswinton Estate, situated in the heart of the Nith Valley, seven miles north of Dumfries.

Deepest Respects from the Scottish Club

Lastly, and with great sadness, the Club’s sincere condolences are extended to Finlay McGowan and family, on the sad news in November of the passing of Judy McGowan. Hugely popular and respected, Judy played a massive part in the Simmental breed on a number of levels and was of course the Club’s hard-working secretary for some 14 years and up until 2001. Sincere condolences are also extended to Andy Wilson, Cairnview, on the loss of his wife Betty, again a well-recognised figure within the breed, and also in November. It is sad that we have to report and reflect on these losses and please see fitting tributes within the Review.

Jimmy McMillan accepting the award for his Junior Female Champion Brandane Millie.

Ben McSporran being presented the Young Stockperson award by judge Varrie Loggie.

Scottish National Show Champions.

Thank you to Tom Henderson for his work at the National Show.

North East Club

Report By Katie Boyes, Secretary

2022 was a quiet year for us in the North East Club but did see the dispersal of two fantastic herds, the loss of a long lived member of the Club, and the marriage of another.

We started the year attending the funeral of Ian Steele, a much-loved member of our club. Ian passed away in January and his death came as a big shock to all of us. I and many others have fond memories of Ian’s cheerful happy smile that was contagious to all. He was knowledgeable and always willing to share this and help you. Ian and Margaret’s herd, known as the Blakewell Herd, sold through Selby auction market. The sale was absolutely packed to the rafters, with the trade topping at £4,100 for the impressively bred Caistor Empress. Her offspring and breeding were heavily sought after on the day. These cattle and the bloodlines are an absolute credit to Ian and Margaret.

In May at Carlisle, Gerald Towers dispersed his herd, compromising of the Tidkin and Jet herds. In a strong sale, the herd topped at 5,000gns for Tidkin Natalie’s Illusion sold with her heifer calf at foot. Fifteen cows and calves averaged over an impressive £3,300. Gerald has been a very active member in the Club in years gone by, standing as chairman twice and again always cheerful, even with a glass of wine in tow! On the day, the cattle sold from Wales to Scotland and the Tidkin/Jet name is firmly on the map!

Albeit sad, herd dispersals and funerals are a funny way to meet and catch up with friends. The stories and tales people have to share are fond memories of past times.

May also saw the NBA’s Beef Expo held at Darlington Auction, and it was great to see a very busy event. The Simmental stand featured a stock bull, and a commercial cow and calf unit, and drew a lot of attention on the day from local farmers and breeders in attendance. Third prize in the event’s stand competition was a nice bonus! I believe events like these are a great way to show the capability of our breed and having commercial cattle on the stand gives people something to really think about. A big thank you to Richard Sanders for the fantastic bull he supplied for the day, and to Irving Pearson for the cow and calf.

At the May Worcester sale, Grangewood Lucas topped the trade. This bull was entirely home bred, sold for 5,500gns and went down to Herefordshire.

Cattle at the Blakewell Dispersal Sale.

The Tidkin Dispersal Sale.

NBA Beef Event stand competition presentation.

In the summer the English National Show was held at the Royal Lancashire show. Our only exhibitors there was the Grangewood herd. However with thanks to Jennie Hassall and Katie and Callum Leedham entered the stock judging competition and Callum won the junior section! A really big well done to Callum Leedham, there was a lot of young competitors! More success for Callum followed at the Borderway Agri Expo young handlers class where he also won that too!! I know myself how much fun and skill it takes to win a young handlers class. Now I am just out of the age bracket it’s great to see all the younger generation coming up through!

I would also like to congratulate Jayne Pick's daughter, Sarah on her recent marriage. A lot of you will know Jayne for her extensive secretary stint with the Club, and I know all of us really did appreciate the work she did for us. Again, congratulations to Sarah and we would all like to wish you happiness and health.

Unfortunately this year due to personal commitments we have not held our usual herd competition, however next year we have a few ideas up our sleeve. These include the herd competition, a local farm open day, and also a stock judging afternoon.

If any clubs are wanting to host a club exchange trip, the North East Club is hoping to organise a summer trip, and we would be happy to host too!

 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

 Typical daily intakes 150g-200g sucklers and bulls

Up at Stirling and the Grangewood herd again had success with selling another bull, Grangewood Liberator to 7,500gns.

Grangewood Musketeer at the the English National Show.

Yvonne & Callum Leedham with judge Varrie Loggie at Borderway Agri Expo.

North West Club

Report by Peter Burgess, Chairman

Events and gatherings slowly began to resume in 2022 after being mostly absent for the previous two years. Our first gathering was the AGM where all officers remained in place. Myself as chairman, Sarah Ford as secretary and Clive Houldey as vice chairman.

Our second event was a farm walk and stock judging kindly hosted by Ian Bell and Rebecca Dickens at Hallbankgate, Brampton. We were joined by members of the Border Charolais Club and with some neighbours and friends also attending, this ensured a very healthy turn out.

Ian and Rebecca farm 7,000 acres spread over two farms, one owned and the other, mostly hill, rented from the RSPB. Ian and Rebecca are committed to increasing biodiversity and habitats on the farms and work hand in hand with the RSPB to achieve this. Cattle include Simmentals, Charolais and hill cows such as Luings and Galloways. A total of 1,000 ewes, a mixture of hill and lowland, are also kept. Recently, fenceless collars have been introduced allowing cattle to be “enclosed” on the hill with, as the name suggests, no fences. One of the most impressive features of this being the ability to move the ‘fence’ using only Ian’s phone.

Ian and Rebecca put in lots of time and effort to ensure we had some testing stock-judging to occupy us, and also a guess the weight of a bullock won by Club member Harry Houldey. Many thanks to Stephen and Wendy Dickinson for scoring the competition. We were also treated to a falconry display by farm neighbour Bernie Christie which certainly held everybody’s attention. Ian and Rebecca were joined by family members in

providing a marvellous array of refreshments which were much appreciated by all present. On behalf of all who attended I would like to heartily thank everybody who contributed to this informative, interesting and enjoyable event.

On to Borderway Agri Expo held within Carlisle Mart in October. Again the calf show

and stand were organised by the North West Simmental Club and the Simmental Society. Judging the calf show this year was Varrie Loggie of the Merkland herd. Varrie worked her way competently through the quality show of calves, made up of eight classes, before moving on to a strong pairs class and two Young Handlers classes.

Borderway Agri Expo calf show.

Ian Bell & Rebecca Dickens showing the club around their cattle.

The show report can be found in the show section of the Review, so on behalf of the Club, and the Society, I would firstly like to thank Varrie for giving up her time and carrying out the judging quietly and confidently. Secondly a huge thanks to everybody who exhibited their calves. It takes time and commitment to do this and is much appreciated. Thirdly a big thank you to all the club members who sourced sponsorship and to the sponsors themselves, some of whom are regulars at this event. Lastly thank you to Joel McGarva for his commentary and to H&H staff for stewarding.

It was great to see a successful second staging of the Next Generation Sale in December and here in the North West region at H&H’s Borderway Mart, Carlisle.

The promotional and hospitality stand this year was moved in close proximity to the show ring and we hope to continue build upon the profile of this at next year’s event. The quality of the cattle on the stand was excellent, again supplied by Irvine and Yvonne Pearson. A huge thanks to you both. On the stand club members and Society staff ensured visitors were well catered for when calling in.

Our final event of the year was our Christmas meal, again held at the Lowther Arms,

Hackthorpe. Comfortable surroundings, good food, great company and another of Wendy Dickinsons legendary quizzes made for a very enjoyable evening.

I would like to finish by thanking all club members for their support and help at events through the year. With a special mention to Sarah as club secretary for pulling everything together.

Best wishes to all for the coming year.

Borderway Agri Expo Simmental Calf Show Judge Varrie Loggie with Supreme & Junior Champion Newbiemains Noble Wynn and breeder Jim Goldie with helper Grant Rhind.

NI Simmental Cattle Breeders’ Club

Report by Keith Nelson, Chairman

February 2022 - Stirling Bull Sales

Overview of 2022

This past year has seen a lot of work in the NI Simmental Club as we continue to get back to some normality, since things ground to a halt during the unprecedented time of the Covid 19 pandemic. It has been a transformative and challenging time, navigating the club and its activities back to normality again.

In 2022 an emphasis has been placed on creating successful shows and sales for the Simmental Breed here in Northern Ireland. I believe that that a successful club is built on all club members co-operating, collaborating, and chipping in for the betterment of the club and the breed, and celebrating our breeders’ successes and achievements both at home and away. In respect to this I would like to thank those people who have played their part in carrying out their respective duties to the full and in doing so have helped and supported me in my role as chairman over the past year.

The Society sales, are fully reported in the sales section of this Review but I would like to touch upon some Northern Irish breeders achievements within them.

2022 kicked off in a busy manner for some of our NI Breeders, with several Club breeders making the journey to the annual Stirling Bull Sales. We were also delighted that Mr Andrew Clarke (NI Club Vice Chairman) from Breaghey Herd, Tynan, Co Armagh, was judge on the day. A number of our breeders came home with great success. Mr Noel Kilpatrick from the Ballymoney Herd, clinched Overall Simmental Champion with Ballymoney Leonard, who sold for 7,800gns. Messrs David & Jonathan Hazelton achieved Reserve Intermediate Champion, with

Ranfurly Limelight, which sold for 16,000gns. This is the Ranfurly herd’s top price to date for a pedigree bull. Mr Joe Wilson from the Ballinalare herd, achieved first prize in his class with Ballinalare Farm Legacy, who went on to sell for 10,000gns. The Kilbride Farm herd of the Robson Family achieved 9,000gns for Kilbride Farm Lucky Strike and their team of five bulls averaged £7,181.00. Messrs Cecil McIlwaine and sons Neil & Scott from the Corrick herd, Newtownstewart, achieved a top price of 8,000gns for their bull Corrick Logic. Please see the full report and pictures in the sales section of the Review.

March 2022 - NI Simmental Society Spring Sale

Next up was the very successful Society March Sale, held on Friday 25th March in Dungannon Mart. Our judge on the day was Mr Sean McGarry, (Clonguish Herd) Longford, Ireland. By agreement there was a brilliant turn out of stock on the day, and the top price bull was Lisglass Leo selling for

3,500gns from Messers Leslie & Christopher Weatherup, of the Lisglass herd. The next highest price was the Male Champion Corrick Laird from Mr Cecil McIlwaine & Sons of the Corrick Herd selling at 3,000gns. Please see the full report and pictures in the sales section of the Review.

Ranfurly Limelight 16,000gns.

Keith Nelson.

May Sale 2022 - Swatragh Mart

This was the NI Simmental Club’s first time to hold a sale at this venue. Mr Ryan Gilmour of the Gillview herd was judge on the day. There was a great clearance of both bulls and heifers, and the commercial trade was very successful with a 100% clearance. Prices peaked on the day at 3,700gns for Dunrock Mighty from new breeder Mr Chris Quinn of the Dunrock herd in Cookstown.

Next top price was 3,300gns for Corrick Laser from Mr Cecil McIlwaine & Sons of the Corrick herd, Newtownstewart, Omagh.

Females reached a top price of 2,600gns with Drumagarner Lacy, bred by Mr Eamon McCloskey of the Drumagarner herd, Kilrea. Mr McCloskey also sold Drumagarner Lorraine for 2,000gns.

Overall 10 bulls were sold at an average of £2,768.00, four females sold averaged at £2,086.00, with commercials peaking at £1,320.00.

Royal Ulster Agricultural Show Balmoral 2022

The Royal Ulster Agricultural 153rd Annual Show was held at Balmoral Park. There was a small turn out of stock on the day, but these were superb quality stock. The judge on the day was Mr David Lowry, from the Keeldrum herd based in Lanark in Scotland. The Female and Supreme Overall Champion was Ashland Topaz Lopez, bred by Messrs Pat & Frank Kelly of the Ashland herd, Tempo, Co Fermanagh. The Reserve Female and Reserve Supreme Simmental Champion was Ranfurly Stella the 12th, bred by Messrs David & Jonathan Hazelton from the Ranfurly herd, Dungannon, Co Tyrone. Please see the full report in the show section of the Review.

National Show June 2022: 175th Armagh Show

Our Northern Ireland Simmental National Show was held at the 175th Armagh show and took place on Saturday the 11th June 2022 in Gosford Park, Co Armagh. It was a fantastic and memorable show with up to 60 entries of quality stock to be judged under the eye of the then British Simmental Society President Mr Stewart Stronach. I was personally very impressed with the stock on the day with the Simmental breed going on to win best breed on display of the show. Well done to all our NI Simmental breeders who brought and showed their stock on the day. Frank and Pat Kelly from the Ashland herd, Tempo, Co Fermanagh, had a very successful day with their female Ashland Topaz Lopez, winning the well-deserved prestigious prizes of not only Female and Supreme Overall Champion, but also Interbreed Champion of the Show. A fantastic year for this heifer. Please see the full report and pictures in the show section of the Review.

Swatragh Sale - Corrick Laser.

Swatragh Sale - Drumagarner Lacy.

Swatragh Sale - Dunrock Mighty.

Overall Champion & Reserve Ashland Topaz Lopez & Ranfurly Stella.

NI National Show Overall Champion & Reserve Ashland Topaz Lopez & Ashland Topaz Mair.

Stirling Bull Sales October 2022

The Stirling Bull Sales in October 2022, saw a small number of NI breeders heading across to the annual sale. Held during the sale week, the AGM of the British Simmental Cattle Society took place during this time and with the standout highlight being our Club member Mr Norman Robson of Kilbride Farms, Doagh, Ballyclare, being elected to the office of president. Norman becomes the 27th president of The British Simmental Cattle Society and the sixth from Northern Ireland. I again unreservedly congratulate Norman on this achievement and wish him good luck in his new role.

Northern Ireland Simmental Club Sale, October 2022

The Northern Ireland Simmental Club Sale took place in Dungannon Mart on October 24th, 2022, with Mr Paul McArdle (Broomfield herd) County Monaghan, Ireland, being judge on the day. There was solid trade and a great demand for good quality stock. The sale also saw a high demand for commercial heifers, peaking at 1,400gns.

The pedigree sale topped with the Reserve Male Champion, Corrick Major selling at 4,800gns from Messers Cecil, Neil & Scott McIlwaine, Newtownstewart, Omagh. The McIlwaine Family also secured 3,700gns for Reserve Female Champion Corrick Luma. A memorable day for the McIlwaine family. Mr David McElmurry of the Wellbray herd,

Simmental Awards Night 3rd November 2022

Members of NI Simmental Cattle Breeders Club attended a recent club meeting and presentation of awards in Dungannon, on November the 3rd 2022, where a very good turnout of our Club members and sponsors was achieved. An enjoyable evening was had, looking back over a successful show and sale season, as we recognised and celebrated the great successes and work of our breeders, club and club members over the past year, and giving thanks for our sponsors for their continued support. Again I wish to convey my congratulations to our club prize winners and to thank all exhibitors who supported the summer shows.

2022 Prize Winners

The Kelly Family had a winning streak, winning the Perpetual Cow Bell; and Bangor & Six Road Ends Farmers Union Perpetual Trophy, for Balmoral Female Champion; the Bobby Gamble Perpetual Challenge Trophy for the Best Simmental Heifer at Balmoral Show; the Bobby Dickson Perpetual Championship Trophy, for Supreme Champion at Balmoral Show; the NI Simmental Club Silver Award for the Best Exhibit Bred in Northern Ireland; and the Danske Bank Crystal Award for Female of the Year – won by Ashland Topaz Lopez.

McDonald Brothers Shane & Paul McDonald had great success winning: the DANI Rose Bowl for Best Performance recorded Bull (Coolcran Maximus); the Animal Health Trophy for the Best Pair (Coolcran Maximus & Ashland Topaz Lopaz); the Newsletter Shield, for the Junior Champion at Balmoral (Ashland Topaz Mair); the Danske Bank Reserve Female of the Year – Crystal Bowl Winner (Ashland Topaz Mair) and Danske

Dungannon, Co Tyrone, sold Wellbray Diana Kim for 3,600gns. The Female Champion and Reserve Supreme Champion was secured by Breaghey Vida, bred by Andrew & Zara Clarke of the Breaghey herd, Tynan, Armagh, who sold for 2,000gns. See a full report in the sale section of the Society’s website.

The Betty Walker Memorial Perpetual Challenge Cup for Club Member of the Year –awarded to Mr Mathew Cunning by Mr. Keith Nelson (Chairman).

Young Stockperson of the Year Shield and Thelma Gorman Cup awarded to Jamie Dodd, Craigy herd by Chairman Keith Nelson.

Chairman Keith Nelson, some of our National Show Sponsors 2022 and secretary Julie Stinson.

The WH Robson & Sons Trophy – Autumn Sale Champion – Dressogue Mario. Awarded to Mr Seamus O’Kane, Dressogue Herd.

The Ulster Farmers Mart, RJ Allen Cup –Best Opposite Sex Winner – Breaghey Vida. Winner Mr Andrew Clarke, Breaghey herd.

Corrick Major.

Corrick Luma.

Bank Male of the Year – Cow Bell Winner, (Coolcran Maximus,) Coolcran herd.

The S H Watterson Perpetual Cup for the Highest Price Bull – winner Lisglass Leo by Messers Leslie & Christopher Weatherup, Lisglass herd.

Mr William Dodd, Craigy herd, Saintfield, awarded Irwins Feed Perpetual Cup for Best Junior Bull – Craigy Max and the WM Black Memorial Perpetual Cup, received for the Best Simmental Male at Balmoral Show.

Our other worthy winners, unable to attend were as follows

Messrs Cecil, Neil & Scott McIlwaine, Corrick herd, won the Danske Bank Silver Salver for Champion of the Spring Show and Sale. Best Pedigree Animal – Winner Corrick Laird, also taking The Bruce’s Hill Cattle Company Trophy for the Overall Champion at the Autumn show and sale. Winner: Corrick Laser.

Messrs William & George Nelson, Drumacritten herd won the Trophy for the Best Opposite Sex to the Champion at the clubs Spring show and sale. Winner Drumacritten Lilly.

Four Breed Calf Show – 26th November 2022

The Four Breed Calf Show was held on the 26th November 2022 at Dungannon Mart. The judge was Mr Neil McIlwaine, of the Corrick herd, Newtownstewart, Omagh. This calf show was one of the year’s highlights with a fantastic display of quality Simmental calves on show, testament to the bright future for the Simmental breed in Northern Ireland. Nearly 40 calves were entered and there was a great crowd of spectators watching around the show ring. Please see the report and pictures in the show section of the Review.

Next Generation Show & Sale 3rd December Carlisle

A small number of NI breeders brought stock to the second Next Generation Show & Sale on 3rd December in Carlisle. Messrs David & Jonathan Hazelton, the Ranfurly herd, enjoyed success with Ranfurly Stella 13th securing 5,000gns. We were also delighted that a further NI breeder, Chris Weatherup of the Lisglass herd, acted as the pre-sale show judge.

In concluding I would commend that overall it has been a successful year for the NI Simmental Breeders Club and I wish all our Club members, breeders and exhibitors a successful and prosperous year in 2023.

Mr McDonald with trophies.

Mr Kelly with trophies.

Andrew Clarke being awarded a trophy by Keith Nelson.

William Dodd being awarded his trophy.

Seamus O’Kane being awarded a trophy by Norman Robson.

Leslie Weatherup being awarded a trophy by Keith Nelson.

Keith Nelson & National Show sponsors.

Jamie Dodd being awarded trophy & shield by Keith Nelson.

Mathew Cumming being awarded a trophy by Keith Nelson.

Midlands Club

Report by Jennie Hassall, Chairman

It was nice in 2022 to be back out and about and seeing each other!

We started the year with our annual quiz, kindly hosted by Chris and Kath Martindale. It was again a great evening with many challenging questions, and an even more challenging picture round. April saw Richard Storer Smith generously open his farm to club members for stock judging and a cattle preparation demonstration by John Barlow. It was lovely to welcome some new members and the cattle were a great display for people to judge.

July saw the English National Show held within the Royal Lancashire show and it was lovely to see so many of the Midlands Club members around the ring on judging day. Many congratulations to the Wood and Barlow families on their success. After the judging was complete, the Midlands Club hosted the young members stock judging. Prizes for the entrants and winners were kindly donated by Lady Barber (Lambclose Simmentals) and Chris and Kath Martindale (Forsdale Simmentals). There were 17 young entrants on the day and the judging was very close. After a terrific contest the Junior winner was Callum Leedham and the Senior winner was Hannah Wood. Please see the show section of the Review for a full report on the English National.

Young Stockjudging Competitors English National Show.

Senior Stockjudging Junior Winner Hannah Wood.

Young Stockjudging Junior Winner Callum Leedham.

John Barlow at the Club's cattle dressing demo.

The Club’s annual herd competition was kindly judged by Clare Price, and we received the results as follows, at the annual dinner held at Stafford County Showground. The meal itself was a great success and saw everyone enjoying an evening of good food and laughter. Thanks to the Wood family for providing the tasty beef. The herd competition results are as follows:

Midland Herd Competition Results 2022

Small Herd

1st Chris and Kath Martindale (Forsdale)

2nd David & Sue Donnelly (Atlow)

3rd Nick Goddard (Ashes)

4th Tom & Jennie Hassall (Fishpool)

Medium Herd

1st Paul Jolliffe (Star Green)

2nd David Loftus (Blackpool)

3rd Richard Storer-Smith (Storersmith)

4th Stephen Wainwright (Booth)

Large Herd

1st Jimmy & Vikki Wood (Popes)

2nd CH Evans & Son (Wroxall)

3rd Greasley Estate, Lady Barber (Lambclose)

Cow Family

1st Paul Jolliffe (Dappy)

2nd David & Sue Donnelly (Valentine)

3rd David Loftus (Hosanna)

Stock Bull

1st Coose Gambler - CH Evans & Son

2nd Clonagh Latin Lover - Jimmy & Vikki Wood

3rd Corskie Inlaw - Greasley Estate, Lady Barber

Calf At Foot Born 2022

1st Chris and Kath Martindale Forsdale Ninja 22 (P)

2nd David & Sue Donnelly Atlow Newton 22

3rd Paul Joliffe Star Green Dappy’s Naomi

Maiden Heifers

1st Jimmy & Vikki Wood (Popes)

2nd CH Evans & Son (Wroxall)

3rd Greasley Estate (Lambclose)

In-Calf Heifers

1st CH Evans & Son (Wroxall)

2nd Jimmy & Vikki Wood (Popes)

3rd David & Sue Donnelly (Atlow)

Overall Herd Vikki & Jimmy Wood

Reserve Overall Herd

Joint = CH Evans & Son (Wroxall) & Paul Joliffe (Star Green)

Judges Prize

Jennie Hassall

The last event we hosted for the year was the breed promotional stand at the English Winter Fair, Bingley Hall. With a great effort from Richard Storer Smith, Andrea Booth, and Kath Martindale, and with quality crossbred cattle supplied by the Evans Family (Wroxall), the stand won Best Breed stand and Overall Champion stand of the show. This was a great honour for the Club and we continue to aim to promote the breed to the best of our abilities. There were also 16 quality Simmental calves in the cattle lines. A great show and many congratulations go to the Wood family for taking home the Champion.

I would like to take this time to wish all breeders well for the year to come as we look forward to 2023.

Club Dinner.

English Winter Fair Stand Winners.

Simmental entries at the English Winter Fair.

The busy Simmental stand at the English Winter Fair.

Herd Competition Joint Reserve Overall Winners Paul Joliffe & Josh Evans with Judge Clare Price.

Herd Competition Overall Winner Vikki Wood with Judge Clare Price.

Herd Competition Section Winners with Judge Clare Price. Medium Herd Paul Joliffe, Large Herd Hannah Wood, & Small Herd Chris Martindale.

Welsh Simmental Club Report by Aled Davies, Chairman

It’s been a year of getting back to normal in all walks of life, be it going to the pub without a mask or having gatherings without the aid of zoom, and a welcome return to a full time table of shows!

On 10th March we had our AGM which was held via Zoom for convenience this year, with lots of us busy calving and lambing. All club officials were re-elected for the 2022 year. Thanks also to Iain Kerr for zooming in, and a good discussion was had following the official part of meeting.

Moving on through spring/summer shows we started in May with Cothi Bridge show, then on to Aberystwyth, Tivyside, Cardigan, Pembrokeshire County, Llandeilo, Denbigh and Flint just to name a few. Not to forget of course the Royal Welsh Show at the end of July. Numbers may have been low but the quality was there. Congratulations go to Callum Croft on his champion with Gwili Melody 2nd, and to Aled & Rachel Davies for their Reserve Champion Hirwaun Lemon & Lime. A big congrats also to Catherine Nicholas for winning the young stock person

shield during the show. This was judged on the quiet by Anwen Jones of the Cefngwlad herd, who was watching what and how the young people conducted their duties for the duration of show. Congratulations and well done to all exhibitors for supporting this year’s shows in difficult financial times, which are not only affecting the farming

industry.

Moving on to 2023 and hopes for the Royal Welsh Show in particular. I urge all members in Wales, and across the whole Society, some of who have exhibited there before, and to newcomers. PLEASE think about supporting the show. The Royal Welsh is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, agricultural show in Europe and it deserves to have a bigger presence of Simmental cattle. It’s a tremendous promotional shop window to the huge audience in attendance and across the coverage on many TV channels. It would be great to get this show back to how it was not too long ago and to keep the Simmental flag flying in Wales. Diolch/Thanks.

In mid August we had our annual herd competition judged by our past members, now resident in Scotland, Nick & Nadia Gwynne of the Chestermann herd. They travelled from north to south, west to east visiting 13 herds. It was lovely to see members and have a presentation afternoon a few days later with Tomos, the youngest

Catherine Nicholas receiving the young stock person shield at RWAS 22 from Arwel Jones brother of Anwen Jones who judged the competition.

Gwili Melody 2, Mwnt Mwynwen, Penwern Merlin and Hirwaun Lemon & Lime.

of the Chestermann clan, joining us for a terrific Sunday lunch at The Falcon Hotel in Carmarthen. Nick said a few words before we got on with the awards commenting on how hard a task it had been, with that being down to ‘how good the cattle were all over Wales’. This really was lovely feedback for us all. A big congratulations go to the Welston herd, our Overall Champions, belonging to Anthony, Lesley and Harry Davies. It was great to see Anthony at the presentation looking fit and well after a few tough years battling health issues.

Moving on to the winter shows and to our own Welsh Winter Fair, where we had a busy few days with lots of people calling in for a hot drink and a mince pie. Thanks to Callum for providing a young bull to display and big thanks go to all members that helped man the stand and to Iain Kerr and Sue Stenner from HQ who were both in attendance.

Our last event of the year was the Club Calf Show, held this year within The Welsh Multi Breed Pedigree Calf Show in Carmarthen cattle market. This is a new event for the calendar and what a start, they had with over 130 calves from 13 breeds. Well done to all involved and I’m sure this event will grow year on year. Congratulations go to the Francis family with their May born Pistyll Nitro, a Ballinalare Farm Galaxy bull calf, who won the Simmental Championship, and with ourselves Reserve Champions with a March born Curaheen Bandit bull calf, Hirwaun Nos Da. Later on that day the Francis family went on to collect the Interbreed Continental Championship award. Da iawn chi. Well done to all the young handlers with Catherine, Lilly, Harri and Griff representing the Simms and doing very well. Our future is safe in their hands. Please see a short report on the Welsh Pedigree Calf Show within the show section in this Review.

On a sad note, this year we lost a good friend of the cub In Henry Gwynne, father of Nick Gwynne, Chestermann Simmentals, and a past club member. Henry was a character to say the least and was very proud of his family’s achievements within the Simmental breed.

This is my last report as Chairman as I come to the end of my three year term. I have thoroughly enjoyed the honour of being Welsh Club Chair and would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. We are only a very small Club and find it difficult at times. However, I am sure if we all keep working together for the good of our beloved Simmentals, the Club and the breed will flourish.

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy 2023.

Callum Croft's Fforest Napoleon was our bull on the stand at the Welsh Winter Fair.

Hosts of the stand and Club Representatives Callum Croft, Aled Davies & Merion Jones.

The Royal Welsh Winter Fair Stand.

East Anglian Simmental Club

Report by James Brice, Chairman

This year has seen a few changes within our club. We had our AGM in April at Wensum Valley Golf Club and after many years of service as secretary, Hayley Clarke stepped down. Our extended thanks go to Hayley for her dedication and hard work over 9 long years, and also to Nigel Darling who stepped down as chairman. Zara Curson of the Hollybrook herd, has taken on the role of secretary and also treasurer so we thank her for that, and with myself, James Brice from the Rendham herd, taking over the chairman’s role.

In the year, we have seen two herds join the Club in the form of Paul & Sharrie Cade from Cade Simmentals, and Sam Steggles with his children re-introducing Wacton Simmentals (which was first established in 1973 by Sam’s grandfather Russell Steggles). We offer both of them a very warm welcome.

With Covid restrictions seemingly in the past, 2022 has been a much more productive

year. With many aspects of life returning to normal, the much-anticipated return of agricultural shows was welcomed by all, having been missed off the calendars for the past two summers. This was the boost many breeders needed and after leaving their show equipment gathering dust, they were able to polish it up and spruce their best animals up once again. It has been great to see animals from the East Anglian Club competing again on the show scene across the country, but in particular it was lovely to see the local shows take centre stage in our region. All of our Club members who showed did well this year, bringing home rosettes and championships between them. To name a few Paul & Linda Gunther, with the help of Holly Lutkin and Sharon Morter, won breed champion at the South of England show with their two-year old heifer Fircovert Ladybird, and with Hayley and Andrew Clarke taking Reserve with their bull Williams Josef.

At the Royal Norfolk Show it was Heathbrow Koko Star (P) who was Breed Champion, bred by D.A and L.A Sapsed, Hertfordshire. However our Club members didn’t disappoint with first places coming from Andrew and Hayley Clarke, Paul Gunther, Jimmy McMillan and the Guiltcross herd of Marcus and Helen Searle. This was the Searle’s debut year showing their homebred animals and their January 21 born bull Guiltcross Marler impressed the judge Garrett Behan (Clonagh herd), winning first and then taking Reserve Champion on home turf.

A massive congratulations to Jimmy & Kath McMillan with their trio of heifers: Brandane Millie, who won Best in Breed and went on to take Reserve Interbreed Champion at the Suffolk Show. Jimmy also enjoyed huge success at the Royal Highland with Brandane Millie being crowned Junior Female and Overall Junior Reserve Champion. In fact, wherever Jimmy and his trio of heifers went

Paul and Linda Gunther with South of England Simmental Champion Fircovert Ladybird.

showing this year, they came home with rosettes and sashes. To top off their success, Brandane Lulu topped the Next Generation sale at Carlisle in December at a staggering 18,000gns when being sold to Reece and Andrew Simmers of the Backmuir herd, Banff.

It was great to see the Simmental classes represented so strongly in East Anglia and this is also shown in our Club, as member numbers continue to grow with a positive blend of youth and experience. Our young handler of the Club, William Clarke had a good year too, winning his class at the Suffolk show, Overall Champion at the South of England Show, and Reserve Champion at our local Alysham show. William also took second place at the Norfolk and fourth at the Great Yorkshire show. Some tough competition was faced at times with William being one of the youngest in the older age of 16 plus classes. Huge congratulations goes out to him.

The East Anglian region also saw great achievement for Paul and Sharrie Cade, when Cade Maverick took top price of 5,200gns at the Melton Mowbray Multibreed Sale in March (please see the sales section in the Review). We hope that the 2023 sale at Melton will again be a success and hope that breeders not just from the East Anglian club support this sale but those from further afield too. This sale is well supported by buyers so it will be good to see as many Simmentals there flying the flag for our wonderful breed. This is a fledgling sale with real opportunity so I really hope that you can support it.

The summer was somewhat hot and dry but the Simmental as a breed seemed to cope

admirably with these conditions and once again showed what a complete package they are. We were delighted to welcome Ann Jukes, along with husband Tony, to judge our herd competition. Ann was very impressed with the standard of cattle considering the tough weather conditions they had faced. In commenting she said: “To judge a herd under this year’s extreme harsh conditions made me decide as to what my judge’s choice class was to be based on. I concentrated on what I saw under such dry conditions and with no supplementary feeding, Simmentals doing an amazing job of rearing calves and being back in calf again. A difficult task for any stockman under such drought conditions”

Our extended thanks and gratitude go to Ann and Tony for spending their time judging our herds.

With covid restrictions over, we have been able to get together a bit more as a Club in 2022. We recently had a talk from a local vet on sustainable cattle farming and greenhouse gases which was very interesting! Going into 2023, the Club have some events in the planning, with herd visits being booked in. We hope to hold an abattoir visit to HG Blakes for Club members as well as local commercial breeders and buyers, to show off the best Simmental bred carcases, as well as a possible butchery demonstration. We would also like to hold a cattle trimming demonstration for our young, and not so young, handlers to see how to dress cattle for shows.

However the event we are looking forward to the most has to be the English Simmental National which is to be held at the Royal Norfolk again on 28th & 29th June. We hope to see as many breeders as possible there showcasing what a fantastic Simmental breed we have. Look out for further announcements and please book your cattle entries in at the earliest opportunity!

East Anglia Simmental Club 2021 Herd Competition Results

Best Bull Calf

1. Rendham Neptune

2. Key Nicholas

3. Goddard Notorious Yearling Bull

1. Rendham Mikah

2. Williams Marcelo

3. Hollybrook Maximum Stock Bull

1. Wolf star Jumanji

2. Williams Joseph

3. Fir covert Lucifer

Best Heifer Calf

1. Key Topaz Clara (979)

2. Rendham Nala

3. Williams Nelly Family Group

1. Honeysuckle Family (Fircovert)

2. Princess Bangle Family (Key)

3. Thursford Tina Family (Hollybrook)

Overall Herd

1. Rendham Herd – James & Robin Brice

2. Williams Herd – Mrs H Clarke

3. Key Herd – GD Key & Sons

Group Of Yearling Heifers

1. Fircovert heifers – Mr P Gunther

2. Goddard heifers – John Roger Goddard

3. Guiltcross heifers – MG Searle Cow And Calf

1. Williams Honey Bear and Naughty Bear

2. Fircovert Kitty and Nancy

3. Key Princess Bangle and Nicholas Judges Choice

1. Theberton Herd – Mr & Mrs LJ Dowley

2. Fircovert Herd – Mr P Gunther

3. Goddard Herd – John Roger Goddard

Ann and Tony Jukes receiveing gifts of thanks at the end of the East Anglian Herd Competition.

Jimmy McMillan.

South West Simmental Club

Report by Rachel Reed, Secretary

Our first event of the year was the Worcester sale, which as always oozed with quality cattle showing true Simmental attributes with the price rewarding these fantastic cattle. Please see the full report in the sales section of the Review but the headlines were:

• 17 bulls sell, up 8 on the year, to average £3,996

• 7 bulls sell at 4,000gns and more

• Popes herd lifts Champion & Reserve in the bulls

• Fole Dispersal Sale tops at 3,200gns

• Grangewood Lucas 5,500gns

Devon County Show

Jake Gregory of the Kurlycoat Herd took Simmental Champion with Leeherd Legend. Leeherd Legend.

Herd Walk to David and Kath Edwards

A visit to the Silver Moor Herd was enjoyed by many members on an extremely hot day in the summer. The herd comprises of around 40 cows and their followers, with replacements into the herd being selected for easy calving animals. Members enjoyed fantastic hospitality and a very welcome social.

South West Herd Competition

We welcomed the return of our herd competition this year, after an unwelcome break due to Covid. With 18 herds entered the quality didn’t disappoint our judge, Matt Harris. Dawn and Steve Shapland of the Brynsworthy Herd were crowned the Overall Herd Winners. The Shaplands welcomed over 40 people to a fantastic herd walk and complimentary pub lunch with Matt Harris presenting the awards. A fantastic day and insight into their herd totaling 70 head of cattle, including some tremendous blood lines from across the South West.

Brynsworthy Cattle. Brynsworthy Cattle.

Dawn and Steve Shapland being presented their prize by Matt Harris.

Herd competition results

Overall Herd

Dawn and Steve Shapland (Brynsworthy)

Reserve Overall Herd

Bridget and John Olds (Bosahan)

Large Herds

1st - Cook Family (Ryall)

2nd - Graham and Sarah Reed (Skylark)

3rd - Stephanine Hooper (Tregnether)

Medium Herd

1st - Dawn and Steve Shapland (Brynsworthy)

2nd - Bridget and John Olds (Bosahan)

3rd - Jim Buckland (Wellatree)

Small Herd

1st - Adrian and Len Curry (Winford)

2nd - Ant Hart (Treverbyn)

3rd - Steven Buckland (Angwelha)

Cow And Calf - Devon and Somerset

1st - Dawn and Steve Shapland - Cwarre Cinderella Firefly

Cow And Calf - All Counties

1st - Bridget and John Olds - Bossahan Kellie Pearl Celia

Best Youngstock

1st - Jim and Jean Buckland (Wellatree)

Heifer Calf 2022 Born

1st - Killiworgie Neeta rose – Gill and Steve Gummow

Bull Calf 2022 Born

1st - Winford Nobbleman – Len and Adrian Curry

I/C Heifer

1st - Wellatree Limoges – Jim and Jean Buckland

Novice

Steven and Amy Buckland (Angwelha)

Flexi (Knowledge)

Sandra Francis (Dinton)

STOCK BULL

1st Coose Monopoly P – Ant Hart

AGM

Our AGM in October saw our secretary Dawn Shapland step down. We thank Dawn for all her hard work and dedication over many years. Dawn is succeeded by myself, Rachel Reed from the Skylark herd in Tiverton. With new members of the committee stepping in, the Club would like to thank all our fantastic committee members from over the past years. They have contributed a huge amount of knowledge, effort and dedication to the breed and the club, and we can’t thank them enough for this. On the evening we were also pleased to have Iain Kerr, the Society’s General Manager, join us for dinner and to introduce himself to members.

Agrifest South West

The club enjoyed a day at Agrifest South West with a breed promotion stand, speaking to many farmers and breeders. We saw quality cattle in the show ring as well as on the stand, which were provided by Ant Hart from Cornwall. Ant also had the Overall Champion Male Calf - Treverbyn Norman, with John May of the Priorton Herd taking the Heifer Champion.

Dawn Shapland accepting her thank you gift from Rachel Reed.

South West Club members at the SW AGM.

Cornwall Simmental Club

Report by Barrie Wynter, Chairman

2022 started with the spectre of Covid still affecting the Club’s social calendar. Cornwall Club activities resumed in April, following meeting requests at the 2021 AGM for a show craft day. Steve and Gill Gummow kindly offered to host at Higher Killiworgie and welcomed twenty-three members and friends to a detailed demonstration by Barnaby Bridgman, covering the entire process from halter breaking to washing, the use of cattle coat products and the art of ring craft. Our life member Roger Pascoe also shared his knowledge and observations.

July heralds the start of the one day show season. Seven herds successfully produced their Simmental cattle at five shows with unprecedented inter-breed results.

Cornwall Simmental Club members enjoyed a stellar week of awards at Cornwall’s one day shows during July, following a successful Royal Cornwall Show in June. Starting in the east of the county at Liskeard on Saturday 9th, Ant Hart triumphed in the continental breed two-year-old heifer class with Treverbyn Lily and Treverbyn Morwenna stood second in the yearling heifer class to the eventual section champion, judged by James Neale. On the same day, the Buckland family enjoyed Supreme Champion success in the west at the Praze Fair Show with Wellatree Limoges, selected over the dairy choice and tapped forward by Brian Coombes a local breeder of pedigree Ayrshires.

Early May saw members attend the Society’s Worcester Sale, with seventeen out of twenty one bulls selling to average just under £4,000, including Killiworgie Lieutenant at 4,000gns. May also saw the Bosahan herd’s reduction sale with Kivells at Exeter Livestock Market. The forty-one head on offer sold to a top price of 7,000gns for Bosahan Jade Magic Baby with her October polled bull calf breaking the market record. The sale generated a lot of interest with lots finding homes in Wales, Cheshire, and Derbyshire besides the South-West.

Many thanks to everyone who helped with setting up and taking down the hospitality marquee at the Royal Cornwall Show which made a welcome return in June. A special acknowledgement to Charlie and Jenny Harris, who together with Focus Farm Vets, ensured visitors were well fed and watered. Please see the report and pictures from the County’s premier show within the show section.

Stithians quickly followed on Monday 11th July where Killiworgie’s in-calf two-year-old heifer Elderflower’s Kiwi stood champion Simmental, with Angwelha Jacky and calf at foot in reserve; selected by Barrie Wynter. Kiwi went on to secure Champion Beef Interbreed and took the reserve spot in the supreme. Kiwi, joined by Treverbyn Lily and Wellatree Limoncello, were awarded the team of three, taking home the Archie Opie Memorial Trophy and completing a hat trick of interbreed team wins for the Simmental breed in consecutive years at the show.

At Camborne Show on Saturday 16th July, Killiworgie Elderflower’s Kiwi continued her purple patch taking Simmental Champion under Adrian Curry, with the yearling Wellatree Maddi standing Reserve. Kiwi went on to head the Beef Interbreed Championship and Supreme Championship of the cattle section. Wellatree Limoncello and Wellatree Limoges won the interbreed Avon Trophy for the best pair of uncalved heifers. The Buckland’s Wellatree entries also gained the most points in the show trophy. Kiwi, Limoncello and Limoges joined by Killiworgie Elderflower’s Lily and Wellatree Maddi made up the Simmental team of five. The Simmentals, in front of the judge and Devon Cattle Society Chairman David Martin, landed the prestigious Harry Cock Challenge Trophy after standing in the reserve spot on more than one occasion in previous years.

Club President Penny Lally presenting club class winners rosettes for Pairs to Steve Gummow with Killiworgie Elderflowers Kiwi, and Daniel Gummow with Killiworgie Hemaras Kandice.

The Camborne Show winning team of five.

Launceston show rounded off July and Cornwall Simmental Club members are to be applauded for promoting the Simmental breed by entering the any other beef breed sections with success. Steph Hooper and David Reeves won the bull class with Tregnether Jackpot, Ant Hart headed the senior heifer class with Treverbyn Lily and Piers Hawkey topped the line in the junior heifer class with Sowenna Libra, who went on to be awarded champion of the section by Barnaby Bridgman.

The relentless sunshine continued into August and Camelford Show completed the Cornish one day show season. Ant Hart enjoyed another successful day in the Pure-Bred Beef classes with Treverbyn Lilly winning the heifer class and Treverbyn Morwenna standing second. Lily then headed the section, emerging champion under Peter Chapman. Two herds made successful raids across the border. The Buckland family’s Wellatree Limoges landed the Supreme Interbreed Championship at Okehampton show and Ant Hart the Simmental championship at Holsworthy with Treverbyn Lily.

The Cornwall Simmental Club runs an annual most points competition for members attending one day shows. Wellatree emerged the worthy 2022 winners with 47 points and Treverbyn were close behind collecting 42 points.

After three years the Cornwall Pedigree Beef Calf Show returned, with a revised schedule for 2022 born calves. Five herds with eighteen entries catalogued, competed for the Simmental trophy under continental judge Jonny Ward. Treverbyn Norman P (Coose Monopoly P x Treverbyn Kiera), a January born bull, bred by Ant Hart, was tapped out as champion over Bosahan Nigella Ingrid Venus, before emerging as Supreme Champion of the show, the first Simmental calf in ten shows to land this award. Norman has continued a winning run into November, taking the Simmental Calf Championship at Agri-Fest and the pedigree calf championships at both the Liskeard prime-stock show and the Cornish Winter Fair at Wadebridge.

run 175 suckler cows and in turning to continental bulls settled on easy handling Simmentals being the most suitable for their spring calving system requiring milky dams. Currently six bulls run with the herd, five Simmentals and one North Devon, with the hybrid vigour injected by the native breed continuing to be an important feature.

With the virtual photo competition proving so popular during lockdown, the British Simmental Society held a scaled back number of classes over nine weeks during the summer. Against some extraordinarily strong entries the Female Champion and Overall Supreme award came to Cornwall. Steve and Gill Gummow are to be congratulated on an amazing result with Killiworgie Mirandas Lotti. See the full report in the Review.

Congratulations to Jake Gregory on winning the Simmental Championship at Devon County Show with his bull Leeherd Legend and recently being awarded Cornwall Young Farmer of the Year at the annual Cornwall Farm Business Awards hosted by the Addington Fund.

August saw the Cornwall club reinstate its annual Commercial Open Day. After three years of planning members and breeders from Bristol to Lands End travelled to Okehampton at the kind invitation of the Friend family who were open and engaging, willing to answer questions and generous with their hospitality. The Friends

The Club welcomed Robert Macgregor from Team Simmentals, Perth, Scotland, to Cornwall to judge the 2022 herd competition. With nineteen herds, thirteen pedigree and six commercials entered, the task entailed over four days of travelling across Cornwall, culminating in a presentation dinner at Constantine Social Club. Congratulations to all that entered, it was heartening to see the Simmental breed thriving in the county and meeting new members. Many thanks to our president, Penny for providing accommodation and Robert for the following comments:

“More years than I can remember have passed since I visited Cornwall with the Scottish club, taking in the National Show at Royal Cornwall, and visiting herds in the southern part of the county. I was deeply honoured to be asked back to judge your herd competition in 2022.

I must start this short report by thanking firstly Penny for hosting and especially Barry for chauffeuring me around the four hundred plus miles we covered over the four days. I think I would still be trying to find some of you if not for his excellent navigational skills!

Pedigree Calf Show Champion Treverbyn Norman.

Friend's cattle at Wadland Barton, near Okehampton.

The Friend family.

I was delighted to see so many outstanding cattle, both in the pedigree and commercial sections, which would not look out of place anywhere in the country. The stock bulls being used in many herds were on a par with anything you would see around the UK, and this consequently showed through in the young stock on display.

The stock cows were quite exceptional across all the herds I visited. Whilst I understand why some herds castrated their bull calves due to TB issues in the south west, I believe the potential for some particularly good young bulls is being missed, such was the quality on show. The standard in all the commercial herds was excellent and I only wish I had had more time to spend wandering around the stock on show. One of my great pleasures is walking through fields of good cattle... much more enjoyable than looking at fields of barley or wheat!

As stated, the pedigree herds were all an incredibly high standard but three stick in my mind that I would like to highlight: Bosahan, Killiworgie and Wellatree. What also struck me on my travels was the enthusiasm shown by the younger members. This can only be good for the future of the breed and Simmentals in Cornwall.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone I visited for your hospitality and warm welcome, and the enjoyable evening at the dinner and prize giving. Hopefully, I can make a return to your beautiful county in the not-too-distant future and welcome some of you to Perth to see my own cattle”.

Herd Competition Prize Winners 2022 Pedigree Competition

Bull calf born in 2022

1st - Piers Hawkey & Family - Sowenna Nemo

2nd - Anthony Hart – Treverbyn Norman P

3rd - Viv Hall – Chegwidden Noah

Junior bull born on or between 01/07/2021 & 31/12/2021

1st - John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan Magus

2nd - Piers Hawkey & Family – Sowenna Mr Bean

3rd - Megan Wellington – Pennytinney Maverick

Stock Bull

Ist - Anthony Hart – Coose Monopoly P

2nd - Viv Hall – Chegwidden Fergal Gallant

3rd - John and Bridget Olds – Kinclaven Infusion P

Heifer calf born 2022

1st - Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Neeta Rose

2nd - John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan Norah Harmony P

3rd - Piers Hawkey & Family – Sowenna Miracle

Junior heifer born on or between 01/01/2021 – 30/06/2021

1st - John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan Magic Baby Doll

2nd - Jim and Jean Buckland – Wellatree Maddie

3rd - Anthony Hart – Treverbyn Milly

Junior heifer born on or between 01/07/2021 – 31/12/2021

1st - Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Ivy’s Marcia

2nd - John and Bridget Olds - Bosahan Minnie Miss Natalie

3rd - Anthony Hart – Treverbyn Morwenna

In-calf heifer (due to calve before the age of 3)

1st - Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Miranda’s Lottie

2nd - Jim and Jean Buckland – Wellatree Limoncello

3rd - Steven Buckland – Angwelha Fantastic Lottie

Cow any age

Ist - Steven Buckland - Angwelha Jacky

2nd - Viv Hall – Chegwiddden Florence’s Jasmine

3rd - John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan Gold Magic Baby

Young stock

1st - Steve and Gill Gummow - Killiworgie

2nd - John and Bridget Olds - Bosahan

3rd - Jim and Jean Buckland – Wellatree

Homebred female, Judges choice

1st - Steve and Gill Gummow    Killiworgie Miranda’s Lottie

2nd - Jim and Jean Buckland – Wellatree Limoncello

3rd - Steve and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie Ivy’s Marcia

Pedigree herds commercial exhibit

1st - John and Bridget Olds – Maestro Sim Steer

2nd - Piers Hawkey and Family – Blue x Sim Cow

3rd - Steph Hooper & David Reeves – Sim x Blonde

Young Members Prize

Lucy Hosken - Tregowris

Champion Small Herd

Steven Buckland - Angwelha

Reserve Champion Small Herd

Adele Jewell - Rosewin

Champion Large Herd

John and Bridget Olds - Bosahan

Reserve Champion Large Herd

Steve and Gill Gummow - Killiworgie

Overall Champion Herd

John and Bridget Olds - Bosahan

Reserve Champion Herd

Steve and Gill Gummow - Killiworgie

Commercial Competition

Best animal (Dam or sire to be Pedigree or Pure-Bred)

1st - Steph Hooper & David Reeves

2nd - Ian Backway & Family

3rd - Liam Vague & Family

Best progeny group (minimum 3 animals)

1st - Steph Hooper & David Reeves

2nd - Edward White

3rd - Ian Backway

Best Commercial Herd

Steph Hooper and David Reeves

Reserve Commercial Herd

Young

Ian Backway & Family

Member Lucy Hosken.

Steven Buckland - Angwelha - Best Small Herd.

Jim Buckland - Wellatree - Most Points at One Day Shows.

Best Commercial Herd - Peter & Steph Hooper and David Reeves.

John Olds - Bosahan Best Large Herd & Overall.

After three attempts we held our belated 30th anniversary dinner and dance in October at the Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth, attended by a healthy sixty members and guests. A fantastic meal was enjoyed, with much excitement over the alternative raffle for good prizes, and a round of Irish Bingo. The evening finished with entertainment provided by Proper Job.

Suckler calf sales have been well supported with improved trade, proving that quality sells and it was pleasing to see repeat buyers around the ring. Well done to Messrs AP & SR Hooper, Castle and Dinas (£900) and Mrs Williams from Pendeen (£845) for winning the classes at Truro Livestock Market, also thanks to Messrs Bennetts (£650), Richards (£800), Roberts (£760), and Vague (£870) for bringing Simmental sired cattle forward. Increased numbers at Hallworthy saw a tremendous trade, with Jim and Jean Buckland (Wellatree) heading the market with their pen of three nine-month pedigree steers to £1,140. While local vendor, N M Sanders of Davidstow, with twelve, six & seven-month-old x-bred heifers, topped out at £675 and was awarded the female prize. These sales, sponsored by the Club and Society, endorse the Society promotions that the Simmental breed offers the best returns to commercial enterprises in terms of weight for age and days to slaughter, and this has lead to increasing enquiries for bulls.

Sanders Heifers at Hallworthy.

Our final social event for the year was the Cornwall Simmental Club Quiz Night at the Victoria Inn, Roche. The club topped and tailed the results with Lionel and Jane Pascoe’s team taking the spoils closely followed by Jim and Jean Buckland’s team. In all a lovely evening enjoyed by everyone regardless of scores.

We concluded the year with our AGM at which we welcomed Bill and Susanne Harper (founders of Harpers Feeds) to give us an enlightening presentation on sustainable farming, including the benefits of fermenting home-produced manure to produce lowcost fertilizer. They are also involved with a Genus project using Simgus semen on dairy herds. Batch buying calves from a single herd at approximately ten days, they pay current deadweight prices for liveweights at loading and are monitoring growth and finishing rates using daily live weight gains from a home-produced tailored ration. Their goal is 5kgs mixer wagon input for 1 kg gain and they are presently achieving 6:1, they are looking forward to receiving the results from this new venture.

As I end our 2022 report, I wish Cornish herds success with their investments this year from the Annick, Vale Royal, Popes, Bosahan and Coose herds. A warm welcome to our new members and a sincere thanks to everyone for all your support either participating or attending club events, shows and sales, representing the breed and our club. The Cornwall Club is always delighted to welcome other breeders to the county, whether as individuals or clubs looking for that hidden gem. May we continue to learn from each other.

Suckler Calf Sales 2022.

Bosahan Magenta Clover, Kinclaven Infusion, Bosahan Lucy Clover, Bosahan Mille Ivette & Bosahan Ivette Alesha.

CORNWALL SIMMENTAL CLUB

WE WOULD BE PLEASED TO ORGANISE HERD VISITS

REGIONAL CLUBS AND BREEDERS ARE WELCOME

List of Club Members

Ian and Sandra Backway - Commercial

Jim, Jean, and Steven Buckland - Wellatree & Angwelha

Bob and Don Cowell – Hawkhill & Commercial

Jimmy & Elaine George & Son – Commercial

Jake Gregory - Kurlycoat

Jonathan & Alison Grose & Sons - Trewarnevas

Steven and Gill Gummow – Killiworgie

Viv Hall - Chegwidden

Ant Hart – Treverbyn

Keith, Caroline, and Piers Hawkey -Sowenna

Peter & Steph Hooper and David Reeves – Tregnether & Commercial

George and Lucy Hosken – Tregowris

Adele Jewell - Rosewin

Penny Lally - Chyanhal

John and Bridget Olds – Bosahan - Secretary m: 07565 757792

JGA Raymont & Son (Mark) – Trevean & Commercial

Kevin Thomas – Crowgey

Liam, Rueben, Iyla and Amelia Vague – Vague & Commercial

Paul Wakeham - Commercial

Megan Wellington – Pennytinney

Edward White - Commercial

Liz Williams – Commercial

Mrs P Williams - Commercial

Barrie Wynter - Bolankin - Chairman m: 07590 501096

For locations, directions and more information about Members’ pedigree and commercial herds please use Google Maps link:

CORNWALL SIMMENTAL CLUB MEMBERS - Google My Maps

FOR 2023 EVENTS VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

OUR TEAM COLLECT AN AVERAGE OF

6 EMBRYOS PER COLLECTION FOR SIMMENTAL DONORS

South East Simmental Club

Report by Bridget Borlase, Chairperson

Our first club event of 2022 was our AGM in April coupled with a farm walk, kindly hosted by Brockhurst Limousins. We had a well-attended AGM where we discussed all the club activities and were given a tour of both the Brockhurst Limousin herd and Daisy Jones’s Crouchvalley Simmental herd. Both herds had some excellent cattle to look at, which members thoroughly enjoyed before moving to an excellent Sunday lunch at the local pub! Our thanks to both Daisy Jones and Doug & Harvey Mash for their hospitality extended to the Club.

Summer shows were back with a bang and shows in our area were well attended by many club members. It was great to see Simmentals holding their own at these shows with reasonable numbers and good quality cattle being bought forward. Notable mentions must go to Paul & Sharrie Cade and family; David & Lesley Sapsed; Andrew, Hayley & William Clarke; Daisy Jones; Rhys Grenham; and James & Rachael Griffin, who had great results at many of these shows as well as some featuring prominently at the English National Show which was held at The Royal Lancashire Show.

The Bailey family’s Mixbury Hall herd again had a very strong showing in the Society’s Virtual Show, which has proven to be a great platform for those members wishing to show off their cattle but without the available time to attend the shows.

English National Show Best Group of Four – DA & LA Sapsed with Heathbrow Lavender, Heathbrow Girlies Laurel, Heathbrow Girlies Ivy & Heathbrow Koko Star.

Mixbury Hall Neon - Class Winner in the Virtual Show.

Worcester Sale Female Champion Crouchvalley Mavis.

Melton Mowbray sale topper Cade Maverick.

It was also a good year on the sale front for Club members. At Worcester in May, Daisy Jones’s Crouchvalley Mavis took the Female Championship and sold for 2,150gns, with Paul & Sharrie Cade’s Cade Khloe felling for the top price female on the day at 2,500gns. The Cades also topped the Society’s sale at Melton Mowbray at 5,200gns for Cade Maverick.

Sometimes ‘Dreams do Come True’ and in October we were all delighted to see Steve & Lorraine Blomfield sell their first bull through Stirling, Sway Monarch, for 8,500gns to the noted Dargill pedigree herd of J C McLaren. This bull's breeding is a testament to Steve & Lorraine’s many, many years of commitment to the Simmental breed. Also of note at Stirling in October, James & Rachael Griffin sold their Junior bull Hemingford Moonraker to the Glenlossie herd of Messrs A D Sutherland. Congratulations to all involved.

Our Autumn farm walk, which features the prize giving for our annual herd competition, was kindly hosted by Chris Patmore of the Norman herd in Essex. The day was well attended, and Chris showed us around his herd which is predominantly polled. Again, it was interesting to see some very good cattle.

Richard McInnes kindly judged our annual herd competition last summer and as always, it was a hotly contested event within our Club, and takes several days to judge with many miles to be covered. So we are indebted to Richard for giving up his time and judging the competition so ably. The full results are below but congratulations to everyone who took part. Prizes were particularly well spread this year with David & Lesley Sapsed’s Heathbrow herd once again coming out on top as Champion herd.

Herd competition results

Judge: Mr R McInnes

Small Herd

1st - R Grenham (Boars Head) Reserve Champion Overall Herd

2nd - J & R Griffin (Hemingford)

3rd - J Woodman (Challiewood)

Medium Herd

1st - P & S Cade (Cade)

2nd - A & H Clarke (Williams)

3rd - S Key (Key)

Large Herd

1st - D & L Sapsed (Heathbrow) Champion Overall Herd

2nd - Messrs Bailey (Mixbury Hall)

3rd - Messrs Hawkins (Chates)

Best Heifer Calf

1st - Beeches Nancy

2nd - Boars Head Grace

3rd - Cade Deb’s Nora

Best Bull Calf

1st - Challiewood Nobelstar

2nd - Heathbrow Nova Star

3rd - Mixbury Hall Nigel

Best Young Stock

1st - R Grenham (Boars Head)

2nd - D & L Sapsed (Heathbrow)

3rd - Messrs Bailey (Mixbury Hall)

Best Maiden Heifers

1st - D & L Sapsed (Heathbrow)

2nd - Messrs Bailey (Mixbury Hall)

3rd - S Key (Key)

Best Stock Bull

1st - Islavale Jammydodger - R Grenham

2nd - Tilbrook Frank - Messrs Bailey

3rd - Sacombe Jameson - P & S Cade

Best Cow & Calf

Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy & Heathbrow Nationwide.

Cow family

Heathbrow Girlie

Best Young Stockperson

Joint: William Clarke & Judges Special Prize

Mr C Patmore

The Club year was rounded off by our Autumn dinner which was held at The Farmers Club in Whitehall. Historically since the formation of the club this has been a mainstay of our Club calendar, so it was great for everyone to be able to meet up back in London for the first time since precovid. The dinner was described by everyone as the best they had ever had at this venue, and it was a great way to round off the Club year and to look forward to 2023 and all that it may bring.

Steve & Lorraine Blomfield with Sway Monarch.

SIMMENTAL ADDING VALUE

FROM COMMERCIAL TO PEDIGREE, TO A TRADITIONAL SUCKLER ENTERPRISE

The Review features Andrew and James Barnes, Hall Farm, Little Lawford, Rugby, Warwickshire, whose aim with their commercially run pedigree herd is to breed the ‘ideal Simmentals’, homozygous polled with good mobility and temperament, with milk and easy calving, and with the carcase qualities to meet bull finishing targets.

Suckler beef and sheep have been integral to Andrew and James Barnes’ mixed farming strategy for over 25 years, and they appear future fit. “Our livestock are helping to maintain soil health and graze permanent pasture and river meadows in the Mid-Tier scheme, along with five-year grass leys we introduce to the arable rotation.”

Simmental came to the fore when the brothers decided to take control of their herd and also add value to the business; in 2018 they planned to invest in the breed and start to slowly grade up the commercial suckler herd. “Finding fertile suckler replacements was proving such a challenge we decided to breed our own,” Andrew explains. “We’d had experience farming

various Continental beef breeds – we used to sell store or finished. However, we did like our Simmentals; they were milky, fertile, have tremendous growth and a quiet temperament. They did a really good job for us.

“When you are choosing a breed, then I think it’s important to have cattle you enjoy working with. For us, Simmentals tick all the boxes and as a family farm, we are happy to have our children around the herd which is important to us. We also want to still be alive at the end of the calving season.”

The Barnes had scheduled to initially buy in pedigree Simmental heifers, that was until Thame Farmers Mart gave them the heads-up that John Rixon was planning to disperse his well regarded Lopemede herd, which happened to be running in a relatively low input system similar to their own. “The opportunity was pure luck,” he says. The Highcross prefix was registered and the rest is history.

“We continue to run the pedigree herd on a pure commercial basis and are finding it is thriving in a forage led system with paddock grazing and aftermaths, extending from immediately after calving in February/March to November. Breeding animals are reared on a silage based TMR, while bulls destined for slaughter are grown on a more intensive diet, to finish at 12 to 14 months at an average 400kg to 420kg deadweight and within spec – R+ and U+.

“They are tested for polled status before calving, while breeding bulls are selected according to potential. We have already traded a number of bulls to commercial producers and pedigree herds, selling into pedigree herds is the icing on the cake,” says Andrew.

The Barnes are firm believers in calving

FARM FACTS

Hall Farm, Rugby, Warks

• 324ha (800 acres)

• 150-cow pedigree

Simmental herd and followers

• 620 ewes

Highcross herd

KPIs

• 24 months age are first calving

• 100% heifer scan

• 700kg mature cow weight

• 98% calves reared

at 24 months. “The heifers are sufficiently mature and fertile to serve from 14 months. In May 2022 we bulled 40 heifers achieving 100% conception rate and they are all due to calve within a 55-day window. The heifers are going on to mature at approximately 700kg to 720kg, and we are optimistic that they will last for eight crops of calves.”

Heifers for breeding purposes are selected on various criteria including dam’s milkiness, calving, feet and legs and temperament.

TOWARDS A 100% POLLED SIMMENTAL HIGHCROSS HERD

Polling Note

Polling is a genetic mutation. The poll allele (P) is dominant and the horned allele (p) recessive.

Every parent has a pair of alleles at each gene, and they pass on one of these alleles to their offspring. A calf will receive one allele (P or p) from the sire and one allele (P or p) from the dam.

• Two polled alleles = homozygous polled (PP)

• One polled, one horned = heterozygous polled (Pp)

• Two horned alleles = homozygous horned (pp)

Animals which are visually horned must have two copies of the horned gene (pp), however visually polled animals maybe heterozygous - they may carry one horned gene and one poll gene, (Pp).

The Barnes brothers rate dehorning as one of the worst jobs working with cattle. “Even after adopting the most stringent welfare practices, it’s stressful for both the calf and the operator. The calf doesn’t know what’s happening, becomes stressed and kicks which I strongly believe affects its future handling and possibly its temperament. Dehorning is also time consuming,” Andrew comments.

The objective for their Highcross herd of pedigree Simmentals is to breed a herd that is 100% homozygous (PP) for the polling gene, without sacrificing the breed’s noted maternal traits, growth or shape. And despite facing challenges, within five short years of the programme’s launch, between 50% to 60% of the youngstock born in 2022 have been confirmed homozygous polled PP. “We are thrilled with progress to date,” he says.

“We’re fortunate we’ve had a head start. Lopemede was one of the UK’s first and largest polled Simmental herds which had been developed over 20 years and slowly progressed by sourcing polled genetics largely from Denmark. When we purchased the herd, this was a new concept to us. Nowadays breeding polled cattle is like switching a light on in a dark room.”

Only DNA testing can accurately distinguish which genes each animal carries.

James & Andrew Barnes with a young Highcross polled bull.

After a calf is born, and its sire or dam have already been tested PP, then all we have to do is put the ear tag in, jot down its sex and weight. We are saving at least 10 minutes per calf, as well as the stress,” he explains.

Unsurprisingly, I haven’t met anyone else using a homozygous polled bull who would go back to horned and nor would we.”

Progressing the Highcross breeding programme has proved to be a demanding journey for the Barnes. “Sourcing outcross homozygous stock bulls in the UK is very difficult. In fact, only a handful of PP tested bulls have been offered at the breed society’s official sales in the last three years, consequently the majority of the bulls we use are sourced from Denmark where breeders are amongst the most internationally advanced when it comes to breeding homozygous PP cattle with quality conformation, milk and calving ease.”

“The Danish sires introduced to Highcross include Egebjerggards Pesto PP and Rosas Munk PP together with Jaegergard Leopold PP, Vingegaard Lucas Pp, Rosas Munk PP, Rosas Loftus PP, Langmose Ricci PP, Bakkely Pedro PP, Svend PP, and Nygard Ras Pp.”

Apart from the Danish bulls, all other sires used in the Highcross herd are DNA tested to ensure they have the correct combination of poll genes. The Barnes also test every animal pre-sale – at the farm gate or in the ring as well as every heifer pre-calving, for polled status and sire verification. “If for example a bull’s parentage is heterozygous polled Pp, then we are very mindful to inform farmers of the theoretical chances of how many horned calves he could throw.”

He adds: “Having achieved the level of success we have to date with the herd’s next generation, then we believe we are well on the road towards fulfilling our objective to breeding that ideal Simmental - homozygous polled PP with good mobility and temperament, combined with those essential maternal traits – milk, easy calving along with growth, shape and carcase quality meeting our bull finishing targets 390kg to 410kg within 12 to 14 months.”

BSCS SHOW, SALE, & EVENT DATES 2023

Please see here a list of provisional BSCS sale, show, and general event dates for 2023. As always, these dates are correct at the time of publication but in instances may be subject to change. Where any dates are changed, updates will be notified to members through email, social media, and the Society’s website.

DECEMBER

SALE REPORTS 2022

30,000GNS DENIZES LANCELOT LEADS RECORD BREAKING SIMMENTAL SALE AT STIRLING

89 bulls sell, up by 25 on the year, and with a clearance rate of 86%

30,000gns is the second top price for a Simmental bull sold at auction in the UK

Sale average sets a new breed record of £6,835 up by £353

Orkney buyers purchase ten bulls

86

Eight bulls made over 10,000gns, with 25 in all making 7,000gns or more.

Brandane leads the females at 6000gns

Denizes Lancelot 30,000gns.

The May 2020 born Denizes Lancelot from Lancashire breeders MA Barlow & Sons, Four Oaks, Ulnes Walton Lane, Leyland, sold for 30,000gns, to lead an electric Simmental bull trade at United Auction’s Stirling Agricultural Centre on Monday 21st February.

Under the gavel of auctioneer Raymond Kennedy, some fierce bidding saw the bull race to 30,000gns before being knocked down to Richard McCulloch for his noted 160 cow Overhill House Simmental herd at Armadale, West Lothian. Commenting on Denizes Lancelot after the sale Richard McCulloch said: “Very much a modern Simmental, Lancelot is a tight, clean bull with a great top and plates, and the pedigree and figures to match. Just full of style with a beautiful head, and the red colour I was looking for, I think he’s an all-round breeders bull and he continually caught my eye as I went through the bulls in the lines.” Speaking of the 30,000gns price, the second highest paid for a Simmental at auction in the UK, Mr McCulloch went on to say: “There was a lot of competition for the bull and as a breeder I think this is the level of investment that you have to pay to secure a breeders bull of this quality.” Later in the sale Richard McCulloch also purchased the September 2020 born Corskie Lambe for 5,550gns from Mr WJ & J Green.

Prolific sellers at the Stirling Simmental sales, the Barlow’s 30,000gns sale of Denizes Lancelot smashed the 70-cow herd’s previous top price at sale of 17,000gns. Commenting after the sale a ‘buzzing’ John Barlow said: “It’s been a great sale for the Simmental breed. We’re delighted to sell Denizes Lancelot to a top breeder and very much hope that he goes on to do well at Overhill House. As a herd our primary aim is to produce first quality Simmental bulls for the commercial producer. In type we’re trying to breed bulls with no extremes that are long, clean through the front with no middle, have a good top line and plates, and with good locomotion. Within that aim, to sell bulls to breeders is a real bonus on top.”

Denizes Lancelot, who stood second in his class, is one of the first bulls offered at Stirling by the homebred sire Denizes Impeccable 17. He is out of Denizes Hannadante 9th, at 13 years old one of the oldest cows in the herd who has previously bred bulls to 15,000gns and who is back in calf to Denizes Hamish. On the day, the Denizes herd sold four bulls to 30,000gns; 10,000gns (Intermediate Champion); 9,500gns; and 4,000gns respectively.

With a bit of fizz and pop in the trade, as commercial buyers competed with pedigree breeders, the sale saw 89 bulls sell in all, up by 25 on the year and to a new Simmental breed record sale average of £6,835, which was up by £353 on the previous year. The strong demand saw an 86% clearance rate of the 103 bulls forward. Trends in the sale saw ten bulls in all sell to Orkney buyers, and with seven bulls heading to England and Wales. Speaking after the sale, the then British Simmental President Stewart Stronach said: “There was a tremendous atmosphere in and around the Simmental sale which underpinned the day and realised a record breed average with a tremendous clearance rate. We’re seeing consistently strong sales for the breed and I think commercial producers are really looking for the double-barrelled advantages of the Simmentals. The modern Simmental maintains its renowned maternal qualities and crossing ability with any breed. If you add into that the tremendous growth rates in progeny, and number one age at slaughter capabilities, I think there’s real recognition of Simmentals efficiency and profitability in the industry.”

Northern Irish bulls were to the fore throughout the sale, and the second top price of the day was the 16,000gns Ranfurly Limelight

Ranfurly Limelight 16,000gns.

Wolfstar Loose Cannon 13,000gns.

Islavale London 12,000gns.

Wolfstar Las Vegas 12,500gns.

from the 20-cow herd of WD and J Hazelton, Cohannon House, Dungannon. This much-admired July 2020 bull is an Auchorachan ACDC son out of the noted cow Raceview Goldie Dreamer, who was yearling Champion at Roscommon in 2016 before being purchased for 9,000 Euros, and then NI Female of the Year in 2017. In the pre-sale show, Ranfurly Limelight had been placed as Reserve Intermediate Champion by the judge Andrew Clarke of the noted Breaghey herd, Tynan, Co Armagh. Purchasing this bull was E&M Fairhurst, Bankend Farm, Austwick, By Lancaster, for their newly establishing Fairhurst pedigree herd. Commenting Mr Fairhurst said: “This bull just had a bit of everything for me. I like the breeding on both sides of the pedigree and the bull in himself has a lot of style and presence and is very correct.” For the Ranfurly herd, the 16,000gns marked their top price at sale for a pedigree bull to date and eclipsing their previous mark of 15,000gns.

Having a track record of the top two prices at this corresponding fixture in 2020, the Wolfstar herd of Mr A King, Wolfstar, Ormiston, East Lothian, again produced another impressive double when selling bulls to 13,000gns and 12,500gns. Leading the way at 13,000gns was the April 2020 born Wolfstar Loose Cannon who had stood second in the third class of the day. By Team Celtic 11 and out of Wolfstar Ellie, this bull is a full brother to the 18,000gns Wolfstar Jackaroo, the Champion and top price at the aforementioned 2020 Stirling Sale. This bull was purchased by JC MacIver for his Coltfield pedigree herd at Wester Coldfield, Forres, Moray. Coming to the sale, Mr McIver had seen the Wolfstar bull on Facebook and had also looked at his pedigree and performance figures. “We were looking for a bull that was long, clean, and with good conformation. The breeding of the bull was important and we know previous Wolfstar bulls have gone on to breed well. We have just over 20 pedigree cows at present and are looking to increase that to around forty. The aim is to use Wolfstar Loose Cannon from May and we think he’s a bull that will complement our females.”

From the same class, and selling one lot before, was Wolfstar Las Vegas who made 12,500gns when selling to commercial producer JH Logan & Co, Dalfask Farm, Girvan, Ayrshire. A well-fleshed dark red bull, Las Vegas is by Islavale Guy and is out of the Team Celtic daughter Wolfstar Gladrags. Running some 250 cows the Logans selected the Wolfstar bull for his length and shape and with the Islavale and Team Celtic breeding on either side of his pedigree.

The prolific Islavale herd of WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Grange, Keith had another strong day’s trading with their team of seven bulls grossing £56,100 and to average a mighty £8,014. Having won the Supreme Championship some eight times in previous pre-sale shows, Islavale pulled off a herd ‘first’ when on this occasion they won both the Senior Championship and Reserve Senior and with both being by Corskie Highlander who is classified EX92. Lifting the Senior title and taking the herd's top price on the day of 12,000gns was the March 2020 born Islavale London. This big upstanding bull, with a Maternal (Milk) figure of +8 is out of the growthy cow Islavale Benita VG 88. Buying the Senior Champion were Reece & Andrew Simmers for their 50-cow Backmuir pedigree herd at Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire. In addition to the pedigree Simmentals, the Simmers run a large-scale cattle enterprise featuring some 600 cows in all and heavily influenced by Simmental genetics.

The Reserve Senior Champion, who stood second in his class to the section Champion was Islavale Leonardo. Again March 2020 born, this bull is out of Islavale Mistress who is classified VG 89.

Denizes Lord 9,500gns.

Kilbride Farm Lucky Strike 9,000gns.

Islavale Lockdown 10,000gns.

Ballinalare Farm Legacy 10,000gns.

Purchasing this bull at 9,000gns was the commercial producer C&G Thomson, Wester Tulloch, Midmar, Aberdeenshire. Mr Thomson had not seen the bull before Stirling but was impressed with him at first sight describing him as a long, clean bull and ‘just perfect’ for their commercial cows. Previously Mr Thomson has purchased Islavale Kacy from the Stronachs for 11,500gns at an October Stirling Sale.

Continuing the run of prices from the Islavale herd, the May 2020 born Islavale Lockdown sold for the five-figure price of 10,000gns. This calf is by the herd sire Shacon Hannibal and is out of Islavale Teresa 16 (ET) EX 94. Shacon Hannibal is also the sire of the 8,000gns Islavale Lullaby who was the Champion Female at the Society’s successful Next Generation Sale in Carlisle in December 2021. Purchasing this calf was AJ Bulmer for his quickly establishing Habton pedigree herd at Coultas Farm, Great Habton, Malton, North Yorks. In what was only his second trip to Stirling, Mr Bulmer was ‘thrilled’ and very impressed with his purchase describing him as ‘really stylish, solid straight through, with plenty of width and backend’. The aim from here is to use the bull from May and across both pedigree and commercial cows.

First in class four was Ballinalare Farm Legacy from Mr J & Mr A Wilson, Dorans Hill, Newry, Northern Ireland. May 2020 born, this calf is by Kilbride Farm Bantry and is out of the Auchorachan Wizard daughter Ballinalare Farm Evita who is a full sister to the noted AI sire Ballinalare Farm Galaxy. Buying this bull at 10,000gns was R&N Barclay, Harestone, Insch, Aberdeenshire. Commenting, Mr Barclay said: “We had seen a video on Facebook and had been very impressed by the class of this bull and the power behind him, attributes which were confirmed when we saw him. Ballinalare Farm Legacy will join the herd as a junior stock bull and will begin working in the middle of May.” The Barclays run a noted herd of some 280 cross cows.

By the same sire as the day’s top price, the Intermediate Champion Denizes Logic from the Barlows sold for 10,000gns. Combining breeding and performance, this July 2020 born bull is by Denizes Impeccable and is out of Raceview Fenella Beauty who is from the highly noted Matilda cow family. Featuring good calving figures, this bull was bought by Strathisla Farms, Strathisla, Moolies, Meigle, Blairgowrie, which runs the pedigree Strathisla herd of 60 cows along with 150 suckler cows. Commenting, Adrian Ivory said: “I liked this bull's length and soft fleshing, and he’s from a female line that’s bred consistently well and through many generations. I look for a combination of colour, figures, breeding, locomotion and looks, and this bull ticks a lot of those boxes.”

Continuing their run of prices, the June 2020 born Denizes Lord made 9,500gns and was another bull to go to Orkney when selling to JI & WN Stout, Whitehall, Stronsay. This calf, is by the increasingly prolific Denizes Hamish, whose first ten calves sold, prior to the sale, have averaged 5,500gns. Combining shape, pedigree, and figures, Denizes Lord is in the breed’s top 5% for calving ease. Lord is out of the Ashland Tornado daughter Denizes Melody 11th

A strong team of five bulls forward from WH Robson & Sons, Kilbride Farm, Doagh, Ballyclare, saw a top price of 9,000gns and with the five in all grossing £35,904 to average £7,181. Leading the way was the August 2020 born homozygous polled bull Kilbride Farm Lucky Strike PP. This calf by Kilbride Farm Gruffalo (P), placed first in his class in the 2021 Virtual Simmental Show. His dam Kilbride Farm Iris 22JP is noted as breeding well in the herd and with his grand dam Kilbride Farm Iris 17F having been voted third best Simmental cow in

Europe in 2020. This bull sold north to Caithness and to the Ackergill pedigree herd of W&J Coghill, Ackergill Mains, Wick. Commenting Mr Coghill said: “We are delighted to get this bull. We had seen him online prior to the sale and were very interested in him as he is homozygous polled and this is a route we want to go down with the herd." The Robsons sold further bulls at 8,500gns; 6,200gns; 6,000gns; and 5,500gns respectively.

The pre-sale Supreme Champion came in the shape of the winner of Class 10, and also the Junior Champion, Ballymoney Leonard from Mrs MH Kilpatrick, Banbridge, Northern Ireland. September 2020 born, this bull is by Saltire Impressive 17 and is out of Ballymoney Orla from the noted Ballinalare Farm Beauty line. Ballymoney Leonard sold for 7,800gns to the noted commercial producer JM McIntosh, Genoch Mains, Dunragit, Stranraer.

Islavale Leonardo 9,000gns.

Corskie Leopard 8,500gns.

Kilbride Farm Lord of the Ring 20 8,500gns.

In the small show of females, the Overall Champion came in the shape of the very stylish April 2020 born heifer Brandane Laura from Mr J McMillan, Wagon Lodge, East Church, St Kenninghall. Full of breeding, this heifer is by Atlow Dixon and is out of Sterling Bacardi’s Funky and described as one of the best female lines from the noted Sterling herd dispersal sale in 2017. Buying the female Champion at 6, 000gns was PA&SM Cade for their Cade pedigree herd at Paddock Farm, Buckden, East Anglia.

AVERAGES:

89 Bulls (+25) £6,835 (+£353)

13 Females £2,423

OTHER LEADING PRICES:

8,500gns Lot 467 Corskie Leopold, sold to  A H Smith

8,500gns Lot 499 Kilbride Farm Lord of the Ring, sold to Lour Farms

8,500gns Lot 507 Auchorachan Longshot, sold to W Dunlop & Son

8,500gns Lot 510 Braidwood Luke, sold to Garvald Mains Farm

8,200gns Lot 490 Pitmudie Lancelot, sold to G A & H M Francis

8,000gns Lot 504 Corrick Logic, sold to C & M Bruce

8,000gns Lot 531 Broombrae Loon, sold to M M & A Campbell

7,800gns Lot 535 Ballymoney Leonard, sold to Genoch Mains Farms

7,500gns Lot 449 Popes Lucifer, sold to C & G Thomson

7,500gns Lot 454 Rockytop Lacoste, sold to H MacDonald

7,500gns Lot 479 Lagavaich Lewie, sold to A & B Kerr

7,500gns Lot 554 Islavale Libra, sold to D Hodgson

8000GNS ISLAVALE LOKI LEADS ABERDEEN SIMMENTAL SPRING SALE

Islavale Loki, from Mr WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Keith made 8,000gns to lead the Society’s Aberdeen Sale held within the Royal Northern Agricultural Society’s Spring Show & Sale at Thainstone on, Wednesday 2nd March.

March 2020 born, Islavale Loki is by Corskie Highlander 16 EX 92, and out of Islavale Fashion EX92, a Curaheen Bandit Daughter. Earlier he had been placed as Champion Simmental in the pre-sale show judged by the well-known Liam Muir, Stenness, Orkney. Purchasing the day’s top price Simmental was commercial producer R&E Chapman, West Cockmuir, Strichen Fraserburgh.

Placing as the Reserve Champion was Backmuir Lewis who went on to make the second top price of 7,800gns for breeders Reece & Andrew Simmers, Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire. Buying this bull was W&V Leith, North Crannoch, Crossroads, Keith. March 2020 born, Backmuir Lewis is by Islavale Imperial 17, and is out of the Team Celtic daughter Wolfstar Islay.

Selling at 6,500gns was Corskie Lomax from WJ&J Green, Corskie, Garmouth, Fochabers. This April 2020 born bull, with a +8 figure for Maternal Milk, is by Drumagarner Hughes and out of Corskie Helissa VG85. Buying this bull was WJ Fraser & Son, Auchnarrow, Glenlivet, Ballandalloch. At 6,000gns was Pitmudie Lonestar from Heather

Duff, Pitmudie Farm, Brechin, Angus. Lonestar is by Hiltonstown Irish, and is out of Pitmudie Freesia. Another April 2020 born bull, Pitmudie Lonestar was purchased by AJ Blackhall, Tarland, Aboyne. In all, nine of the thirteen Simmental bulls forward sold and to average £5,471.

Islavale Loki 8,000gns.

Auchorachan Longshot 8,500gns.

Pitmudie Lancelot 8,200gns.

LISGLASS BULL SELLS TO 3,500GNS AT DUNGANNON SIMMENTAL SALE

Simmental bulls sold to a top of 3,500gns at the British Simmental Cattle Society’s show and sale, held at Dungannon Farmers’ Mart on Friday 25th March.

Sale leader was the first prize winning Lisglass Leo TSI+77 SRI+90, bred by the father and son team of Leslie and Christopher Weatherup, Ballyclare. Sired by Islavale Frontier, his dam is the homebred Liglass Iona – one of 35 cows in the herd. This eighteen-monthold bull is no stranger to success, having won the Reserve Senior Championship at the inaugural Four Breeds Calf Show at Dungannon in November last year. Ranked in the breed’s top five per cent for eye muscle area at +5.5, he sold to JA Humphrey from Coleraine.

The second highest price of the day of 3,000gns was paid to Cecil McIlwaine, and sons Scott and Neil, Newtownstewart, for the Male Champion Corrick Laird TSI+77 SRI+81. Sired by Seafort Gill, this nineteen-month-old bull is the first calf bred from the Omorga Tarbuck daughter Corrick Jenny. He sold to B McDermott from Fintona, County Tyrone. Founded over 40 years ago, the Corrick herd comprises of 20 pedigree cows. The McIlwaine’s have sold Seafort Gill sons to a top of 8,000gns, with three averaging £5,250 per head at Stirling and Dungannon.

Female trade peaked at 2,600gns, paid to William Nelson, and son George, Rosslea, for the September 2020 born Drumacritten Lily. She caught the judge’s eye to claim the Female Championship plaudits. Sired by the 14,000gns Saltire Impressive, this heifer is bred from the Raceview King daughter Drumacritten Wanda EX91 – one of ten cows in the County Fermanagh-based herd. Buyer was Ian Magill from Millisle who has recently established the Ballyrolly Herd.

Averages:

6 bulls £3,045

6 heifers £1,601

CADE MAVERICK SELLS FOR 5,200GNS AT MELTON MOWBRAY

The January 2021 born Simmental bull Cade Maverick from PA&SM Cade, Paddock Farm, Buckden, East Anglia, sold for 5,200gns when being the first bull in the ring at the Melton Mowbray Multi Breed Sale held on Saturday 26th March at Melton Mowbray Livestock Market.

Cade Maverick is the first calf to be offered for sale from the herd’s stock bull Sacombe Jameson, and is out of Heathbrow Ingrid, a Celtic Comet daughter. With a little show track record behind him, Cade Maverick had placed as the South East Simmental Club Junior & Reserve Overall Champion at the Melton Mowbray Calf Show in November 2021. Purchasing the bull was Messrs Clouds.

This is the second year in a row that the Cade herd, which comprises of 26 breeding females, has topped this fledgling sale with Cade Kolossal taking the lead Simmental price at last year’s event.

Corrick Laird 3,000gns.

Coolcran Lambrini 2,500gns.

Lisglass Leo 3,500gns.

Cade Maverick 5,200gns.

8,800GNS ISLAVALE LUXOR LEADS

NEW RECORD STIRLING SIMMENTAL MAY SALE AVERAGE

Stirling Simmental May Sale Average of £5,632 up by £287

25 bulls sell, up by 4 on the year, with an 81% clearance

The strong commercial demand for pedigree Simmental bulls continued at the Stirling Simmental Sale on Monday 2nd May at United Auctions Stirling Agricultural Centre, with a record average for the May fixture of £5,632, up by £287, for the 25 bulls sold. The new mark eclipsed last year’s figure which was also a Simmental record average for the May Sale.

Topping the sale at 8,800gns was the September 2020 born Islavale Luxor from WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Grange, Keith. This bull, a heifer’s calf by Curaheen Bandit, and out of Islavale Candy 4 VG 86, was purchased by Messrs Farquharson & Son, Deuchar Farm, Forfar, Angus, for use in their 50-cow commercial herd. Commenting Clark Farquharson said: “In visiting the Islavale herd the quality of the females and the breeding behind this bull was very impressive. We like the Simmentals for their milkiness and quiet temperament and in purchasing this bull we very much hope it’s an investment in taking the females in the herd to that next level.” For the prolific Islavale herd it was another great day’s trading with further Islavale bulls selling for 8,500gns, 7,800gns x 2, and 6,000gns to an average of £8,139 for the five sold.

Following at 8,500gns was Islavale Luther 20 who had stood second in his class to the day’s pre-sale Supreme Champion judged by Jonathan Gunn of the noted Mavsey herd at Lybster, Caithness. The September born Islavale Luther, a twin to a male, is by the AI sire Dermotstown Delboy and is out Islavale Hope, a Wolfstar Elusive daughter. With both sire and dam classified to EX92 and EX91 respectively, Luther is from a maternal breeding line and with a Maternal (Milk) figure of +8. Purchasing this bull was Delfur Farms, who run the Delfur pedigree herd at Rothes, Aberlour. Speaking after the sale, Gary Patterson, the Farm Manager at Delfur Farms said: “Islavale Luther was just an eye-catching bull, very correct, and with good width. He has a depth of good breeding behind him, and I think has all the potential to be a quality female breeder.” Delfur Farms presently has 140 head of cows and the majority of which are pedigree. The aim from here is to introduce Islavale Luther as the junior stock sire and with him being put to a ‘good number’ of the pure cows.

The Stirling Simmental trade continued the run of breed sales that has seen a commercial and pedigree demand produce both increased averages and clearance rates. Commenting after the sale, Iain Kerr, the Society’s General Manager said: “With an increasing industry cost base, commercial producers are looking for all-round efficiency. The benchmark of the Simmental breed is milky fertile,

13 bulls make 5,000gns and over 81

Islavale Luxor 8,800gns.

Islavale Luther 8,500gns.

Overhill House Marley 7,800gns.

easy calving females. Add that to fast growing Simmental sired progeny and being the leading beef breed for age at slaughter, and Simmentals are ticking a lot of boxes for the forward beef industry.” As well as the increased breed average, the sale saw 25 of the 31 bulls forward sell to give an 81% clearance rate, and with 13 bulls in all making 5,000gns and over.

Three bulls made 7,800gns. The first of these was another from the Stronach team in the shape of the heifer’s calf Islavale Lionel 20. September 2020 born, Islavale Lionel is by Ranfurly Confederate C24 11 EX 94, and is out of Islavale Bramble 6 GP 82, a twin to a female. Purchasing Islavale Lionel was Charles Barclay, Craigscorrie, Beauly, Inverness-shire. A further bull at the 7,800gns mark was Islavale Lazarus who stood second in his class to the Reserve Overall Champion. November 2020 born this calf is by the herd’s prolific sire Atlow Dixon 12 EX 91, who has previously had bulls at up to 15,000gns. From a milky female line, Islavale Lazarus 20 is out of Islavale Girlie 5, and was snapped up by J Melville & Son, Ardwell Farm, Girvan, Ayrshire.

Late in the sale was the January 2021 born calf Overhill House Marley 21 from Richard McCulloch, Armadale, West Lothian. A second prize winner in the day’s last class, this bull also hit the 7,800gns price when selling to regular Simmental buyer Liam Muir, Upper Onston, Stenness, Stromness, Orkney. With a Maternal (Milk) figure of +7, Overhill House Marley is by Islavale Heston and is out of Overhill House Imogen, a Mohona Fletcher daughter. The previous lot in the ring, Overhill House Mick 21, another Islavale Heston son, made 5,500gns when selling to T Brown, Scrainswood Farm, Alnham, Alnwith.

Selling at 7,500gns was Grangewood Liberator from Mr & Mrs AS & YA Leedham, Pickering, North Yorkshire. A bull with tremendous width, the November 2020 born Liberator is by Ranfurly Impeccable 14 17 and is out of the Omorga Volvo daughter Grangewood Tollie’s Hope. Grangewood Tollie’s Hope is a full sister to the 19,000gns Grangewood Baron, and is also the dam of the 7,000gns Grangewood Keegan the top price and Overall Champion at Worcester in 2021. Selling back to England, Grangewood Liberator was bought by GW Woolhouse & Sons Ltd, Church Farm, Ravensfield, Rotherham.

A good team of bulls from Mr WJ&J Green, Corskie, Garmouth, Fochabers met with some solid prices and topping at 6,800gns for Corskie Locke 20. Featuring both depth of pedigree and performance, this September 2020 born bull is by Kilbride Farm Haka and is out of Corskie Hannette whose breeding includes both Greencap Ace and Bel Dhu Capercaillie. With strong growth figures and a Maternal (Milk) figure of +12, this bull was sold to the Borders and G Wealleans & Son, Greenlaw, Duns, Berwickshire. Also from the Green team, Corskie Look Out 20 made 6,500gns and sold to North Yorkshire and Andrew Blades, Home Farm, Appleton, Roebuck. A third Corskie bull, Corskie Lunn 20 made 5,000gns on the day and went to Mountquhanie Farms, By Cupar, Fife.

Selling pedigree Simmental bulls for the first time at Stirling was Ryan Smith, Towiemore, Keith, who made a first-class debut when realising 6,500gns for Redhill Lachie 20. A dark red bull, the November 2020 Redhill Lachie was bought as a young calf at foot and one of several purchases from the Redhill herd of Danny Leslie. By Islavale Joker 18, and out of Redhill Jo-Jo, this calf was purchased by WW Dunlop & Son, Commonside, Hawick.

At 6,000gns was the first prize winner and Reserve Overall Champion, Islavale Lambourgini 20 from the Stronach team. October 2020 born, Islavale Lambourgini is by the consistent breeding Corskie Highlander 16 EX 92, who has bred calves up to 15,000gns, and is out of Islavale Amanda 2 EX 93. Strong on classification in the breeding, and from a milky female line, Islavale Lambourgini was bought

by John Meikle, Kirkton of Lundie, Dundee.

Grangewood Liberator 7,500gns.

Redhill Lachie 6,500gns.

Islavale Lionel 7,800gns.

Corskie Locke 6,800gns.

5,500GNS GRANGEWOOD LUCAS TOPS WORCESTER SIMMENTAL SALE

Fole Dispersal Sale tops at 3,200gns 17 bulls sell, up 8 on the year, to average £3,996

7 bulls sell at 4,000gns and more

Grangewood Lucas from Mr & Mrs AS&YA Leedham, Rowan Farm, Lockton, Pickering, North Yorks sold for 5,500gns to lead the British Simmental Cattle Society’s May Sale at McCartneys Worcester Livestock Market on Saturday May 7th

Fully homebred, this November 2020 born bull is by Grangewood Glenlivet and is out of Grangewood Faith’s Imelda, a Grangewood Damascus daughter. Earlier in the day, Grangewood Lucas had stood first in his class in the pre-sale show judged by Anthony Davies of the Welston herd, Milton, Tenby Pembrokeshire. Purchasing the top price bull, who was +7.8 for Calving Ease Direct putting him in the top 1% for the breed, and +8 for Maternal (Milk), was Richard Bell for the 300-cow Bowley Herd of CM Mercer, Bowley Court Farms, Hope-Under-Dinmore, Leominster, Herefordshire, and who run up to 12 Simmental bulls.

Strong supporters of the Worcester Simmental Sale, this is the third Worcester Sale in a row that the Leedham’s have topped the fixture and following on from the 7000gns Grangewood Keegan in 2021, and who was also sired by Grangewood Glenlivet. Following hard on the heels of their top price was Grangewood Mastermind 21 who made 5,000gns when selling to JW Fenten, Biggin Moor, Buxton. This third prize bull, January 2021 born, is by the 8,500gns Ranfurly Impeccable 14 17, and is out of Grangewood Polly 4th, a Popes Laird daughter. A good sale at Worcester for the Leedhams followed on from the Stirling Simmental Sale in the previous week that saw them sell Grangewood Liberator for 7,500gns.

The Worcester Simmental Sale fixture saw a solid demand for bulls with 17 out of the 21 forward selling to average £3,996. Seven bulls sold at 4,000gns or more and including three at the 5,000gns mark. Also selling at the 5,000gns mark was the September 2020 born Wroxall Lost Property 20 from long standing Warwickshire based Simmental breeders CH Evans & Son, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick. With polled genetics on either side of the pedigree, this calf is by Coose Gambler (P), and is out of Wroxall Hannah Patience, a Losning Iver (P) daughter. Purchasing this bull was WS Turner & Sons, Stone Acton Farm, Wall Under Haywood, Shropshire.

The third bull at the 5,000gns mark was Beanhill Leon 20 from Mr & Mrs J&BE Kimber, Beanhill Farm, Chippenham, Wiltshire. A heifer's calf, the October 2020 born Beanhill Leon is by the prolific AI sire Ballinalare Farm Galaxy, and is out of the Tilbrook Earl sired Beanhill Inca VG 86. With solid performance figures behind him, Beanhill Leon arrived at Worcester with a show record as well, having been

Popes herd lifts Champion & Reserve in the bulls

the Simmental Senior Champion at the 2021 Borderway Agri Expo, and Welsh Winter Fair respectively. With a combination of pedigree and performance, this bull was snapped up by the Dewisland pedigree herd of Mr & Mrs Mark Evans, Upper Harglodd, St Davids, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Later in the sale, Beanhill Landmark

Beanhill Leon 5,000gns.

Grangewood Lucas 5,500gns.

20, another Ballinalare Farm Galaxy son, sold for 3,000gns to M&B Farms, Mulhampton Farm, Upton Bishop, Herefordshire.

Selling at 4,800gns was Storersmith Lister 20 from R&L Storer Smith, Spath House, Ashbourne Road, Uttoxeter. A heifer's calf, and September 2020 born, this bull is by Curaheen Bandit and out of the Kilbride Farm Comber 11 daughter Storersmith Jumper. Purchasing Storersmith Lister was AW Francis who runs the Furzedown pedigree herd at Furzedown Farm, Okehampton, Devon. The very next lot Storersmith Lex Luther 20, another Curaheen Bandit son, made 3,500gns in selling to DN Eynon, Gwern-Genny, Wormbridge, Hereford.

A first-time vendor at this Worcester Simmental Sale fixture was M/S JH & VG Wood who run the 130-cow Popes herd at Popes Farm, Dutton, Preston, Lancashire. In a successful show and sale debut, entries from the herd took both Champion and Reserve in the pre-sale show of bulls. Lifting the Championship and selling at 4,200gns was the young February 2021 born Popes Marksman 21, a Denizes Impressive 17 son and out of the first time calver Popes Nellys Harmony. Commenting on his Champion the judge Anthony Davies said: “This is just my type of young bull who is very modern,

carries a lot of style and with plenty of breed character. He’s well put together and is a bull with a lot of potential.” Purchasing the day’s Champion, who carried an impressive Maternal (Milk) figure of +11, was Chase Farms (Gilmorton Ltd), The Chase, Gilmorton. Following through from the same class to take the Overall Reserve was Popes Maddox 21, who is also February 2021 born. This calf another by Denizes Impressive 17 and out of Popes Diamonds Hesta, was bought by RB Gough, The Gippols, Harley, Shropshire. The third bull from the Popes team, Popes Mowgli, a Camus Harold son, also sold for 3,800gns when going to Scotland after being purchased by Gavin Dunbar, Firm of Hole O’ Clean Farm, Ardgaith Farmhouse, Perth. The final bull at the 4,000gns mark was Killiworgie Lieutenant 20 from Cornish breeder Mr SA Gummow, Higher Killiworgie Farm, Newquay. This November 2020 born calf, who featured strong calving figures, is by Islavale Jerico 18 EX 93, and is out of the Dinton Nautical daughter Killiworgie Eliza EX 90, a classified Golden Cow. This bull was another to join the Bowley Herd of CM Mercer, Bowley Court Farms, Hope-Under-Dinmore, Leominster, Herefordshire.

In the sale of females in the Society section, the top price was the 2,500gns paid for the polled heifer Cade Khloe (P) from PA&SM Cade, Paddock Farm, Buckden, East Anglia. This first calving heifer is by the Heathbrow Impulse 17 (P) a half brother to the noted show winning bull Heathbrow Important, and is out of one of the herd’s foundation cows Thursford Debs 10th EX 90. This heifer was purchased by GD Swerling & Sons, Upper Bottom House Farm, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks.

Lifting the Overall Female Championship in the pre-sale show was young Daisy Jones, Blencathra, Battlesbridge, Wickford, Essex with her stylish January 2021 born heifer Crouchvalley Mavis. This heifer is by the AI sire Sterling Herkules and is the first calf out of Brideland Kara. Making 2,150gns, Crouchvalley Mavis was another purchased by the aforementioned GD Swerling & Sons. For Daisy Jones and her five-breeding female Crouchvalley herd, it was a Championship win in her first time showing and selling at a Society sale.

The Worcester Simmental Sale also saw the Dispersal Sale of the Fole herd of Joe & Rachel Ede, Stoneleys, Checkley, Stoke on Trent after over 30 years of breeding. The high health herd offered cattle with a depth of pedigree and performance behind them and met with a solid demand. Leading the way at 3,200gns, and the top priced female across the sale, was the noted polled in-calf heifer Fole Vivian 89. Sired by the homozygous polled Lopemede Hawaii 16 (PP), and out of Fole Vivian 82, this quality heifer was bought by L Renshaw & I Brassington for their Dovefields pedigree herd at Church Broughton, Derbyshire. Also at 3200gns and from the same family was Fole Vivian 88 (P). Another by Lopemede Hawaii 16 (PP), and out of Fole Vivian 81, this in-calf heifer was snapped up by Daniel Warrington for his Follane herd at Godley Farm, Fole Lane, Uttoxeter.

Selling at 2,900gns was Fole Vivian 82, the dam of the top price Fole animal, and who was sold with her fourth calf at foot, the January 2022 born bull calf Fole Navigator 22, a Blackford Falcon son. Another to go to a pedigree herd this strong outfit was bought by Barry Harding for his Hallway herd at Cornerfields Farm, Denham, Uxbridge, Bucks.

At 2,800gns was the polled Fole Nutwood Victoria 53 (P). January 2019 born and another by Lopemede Hawaii 16 (PP), this second calver had calved again on 15th April and was sold with her twin Blackford Falcon bull calves at foot to the Tarsmill herd of GR Greenow, Cilunow, Dinedor, Hereford.

Grangewood Mastermind 5,000gns.

Storesmith Lister 4,800gns.

AVERAGES:

Society Sale

17 Bulls £3,996

6 Cows/Hfrs with calf at foot £2,012.50

6 Maiden Heifers £2,003.75

Fole Herd Dispersal

8 Cows/Hfrs with calf at foot £2,782.50

7 Heifers £2,250

3 Young Bulls £1,067.50

Auctioneers: McCartneys

Sponsors: Farmers Guardian (the Marts The Heart).

CHESTERMANN BULLS AT 6,200GNS

6,000GNS, TAKE THE TOP PRICES AT CARLISLE SIMMENTAL MAY SALE

5,000gns Tidkin Cow and Calf leads

Tidkin & Jet Dispersal Sale

Bulls from the Chestermann herd of N&N Gwynne, Castlewigg Farm, Whithorn, Newton Stewart, sold to 6,200gns, and 6,000gns to lead a ready demand for Simmental bulls and females at the Society’s Sale at Carlisle on 14th May. Sitting alongside the Society’s Sale was the Dispersal Sale of the Tidkin & Jet Simmental herds of Gerald & Jessica Towers, Turners Arms Farm, Yearby, Redcar, Cleveland and which saw a top price of 5,000gns paid for a cow and calf, and with fifteen cow and calf outfits averaging a healthy £3,353.

Leading the way in the bulls was the September 2020 born Chesterman Leonardo. Entirely homebred, this bull is by Chesterman Gibble 15 EX93, a daughter of the herd’s noted Hirwaun Non, and is out of Chestermann Empire Sage EX90, a Sterling Empire daughter. Earlier in the day Chestermann Leonardo had won the class of Simmental bulls and Overall Championship

AND

15 Tidkin cows and calves see strong average of £3,353

28 Simmental lots in all gross £94,920

4 Bulls average £5,565

Fole Vivian 3200gns

Chestermann Leonardo 20 6200gns.

in front of the judge and commercial producer Mr Ian Wainwright, Todhall Farm, Cupar, Fife. Commenting on his Champion Mr Wainwright said: “This is a very good commercial bull. He’s a well grown, growthy, easy fleshing bull with plenty of length and good on his legs.”

Purchasing the top price was IHG Warden, Skelfhill Farm, Hawick, Roxburghshire who will be putting the bull to work on 30 Luing cows to breed the increasingly popular Sim Luing.

With a nifty sale one-two, the Gwynnes also sold the day’s Reserve Champion, Chestermann Lexus 20 for 6,000gns to Aucheneck Estates, Killearn, Stirlingshire. Also September 2020 born, Lexus 20 is another by Chestermann Gibble EX93 and this time out of Chestermann Empire Tracey 2 VG86. The 50 breeding female Chestermann herd are regular consignors at Carlisle Simmental Sales and have secured numerous Championships at this corresponding fixture over the years with their first being back in 2006 with Chestermann Siegfried.

Some quality pedigree Simmental females from the Tidkin and Jet Herds met with a strong demand from a busy ringside and sold to a top of 5,000gns for the 2017 born Tidkin Natalie’s Illusion, who was sold with her third calf at foot, the Clonagh Lexus P sired heifer calf, Tidkin Natalie. Tidkin Natalie’s Illusion is by Auroch Ace and out of Hockenhull Natalie 39th. After a visit to view the night before, the top lot was purchased by Bruce Lambie for his Fallhills pedigree herd at Fallhills Farm, Howgate, Penicuik, Midlothian.

Fifteen Tidkin cows and calves averaged £3,353, with further units making 4,200gns, 4,000gns, and 3,600gns respectively with 10 lots in all in the Dispersal making 3,000gns and more.

Selling at 4,200gns was the March 2019 born Tidkin Katherine who was sold with her first calf at foot, the Clonagh Joker Poker sired Tidkin Molly. Tidkin Katherine is by Clonagh Eclipse Truly and is out of Tidkin Beyonce. Purchasing this unit, and with Tidkin Katherine PD’d in calf to Clonagh Lexus (P), was DF & MG Littlefair for their Crabshires herd at West Farm, Staindrop, Darlington.

The April 2018 born Tidkin Jade made 4,000gns when selling with her Clonagh Joker Poker bull calf at foot Tidkin Mascot 21. This second calver, PD’d in-calf to Clonagh Lexus (P), is by Clonagh Eclipse Truly, and is out of Tidkin Whisper. Buying this outfit was JA&E Dinwoodie, Aucherbeck Farm, Canonbie, Dumfriesshire.

The Tidkin and Jet herds had a heavy influence of stock bulls used in the herd from the Clonagh herd of Garret Behan, Republic of Ireland. One of these stock bulls, the 2019 born polled bull Clonagh Lexus (P), made 4000gns when selling to the pedigree Eifed herd of Mr DW Jones, Llangoedmor, Cardigan, Wales.

AVERAGES:

BSCS MAY SALE

4 Bulls £5,565

3 Heifers £1,820

TIDKIN & JET DISPERSAL SALE

1 Stock Bull £4,200

15 Cows/Hfrs with Calves at Foot £3,353

5 Heifers Served/In-calf £2,541

Tidkin Natalie's Illusion & Heifer calf, Tidkin Natalie 5,000gns.

Judge Ian Wainwright with the May Carlisle Champion and Reserve from the Chestermann Herd.

28,000GNS ISLAVALE MAGNUM FIRES

STIRLING SIMMENTAL BULL SALE TO A NEW BREED RECORD AVERAGE OF £7,559, UP £1,597 ON THE YEAR

New Simmental Breed

Record average of £7,559 for 45 Bulls, and up by £1,597 on the year

Two Bulls over 20,000gns, with 10 bulls over 10,000gns in all, and 29 at 5,000gns and above

Average £13,500

The March 2021 born Islavale Magnum from WS Stronach, Berryleys Farm, Keith, Banffshire sold for 28,000gns to fire the Simmental bull trade to a new breed record sale average of £7,559, up by a remarkable £1,597 on the year, at the breed’s October Sale held at United Auctions Stirling on Tuesday 19th October 2022.

With commercial producers competing fiercely with pedigree breeders for the quality bulls on offer, two bulls made over 20,000gns with ten in all over the 10,000gns mark and twenty-nine at 5,000gns and more. The total Simmental sale gross on the day came to £366,315.

A tremendous team of Islavale bulls broke new ground for this prolific Simmental herd with the 28,000gns topping their previous sale best of 24,000gns and seven bulls in all selling to an incredible average of £13,500. Five of the bulls broke the five-figure mark. The sale leader, Islavale Magnum, is by the noted AI sire Team Celtic and is the first calf at sale out of Islavale Harper who herself had stood as the Senior Champion as a yearling heifer at Stars of the Future in 2017. Combining a depth of pedigree with performance figures showing +14 for Maternal (milk), this classy dark red bull was purchased for the Delfur pedigree herd of Delfur Farms, Rothes, Aberlour.

Commenting on behalf of Delfur Farms, which runs a 120-cow herd, new herd manager Garry Patterson said: “This is a big investment for the future, but we were looking for a bull that will put a serious stamp on the herd and help us to take that next step. I thought Magnum was a standout bull the minute I saw him, and with his breeding and performance figures he’s just the full package. We wanted a bull which will click with our females, breathe new life into the herd, and to take that next step. We very much think and hope that Magnum’s daughters will have the potential to do that and produce some first quality bulls at the same time.”

The 28,000gns top price surpassed the Islavale herd’s previous top sale mark of 24,000gns, and the average for the seven bulls sold smashed the previous best for a herd that has been consistently at

Sale grosses

£366,315 Springfield Heifer tops females at 6,000gns

Seven Islavale Bulls

Islavale Magnum 28,000gns.

Denizes Monty 20,000gns.

the top end of Simmental sales over a number of years. Speaking after the sale, and commenting on the bulls they are breeding, Stewart Stronach said: “We breed the type of Simmental bulls that we like and what we think meet the needs of the market. Our aim is to breed correct, big square bulls, good on their plates with plenty of length, free flowing in their locomotion, and with character, style and presence. Our main aim is breeding first quality Simmental bulls for commercial producers and with sales to pedigree breeders a real bonus on top. We’re really delighted with this trade and hope and trust that the bulls sold go on to do well in their new herds.” In addition to the 28,000gns top price, further Islavale bulls sold on the day for 18,000gns; 13,000gns; 10,000gns x 2; 6,000gns; and 5,000gns.

Selling at 20,000gns was Denizes Monty from MA Barlow and Sons, Four Oaks, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancashire. On the previous day this January 2021 born bull placed first in his class, before moving on to secure the Senior Championship and the Overall Supreme Championship in the pre-sale show and in front of the judge Chris Martindale who runs the noted Forsdale herd at Coedfa, Oswestry, Shropshire. Commenting on his Champion Mr Martindale said: “What a modern Simmental bull this is. He’s clean throughout, has a super top line, has width shoulder to shoulder, and a back end to die for. The breed is known for its maternal traits of milk, fertility, and calving ease. A bull like this will retain those advantages and by adding terminal traits just gives you something very modern that ticks all the boxes for breeders and commercial beef producers.”

The Supreme Champion went to Northern Ireland when being purchased by Mr HJW and JC Moore for their noted Omorga pedigree herd at Beragh, Omagh, Co Tyrone and who said: “I’ve seen this bull as a calf and through the summer and he’s just a very modern Simmental. I feel he’s the whole package with the breeding behind him, top figures, full of shape but with style and class. Monty brings new breeding to the herd, and I’m delighted to have bought him.”

For the Barlows the pre-sale show marked a first time Stirling Supreme Championship for their Denizes herd that has previously enjoyed a string of section wins and top prices at Stirling with their highest sale price to date being the 30,000gns Denizes Lancelot in February of this year. Denizes Monty is by the noted Denizes Hamish who had previously sired bulls up to 9,500gns (with his first twelve sons at Stirling averaging 7,500gns), and who is out of the herd’s highly noted Auroch Eve. Monty is out of Denizes Trixi-Belle 6th who herself is the mother of Denizes Impressive, the sire of the sale’s Reserve Supreme, Popes Matchmaker. Through the summer Denizes Monty had stood as Junior Male and Reserve Male at the Royal Highland Show, and he was sold with strong performance figures for calving ease, gestation length, and Maternal (milk).

Speaking after the sale, British Simmental Cattle Society General Manager Iain Kerr said: “It’s great to see a Simmental sale with an average of over £7,500gns, a new record mark, and continuing a series of strong sales and averages for the breed over this past year. There were breeders buying bulls today, but the trade was underpinned by commercial producers competing for the bulls of their choice and willing to pay five figure prices. The Simmental is a maternal mainstay of the UK suckler herd and the efficiency of females in milk, fertility and easy calving, combined with growthy, fast finishing progeny is just adding up for commercial producers. We would have liked to have seen more bulls sold but there was a strong demand for the quality lots of offer and we have to be mindful

Coltfield Murray 11,000gns.

Islavale Mint 18,000gns.

Delfur Maverick 16,000gns.

Corskie Mikah 11,000gns.

of the continued move to spring calving, and farmers taking time to consider at present in a very cost-conscious moment for the industry.” A further seven bulls were sold after the sale and up to 7,000gns.

The Junior Champion came in the shape of Islavale Mint, who went on to sell for 18,000gns to Crudie Farming Company, Crudie Farm, Arbroath, who run the 45 cow Crudie pedigree herd alongside a predominantly Simmental commercial herd of 120 cows, and with 30 Blue Greys. The April 2021 born Islavale Mint is by the noted herd sire Corskie Highlander, who has previously had calves up to 15,000gns, and is out of Islavale Amber 5 VG 86, an Islavale Echo daughter. With an emphasis on ease of calving, milk, fertility and temperament, the Simmental is the go-to breed for Crudie both commercially and pedigree, and herd manager Kenny McKeague was delighted with their purchase: “Islavale Mint is a very typical Simmental bull with what we’re looking for to add to the herd. He has a tremendous top line, is very square, has a good leg in every corner, and with a lot of breed character in his head. He’ll go home for a period of isolation, and we’ll aim to put him to some cows come March time.”

Immediately recouping a little of their outlay on the top price purchase was Delfur Farms, Rothes, Aberlour when they made 16,000gns for Delfur Maverick the second prize bull in the third class of the day. March 2021 born, Delfur Maverick is sired by the 10,000gns Woodhall Instinct 17, a previous Stirling Junior Champion, and is out of the Auchorachan ACDC sired Delfur Denise, one of the top and easiest calving lines in the herd. Again with a depth of breeding, and strong figures including a +11 for Maternal (milk), this bull was purchased in a two way split between the Fallhills herd of Bruce Lambie, Fallhills Farm, Penicuik, and the Innerwick herd of Mr and Mrs L Moffatt, Innerwick Farm, Dunbar, East Lothian. Speaking after the sale Bruce Lambie said: “I am really delighted to buy a share of this bull and he was my number one pick of the sale. He ticked all the boxes for both Dorothy (Moffatt) and I being a long clean bull with great shape and with good legs and feet. This is the first time that I have purchased a bull with Dorothy. There’s a family connection and the same high health status in the herds, and Dorothy helped me get a start in the breed in 2013 when I purchased my first two heifers from her”.

Another strong team of Simmental bulls came from the noted Corskie herd of Mr WJ and J Green, Corskie, Fochabers, Garmouth, who made 11,000gns; 10;000gns; 7,500gns; 6,500gns; and 5,500gns respectively to gross £42,525 and at a cracking average of £8,505. Leading the way was the 11,000gns Corskie Mikah who placed first in the second class of the day. Arriving at Stirling with a strong show record behind him, Corskie Mikah had placed Reserve Simmental Junior Male Champion and Reserve Interbreed Beef Breeder Champion at the Royal Highland Show in June and went onto be Junior Male Champion and Reserve Overall Junior Champion at the Scottish National Show, at the Black Isle. Sired by Kilbride Farm Haka and out of the Dirnanean Bradley daughter Corskie Elissa VG 88, this bull was purchased jointly by J Milne and Son, Oldwhat Mains, Turriff, and David Ross and Fiona Shand, who run the Fortmartine herd at New Deer, Turriff.

Also selling at 11,000gns was Coltfield Murry, from JC MacIver, Wester Coltfield, Forres, Moray. Bred out of Coltfield Izzie G 79, who goes back to Newbiemains Cocaine, he is sired by the 14,000gns Rockytop Invader. The May 2021 born Murry, successfully shown through the summer, was purchased for export by the well known Garret Behan who runs the 65-cow Clonagh Simmental herd in

Corskie Monarch 10,000gns.

Islavale Mojo 10,000gns.

Islavale Maximus 10,000gns.

Sway Monarch 8,500gns.

Portlaoise, Republic of Ireland. A long-time purchaser of British Simmental bulls, going back to his purchase of the 8,500gns Banwy T-Rex at Perth in November 2007, Mr Behan was delighted with his new acquisition, and commented: “We focus on bulls with feminine traits and showing and sales are a huge part to the herd’s success. Throughout the years and in particular the last ten the herd has, we think, achieved unrivalled success. In the past nine National Irish finals the herd has claimed the overall title at six of them including the champion and reserve in 2010”.

Three bulls were sold for 10,000gns, and with the first being another from the Corskie team in the shape of Corskie Monarch, and who had stood second in his class to the aforementioned Corskie Mikah. Buying this bull was J Barclay and Son for their Whiteknowes herd at Ardiecow Farm, Fordyce, Banff. Also sired by the 10,000gns Kilbride Farm Haka, he is bred out of Corskie Highness VG 86, a daughter of the 45,000gns Bel Dhu Capercaillie, and one of the best and most consistent cow families within the herd. Commenting on his purchase, Mr Barclay said, “This is the first Corskie bull we have purchased, and we were looking to bring some new bloodlines into our stock. He looks a good strong bull, and I really liked his back pedigree. Monarch will be working alongside our other four Simmental bulls and over the 270 head suckler herd. Calving in the spring and autumn, we keep around 50 heifers for replacements to our mainly purebred Simmental suckler herd and sell the others finished to Morrisons”.

The two further bulls at the 10,000gns price, both came from Islavale team of the Stronach family. Islavale Mojo, a March-2021 born bull was the first through the ring and was snapped up by Pitgaveny Farms, Elgin, Morayshire, for their Pitgaveny herd. A previous purchaser of Islavale genetics, Mojo again caught their eye after he stood first in his class in the pre-sale show, and in front of Islavale Magnum the day’s top price bull. Islavale Mojo is by Curaheen Giant, who has bred Stirling champions in the past for Islavale, and is out of the Popes Laird daughter Islavale Britney Ex 94. Islavale Mojo carried a Maternal (milk) figure of +9. The Stronach’s other 10,000gns bull was the blue ticket winner and April 2021-born Islavale Maximus. This calf is a son of the popular Irish bred AI bull Dermotstown Delboy E92 and is out of Islavale Chloe Ex 91, a daughter of the 15,000gns Atlow Dixon Ex 91. With both muscle and milk, Islavale Maximus goes to work with the high-end commercial herd of A and J Craig, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, who are again repeat buyers from the Islavale herd.

All the way from Hampshire, and in what was the herd’s first time at Stirling was Mr and Mrs S and L Blomfield, Lymington, with their February 2021 born bull Sway Monarch 21 (PP). This bull brought something different to the sale with him being the only homozygous polled bull in the catalogue and, despite being full homebred, featured some Czechoslovakian and Canadian bloodlines in his pedigree. By the homozygous polled Sway Kingsman 19 (PP), and out of Sway Babycham (P), the long trip reaped its reward when Sway Monarch made 8,500gns in selling to the Dargill pedigree herd of J C McLaren and Partners, Knox House, Crieff, Perthshire.

The first of two bulls through the ring at 8,000gns was the presale show Reserve Supreme and Intermediate Champion Popes Matchmaker from the noted Popes herd of JH and VG Wood, Popes Farm, Dutton, Lancashire which comprises of 60 cows and followers with 80 to calf. Full of breeding, performance, and figures, Popes Matchmaker is by Denizes Impressive who is out of Denizes Trixi-Belle 6th, the mother of the 20,000gns Supreme Champion and the same breeding line as Popes Laird. Matchmaker’s dam is the noted Popes Whispers Della whose dam line goes back to Greenside Whisper. With a Maternal (milk) figure of +12, Matchmaker is another bull who has had great success in the show ring this season, being crowned Reserve Junior Interbreed Champion and the Simmental Male and Junior Champion at the Great Yorkshire show in July. Heading all the way to Cornwall, this bull was purchased by Steve and Gill Gummow, to work in their well-known Killiworgie Simmental herd in Newquay. Killiworgie Simmentals have bred five figure bulls at Stirling, are prolific herd competition winners in Cornwall and the South-West, and this year won the 2022 Simmental Virtual Show competition.

Matching the 8,000gns price tag and snapped up by Snaigow Farming, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was the April 2021-born Team MacGregor, a heterozygous polled bull by Lopemede Gregg and out of Team Melody, a daughter of the 10,000gns Auchorachan Winger. Team MacGregor, with strong figures for calving ease and a Maternal (milk) figure of +9, was bred and exhibited by Mr R J Macgregor, Perth, Perth and Kinross.

A small but high-quality offering of Simmental females averaged £3,045 for the eight sold. Topping the lots at 6,000gns was the stylish Springfield Minstrel from Gavin Brown, Penicuik, Midlothian. A 15-month-old heifer out of Woodhall Cheeky and sired by Islavale Jabba, Springfield Minstrel was purchased by JH and VG Wood,

Team MacGregor 8,000gns.

Popes Matchmaker 8,000gns.

Dutton, Lancashire, for their noted Popes herd. Commenting, Vikki Wood said: “This is just a dark red heifer with a lot of class and the type of female that we feel we could breed from for progeny aimed at the Stirling market.”

The Woods went on to purchase four heifers in all from Gavin Brown, with Springfield Melody and Springfield Meg, being knocked down for 4,800gns and 4,000gns respectively, and Springfield Magic at 2,600gns. Melody, a July 2021 born lass, is by the same sire as her 6,000gns shed mate Minstrel, Islavale Jabba, but this time bred out of Springfield Imogen, who goes back to the Irish-born Shiloh Freedom. Springfield Meg, who has been running with Kilbride Farm Landmark, is sired by Team Celtic and is out of Springfield Ivory, who also goes back to Shiloh Freedom. In the pre-sale show of bulls the Springfield herd had one red ticket and went on to sell bulls at 5,500gns, 5,000gns and 4,000gns.

AVERAGES:

45 Bulls £7,559 (+£1,579)

8 Females £3,045

OTHER LEADING BULL PRICES:

7,500gns Lot 646 Corskie Meldrew, sold to M Cruickshank

7,000gns Lot 688 Backmuir Mustang, sold to J & R Stanger

7,000gns Lot 691 Backmuir Macallan, sold to I J Blackhall & Sons

7,000gns Lot 731 Strathisla Mandarin, sold to W J Hollingsworth

6,500gns Lot 647 Overhill House Marshall, sold to McKenzie

Craiglands Ltd

6,500gns Lot 668 Auchorachan Malcom, sold to C & V Fraser

6,500gns Lot 680 Broombrae Monty, sold to A D Sutherland

6,500gns Lot 682 Auchorachan Magic, sold to A P Whyte

6,500gns Lot 733 Corskie Megastar, sold to C H Evans & Sons

6,000gns Lot 694 Islavale Merlin , sold to J Walker & Sons

6,000gns Lot 706 Blackford Mustang, sold to P & M Grant

www.simmentalmarket.co.uk

18,000GNS BRANDANE LU LU HITS THE HIGH NOTE AT SIMMENTAL NEXT GENERATION II SALE

18,000gns

a breed centre record price

Heifers average £5,202, up by £806 on the year, and a new breed centre record average

Overhill House sells to 9,000gns

Jimmy & Kath McMillan, Bradwell Ash, Bury St Edmunds sold the in-calf heifer Brandane Lu Lu for 18,000gns to lead the second staging of the Simmental Next Generation Sale of females and weaned calves at Carlisle’s Borderway Mart on Friday 2nd December.

Getting the sale off to a fast start being the second lot in the ring, this upstanding February 2020 born heifer is by Sterling Gino and is out of Sterling Candy’s FCUK. Purchasing the top price was Reece and Andrew Simmers for their noted Backmuir herd at Keith, Banffshire.

8,000gns

Denizes Eve’s Beauty 7th makes the top maiden heifer price

Islavale leads the weaned calf trade at 6,500gns

Brandane Lu Lu is a full sister to Sterling FCUK Impuls who previously sold to the Backmuir herd for 13,000gns at Stirling in February 2019. At the inaugural Next Generation Sale last year, the Simmers bought the Female Champion, Islavale Lullaby and went on with her to win the Simmental Championship at the Royal Highland Show, and also the Simmental Scottish National Show. Commenting afterwards Reece Simmers, who watched the pre-sale show online and bid by telephone thereafter, said: “We saw Brandane Lu Lu at the Royal Highland this summer and we thought a lot of her sister who has

Brandane Lulu 18,000gns.

identical breeding and who we purchased back in 2019. Brandane Lu Lu is just a quality heifer. She is powerful and has size but is sweet and feminine at the same time. We like the fact that she is due to calf to Atlow Dixon in January and that just gives you a bit of a quicker return. We are looking for ever improving quality over numbers in the Backmuir herd and just to add one or two in that vein when the opportunity arises.” The Backmuir herd presently consists of approximately 80 pedigree cows.

The establishing Next Generation Sale II again saw some breed record marks set, combined with new entrants to the breed buying some of the leading lots on the day. The 18,000gns top price was a centre record for the Simmental breed and eclipsed the 16,000gns price achieved at last year’s sale. Twenty-two heifers sold to average a very healthy £5,202 which was up by £806 on the year, and again a new centre record average for the Simmental breed. Fourteen lots in all made 4,000gns or more and the sale saw a 74% clearance rate. Speaking after the sale, the British Simmental Cattle Society’s General Manager Iain Kerr said: “The Next Generation Sale is a fixture that the Society aims to become established and recognised for offering primarily Simmental females with style, quality, a depth of bloodlines, and full of forward potential. Quality is the key, and with the ready trade and averages for the heifers, I think this second staging of Next Gen is another positive step forward for the breed.”

Richard McCulloch, Over Hill House, Armadale, West Lothian attained the day’s second top price when selling Overhill House Luna for 9,000gns. This December 2020 born heifer offered both quality and a depth of bloodlines being sired by Curaheen Drifter, who has had sons at 21,000gns and daughters to 17,000gns, and being out of Woodhall Bliss, a daughter of the noted Annick Talisker. PD’d in-calf to the herd’s 26,000gns Pistyll Kingsman, this combination of breeding and performance saw Overhill House Luna being snapped up by D&R Holdings, Low Bowhill Farm, Newmilns, Ayrshire. New members to the Society but longer term supporters of the Simmental breed, D&R Holdings have previously bought Simmental females privately from the Corskie herd. Later in the day the same purchasers snapped up the January 2022 born Overhill House Nancy for 6,000gns, and the second top price in the weaned calf section. Earlier this young heifer had placed second in her class to the Champion Weaned Calf in front of the judge Chris Weatherup from the noted Lisglass herd, Ballyclare, Co Antrim. Overhill House Nancy is by the herd’s 24,000gns stock bull Islavale Heston, and is out of the Mohona Fletcher sired Overhill House Isla.

The leading maiden heifer price on the day was the 8,000gns paid for Denizes Eve’s Beauty 7th from the strong team offered by the Denizes herd of MA Barlow & Sons, Four Oaks, Ulnes, Nr Leyland, Lancashire. With outstanding breeding behind her, this March 2021 born heifer has Royal Highland Show Champions as parents, being by the 2018 Champion Blackford Galaxy and out of the multi-title winning dam Auroch Eve who was the Royal Highland Champion in 2015 and 2016, and who was also voted the show’s Simmental Champion of the Decade. Purchasing this animal was RE & SH Steggles, Honingham, Norfolk, for their establishing Wacton pedigree herd. Commenting, Sam Steggles said: “I saw Denizes Eve’s Beauty 7th online and just really liked her. This was reaffirmed when I saw her in the flesh at Carlisle and the combination of looks and depth of breeding is I think a good fit and really suited to the Wacton herd.” The Wacton herd was established in 1973 by Sam’s grandad but was largely bought out in the late 1990’s. Never losing his love for the breed Sam Steggles is re-establishing the Wacton herd and now has

Overhill House Luna 9,000gns.

Heathbrow Girlie's Laurel 7,000gns.

Newbiemains Lady Gaga 7,000gns.

Denizes Eve's Beauty 7th 8,000gns.

eight animals in the herd within the space of a few months. Later in the day a further purchase for the Wacton herd came in the shape of the 4,500gns Brandane Mint from Jimmy and Kath McMillan. This April 2021 born heifer is by Sterling Gino, the same sire as the day’s top price, and is out of the Mendick Butch sired Sterling Bacardi’s Funky. Again with a little bit of homework involved, Sam Steggles had been to view this heifer on farm prior to the sale.

Selling at 7,000gns was the served heifer Newbiemains Lady Gaga from Jim & Patricia Goldie, Newbie Mains Farm, Annan, Dumfriesshire. With ‘different and new bloodlines’ Lady Gaga is by the imported Irish bull Ardunsaghan Kool Kid and is out of the Islavale Cracker sired Moorglen Hit The Diff. Newbiemains Lady Gaga was one of two profile purchases on the day by Ryan Morgan who runs the establishing Swannay pedigree herd at Swannay Farm, By Evie, Orkney. Ryan Morgan purchased at last year’s inaugural sale and was again very impressed with the standard of Simmental cattle on offer at Next Generation II. Of his purchase he said: “I hadn’t seen either of the heifers before arriving at Carlisle but they both just stood out for me straight away. Newbiemains Lady Gaga will fit right in with the Swannay herd and her projected calving date just really works. Ranfurly Stella 13th is a heifer with style and offers some great figures which is something that I look closely at when purchasing any animal.” For the Goldies it was another successful Next Generation Sale and following on from last year’s joint top female price of 9,000gns achieved for Newbiemains Lady Wag.

The aforementioned Ranfurly Stella 13th made 5,000gns for her breeder WD & JD Hazelton, Colhannon House, Dungannon, when selling to Ryan Morgan. October 2021 born this maiden heifer, with a Maternal (Milk) figure of +10, is by the 14,000gns Ranfurly Jackall who was Supreme Champion at Stirling in 2019, and is out of Raceview Fancywinty EX93 from the herd’s noted Matilda Stella family. Featuring figures and breeding, Stella 13th’s dam Raceview Fancywinty has previously bred the 9,000gns Ranfurly Jackpot, and also Ranfurly Stella 12th, the 2022 Reserve Champion Female at Balmoral Show. These two purchases for Ryan Morgan add to the growing Swannay herd of Simmentals and with a forward aim of the herd selling at Society sales in the future. In addition to the pedigree cattle, Swannay Farm carries a commercial suckler herd and also run 400 head of sheep.

Hertfordshire breeders DA&LA Sapsed, High Heath Farm, Codicote, Hitchin made 7,000gns for Heathbrow Girlie’s Laurel when being another purchase by Reece & Andrew Simmers for their Backmuir pedigree herd and who noted her as being ‘a great example of the Simmental breed’. A red ticket winner in the first class of the day, this October 2020 born heifer arrived at Carlisle with a significant show record behind her, having Interbreed honours and a class first prize at the Simmental English National Show, and a further first prize at the Royal Norfolk. Heathbrow Girlie’s Laurel is by Scotland Hill Cairo 11 EX91, and is out Heathbrow Girlie’s Ivy VG88, part of the Hockenhull Girly family that has bred very well at Heathbrow. Girlie’s Laurel was sold PD’d in-calf to Heathbrow Important who won the online European Simmental Bull of the Year in 2019. The sale of Heathrow Girlie’s Laurel is a taster of the quality within this 40-cow herd which will be dispersed, due to retirement, at Stirling in the autumn of 2023.

A much-anticipated entry was the youngest calf in the catalogue in the shape of Islavale Nestle from the Islavale herd of WS Stronach, Berrleys Farm, Grange, Keith, and she didn’t disappoint when lifting

Islavale Nestle 6,500gns.

Overhill House Nancy 6,000gns.

Popes Nightrider 2,500gns.

Denizes Matilda 8th 6,000gns.

the Champion Weaned Calf title and going on to sell for 6,500gns, the top price for a weaned calf on the day. Sired by Coose Lincoln, and out of the Curaheen Bandit daughter Islavale Elisha EX93, Islavale Nestle arrived at Carlisle having recently won the Junior Female Championship at the Stars of the Future Calf Show in Stirling. With a +8 figure for Maternal (Milk), this young calf was snapped up by the noted Popes herd of JH&VG Wood, Popes Farm, Clitheroe Road, Preston, Lancashire. Commenting, Jimmy Woods said: “We had seen photographs of Islavale Nestle from the Stars of the Future show and thought she looked a lovely feminine calf. When we saw her, she really is a sweet heifer, full of character, and will hopefully go on to prove to be a real asset in the Popes herd. As always, genetics play a big part in our choice of animals to purchase and we like Nestle’s breeding on both sides of her pedigree.”

The winner of class two in the females was Denizes Matilda 8th (P) from the MA Barlow & Sons team, and who went on to sell for 6,000gns to a further new breeder James Anderson & Son, Headshaw Farm, Oxton, Lauder, Berwickshire. A blood red heifer from the herd’s noted Matilda family being out of Denizes Matilda

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

2, Denizes Matilda 8th is by the homozygous polled bull Slievenagh International 17 (PP). April 2021 born, Denizes Matilda 8th was a class winner at the 2021 Simmental Calf Show at the Borderway Agri Expo. With a very solid day’s trading the Denizes herd sold heifers at 8,000gns, 6,000gns, 4,000gns, and 3,500gns through the sale.

Taking first prize in class three was Islavale Topaz 18 from WS Stronach, Berrleys Farm, Grange, Keith, and who went on to make 5,000gns when selling to the Delfur herd of Delfur Farms, Rothes, Aberlour. Entirely homebred this heifer calf is by Islavale Echo 2 13 EX92 and is out of Islavale Topaz 11 GP83. The Topaz line is noted as being one of the best breeding families in the herd and with Islavale Topaz 18 herself having a Maternal (Milk) figure of +7.

Averages

22 Heifers served or maiden £5,202.27

2 Bull Calves £2,362.50

5 Heifer Calves £3,759.00

Semen for Private Sale from Society Members

PROMOTIONAL GOODS 2023

Personalisation of selected items available @ £5.00 per item up to 15 characters. All prices listed are inclusive of VAT. Postage costs available on application. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery.

To place your order please contact the Society office by phone on 02476 696513 or by email at information@britishsimmental.co.uk

CALVING SURVEY ON

Colours:

Colour: Grey One Size

Colours: Navy / Green / Burgundy One Size

Colour: Red One Size

PEDIGREE BULL LEVY SEMEN (ROYALTY) SCHEME

The Society’s levy scheme enables semen from a bull to be sold for both pedigree and commercial use at a standard price. The owner of the bull can set a levy price over and above the cost of the semen. This means that if the semen is used for a pedigree registration, then the levy fee is charged to the breeder of the calf. The Society’s ILR2 system automatically collects this fee and credits it back the owner of the levy bull on a quarterly basis.

The scheme gives the opportunity for sensible and realistic pricing to both the pedigree breeder and commercial producer, and the opportunity for extended choice and increased use of the given bulls. If you have a bull that you would like to enter onto the scheme, then please email information@britishsimmental.co.uk for an application form and further information. Only bulls that have not

had semen distributed from them for either pedigree or commercial use are eligible for entry to the scheme. A levy fee is charged for calf registrations from both AI and natural service.

*Please note that the entry fee to place a bull on the Society’s Levy (Royalty) Scheme is £100+VAT.

Bulls registered under the Pedigree Bull Levy (Royalty) Scheme are listed below. Members should note that the pedigree registration levy is additional to the purchase of semen and payment must be made to the Society at the time of registration either by direct debit for TelReg/Online, or by cheque for paper registrations. Owners of the Levy Rights receive payment on a quarterly basis from the Society.

MEMBERSHIP & REGISTRATION FEES

Effective from 1st April 2023

Due to the Society’s charitable status the Membership Subscription fees are not subject to VAT on the full amount and therefore the proportional breakdown has been clearly stated.

is split into Vatable and Non Vatable totals

Total is £850.00 & is split into Vatable & Non Vatable Totals ( Joining Fee & Prefix Registration included )

Total is split into Vatable & Non Vatable Totals

below

notified ( please see below for conditions

(Cannot be processed

Birth Notification can ONLY be processed 27 days from the date of birth, no late Birth Notifications will be accepted. Calves born dead should be notified free of charge. Calves sired by a breed other than Simmental should be notified as Performance only at the rate of £1.26. We encourage all Performance recording members to record all births but please note Performance only records CANNOT be taken up to full registration at any time. Freemartins should be Birth Notified within 27 days of birth and must be registered within 12-36 months maximum. Please contact the BSCS for further information.

Including Republic of Ireland ) to be entered into the British Simmental Herdbook

CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP ( Payable by Purchaser ) Sale / Private

including

* Transfer of Ownership form/s must be completed for privately sold animals *

UPGRADING ( Grade inspection of animal on farm )

following the year of Registration )

LATE REGISTRATION MATRIX

• The following pricing matrix and late penalties will apply to all members who are registering calves under these circumstances.

• Calves not registered within the 27 days after date of birth are subject to the fee schedule below.

• Cattle may be registered after 12 months of age, subject to proven DNA parentage testing.

• Please note the fee that is quoted includes the parentage test for the calf only. The DNA typing of the Sire and Dam is £27.50 + VAT, if not already on file

• Please contact the Registration Department to process any registrations over twelve months of age as this cannot be processed on-line. 1-3 Months

Registrations that are received after 27 days of birth will then fall into the pricing matrix for late fees

Months

Birth Notification fee £12.00 plus the 12 month registration fee of £65.41

Birth Notification fee £12.00 plus the 12 month registration fee of £65.41 plus late penalty fee of £18.90 ( £15.75 + VAT )

Months

Birth Notification fee of £12.00 plus the 12 month registration fee of £65.41 plus late penalty fee of £37.80 ( £31.50 + VAT)

Over 12 Months Previously Birth Notified

Over 12 Months NOT Previously Birth Notified

£250 + VAT = £300 £400 + VAT = £480

This includes the cost of the DNA test for the calf. Sire & Dam tests are not included and are £27.50 + VAT each if the profile is not already on our file.

This includes the cost of the DNA test for the calf. Sire & Dam tests are not included and are £27.50 + VAT each if the profile is not already on our file.