HEXHAM LIMOUSIN DAY CHAMPION MAKES £1,500

Hexham & Northern Marts held their special annual prize Show & Sale for Limousin-cross sucklers on 17^th October 2014 with a catalogue of 1,224 top-quality calves drawing a crowd of buyers from all over the UK with averages up around £20 per head on last year’s fixture.

Main sponsors included the British Limousin Cattle Society with the show of over forty Limousin crossbred cattle judged by well-known Cumbrian cattleman Peter Dent of Appleby.

Mr Dent placed his first prize heifer, a smart roan-coloured beast at 14 months of age as Overall Champion on behalf of Messrs WM Reed & Sons, West Biggens, Weardale, County Durham. The judge later backed his decision by bidding to £1,500. The Champion heifer was by the Limousin bull Keskadale Fixer (by Linarn Unique), purchased privately from Keith Harryman.

Winning the Pen of Four were some smart black yearling steers, again from the Reeds, which took the North West Limousin Cattle Breeders Trophy as the Champion pen. Two were by Keskadale Fixer and two by Cloughhead Vulcan, a bull purchased at Carlisle for 12,000gns.

Favouring the heifer entries, the judge then awarded the Reserve Champion rosette to the second prize heifer, a sleek jet-black eleven-month-old Limousin-cross from Micky Lee, Harwood Shield. The reserve heifer also sold well to a noteworthy £1,300 and was purchased by Messrs Connor from Driffield.

The first prize bullock also from the Reeds was another by Cloughhead Vulcan and was part of the group of three bullocks on the Limousin stand at Beef Expo 2014 held in May at Hexham Mart. Overall, the Reeds sold 64 cattle – split evenly between bullocks and heifers – which averaged £1,108 being 12-14 months old and out of Limousin-cross cows. They were sired by a battery of four bulls in all: Keskadale Fixer and Keskadale Fudge; Cloughhead Vulcan; as well as Beulah Fivestar, purchased from Carlisle for 10,000gns.

A great run of cattle were brought out by David Carr from Highwood, Hexham. The pen of ten, all red Limousin-cross steers at two years of age sold at a pace and peaked at £1,380 to average £1,336.

Father and son Richard & Christopher Thornton were suitably satisfied as their run of steer calves from Cornhills, Kirkwhelpington peaked at £1,340 (three times) and averaged £1,259.

Reporting a significant rise on the year were the Lee Family, Agars Hill, Whitfield who came forward with a smashing run of 45 well-bred and well-grown yearling cattle, with steers peaking at £1,305 and averaging £1,133 (28) and heifers reaching £1,200 to average £1,084 (17).

Show Results

Champion Pen & 1^st Prize Pen 4 Steers; Messrs Reed, West Biggens, £1375 to W. Dandie, Broxburn  

2^nd Prize Pen 4 Steers; Messrs Hunter, The Steel, £1300 to W. Dandie, Broxburn

1^st Prize Pen 4 Heifers; Messrs Hunter, The Steel, £1110 to Messrs Ridley, Shitlington Hall

2^nd Prize Pen 4 Heifers; Messrs Harle, Brandon Hall, £1070 to Cole Hill Farm, Hartlepool

1^st Prize Steer; Messrs Reed, West Biggens, £1400 to W. Dandie, Broxburn

2^nd Prize Steer; Messrs Robinson, Boghall, £1260 to W. Dandie, Broxburn

3^rd Prize Steer; Messrs Lee, Agars Hill, £1305 to Messrs Jackson, York

Champion & 1^st Prize Heifer; Messrs Reed, West Biggens, £1500 to Messrs Dent, Appleby

Reserve Champ. & 2^nd Prize Heifer; Messrs Lee, Harwood Shield, £1300 to Messrs Connor, Driffield

3^rd Prize Heifer; Messrs Reed, West Biggens, £1190 to Messrs Dent, Appleby