- 71 bulls average £2790
- Procters Herd secure supreme championship success
- Near total clearance rate of bulls and females forward
A new centre breed record selling price of 10,000gns (£10,500) was established at Skipton Auction Mart’s premier Limousin cattle highlight, the annual Spring show and sale of pedigree bulls and females on Wednesday May 15th.
It fell to local husband and wife breeders, John and Claire Mason, who run the Oddacres herd in Embsay, with a third prize junior bull, Oddacres Oswald, a youngster full of promise who had only just celebrated his first birthday on the eve of the Skipton showcase.
The very fact that Oswald was described in the sales catalogue as one of the best bulls ever bred at Oddacres – and they have produced plenty of high-flyers over the years – spoke wonders ahead of the high-profile fixture.
Boasting extreme muscle and a super temperament, Oswald has already made his mark on the breed, standing runner-up as a calf in the 2018 North East Limousin Breeders herd competition.
The record price performer carried completely different bloodlines to the Oddacres holding, being fully French-bred. Both the sire, Linzo, a grandson of the famous Objat, and the dam, the Ducasse daughter, Idee, were purchased by the Masons – Linzo as a three-month-old calf – from Valérie and Christophe Rochard’s renowned herd in the Haute-Vienne region of France.
Oswald was sold to the West Yorkshire-based Sandham family and will take his place on their British Blue based commercial herd at Town End Farm, East Carlton, near Yeadon – they currently have some 160 sucklers – with a view to producing some top-notch prime and store cattle, some of which they already sell at Skipton.
The farm, which has been breeding cattle for some 30 years, is now run by Richard Sandham and his nephew, also Richard, while the family, which has a background in butchering, also own long-established scrap metal firm, Bradford Waste Traders.
It proved one of the most successful days ever for the Masons at their local auction mart. As well as setting a new centre record price, they also stood reserve supreme champion with a bull that had finished in exactly the same position at the previous day’s show-only Northern Limousin Extravaganza.
Oddacres Otto is an April, 2018, son and the last bull to be sold by the Masons’ renowned French import, Gallois, used with great success for four years and also responsible for a 10,000gns weaned bull calf, as well as siring multiple show winners, including some at Skipton
Out of Homebyres Elitelady, Otto, whose full sister is mother to Oddacres Ohmylady, overall champion calf in the 2018 NELB herd competition, first won his junior bull class, before becoming junior male champion, reserve male and reserve supreme.
Shown by daughter Annabel Mason, secretary of North Eastern Limousin Cattle Breeders Club, Otto also sold well at 3,900gns when falling to the Ryder family in Haverah Park, Harrogate. Oddacres also hit 2.800gns and 2,500gns with two further intermediate bulls, one a third prize winner.
The overall supreme champion came from an exceptional pen of bulls consigned by Procters Farm in Slaidburn. The prolific herd was landing its first Skipton pedigree Limousin title with the September, 2017, Procters Nitro, by the Wilodge Cerebrus son, the 38,000gns Ampertaine Foreman, out of the Haltcliffe DJ daughter, Procters Gwen, who has herself produced females to 17,000gns, as well as a bull by Glenrock Humdinger that was sold privately for 15,000gns.
Got by embryo, Nitro first won his intermediate bull class, later becoming intermediate and overall male champion, before being tapped out as supreme champion by Welsh show judge Owain Llyr, who runs the Wern herd in Ruthin.
He described his chosen title winner from a very good top end as an “outstanding Limousin,” a verdict upheld in the sales ring when Nitro blasted away to second top call of 5,800gns when joining D&A Livestock in Haverah Park, Harrogate.
The Procters herd, first established some 21 years ago, also won a second intermediate bull class with the August, 2017, Procters National, again got by embryo to the Sympa son, Haltcliffe Dancer, out of an extremely consistent breeding cow, the Objat daughter, Glenrock Diamante, who has produced bulls to 24,000gns, plus a brace of heifers at 8,500gnns and 8,000gns. National found a new home in Wales when selling for 5,000gns to Herdman & Son, of Builth Wells
Returning to the Procters Gwen flush to Ampertaine Foreman, Procters Farm also stepped forward with an embryo bother to their 2019 supreme champion – a second prize Intermediate bull, Procters Nijinski, knocked down locally for 4,800gns to Alan Lodge, who farms on Malham Moor. Procters Farm also sold two other intermediate bulls at 4,000gns and 3,700gns.
Another eye-catcher at 5,000gns was Cropmel Naughtyboy, from Clare Cropper and John Mellin, who farm locally in Long Preston. The naturally born April, 2017, son of the 40,000gns Plumtree Fantastic, out of Toppesfield Ivory, also found a new home in Wales joining BG Price, of Hay-on-Wye.
Standing intermediate reserve male champion was an April, 2017, bull from Cumbria’s Craig Ridley, who runs Haltcliffe Limousins at Hesket Newmarket, near Brompton, and also adjudicated at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza.
Haltcliffe Niven, an embryo calf by the Glenrock Ventura son, Ampertaine Elgin, bred by Northern Ireland’s James McKay, is out of Haltcliffe Donna, said to be the best shaped cow in the herd and herself by the renowned Haltcliffe Vermont, who became a 100,000gns purchase by Procters Farm. Niven made 2,700gns when claimed by a buyer from South Yorkshire, Doncaster’s FG Duckitt. A second prize junior bull from the same home made 2,600gns.
Hitting 3,600gns was another intermediate bull and second prize winner from Cumbrian show regulars, the three-generation Priestley family – Michael, his son Steven, wife Ruth and their children, Richard and Sara, who run the Brontemoor herd at Cracrop Farm, Kirkcambeck, Brampton. Brontemoor Nightrider, a July, 2017, son of Lodge Hamlet, out of the Garrowby Hurricane-sired Brontemoor JJ, returned to Cumbria when purchased by KA Brown & Son, of Appleby.
The Priestleys also achieved 3,000gns with a third prize senior bull, Brontemoor Napoleon, by Loosebeare Handsome, out of their own Procters Subaru daughter, Calla. The buyers were NR & DE Ingham, from Castleford.
Back with the junior bulls, Stuart Littlewood, who runs the Hollingreave herd in Ray Gate, Holmfirth, picked up a red rosette with his January, 2018, Boldventure Ian son. Hollingreave Omar. This, too, sold locally at 2,600gns to Brogden Farms in Barnoldswick.
Breed stalwarts James and Sarah Cooper, of the Tomschoice herd at Hill Top Farm, Dacre, Harrogate, were also responsible for a first prize junior bull, the January, 2018, Tomschoice Optimus, who is among the first crop of bulls to their 13,000gns Mereside Leo, also responsible for another bull, Onslow, that has just started work for Genus. Out of a solid breeding cow, Tomschoice Desire, Optimus made 2,300gns when joining
The senior male champion came from Terry and Elaine Priestley’s North Craven Prietec herd, based at Mewith, near Bentham. Their January, 2017, Prietec Nacho, by Hudscales George, successfully sold at Skipton last year, is out of the Norman David daughter, Prietec Galaxy, a favourite heifer shown locally all last summer by the couple’s daughter Mya and set to follow up again this year. Nacho made 2,900gns when joining Tadcaster’s JC Farrar.
The Priestleys picked up a second red rosette, this time with one of their females, Prietec Nutmeg, by Oddacres Landlord, out of the Hudscales George daughter, Prietec Jellybean. Again in-calf and due October to Lodge Hamlet, she joined TH&A Pickard & Son in Bolton-by-Bowland at 1,900gns, with another Priestley maiden heifer selling for the same money.
Back with the senior bulls, also selling well at 3,000gns was a second prize winner from Paul Fletcher’s Siddall herd in Birch, Heywood. His March, 2017, Siddle Icarus son, Nipper, fell to Andrew Rigby in Slaidburn.
While a good choice of senior bulls met a mixed trade, both intermediate and junior bulls saw good clearance rates, as did the female section, in which top price of 3,000gns was paid by Kirklees Limousin breeder Janet Sheard, of Almondbury, Hudderefield, for the 2014 cow, Angiean Javina, a third prize winner consigned by Ian and Angela Grisedale, of Crooklands, Kendal.
Averages: 13 senior bulls to 5,000gns (av £3,272), 31 intermediate bulls to 5,800gns (av £2,873), 27 junior bulls to 10,000gns (av £2,463), 26 maiden heifers to 1,950gns (av £1,246), 4 cows in-calf/with calves at foot to 3,000gns (av £2,152).
Please credit pictures to Adrian Legge Photography.
