Taking Stock

Next month sees one of the leading suckler herds of Limousin cattle in the country go under the hammer.

The G E Robertson and Co autumn calving herd, comprising 131 autumn calving cows and heifers, as well as three stock bulls, will be sold on 19th May, at Stamford Farm, Embleton in Northumberland.

The stock are quality bred from pedigree bulls bred from the Shammas, Hartside and Scorborough herds.

The sale has arisen as a result of the restructured farming enterprise which makes the autumn calving herd surplus to the needs of the Robertson sons - Iain and David, who have decided to split the partnership and trade independtly with individual spring calving herds.

The full sale will include:
110 cows/heifers nearly all with autumn born calves at foot, majority of which are back in calf and due this October (predominatly Limousin cross, with about 35 Angus crosses)
3 heifers, PD to calf in September/October
18 in calf Angus cross heifers
3 bulls.

The sale kicks off at 11am, for further details contact George F White.

Beef Expo may be the technical event of the beef industry, but once again it was the show of suckled calves which drew the crowds.

Judge for the day was Hugh Dunlop and it was no surprise his task took him a little longer than expected, with a wealth of quality calves before him.

Having caught the eye of noted Smithfield champion exhibitor Mr Dunlop the minute she walked in the ring, the Belgian Blue x Limousin heifer Black Beauty from Tecwyn Jones sparkled in the lightweight heifer class, to go on and take the Continental heifer championship and overall title.

Described as being in just the right condition for this time of the show season, Mr Dunlop told Taking Stock he had no hesitation in selecting the animal as his champion. "I came here not knowing whether I would place a suckled calf or a well fleshed animal, but she had my attention right from the start, oozing great style, ring presence and fantastic locomotion."

The 402kg, nine month old heifer from Carmarthenshire-based Mr Jones, who also runs 45 pedigree Welsh Black's under the Seisiog prefix, was bought privately for an undisclosed figure from noted show cattle producer Trefor Jones. Black Beauty next heads for the Royal Welsh and will ultimately end up at the Welsh Winter Fair.

Hexham and Northern marts had forward an entry of 105 beef breeding cattle at their second special May sale.

Althogh heifers with calves at foot were a mixed selection with quality outfits short of requirements, the sale was topped at £1500 for an outstanding Limousin x Friesian heifer with a three quarter bred Limousin bull calf from Morrow Edge.

Cows with calves sold to £1150 for a Limousin cross 5th calver with a three quarter bred Limousin bull calf from Warden Law.

Bulling heifers were a useful selection selling to £790 for Limousin x Friesian heifers from Oaktree Farm, Bedale.

Good quality beef cows and calved continue to meet a strong trade, with last Wednesday's sale at Newport Market topping at £1160 for a Belgian Blue cross cow and her March born Limousin sired heifer calf.

Meanwhile, native crosses traded at a top off just under £1000, with a smart 2003-born Hereford cross cow and her April-born Limousin cross steer calf making £910.

A flying trade was also seen for in-calf cows and they topped at £780 for a Belgian Blue cross, while Hereford cows peaked at £770.

A pedigree Limousin bull had drawn a large number of admirers and was finally knocked down at £2050 after some fierce bidding.

Averages: 29 cows and calves - £825; 2 in-calf cows - £720; 1 stock bull - £2,050.

A new centre record was set last week at Borderway Mart, Carlisle for suckler cows. Top price of the day was a British Blue heifer with a Blue calf at foot from Mr J McAlister of West Thomaston, Bonnybridge. The outfit sold for £2700 to Mr S Graham, Millerhill, Gilsland, Carlisle.

There were plenty of new investors backing the future of Hereford cattle at the dispersal of the Llancillo Hall herd at Pandy in south Herefordshire last week where the strong family lines behind this herd were bought both as foundation stock and to enhance new herds on a day that took bidding to 3600gns.

 And buyers weren't cherry picking. Nigel Hooper, relatively new to white-faced ranks, claimed eight lots for his Hooper Hereford herd at Suckley, Worcester paying up to 2200gns.

But it was the four-year-old cow Llancillo Hall Beatrice 3 - suckling her autumn-born heifer calf - that proved to be the most fancied lot. She topped the trade and heads for Oxfordshire with M Ludgate who runs the Rempstone herd at Thame.

He was a keen bidder determined to fill his wagon and bought another further four lots including the six-year-old cow Llancillo Hall Beatrice 11taken at 1600gns. She was carrying an ET-bred calf out of the sale topper.