Rugby Farmers Market at Stoneleigh, saw a packed ringside on Saturday 20th April for the dispersal of Paul and Jessica Semple’s Goodrest herd and draft from the Honesberie herd of Nigel Hollick.
Up first through the ring were the cattle from the local Goodrest herd, based in Kenilworth, which due to the end of the tenancy was being dispersed. Established 12 years ago the Semple family have forged ahead in breeding high quality, strong and quick growing polled cattle. Their investment into European bloodlines means that there were some unique genetics on offer.
The Semple’s most sought after female came from the maiden heifer section – Goodrest Sequin, who was the top priced at 5,900gns. The June 2021-born Sequin is sired by Greensons Orson and her dam is the Hinz daughter and Scottish-bred Grahams Luna. Homozygous polled and carrying two copies of F94L, she was purchased by NAS Johnson, and goes back to join his Bitteswell pedigree herd, in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
The sale began with the cows and calves which sold to a top of 5,100gns twice, first for the five year-old Grahams Poppy and her five month old heifer calf at foot Goodrest Umeshu. Bred by R and J Graham, Stirling, Poppy who has a F94L/NT821 myostatin combination and is heterozygous polled with her age of first calving score which places her firmly in the top 1% of the breed, is sired by the 24,000gns Carlisle junior champion Claragh Franco and bred out of Grahams Luna, who goes back to the German-bred Hinz. She was purchased by Orlham Limousins, GH and J Samuel, in Ledbury, Herefordshire, and sold in calf to the polled bull Lego and with her accompanying heifer calf Goodrest Umeshu, a Jpeg daughter.
Just a few lots later Greensons Rosello, a 2020 born cow which was bred by the Green family, Huntington, was also knocked down at 5,100gns, this time selling to Adam Kunz, Wetherby, North Yorkshire. With French sire Homerep and Dam Greensons Jello, going back to Greensons Howlett, she is a double F94L carrier and homozygous polled. Another with impressive figures, she has top 10% scores for both maternal calving ease and fat depth. Accompanying her was her first born four month-old son Goodrest Udonis, a homozygous polled bull calf sired by Goodrest Thankmar.
The very next lot, the black coated Greensons Reflection and her six month-old bull calf at foot Goodrest Umbongo, made 4,800gns when she was purchased by ET White and Sons. Another bred by the Green family and also a double F94L carrier, this 2020-born cow is bred out of Greensons Notion, who goes back to Greensons Howlet, and is sired by Greensons Outlaw. Her EBVs are a excellent with three traits placing her in the top 1% of the breed – gestation length, fat depth and scrotal circumference, all for the credit of her bull calf at foot Goodrest Umbongo, a son of Gaitan.
The Semple family’s top priced in-calf heifer was the homebred Goodrest Trinket who was snapped up for 4,400gns by the above mentioned Adam Kunz, who went on to purchase a further two heifers. A two year-old, she was sold in calf to the Swiss heterozygous polled bull Palve. She is a heifers calf bred out of Goodrest Pypa, a Greensons Montana daughter and sired by Khw Kenni, a homozygous polled bull of Canadian and German breeding.
Next it was the turn of the in-calf cows and topping the trade in this section at 3,900gns was the 2015-born Greensons Lyrical, another bred from the Green family yard. A homozygous polled, double F94L carrier, she also boasts top 1% EBV’s for scrotal circumference, age at first calving and gestation length. Sired by Greensons Howlett, her dam is the Goldies River daughter Cambridge Brilliance and she was also purchased in calf to the homozygous polled Lzb Nautilus by the aforementioned Orlham Limousins.
Joining the females was a small consignment of five bulls from the Semple family. The top priced at 6,500gns was the September 2022-born Goodrest Torbjohn, who caught the eye of long time Limousin breeder James Milligan-Manby, Manby Farms Ltd, of the Mcturk herd at, Grimsby, Lincolnshire. A homozygous polled bull, with an F94L/F94L Myostatin status, he boasts a top 1% score for age at first calving. Sired by the Swedish Oddbjorn av Stromvik, he is out of Grahams Poppy, who was purchased earlier in the sale for 5,100gns.
The next lot was Goodrest Udo, a 15 month-old black coated bull by the Mateo sired Italian bull Justso PP. Hand reared after losing his dam, the Greensons Dollar-sired Millington Gardenia, he has an excellent temperament. Another to be homozygous polled and double F94L myostatin carrier, he was knocked down at 6,200gns to LG Farms Ltd.
The other herd which featured at the sale was Honesberie herd of Nigel Hollick, Priors Marston, Warwickshire. Founded in 2006 with French generics, they work hard to produce cattle which calve naturally with high levels of milk.
Proving popular with the bidders, the females on offer sold to 5,300gns for the cow and calf outfit Honesberie Olwyn and Honesberie Unity. The 2018-born Olwyn who has produced four calves to date was sold with her first heifer calf, the six month-old Unity, who is sired by the herds French stock bull Oscar. Sired by Gizmo and bred out of Grange Delft, a Serge daughter, Olywn is a double F94L carrier with a top 10% maternal calving ease score and was another to be purchased by NAS Johnson of the Bitteswell herd.
Two cow and calf pairs were knocked down by auctioneer Tom Wrench at 4,800gns and the first was Honesberie Olina, a November 2018-born third calver. Another daughter of Gizmo, but this time with a full French back pedigree, out of Doline, who goes back to Viking. She was purchased by DN Burbridge, with her August-born bull calf Honesberie Unevine, who is sired by Liban, and she was sold back in calf to the same bull.
The second 4,800gns lot was the cow and calf outfit Honesberie Ramona and Honesberie Ulotina, who were the fourth of Mr Hollick’s pairs to be purchased by NAS Johnson. Ramona is a four year-old cow, sold back in calf to Loustic, sired by Emir and out of Honesberie Merlea, a daughter of the French-bred Eddy. Her eight month-old calf at foot, Ulotina, is her second calf and is also sired by stock bull Oscar.
Averages
Goodrest: 10 cows & calves – £4,079.25, four in-calf cows – £3,097.50, one in-calf heifer – £4,620, 11 maiden heifers – £3,803.18, one bull calf – £2,940, five bulls – £5,754
Honesberie: eight cows & calves – £4,698.75, eight maiden heifers – £2,651.25, two bulls – £3,832.50
