BEESTON CASTLE MID MONTH SEES A GREAT TRADE FOR ALL CLASSES AND ALL AGES

TOP PRICE OF £2820 FOR A BURLANE MILLION HEIFER

The Famous Wright Manley Mid Month Sale of pedigree and commercial dairy cattle at Beeston Castle Auction proved itself once again as being the UK’s number one sale not only numerically but also providing a huge cross section of dairy cattle onto the market every month from milk producers, breeders and heifer rearers from all over the country.

This month’s sale was no exception and again, despite the scarcity of dairy cattle on the market all over the country this sale provides the biggest choice of fresh calved cattle anywhere nationwide and attracts buyers from all over the country too. Trade was great in all sections and the 313 cattle sold out of 320 head forward on the day were distributed to farms from Cumbria in the north down to West Wales and the south midlands.

MILKING CATTLE:

Trade was hot from start to finish despite the good spring day deterring some buyers from attending and taking the opportunity to get on with fieldwork. It also has to be stated that quality would not be as good as usual with a higher than usual proportion of heifers lacking a bit of condition forward but nevertheless they, and the best, sold exceptionally well improving on last month’s high average. It is interesting to note 190 milking cattle were forward, 186 were sold and 62 of these realised £2000 or more including 18 over £2400.

The top price went to Simon and Clare Powell of Burlton, Shrewsbury who had an exceptional run of sixteen fresh heifers entered and it was their homebred Burlane Million Tracy 2nd that achieved the top price of the day. This daughter of Million from an exceptional cow family was sold giving 37 kg and sold to Dave Green of Lach Dennis for £2820 who also purchased a daughter of Willow-Marsh CC Gabor from the same home for £2400. Others from the Powell stable included a Seaver heifer bred at Bixleypark and sold giving 38 kg realised £2500 to H Sinker & Sons, Warrington and a Baxter daughter bred in the Swallowdale Herd that was sold giving 42 kg to Anthony Matthews of Whitchurch plus a Topshot daughter and another Million daughter which both sold for £2400 each.

The second top seller was the homebred Minver Shogun Stripy from David Bramall of Minshull Vernon, Middlewich. This daughter of Gen-I-Beq Shogun sold to David Guy, Middlewich for £2600 and was giving 31 kg. Mr. Guy purchased several of the leading heifers including two of the four top sellers from the consignment of 13 from Jack and Barclay Taylor of Myddle, Shrewsbury which all sold at £2500 each. They were a red daughter of HS Twister and a Shottle daughter bred at Bixleypark. Another Red Twister daughter sold for the same figure to WE & O Blockley of Tarvin and a daughter of Dondee sold to Anthony Matthews. The Taylors also had three other heifers selling at £2450 each by Blade, Loader and Topshot.

Other leading prices for heifers included a homebred daughter of Shottle from Michael Oakes of Birmingham which sold for £2480 and a Bluesky daughter from Roger Gaden of Cholmondeley which sold for £2450 and a Wardle Coconut daughter from Graham and Barbara Bell of Tarporley at £2380.

Cow trade was great but not many of those very best cows forward. Top cow was a second calf Outside daughter from Lower Denby Farms, Huddersfield which sold for £2180 with other second calvers from J & I Garth, Preston (Fortland Ruttle daughter) and Grantchester Farms, Audlem (Bolton daughter) selling for £2080 each. All three top priced cows sold to the same West Wales buyer.

Not many coloured breeds about and not of the greatest quality but the top crossbred was a very powerful heifer from the Powell’s that realised £2200. Dairy Shorthorns were up to £1700 for a fresh heifer from Martin Jackson of Thirsk and Brown Swiss sold to £1650 for a second calver from Rob Morgan, Wem.

IN-CALF AND SERVED HEIFERS:

Trade was very good in this section for all classes but those in the early part of pregnancy continue to appear to be good value. Heifers due within three months meet with great demand and sold up to £1900 for a June calver; this was for Grosvenor Mccormick Dixie from Grosvenor Farms Ltd., Chester and sold to David Drinkall of Darnhall, Winsford. Others from the same home sold at £1820 and £1800 twice for daughters of McCormick and Dover. Unregistered heifers sold to £1750 for an entry from DP Mounfield, Winsford.

MAIDEN HEIFERS:

There was big demand in this section particularly for quality and good pedigrees. Two South of England Breeders dominated the entry and the top prices; consignments from the Wintersell Herd of The Downing Partnership, Edenbridge, Kent and Huddlestone Herd of Huddlestone Farmers Ltd., West Sussex caused much interest and plenty of bidding. The top price was £1380 for Wintersell Steffi 87th, a ten month old daughter Woodmarsh Zoro with others from the same home selling at £1300 (by Reece, 9 months), £1280 (Reece, 8 months), £1220 (End-Story, 10 months) and £1200 twice (Bilsrow Osman, 15 months and a Mincio, 8 months). The Huddlestone cattle also sold tremendously well topping at £1220 for Huddlestone Guarini Nora, a 15 month old daughter of Guarini with a pedigree as long as your arm with a 14 month old McCormick selling at £1180 and another of similar age and by the same sire selling at £1150.

HEIFER CALVES:

Only 7 forward and all these were from The Downing Partnership and these sold very well with prices up to £620 for a daughter of Regancrest Beau from the Spot family and another by Sam Doge from the Steffi family at £600. Both were February born.

STOCK BULLS:

Just one forward, a good 3 and a half year old Hereford from Mike Richardson, Byley which made £1800.

AVERAGES:

44 Cows £1597.95; 142 Milking Heifers £1852.68; 45 Served Heifers £1508.22; 74 Maiden Heifers £923.65; 7 Heifer Calves £545.71; 1 Stock Bull £1800.00.

WRIGHT MANLEY of Beeston Castle Auction, Cheshire were the Auctioneers.