Buoyant in Ulster
Eager bidders compete for Fintdave herd
By Jeremy Hunt
THE Fintdave prefix offered its entire milking portion to make way for younger stock at Penrith last week where bidding reached 4800gns and 102 head averaged £964.
Owners Messrs D M Hodge Ltd, Buntingford, Herts, represent over 80 years committed black and white breeding in the UK and this opportunity to secure cattle from proven cow families was seized upon by an enthusiastic crowd at The Sale Centre, Penrith.
Top money came for the third calver Meadowfields Victor Tara, a Hanoverhill Victor daughter bred by Willie Hodgson and Son, Whitby.
Sold as heifer
She was originally sold as a heifer to John Morley at the Hodgsons herd dispersal; the Fintdave herd claimed her at 6000gns when she came back on the market at the dispersal of Mr Morleys Crossbutts herd two years ago. She now heads for Sudbury, Suffolk to join Peter Brand Farms.
The same buyers also paid 3000gns for Fintdave Charles Sable 7th to top a select group of heifers included in the sale. Shes bred out of the imported show cow Shearline Starbuck Sable.
And imports found favour with the crowd when bidding rose to 3600gns for Wood Lodge CC Belle, a fifth calver by Carnation Counselor served in December by Robthom Integrity.
She was claimed by G Morgan, Royston, Herts, who also paid 2,500gns for another import, Willowholme Astre Alicia, a 10,800kg third calver.
Welsh call
A contingent from South Wales produced its best with a 2100gns call for the 10-month-old Fintdave Starbuck Linda 6th bred out of the imported Fradon Tab Lynda.
In all there were 27 Excellent and 61 Very Good cows on offer with 60% being imported pedigree breeding stock.
Averages: 102 cows and calved heifers £964 and nine served and maiden heifers £1545. (Norton and Brooksbank).
Charolais bulls find demand is strong
STRONGER confidence from commercial buyers in the beef sector bolstered prices for Charolais bulls at the breed societys show and sale at Welshpool.
The 24 bulls sold averaged £2027 – up £559 on the year. And the top price of 4,200gns was a market record for the breed.
Determined efforts
Determined bidding by mid-Wales suckler herd owners D B Davies and Son, Llanidloes, secured them the days most expensive bull Broadhill Oswald from Staffs breeders Mr and Mrs C Venables.
Another from the same home sold for 1,900gns to W L Hamer, Montogomery.
North Wales vendors R T and D M Roberts, Abergele – who achieved the top price at the Welshpool sale last November – saw their February 1998-bred Brynffanigl Orig make 3,200gns to W T Jones, Tywyn, Gwynedd.
And another stylish young Brynffanigl entry made 2,500gns to G * Roberts, Bettws Y Coed. Both were sired by Thrunton Jura.
The Tullygarley Hero son Montgomery Nicks, from Roberts and Jones, Llangadfan, Welshpool, took the reserve championship and realised 3,200gns to J T and J Lloyd, Knighton, Powys.
Other bids
Other leading bids included 2100gns, one of several good prices paid for bulls from the Gaer herd of local farmer T E Jones. It came for a son of Brampton Fourstar taken by D E Roderick, Brecon. (Morris, Marshall and Poole.).
Brushing up on championship prospects…Michael Williams of Four Crosses, Llanymynech, puts the finishing touches to Ensdon Norman, his 22-month-old bull, ahead of last weeks British Charolais Cattle Society show and sale at Welshpool. It went on to collect the championship title selling at 1700gns to Les Jones of Hereford.
3000gns Pevland
THE dispersal of Pevland Holstein herd saw prices rise to 3000gns for Glos farmers Robert and Beverley Winter who offered 70 head at Berkeley last week.
Sale topper Lansen Mathie Carmee, a January calved heifer by Paradise R Cleitus Mathie and out of a Raider dam, was bought by R R Jones, Radnor.
Epping, Essex, buyer A Nottage secured Cherry Crest Rosalea – one of the most fancied entries – at 2800gns. This VG 86 two-year heifer by Comestar Leader is out of the heavy milking Tab-sired Templedale Rosina K.
And Mr Nottage was in again at 2600gns to take Lansen Raider Charity, with 9,400kg achieved with her second and still giving 25kg a day. She calves in July to Duncan Progress.
A 2,000gns call from A J and J A Dayment, Holsworthy, Devon, secured them the fifth calver Crudwell Counselor Leona 2nd, a 10,300kg cow served in February to Second Look Jolt.
Averages: 45 cows and heifers £1077; six served heifers £689 and three maiden heifers £444. (Gwilym Richards).
Small entry ups prices
A LOWER entry for the Border Counties Holstein Friesian Breeders Club sale at Carlisle helped prices exceeded vendors expectations with heifers levelling at £826.
Top call of 1,500gns came for the bull Annandale Elan from William Armour, Moffat, Dumfriesshire. This Dombinator son is out of a 10,900kg dam by Warden and is bred from the herds Ellen family. He joins the Lockerbie-based Craigbet herd of RLGTaylor.
The female championship went to the second-calver Almondene Biddy 180th, a Boulet Charles daughter out of a Joylan Transit cow from Preston, Lancs, vendors F R Lawson and Sons. At 1,120gns she led the female trade taken by D Smith and Sons, Mauchline, Ayrshire.
The only other four figure bid came from J and W Baillie, Biggar, Lanarkshire, when they paid 1,100gns for Wormanby WA Enid 15th, a calved heifer by a home-bred Aerostar son from local farmer * Hodgson, Burgh By Sands.
Averages: four cows in-milk and/or in-calf £887; 13 heifers in-milk an/or in-calf £826; three bulls £973. (Harrison and Hetherington).
Buoyant in Ulster
NORTHERN Ireland black and white cattle breeders supported the spring sale of Holstein bulls at Portadown with a top price of 1700gns.
Organised by Holstein Northern Ireland, the sales three highest bids came for entries from Harry Patton and Sonss Ards herd with Ards Dynamic, a son of End-Road Leadman Barlo, leading the trade at 1,700gns. He is bred out of the 11,600kg Wiseburrow Starbuck Delia.
Another Ards entry by the same sire realised 1560gns.
And making up the Ards trio at 1550gns was a bull by the Aerostar son Prairie-Belle Gallant.
and out of Ards Tab Ruth from the herds well known Ruth family. (Automart).