The May 2011-born Limousin bull Garnedd Gower has been sold privately for £30,000 by breeders Messrs KI & E & H Jones, Bryn Ddraenen, Padog, Betws y Coed, North Wales to the pedigree Garyvaughan Herd of CV & EM Lewis, Buttington New Hall, Buttington, Welshpool.
Garnedd Gower is by the Irish-bred stock bull, Bremore Djerk, a Nenuphar son, and is out of the Broomfield Regentcey daughter, Garnedd Blodwen, who goes back to one of the herd’s foundation females, the 1996-born Eden Marianne, a Broadmeadows Cannon daughter. Still breeding in the herd, Marianne also bred the Carlisle May 2006 Junior Champion Garnedd Arbenig (8,000gns), Garnedd Flake (sold privately for £10,000) and Garnedd Uchelgeisiol, dam of both Garnedd Grant (12,000gns Carlisle October 2012) and Garnedd Frank (9,000gns Carlisle October 2011).
Purchasers of Garnedd Gower are Colin & Elaine Lewis, who together with sons Graham and Terry, established the Garyvaughan Herd in 2001 which currently numbers 140 breeding females. Says Colin: “We have been looking for an additional stock bull for quite some time and from the moment we saw Garnedd Gower he ticked all the boxes with his exceptional size, conformation and mobility.”
Messrs Lewis were winners of the Extra Large and Overall Herd awards in the 2012 NW Midlands & N Wales Limousin Club Herd Competition judged by David & Maggie Kelly of Netherhall Limousins. In September, the family took on an additional farm tenancy of 382 acres. Their newly acquired bull will first be used at home before having semen collected on-farm.
The £30,000 price tag represents the highest price achieved to date for the Garnedd Herd which is run by Ken & Ellen Jones along with their son Hefin. The prefix was established in 1998 and the Garnedd Herd currently numbers 50 pedigree Limousin females who run alongside a 40-strong commercial herd.
Ken Jones commented: “We’ve had a really good run this last month and have sold 14 bulls in all at recent sales held at Carlisle, Newark and Welshpool Markets as well as off-farm. In our opinion, this bull is by far the best we have bred and he also has the breeding to go with it.”
In 2011, in what was the British Limousin Cattle Society’s 40th Anniversary year, the Garnedd herd won the North West Midlands & North Wales Regional Club Herd Competition and went forward to the National Finals where they secured the Best Stock Bull award for Attirant.
Within pedigree circles, the Jones Family have secured both a Junior and Senior Bull Championship at Carlisle in May 2006 and October 2010 with the 8,000gns Garnedd Arbenig and the 12,000gns Garnedd Eifion respectively. In May 2012, Garnedd Ffrancon took the Overall Championship and was sold for 10,000gns. Another bull, Garnedd Fferari, sold for 10,000gns on the same day. At this October’s Carlisle Sale they received 12,000gns for Garnedd Grant who is another by the senior herd sire, Attirant.
