Strong Demand for Commercial Limousin Brings Record Breakers at Stirling Spring Sale
- 42 Bulls sold to average £7466, up £777 on the year and a record for this sale
- Top price of 17,000gns hit twice
- Top price for commercial herd 16,000gns
- 90% clearance rate of bulls forward
The continued demand for Limousin-bred cattle in the commercial markets was affirmed in the trade for bulls at the Stirling Spring Sale on 5th February 2024 which saw previous averages passed with ease.
The all-in sale average was £7466, the highest for this centre and representing an increase of £777 on the year and over £1700 from 2022. Over 90% of all bulls forward sold, with the majority finding homes in commercial herds.
Two bulls shared the joint top-price honours of the day at 17,000gns. First through the ring was Lot 344 the May 22 born Anside Typhoon from Mr & Mrs S Irvine of the Anside herd, Keith, Aberdeenshire. Out of a homebred heifer, Anside Peony, Typhoon has Myostatin F94L/F94L and was sired by the herd’s retained stock bull Anside Prometheus whose first sons sold in October 2023 to 14,000gns. After a whirlwind of bidding, Typhoon headed back to Aberdeenshire with John and Margaret Penny of the Shannas pedigree herd, Mintlaw. Margaret is the current Honorary President of the Society and commented “We are delighted to have been able to buy Typhoon. He is a tidy, correct F94L/F94L bull that will be suited to our cows.”
A few lots later, and sharing the day’s top sale price of 17,000gns was lot 348 Dyke Toyboy from Messrs J R MacGregor (Dyke) Ltd, from Milton of Campsie, Glasgow. Born May22, with a Beef Value and Age to Slaughter in the Top 1% and Top 10% of the breed and Myostatin also F94L/F94L, Toyboy is out of the herd’s stock bull Goldies Lordoftherings out of the home bred Dyke Glam, a cow that has sold bulls previously to 9,500gns. Toyboy caught the eye of Society Council Member, Andrew Clark and his wife Alison, and he headed home with them to their Mayfields pedigree herd near Sheffield.
It was a great day’s trading for the Dyke herd who saw an average across their 6 bulls of 10,500gns. They took the second top price of the day of 16,000gns with Lot 325 Dyke Topman. A powerful bull, Topman had earlier scooped the Intermediate Champion and Reserve Overall Championship honours in the Pre-Sale Show. From a line of trade-toppers, Topman has maternal and carcase traits in the Top 10% and Top 1% of the breed, along with Myostatin F94L/F94L. He is by the herd’s stock bull Goldies Lordoftherings out of Dyke Nicola. Nicola goes back to Dyke Jolly who bred Dyke Saltire, selling at this sale last year for 12,500gns. Topman was indeed the top man for well-known commercial herd Hartside Farms near Biggar, Lanarkshire.
Also enjoying a good days trading with an average of 7,250gns for four bulls sold was Messrs R M Adam & Son of the Newhouse herd, Forfar. Top of their list was Lot 370 Newhouse Tummel selling for 10,000gns. A homozygous black bull he is by Newhouse Overfinlarg and out of Newhouse Lyn. With an impressive set of EBVs in the top percentiles and Myostatin F94L/NT821, this Aug22-born bull had stood a strong second in his class to the reserve Junior Champion. He didn’t have far to travel, selling to Mr A Beattie of the Tullywhanland herd, also near Forfar.
The Pre-sale Show saw a three-in-a-row Championship hat-trick and fourth win overall for Mike and Lisa Massie of the Elrick Limousin herd near Ellon, Aberdeenshire. They lifted the Macmin Perpetual Trophy with their Junior and Overall Champion Lot 350 Elrick Trooper. The herd’s previous wins and sale topping prices were with Elrick Inferno in October 2014 (14,000gns), February 2022 with Elrick Roosevelt (10,000gns) and at the February 2023 sale with Elrick Shogun (15,000gns).
Sired by the herd’s stock bull Whinfellpark Nobu, Elrick Trooper is a May 22 born calf out of Elrick Image. A Wilodge Fastrac daughter, Image was the grand-dam of last year’s champion. Trooper’s Age to Slaughter GEBV is in the Top 10%, and he has Myostatin F94L/F94L. Keen bidding in the ring to 9,000gns saw him heading to Orkney with Mr L Muir, Upper Onston, Stromness.
Tapping out the winners was judge for the day, Joan Gilliland, who had braved the ferry in high seas from her home in Northern Ireland. With her niece, Kim Steele Nicholson, Joan breeds Limousin cattle under the noted Ballyrobin prefix, which routinely turns out champions and sale-topping animals.
On the show of cattle, Joan commented “Thank you to United Auctions and BLCS for the invitation to judge today. The show of cattle was good and it has been a pleasure to come back to Stirling. The Champion for me was an easy one – he has style, width and is a good mover. I also liked the Reserve Champion very much, and believe he is a type that will breed good females”
Commenting on the sale, Alice Swift, the Society’s CEO said “The trade today has been underpinned by the continued strength of the store and finished trade we see for Limousin. Sincere thanks to all buyers, vendors and the support of United Auctions. Pedigree sales are still to come across the country this month at Carlisle, Ballymena and Thainstone providing great opportunity to invest in genetics that we know deliver week in, week out for the commercial suckler herds that are the backbone of this industry.”
The local Spittalton herd of J Burnett & Sons saw a super average of 7,200gns for their five bulls sold. Top of the pile was Lot 311 Spittalton Tigger, who had been tapped out as Senior Champion in the Pre-Sale Show. Born in March 22, Tigger is by the well-known and popular Ampertaine Opportunity, out of home-bred cow Spittalton Olary, a Netherhall Gallant daughter now owned by the Westscholes herd, Bradford. He has a Myostatin of F94L/Q204X, a Beef Value in the Top 25% and maternal traits in the Top 1% of the breed. Also selling for 9,000gns he heads to the home of Mr I A Mackinnon Parkhouse Farm, Tiree.
A further strong bull from the Dyke herd continued the trade selling at 8,500gns to Messrs E J Wilson & Co, East Mains of Carseburn, Forfar. Lot 337 Dyke Trojan is sired by the herd’s stock bull Whinfellpark Ohagan, who has previously sold sons to 13,000gns, out of Dyke Giselle, homebred herself on both sides. Born May22, he is from easy calving lines with Myostatin F94L/F94L.
The solid trade saw six further bulls change hands at 8,000gns:
Lot 314 Spittalton Tyson, placed first in his class, he is by Dyke Papa out of Spittalton Emma. Born Apr22, with Myostatin F94L/F94L and production traits in the Top 10%, he heads to the home of Mr J King, South Hill of Dripps, Glasgow
Lot 326 Dyke Tyrant, by Whinfellpark Ohagan out of Dyke Ittirant. Born Apr22, with Myostatin F94L/F94L and with production traits in the Top 1%, he was purchased by the pedigree and commercial herd of Renwick Brothers, Corsebank, Sanquhar.
Lot 329 Cosairtly Tam led the way for Messrs R & K Davidson, Keith, Banffshire. By the herd’s stock bull, Dyke Luke, and out of Corsairtly Megan, and with Myostatin F94L/F94L, this Apr22-born sold to Messrs K taylor & Sons, Dall Farm, Killin, Perthshire.
Lot 331 Anside Tank was the Reserve Intermediate Champion in the Pre-Sale Show and sold to Messrs C S Fleming and Son, Strone, Forfar. Sired by Milbrook Playboy of the Allanfauld herd – Tank is out of homebred cow Anside Oprah, with Myostatin F94L/Q204X.
Lot 352 Maraiscote Tufty led the day’s trade for Mr J Nimmo of the Maraiscote herd, Wishaw who averaged over 7,400gns for three sold. Born May22, Tufty is sired by the herd’s noted Sliabh Felim Mourinho, a Kaprico Eravelle son, out of Maraiscote Nifty and has Myostatin F94L/F94L. He heads north to the Orkney home of Messrs GT & S Coghill, Muce, Birsay.
Last through the ring at the price of 8,000gns was Lot 365 Glamis Topgun for A & J Adam, Newhouse, Forfar. A junior bull born July22, he has Myostatin F94L/NT821 and is by the noted Ampertaine Opportunity out of a Westhall-bred cow, Glamis Ragbag. He was the second bull of the day heading to the Isle of Tiree, this time to Mr A MacLean, of the Tiree pedigree herd, Heylipol farm.
Sale Averages:
11 Senior Bulls @ £6,157
22 Intermediate Bulls @ £7651
17 Junior Bulls @ £7609
5 Heifers on behalf of the Burnbank and Windsole herds @ £2163
