Taking Stock

Cantus of Langmo, a son of the British bred poll Charolais bull, Pentervin Universe, has sold for a Norwegian breed record price of 95,000 Norwegian Krones (approximately £10,000) after achieving a national record DLG of 2.116kg per day while on performance test.

Buyers were Rannveig and Tore Solberg who run a 30 cow pedigree herd near Frederickstad, in south east Norway.

The Norwegian Charolais Organisation imported 110 straws of Pentervin Universe from his breeders, David and Sadie Littlehales, who run the 20 cow poll Charolais herd at Minsterley, Shropshire. Three Universe sons were independently selected to enter the Norwegian Beef Breeders' Association's Star test performance station based at Hamar, at an average 200 days of age, toward the end of last year.  

"Cantus of Langmo has demonstrated the highest performance ever by a Charolais bull on the Norwegian performance test station. Furthermore, all Pentervin Universe sons are proving to be easy calving," commented Erling Gresseth who runs the 130 cow Veistad pedigree herd, one of Norway's largest.

"We were in the market for new genetics and Universe, the first poll bull to be imported from UK is proving to be an outstanding success," he said adding: "Charolais superior performance has led the terminal beef sire to grow in popularity over all other native and Continental and recently take pole place with 40% market share."