Red Ruby success sees high of £3,675

A good crowd of buyers attended the annual Devon Connections Sale at Hatherleigh Market. It was Ashott Barton Lillibet VG89, a January 2008 daughter of Cutcombe Millennium, sold with her four month old heifer calf at foot, by Stonegrove Larkspur, that attracted all the attention. Consigned by Mike and Danielle Cowell she sold at £3,675 to Dartmouth breeder Sue Fildes. Essington Buttercup 165th, a June 2004 cow with heifer calf at foot, was sold having been flushed and embryos exported to America for Drake Brothers as part of their dispersal selling to Donhead Hall Estate Shaftsbury at £3,360.

The same buyer/vendor combination then saw Essington Buttercup 172nd , a November 2006 daughter of Cutcombe Jubilee, with her February 2013 born heifer calf sell at £2,835. The Cowells also sold a home bred Gabrielle with bull calf at foot to David and Diane Oke Hatherleigh at £2,992.

The in-calf heifers sold well with Ivan Rowe’s (Goldings- Penzance) consignment selling to £1,239 to Westaway and Payne Cullompton. Wayne Copp sold heifers from his Organically registered Twitchen Herd to £1,281. Maiden heifers, served by the breed’s most influential sire in recent times Thorndale Assiratti EX92, for May Farming Partnership Crediton met a strong trade with two heifers selling to Mrs PA Maxse Barnstaple at £1,418 each. The consignment of 20 heifers, 15 – 18 months old averaged £1,093.50. 141 Head passed through the ring, Andrew Lane MRICS FAAV said “it was a great sale with great enthusiasm for the breed. There were three new herds established”
Averages:
Cows & Calves £1,956
In-calf cows £1,348
In-calf heifers £1,017
Maiden heifers £933
Auctioneers: Andrew Lane Ltd & Vicks