Coloured breeds top 4,000gns at Beeston
BY JEREMY HUNT
The passion for “coloured” cattle continues and their popularity was certainly confirmed at Beeston Castle Auction in Cheshire where a large crowd of buyers from across the UK took bidding to a top price of 4000gns.
There was a strong trade at this annual fixture for all breeds on offer but Ayrshire cattle fared extremely well. Ayrshire supporters were treated to an impressive consignment of milking heifers, served heifers and maidens from the Hunnington Herd of west Midlands breeders Chris and Lisa Window of Bromsgrove.
The day’s top call of 4000gns came for Hunnington Sailor Girl 135th, a daughter of Dudley Wood Baldrick bred from four generations of dams classified Very Good or Excellent. She had been calved for seven weeks and had put 30kg of milk in the tank the day before the sale. She goes to Robert Adams, Ford, Shrewsbury.
Hunnington Easled 11th, a daughter of Hunnington Admiral – and the only daughter ever to be sold of the 120 tonne cow Pylon Easled (LP100) (Ex956E) – made 3200gns. Greatly admired by the ringside she is maternal sister to the proven sire Hunnington Mandella and joins the Willholme herd of Pembrokeshire breeders Philip Williams and family at Leweston, Haverfordwest.
The milking heifer Hunnington Naomi, also by Dudley Wood Baldrick, made 2500gns. She’s out of a Pylon dam and was just over two weeks calved. Buyers were P M and L Harris Son, Alkmonton, Ashbourne, Derbyshire who were the sale’s volume buyers taking a total of 21 head. The milking heifers from Hunnington averaged £2607 and the maiden heifers and calves £1700.
Calves from Hunnington were in great demand reaching 3400gns for a daughter of Mandella and out of a VG Admiral dam. This outstanding calf has great show potential and was snapped up by Lancashire breeder Stuart Rimmer of Ormskirk. Hunnington Naomi 3rd, a November 2012 daughter of Admiral and maternal sister
to the 2500 gns Naomi heifer, made 2450 gns to Robert Adams to join his Bigginvale herd at Ashbourne.
At 2400gns the October 2011 bulling heifer Hunnington Astral Maid 2nd, another daughter of Dudley Wood Baldrick, was claimed by Geraint Thomas of Llanelli for his
Gwynnog herd.
Derbyshire breeders G R White of Ilam, Ashbourne sold a top-notch consignment of 11 autumn calving heifers from their Castern herd to a top price of 2400gns. The bid came for Castern Viola 48th, a daughter of Bigginvale Destination who was due to calve in early November. Buyers were Messrs Harris. Her Herdmate, Castern Lorna 11th by the homebred Castern Thunder, realised 2300gns to an undisclosed West Wales breeder. Messrs White’s 11 heifers averaged £2112.
A small entry of Ayrshire bulls sold to a top of 2000gns paid for Hunnington Fantastic. He’s bred from five generations of VG/EX dams from the Fragrance family and joins Ian Patrick’s Garretthall herd at Tyldesley, Manchester.
The day included an offering of Dairy Shorthorns which sold to 1800gns paid for a fresh heifer with two VG dams and consigned by leading Nottinghamshire breeder John Hayward of Tuxford. Buyer was Rob Morgan of Coton, Wem who claimed a smart March calving daughter of Irthingvale Lilian’s Rebel from G and B Bell, Tarporley, Cheshire for 1200gns.
MRI calved heifers reached 1300gns while Brown Swiss calved heifers and Swedish Red heifers peaked at 1420gns. Brown Swiss maiden heifers sold to 1280gns for an eleven month old daughter RNR Payoff Brookings from the Cimarron Herd of Wiltshire breeders Mike and Jayne Edwards of Swindon. Jerseys topped at 1070gns for an entry from Whitegrove Farms, Stafford and a well received consignment of served and maiden heifers from Glanmor Jerseys of Carmarthen sold to 1000gns for a
daughter of Rapid Bay Reagan due in September.
Averages: Ayrshire – 15 calved heifers £2139; 19 served heifers £1872; 12 maiden heifers £1700 and four bulls £1561. Other breeds – 10 calved heifers £1348; eight served heifers £1099; 22 maiden heifers £577.
(Wright Manley)