Kirkby Stephen Annual May Sale of Breeding Cattle

Harrison & Hetherington, Kirkby Stephen Mart held their annual May Sale of Beef Breeding cattle.

The sale topped at £11,500 for a Limousin Breeding Bull from Messrs Preece, High House Farm, Kirkby Lonsdale which was purchased by Messrs Robertson, Pitlochry.

Topping the outfits was a second calved Limousin cow with a Limousin heifer calf at foot which sold for £7600 from Messrs Wilson, Corby Hill, Carlisle and was purchased by Messrs Clark, Strathpeffer.

We had the pleasure of hosting the dispersal of the renowned Crookholm Herd on behalf of Kay, Andrew and Scott Watson with the consignment topping at £7000 for a British Blue heifer with bull calf at foot selling to Messrs Pennie, Montgomery.

This home also sold a nine year old Limousin cross cow with a heifer calf at foot which was back in calf to make £6700 selling to Messrs Allen, Thornton le Dale.

Our judge at the pre sale show, Jake Stoddart awarded the first prize rosette to a Limousin heifer with heifer calf at foot from Messrs McAlister, Wester Thomaston which went on to sell for £7000 selling to Messrs Clark, Strathpeffer.

Messrs McAlister was also awarded the second prize rosette for a British Blue heifer with a bull calf at foot selling which sold to £6800 purchased by Messrs Hardisty, Ennerdale. This home sold another two outfits over £6000 with a Limousin cow with bull calf selling to £6400 and a British Blue cross heifer with a heifer calf at foot selling to £6300.

The consignment of five Limousin and British Blue cross heifers with calves at foot sold to average £6400.

Incalf heifers sold to £3900 for a British Blue from Messrs Millar, Crookholm selling to Messrs Allen, Thornton le dale, with this home selling Limousin incalf heifer to £3650 also selling to Messrs Allen.

A packed ring side of potential buyers were present with many leaving empty handed which resulted in a flying trade with heifers and calves averaging £4409.66, cows and calves averaged £4112.50, with an overall outfit average of £4406.73 which is up £1061.28 on the year, fifteen outfits sold above £5000.

A run of five homebred Limousin cross Friesian bulling heifers sold to average £2200 from Messrs Moorhouse, High House, Kendal.

A batch of cross bred embryos from Messrs Millar was included in the dispersal sale, sired by Huntershall Tucker crossed with a British Blue cross cow “Gipsy” sold to make £300 per embryo.

Show Results

1st – J McAlister, Wester Thomaston

2nd – J McAlister, Wester Thomaston

3rd – KD & DE Millar & Partners, Crookholm Farm

Leading Prices:

Breeding Bull – Limousin £11500 High House Farm(Preece).

Cows with Calves at Foo t –

Limousin £7600 Corby Hill; £6700;, £5200(2), £5000, £4600, £4500, £4200(2) Crookholm Farm; £4200 Riddings Farm; £4200 Thornbush: Cross Bred Beef £4600 Crookholm Farm.

Heifers with Calves at Foot –

Limousin £7000, £6400 Wester Thomaston; £5300 Prospect Farm; £5000, £4900, £4200(2), £4100 Bents Farm; £5000 Bank House; £4400 Thornbush; £4300 Lockholme Hall; £4200(2) Riddings Farm:

British Blue £7000, £4000 Crookholm Farm; £6800, £6300, £5500 Wester Thomaston; £4500 Paradise Farm

In-calf Cows – Limousin £2750, £2500 Crookholm Farm: British Blue £2200(2) Crookholm Farm.

In-calf Heifers   - British Blue £3900 Crookholm Farm: Limousin £3650 Crookholm Farm.

Bulling Heifers – Limousin £2200(5) High House (Moorhouse).

first placed outfit - (L-R) John McAlister (Consignor), Jake Stoddart (Judge).