RED LADIES DERBY & WEANED CALVES Friday 3rd November 2006

The Society’s premier female sale on Friday 3rd November 2006 saw the lots on offer easily sold at a high clearance rate to the assembled crowded ring of buyers. Bidding was brisk and this was reflected in the fact that 17 more females were sold on the year. In total, 51 maiden heifers averaged £2101 with 5 cows in calf or with calf at foot averaging £5544 apiece to bring a total sales gross to over £170,000. Export interest was again in evidence with buyers purchasing from Southern Ireland.

The sale itself featured a top of 8,000gns for the April 2005 born Ballinloan Alexis brought forward by Stuart Fotheringham, Dunkeld, Perthshire. The Reserve Show Champion and Nenuphar daughter out of the homebred dam, Ballinloan Tigra, this very shapey heifer topped the sale at 8,000gns when selling to James G Porter, Apple Tree House, Craighall Farm, Forgandenny, Perth.

Hitting the 7,000gns mark was the Show Champion, Eves Viola, put up by judge Mrs Mary Cormack, Abotts Close Farm, Sutton Rd, Thirsk, N Yorks which went under the hammer to Smiths of Bloxham, Newlands Farm, Milton Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxon.

Bred by Messrs JW & DN Eve, Stubbsgill Farm, Westnewton, Wigton, Cumbria this served heifer featured Loosebeare Ricky and Lumbylaw Recruit bloodlines and was sold in calf to Nouvelle Prospect. Mrs Cormack was naturally delighted with her choice of Champion and said, “I just love the cleanness of this animal. She is well fleshed and well shown. It’s the job of a heifer to grow into a cow and I think she will do that very well.” The Eves herd has approximately 30 breeding females and this March 2004 born heifer presented them with their first Red Ladies Champion at Carlisle.

Smiths of Bloxham continued to build their Ironstone pedigree Limousin herd with the purchase for 5,500gns of Cockshirebeck Abbie, exhibited by Mrs JA Richardson, Whitehead Brow, Mealsgate, Wigton, Cumbria. Another first prizewinner, Sympa breeding was again to the fore with this June 2006 born heifer out of the dam Lumbylaw Petticoat.

The red ticket winning Bankdale Amber from Mr G Wilson’s Bankdale Farm, Wreay, Carlisle holding also hit the 7,000gns mark when purchased by Cairns & Burton, Hall Farm, Tollerton, Notts for their newly established pedigree herd. With a Beef Value of LM25, this rising 15 month old heifer was sired by the prolific bull Sympa and was out of the French dam Princesse.