The Nottinghamshire-based Coachhouse pedigree Limousin herd of the Heald farming family had a field day at CCM Skipton’s premier ‘Craven Limousin Day,’ the annual Spring show and sale of pedigree bulls and females. (Skipton Auction Mart, Wed, May 15)
Husband and wife Barry and Gill Heald, who farm with their son Matthew at Home Farm, Grove, Retford, won four of the seven show classes with their five-strong consignment of bulls and heifers.
They then progressed to land the male and overall supreme championship, also being responsible for both the champion and reserve champion female.
The Healds’ title winner was their first prize senior bull, Coachhouse Gladstone, a two-year-old son of Mereside Daytona, acquired from his Lincolnshire breeders, the Hazard family in Skillington, Grantham.
Making his debut in the show arena, Gladstone is among the Healds’ first crop of bulls by Daytona, who has already sired Coachhouse progeny to 7,000gns this year. The Skipton victor’s dam is the Haltcliffe Picasso daughter, Coachhouse Tiggy.
The supreme champion sold for 4,000gns (£4,200) to father and son Cumbrian farmers Jack and Keith Allen, of St Annes Farm, Ings, Kendal, who say they will put their new acquisition to good use on their three-quarters Limousin and British Blue-cross suckler herd.
Scottish show judge Harry Emslie, who runs the Emslies pedigree Limousin herd at Peterhead, Aberdeen, and also adjudicated at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza, said the show had produced a tremendous string of bulls.
He commented: “The choice at Skipton was equal to anywhere. These regional sales are the backbone of the Limousin breed, allowing commercial breeders to pick up a very good bull at reasonable money. The champion is ready to go and do good work.”
Mr Emslie awarded the reserve male and reserve supreme championship to one of his first prize junior bulls from David and Maggie Kelly’s Netherhall pedigree herd, based at the farm of the same name in Mansergh, Kirkby Lonsdale.
Showing for the first time at Skipton and in the hands of their daughter Harriet, Netherhall Henry is a 15-month-old son of the French sire Malibu and the first calf of their home-bred Fieldson Alfie daughter Netherhall Espresso.
The reserve supreme created keen interest at the ringside, before joining Will and Gillian Sedgley of High House, Whittington, Kirkby Lonsdale, for a sale-topping 5,000gns (£5,250). They now plan to use him as a replacement for an older stock bull on their mixed suckler herd of 60 pure-bred Limousins and British Blue-cross.
The couple are initially hoping to produce some quality show calves off their new acquisition. “If he turns out to be a good one, he will be going across our pedigree Limousins,” said Mr Sedgley. His wife added: “We like him all the more now that he is at home.” The Sedgleys also run a mixed flock of 1,200 Swaledale and Mule ewes.
Exhibitors at the Craven Limousin Day continued to raise the bar with a quality 75-strong entry at the 2013 renewal. The fixture attracted a packed ringside for the bull section, with commercial buyers from throughout the North and Midlands consciously seeking strong bulls ready for work and junior bulls with shape and growth potential.
Opportunities also arose in the junior bull section for breeders, with a number of well- bred prospects meeting spirited support when coming under the hammer to find homes with pedigree herds.
The breed at Skipton continues to generate interest from new herds and those with herd expansion plans, and this was reflected in a solid trade for females.
Garrowby Farms, of Garrowby, York, whose sole entry had the previous day landed the supreme championship at the 2013 Northern Limousin Extravaganza for the second year in succession, also picked up a red rosette in one of the junior bull classes with their only entry in the main show and sale.
The 14-month-old Garrowby Hurricane, like their two Northern Limousin Extravaganza victors by the 24,000gns Glenrock Ventura and a full brother to last year’s title winner, also caused a buzz at the ringside.
Out of the Wilson Jago daughter Tickhill Bridget, he too found a new home in Cumbria when falling for 4,400gns (£4,620) to the Brontemoor herd of Michael, Stephen, Ruth and Richard Priestley at Cracrop Farm, Kirkambeck, Brampton.
Local breeders, John and Claire Mason, who run the Oddacres herd in Embsay, presented a high-quality pen of junior bulls. The leading performer was Oddacres Huntsman, an April, 2012, son of the 10,000gns Homebyres Dixon, by Vanhee, out of Teos, a favourite French cow. She remained in the area when joining Rowland Carr, of Bolton Abbey, for 3,700gns (£3,885).
The Masons’ second prize winner in the young junior bull class, the 13-month-old Oddacres Hector, by Elegant out of another French cow, Elue, also performed with credit when sold for 3,300gns (£3,465) to Stephen and Brian Porter, of Gunnerside in the north of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Yet another Oddacres high achiever was their 14-month-old Econome son Oddacres Hitman, who with his dam, the Usant daughter Oddacres Empress, was the second prize cow and calf in the 2012 North East Limousin Breeders’ herd competition. Hitman sold locally to Arncliffe’s Malcolm Campbell for 3,100gns (£3,255).
The Masons successfully sold a total of seven junior bulls, plus cows with bull calves to 3,000gns (£3,150), cows with heifer calves to 2,600gns (£2,730) and six maiden heifers from 1,080gns (£1,134) to a high of 1,580gns (£1,659).
Back in the championship-winning Coachhouse pen, the Heald family also produced the second prize senior bull, Coachhouse Grandprix, a 26-month-old son of the Cloughhead Umpire-sired Overthwaite Crackerjack – he has sold progeny to 12,000gns – out of Coachhouse Bethany. Grandprix travelled north to Neasham, Darlington, with Nigel Swinbank for 3,500gns (£3,675).
The Healds also won the two maiden heifer classes. Their fully home-bred 14-month-old heifer, Coachhouse Huckleberry, by Coachhouse Amos, who has progeny to 6,500gns and has since been sold, progressed to become female champion. Out of Coachhouse Uberry, also by Haltcliffe Picasso, she sold for 3,050gns (£3,202) to Jan and Nicola Feather, who farm at Pear Tree Barn, Hainworth Shaw, Keighley.
The Feathers also swooped to pay 2,800gns (£2,940) for the second red rosette-winning heifer and reserve female champion, the 17-month-old Coachhouse Gladtidings, by the French sire Epson, out of another Coachhouse Amos-sired dam.
Mr and Mrs Feather first established their 12-strong Limousin pedigree herd three years ago and will cover the new acquisitions with their two stock bulls, one of which is the Glenrock Ventura-sired Gunnerfleet Express, bred locally by the Handley family in Chapel-le-Dale, Ingleton, and acquired for 3,000gns (£3,150) after becoming supreme champion at CCM Skipton’s annual Spring Limousin fixture in 2011.
“We are keen to introduce new bloodlines and also hope to produce some quality progeny with show potential,” said Mr Feather.
The Healds completed an excellent day with a fourth first prize winner in the older intermediate bull show classes. Coachhouse Griff, fast approaching his second birthday, is by another prolific sire, Coachhouse Virgil, and again out of a Haltcliffe Picasso-sired dam. He made 3,000gns (£3,150) on joining Messrs Clark and Johnson in Windermere. Another Coachhouse maiden heifer also sold for 2,000gns (£2,100).
The remaining show class winner, another intermediate bull, came from the Priestley family’s Brontemoor herd, originally based in Denholme, Bradford, before relocating to Brampton, near Carlisle. Brontemoor Gracias, a September, 2011-born son of Elite Benn, out of the home-bred Brontemoor Toulouse, sold for 3,200gns (£3,360) to J Kitching & Son, of Cartmel Fell.
From a strong pen of intermediate bulls, two further prize winners from the Priestleys, both bred by Seaview Upstart, made 3,100gns (£3,255) each on joining GH West & Sons in Fridaythorpe, Driffield, and Brownbank Farms, of Hartwith, Harrogate.
Also noteworthy at 3,500gns (£3,675) was another intermediate bull, Pikestone Gimli, from Carl and Julie Stephenson, of Woodland, Bishop Auckland. By the highly regarded pedigree and commercial sire Waindale Someboy, the 23-month-old was snapped up by Rosie Sandham, of None Go Bye Farm Shop, Horsforth, Leeds. She will put the bull to her suckler cows to produce calves that will find their way into the food chain through her recently extended shop in Otley Old Road. A third Brontemoor intermediate bull achieved 2,400gns (£2,520).
Andrew Holden, who runs the Boldventure herd at Oswaldtwistle, between Blackburn and Accrington, also performed well with his intermediate two-year-old bull, Boldventure Goliath, by the Octopus son, Sympa, out of Boldventure Becky. He attracted a successful bid of 3,100gns (£3,255) from D Howard & Son, of Hapton, Burnley. The same vendor also sold a further intermediate bull for 2,200gns (£2,310).
Other leading prices were achieved as follows: Junior bulls – IK&AM Grisedale, Angiean herd, Milton, Crooklands, 2,900gns and 1,500gns, T&JM Sedgwick, Gallaber herd, Burton-in-Lonsdale, 2,900gns, Prietec herd, Mewith, Bentham, 2,000gns, DG Johnson, Rivington herd, Westhoughton, Bolton, 2,000gns.
Intermediate bulls – R&R Gornall, Dokra herd, Cowgill, Dent, 2,700gns, TC&CA Altham, Lune Valley herd, Sellet Mill, Whittington, 2,600gns, P Summers & Daughters, High Birks herd, Clayton, Bradford, 2,600gns and 1,800gns, E Priestley, 2,300gns,
Senior bulls – P Fletcher, Siddall herd, Birch, Heywood, 2,700gns and 2,000gns, W Richardson & Sons, Laverock herd, Laverock Bridge, Kendal, 2,500gns, WP Brewer & Sons, Coredale herd, Bleasdale, Preston, 2,400gns, WM&JM Shuttleworth, Barbondale herd, Barbon, Carnforth, 2,300gns.
Cows with heifer calves – TC&CA Altham, Lune Valley, 2,000gns. Maiden heifers – P Summers & Daughters, High Birks, 1,450gns and 1,350gns, D&S Robinson, Hutton herd, Old Hutton, Kendal, 1,180gns.
Top prices and averages were: Senior bulls to 4,000gns (av £3,087), intermediate bulls to 3,500gns (av £2,952), junior bulls to 5,000gns (av £2,726), maiden heifers to 3,500gns (av £1,668), cows with heifer calves to 2,060gns, cows with bull calves to 3,000gns (av £2,625).
The fixture – full results and prices are posted at www.ccmauctions.com – was sponsored by JACS Trade & DIY, of Skipton, and Irish-based feed firm Natural Stockcare.
