Charolais bulls sold well at Stirling, although the trade was slightly restrained among the younger bulls.
The normal trend sees higher prices in the junior classes, but 2014 was the exception. Out of 191 bulls through the ring 139 sold to average £6,538, a drop of £410 on the February sale last year when 174 sold. The clearance rate for 2014 worked out at 73%.
British Charolais Cattle Society chief executive David Benson noted that money was a little tighter for the year, with some buyers having a definite upper limit.
Nonetheless the sale produced the highest average of all the spring bull sales at Stirling this month, and also exceeded the Limousin average at Carlisle the previous Saturday.
Society president Alisdair Houston said: “There used to be a multiplier which put the value of a bull at 10 times the value of a yearling stot. Good Charolais-sired cattle of that age are making £1,200, so that surely makes the bulls today look good value.”
Welsh vet and Charolais breeder Esmor Evans normally manages to match quantity with quality at the Stirling Bull Sales, and yesterday was no exception.
His overall and intermediate champion easily justified its rosettes by soaring quickly to 25,000 gns before being knocked down to Ronnie Baillie, Biggings, Deerness, Orkney.
Maerdy Hasse from Mr Evans’ 200-strong Maerdy herd had the attraction of a new bloodline, being among the first batch of bulls to be sired by the French bull Darkvador. Hasse is out of the Vald’or ra daughter Maerdy Dredge.
It wasn’t to be Mr Evans’ top price, though, with the second-prize Maerdy Hearthrob bid strongly to 26,000 gnsselling in a three-way split to the Campbells of Thrunton, Alnwick, Bill Bruce of Balmyle, Meigle, and Bob Adam, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar.
Hearthrob also has Vald’or-ra blood in him, but on the paternal side through his sire Maerdy Dynamite. Maerdy Beauty, Hearthrob’s dam is a Royal Show female champion and Royal Welsh interbreed champion.
Another by Maerdy Dynamite sold for 15,000 gns, to Jack Nicol and family at Mornity Farms, Alyth. Maerdy Hwre is out of Maerdy Ulm daughter Maerdy Brat.
By the end of the sale Mr Evans had sold seven bulls to gross just above £92,000.
It turned out to be a red-letter day for the Millar family of Lochend, Port of Menteith, Stirling. Iain, wife Rhona and daughter Katreen have had successes in the past with their 25-cow Lochend herd, but seeing their reserve senior bull Lochend Hickory bid to 22,000 gns marked a high point. This was a record price for the Millars.
The buyer was Adrian Ivory, Strathisla Farms, Meigle, for use on his Cardean herd.
The 21-month-old Hickory is by the 10,000 gns Mortimers Echo and out of Lochend Uptowngirl, the dam of noted sires Lochend Rasper and Lochend Apache.
George Henderson and son Gary, Revallagh, Bushmills, Co Antrim, were also well into the five-figure deals, with Sandelford Harrison selling for 17,000 gns to Carlisle breeder Peter Vasey for use in his Edenhurst herd.
This one is by the Dingle Hofmeister son Goldies Usher and out of Sandelford Seles. He is a full brother to the 11,000 gns Sandelford Duggan, 9,200 gnsSandelford Gucci, and the 8,500 gns Sandelford Driscoll.
Father and son John and Raymond Irvine, Inverlochy, Tomintoul, collected 13,000 gns for the intermediate and overall reserve Ballindalloch Hero, a bull bred by Raymond Irvine and Frank Lawson. Hero is by Lochend Apache and out of Ballindalloch Cameo.The purchaser was pedigree breeder Kenny Riddoch, Corskellie, Rothiemay.
Archie MacGregor and son John, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, had a good day with their consignment, led by the senior bull Allanfauld Hustler, which sold for 13,000 gns to D Morrow, Macosquen, Coleraine.
This is a son of Elgin Davinci, a sire jointly owned by the Allanfauld, Barrance, Corrie and Elgin herds and out of Gretnahouse Noel daughter Allanfauld View.
The second-prize Allanfauld Highlight from the MacGregors was knocked down for a healthy 12,000 gns to Mr Howells, Wales.
This one is by Woodpark Elgin and out of Allanfauld Delight. Archie Macgregor noted that Woodpark Elgin was a bull that he was happy to use on heifers.
J&C Wylde, Martland, Bridgewater, Somerset, saw their Beanhill Echo son Martland Heavyweight come under the hammer at 11,000 gns, selling to A&D Renwick, Keppoch, Dundonnell.
The senior champion, Sackville Hercules from BA&PT Heath, Culvers Farm, Hatfield, was also an 11,000 gns transaction selling to CG McGillivray, Auchascraw, Ballindalloch.
Hercules is by Balmyle Bollinger and was breed champion at last year’s South of England Show.
Peter Vasey was back in the action as a vendor, fetching 10,000 gns for his second-prize Edenhurst Heritage, a son of the 10,000 gns Ratoary Ferguson.
The buyer was CG Greig (Farms) Ltd, Pitlochie, Gateside, Fife.
The final five-figure deal of the day saw Major Walter, Balthayock, Perth, selling to RJ&B Milne, North Bethelnie, Old Meldrum, for 10,000 gns.
One of the youngest bulls in the sale at just under 17 months, Balthayock Haakon had the best performance figures in the catalogue with a Terminal Sire Index of +78 and a Self Replacing Index of +71. Haakon is by Swalesmoor Cracker.
Champions were as follows:Judge: Roy Milne, Kennieshillock, Lhanbryde, Elgin.
Senior: BA and PT Heath, Culvers Farm, Hatfield, with Sackville Hercules by Balmyle Bollinger.
Senior reserve: Iain Millar, Lochend, Port of Menteith, Stirling, with Lochend Hickory by Mortimers Echo.
Intermediate and overall: Esmor Evans, Monfa, Mold, with Maerdy Hasse by Darkvador.
Intermediate reserve and overall reserve: John and Raymond Irvine, Inverlochy, Tomintoul, with Ballindalloch Hero by Lochend Apache.
Junior: Esmor Evans with Maerdy Hwre by Maerdy Dynamite.
Junior reserve: W Elliott, Mullaghbane, Co Fermanagh, with Mullaghbane Highland by Mowbraypark Orlando.
Female: Michael Durno, Auchorachan, Glenlivet, with Glenlivet Hooray by Thrunton Explosive.
Female reserve: Michael Durno with Glenlivet Hopeful by Thrunton Explosive.