Strong demand for Luing
The first major dispersal of Luing cattle was held at Castle Douglas last week, and demand for beef breeding stock pushed the average for cows and calves to £1028.
Alastair Salvesen’s Westwater herd was established in the early 1980s and drew foundation cattle from many of the breed’s most influential lines, including Craigdarroch, Luing, Glengorm, Benhar and Lochay.
The 66 Westwater cows, with calves at foot, reached 1550gns three times with new buyer Billy Renwick of The Glen, Innerleithen.
His first call took a five-year-old cow by Dirnanean Waterloo.
She was suckling a bull calf by Drinkstone Canadian and went home to The Glen with six other lots.
Scott Renwick of Ullapool was another to pay 1550gns for a three-year-old cow by the Dirnanean sire and with a heifer by Canadian at foot.
Mr Renwick has just founded the Lochbroom herd and secured three females on the day.
The third 1550gns call came from Charles Symons, vice-chairman of the Luing Cattle Society.
He claimed a first calver by Monzie Zulu for his herd at Attonburn, Kelso.
She was suckling a heifer calf by Luing Clansman.
The Westwater herd’s sires included Luing Leo, Monzie Robert the Bruce and Dirmanean Kruger and they clearly left their mark.
Several buyers took a wagonload home, but taking most was Rory Bell, who snapped up 24 cows with calves for his new herd at Jedburgh.
Another newcomer to Luing ranks was Bob Vevers from Canonbie, Dumfries.
He bought his first cattle at this venue’s breed society sale in February and was back to claim three more females.
And seven lots were bound for Malcolm McCall’s long-established Kilbrora herd in Sutherland.
Ten bulling heifers levelled at £1073, with the Wilson family from Alnwick, Northumberland, paying 1350gns for a Luing Clansman daughter.
The Wilsons were also first-time buyers and bought six lots as well as paying the top price of 920gns for a registered Simmental-Luing bulling heifer by Dirnanean Hastings.
Pure Luing yearling heifers averaged £664, peaking at 1050gns for a polled daughter of Monzie Zulu, taken by society fieldsman Finlay McGowan for this Dirnanean herd in Perthshire (Wallets Marts).