South Devons sell to record trade at Stratford
South Devon trade set two new centre records at the society’s Midland Club Sale at Stratford at the weekend.
Bulls exceeded the previous average by £742 to reach £4,410, with a top price of 6,800gns, while 2-year old heifers reached an average of £2,359 and a top call of 3,700gns.
In the yearling section, an 11-month old heifer from the Upper Norton herd sold for a record 3,500gns.
Show Judge, Mervyn Rowe from Menheniot, Liskeard, Cornwall, favoured the bulls when he picked his show champion Lumbylaw Magnus 55.
This March 2011-born animal by Enterprise Condor and out of Lumbylaw Mary 17 was put forward by Robert Lee’s Alnwick, Northumberland herd. The bull went on to sell for the top price of 6,800gns, heading back up north to Mr T R F Smyth, Sunderlandwick Farms, Driffield, Yorkshire.
Other top priced bulls were J P Harrison’s Brafferton Hadrian 22 selling for 5,200gns to K & A Watchorn, Waltham on the Wolds, Leicestershire; D & B Bowley’s AI Ridgemere Mallory selling to M & S Kettlewell, Over Norton, Oxon for 5,000gns; and J White’s Broadwood Inferno selling to W & J McCurdie, Birdingbury, Warwickshire for 5,000gns.
Reserve Show and Female Champion was a February 2011-born heifer from J P Harrison, Tollerton, York – Brafferton Kitty 3, by Brafferton Trooper 11 and from a family that has achieved notable show success. She went on to sell to Mr C Read, Malpas, Cheshire, for 2,400 gns.
Top priced female was J G Williams & Son’s Hopton Ruby 71, by Hopton Maximus which produced the 2012 National Show Male Champion. She sold to D Holt from Harpenden, Herts for 3,700gns. This strong consignment of nine 2 year olds from the Williams herd from Craven Arms, Shropshire, averaged 2,344 gns.
The top priced yearling heifer, Upper Norton Oleander by polled bull Z Arncliffe Desai and from M & S Kettlewell, sold to A & C Farms, Langham, Rutland for 3,500gns, along with Upper Norton Ottie by Welland Valley Hanbury 11 for 2,500gns.
A strong reduction sale of 24 in-calf cows and heifers, and cows with calves at foot, was forward from Mr A Davies, Llanfair Caereinion, Powys. These South Devon-typical sucklers saw a brisk trade from buyers looking for foundation stock, with consignments going to Cornwall, Oxfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and Wales.
Top prices were for Gro Mali 1, a 2009-born cow with heifer calf at foot; and Z Eyton Iesha 2, a polled autumn-calving cow; each selling to C G Roach, St Blazey, Cornwall, for 3,000 gns; followed by two young cows with calves for 2,900 gns, and two at 2,800 gns.
Averages: 12 bulls, £4,410; 16 haltered 2011-born heifers, £2,359; 11 2012-born heifers, £1,523; 17 cows with calves at foot, £2,375 (Kivells)
Author: Aly Balsom