South Wales and Mid West Limousin Breeders Club
Club Report 2007
Our year started in tremendous fashion with the Carlisle February sale which resulted in a centre record average of £5175 up £1100 on the previous year. One of our Club members had a memorable day, selling at 26,000gns for Cowin Anton from Dyfan, Carol, Rheon and Elliw James- a real family effort! An old Welsh proverb comes to mind – Dyfal donc a dyr y garreg – which broadly translated means – if at first you don’t succeed try and try again! An inspiration to us all I’m sure!
The May Sale at Brecon also broke records – 97% clearance, average up by over £1000 and a new centre record price of 8,000gns for Glangwden Arnie from Chris, Fiona and Mathew Jerman. Auctioneer Chris Jones reported the attendance to be one of the largest audiences ever seen at Brecon market.
The Welsh Beef Quality Initiative has meant that those Club members who have been faithfully recording and scanning for years are now reaping some extra reward for their efforts, and it has been gratifying to see even at the Carlisle sales, Welsh commercial buyers looking to source Welsh breeders’ bulls. The money is there to be claimed for Signet registration fees and towards scanning fees so that we can identify and promote these superior genetics bulls. The buying opportunity window in the Objective 1 area of Wales has been extended to April 2008 with money available to fund the buying of another 100 or so bulls, of which approximately 40% are likely to be Limousin.
Club members were pleased to congratulate our Council representative, Aled Edwards, on being invited to serve another term of office as Chairman of the Society. Further honours were to come as Aled was unanimously elected by member nations as European Limousin President, the first time a British Breeder has been elected as President. A great honour for the breed, the Society and for our Club. Well done, Aled!
It is a very appropriate election, however, because although Limousin cattle are established in over 70 countries in the world, apparently it is only in the UK where Limousin is officially the leading numerical breed – beef or dairy. And in Wales Limousin-sired calves represent a whopping 43% of the total beef registrations compared to 35% nationally. We trust that we can take full advantage of the demand for Limousin cattle in Eastern Europe when exports resume.
Not to be outdone, the Club’s Young Breeders acquitted themselves well at the annual inter-club stock judging at the Royal Show with our Junior Team of David Gethin and Nia Griffiths coming second, and Dafydd Evans and Matthew Jerman competing in the Seniors. Dafydd came second as overall individual and was invited to represent the UK Mainland Team at the very first Anglo-Irish Stockjudging Championship held at the Irish National Ploughing Match in Tullamore. The team were placed first overall with Northern Ireland second and the Republic of Ireland third.
Summer bought uncharacteristic weather and a Royal Welsh Show that saw us battling through the mud in an attempt to show our animals. Limousin entries were again record breaking in terms of quantity and quality and it was notable that despite the difficult conditions, breeders persevered in travelling from Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as England to be present at what has become regarded as a favourite show on their circuit. Championship honours came the Club’s way in the Junior Male section won by Mynach Botswana from Eddie Griffiths & Co. Club members were also able to compete for a new award at the Royal Welsh this year – the L V B Thomas award for the Best Exhibitor Bred Female shown by a breeder residing in Wales, and we are very pleased that the crystal bowl was won by Club members Terry and Dawn Griffiths with Deri Vanessa, with Temeside Angelcake from the Corbett family in Reserve. Little did we realise at the time that for many of us this would be our one and only show of the summer.
So it was fortunate that we had our Club trip to look forward to – and what a trip it was! We took a large coach and over 30 members with us all the way to the Limousin region and stayed at a quaint hotel in La Souterraine, which served us with some delicious traditional dishes. We visited six Limousin herds in a leisurely fashion, including the Broussaud herd which bred the bull that has won the best stock bull in our herd competition for the last three years – Sable in the Mynach herd of Eddie Griffiths & Co. We also attended the National Limousin Show in Argenton and the Interlim sale. Thanks go to Jane Griffiths for organising a very enjoyable trip.
In the absence of any agricultural shows with cattle entries in August it was good to welcome Jim Bloom to judge our herd competition. Following plenty of rain leading to good grass growing conditions, the cattle looked well and Jim was very complimentary regarding the standard of the herds visited in our region.
Our annual Club Sale at Whitland finally took place a month later than usual but continues to go from strength to strength, and Gareth Thomas for JJ Morris succeeded in achieving an almost complete clearance of a very large number of female entries. Top priced female at 2,150gns was Cwmpedran Victoria sold with her Bapton Javelin sired heifer calf at foot from Teleri Thomas. Gethin Jones sold Heol Venus with her Normande Ulpin heifer calf for 1,500gns. In-calf heifers sold to 1,820gns for Cwmpedran Amaqueen from Teleri Thomas and bulling heifers peaked at 1,400gns for Tierston Bracken from Delana Davies.
In the bull ring, prices rose to 2,000gns for an April 2006 born Heros son, Rhonllwyn Bomber, from DC & TD Ingram, who also sold a June born Malibu son, Rhonllwyn Bandit for 1,900gns. Parciau Amarillo, a May 2005 Ronick Member son from Stephanie Roberts made 1,600gns.
When movement restrictions allow we will see the retirement dispersal sale of one our Club’s longest serving members – the Bowers herd of Glyn James founded in 1981. This is a herd that has enjoyed considerable success both with bulls and heifers at Carlisle over the years. We wish Glyn all the best for his retirement.
At the annual dinner of the South Wales & Mid West Limousin Breeders’ Club held at the Castle Hotel, Llandovery, Herd Competition judge, Mr Jim Bloom gave the following placings:
Small Herd section:
1st PARCIAU Miss S. Roberts
2nd ORLLWYN Mr. I. G. Thomas
3rd MARCHGWYN Messrs P.R & J. K. Williams.
Medium Herd section:
1st CWMPEDRAN Miss G.T. Thomas
2nd TIERSTON Mrs. D. B. Davies
3rd PRESELIHILL Mr Vaughan
Large Herd section:
1st COWIN Messrs W. D.D & C. James
2nd ARDBRACK Mr. M. Gethin
3rd DERI Mr. & Mrs. T. B. Griffiths
Extra Large Herd section:
1st MYNACH Mr E. D. Griffiths
2nd DYFRI Messrs D.G & M.J. Edwards.
3rd GRONW Mr & Mrs J. & H. Phillips.
Stock Bull & Progeny:
1st SABLE Mr E. D. Griffiths
2nd PANTIN Messrs D. G & M.J. Edwards
3rd SCORDALE TERRY Mr & Mrs J. & H. Phillips
Best Home Bred Bull under 12 months of age:
1st DYFRI BIONIC Mess. D. G. & M. J. Edwards
2nd MYNACH COGNAC Mr E. D. Griffiths
3rd COWIN BERWYN Messrs W.D.D. & C. James
Best Home Bred Heifer under 12 months of age:
1st CWMPEDRAN BEAUTY Miss G. T. Thomas
2nd ARDBACK BELLTINO Mr. M. Gethin
3rd DYFRI CHARM Messrs D. G. & M. J. Edwards
Best Young Stock:
1st MYNACH Mr E. D. Griffiths
2nd DYFRI Messsrs D. G. & M. J. Edwards
3rd COWIN Messrs W.D.D & C. James
Overall Champion Herd for 2007:
MYNACH Mr E. D. Griffiths
The judge, Jim Bloom, had great pleasure in announcing the overall winner as the Mynach Herd of Mr ED Griffiths. The judge thanked the Club for the hospitality shown to himself and his wife Margaret throughout the Herd Competition. Mrs Delana Davies, Club Chairman, thanked the judge for the time and effort spent judging the competition which was kindly sponsored by Mr Geraint Davies of Pwllygrift.
