There was plenty buzz around the sale ring at Dingwall Mart yesterday for the Luing Cattle Society’s annual spring breeding sale and the firm’s show and sale of pedigree bulls and breeding cattle.
Dingwall and Highland Marts sold 86 pedigree and commercial Luing cattle including 60 pedigree bulling heifers which averaged £2,168.26.
Kintail herd tops the Luing females
Local breeder Graeme MacRae of the Kintail herd at Newton of Ferintosh, Mulbuie, topped the female trade at 2,700gns apiece for all five of his bulling heifers, including the reserve champion winners.
Achieving a personal best at the sale for Graeme, they are all March and April 2022-born heifers by Luing Yahoo, a bull bought privately from the Cadzow Brothers, Isle of Luing.
They sold to the Scottish Borders with Jamie Gilchrist of Mullholland Contracts at Ettrickshaws, Selkirk.
Culmaily produces second top price
Angus and Ewan McCall’s Culmaily herd at Golspie topped at 2,600gns apiece for a March and April 2022-born pair to J and M Brimms, Thruster Mains, Bilbster, Wick.
One is sired by Finlarg Ziggy, while the other is by Harehead Xplorer.
The champion pair from the show, judged by Ewan Ferguson, Borgh, Kiltarlity, went to Rory Cameron of the Monzie herd, Blair Atholl.
They are April 2022-born heifers by Wooplaw Warlord SV and sold at 2,100gns apiece to Mrs H Birnie, Guisachan Farm, Tomich, Beauly.
Monzie takes champion in pre-sale show
The small offering of pedigree Luing bulls sold to 4,200gns for April 2022-born Altnaharra Bouncer, from P and A Bakker, Eastview, Altnaharra, Lairg.
He is by Nunnerie Wanderer, out of Arisaig Tansy, and sold to Lockerbie with S and L Dodd, Tundergarth Mains.
Outwith the Luing cattle, pedigree bulls reached £6,500 twice for the champion and reserve animals judged by Neil Wattie, Mains of Tonley, Alford.
Pedigree bulls sold to £6,500 twice from Craiglands and Craigiebank
The overall honours went to a Charolais bull from Rory McKenzie, Craiglands, Fortrose.
This was 18-month-old Craiglands Taurus, by Harestone Ozur, out of a dam by Inverlochy Etiquette.
He sold to Tom Riddoch, Greenloan, Cabrach, Huntly.
The reserve champion, a 22-month-old British Blue, from Sarah Balfour and Luke Holmes, Craigiebank Farm, Forgie, Keith, made the same money to East Lothian with Cadzow and Co Ltd, Duncrahill, Pencaitland.
This was Old Stackyard Blues Samson, by New Close Colonel, out of Stonebyres Lizzie.
He stood first in his class in every outing last summer and was reserve champion at Turriff Show.
Other bulls sold to £5,000
Other prices included £5,000 for a Charolais from the Milne family’s Glenernan herd at Strathdon, to J Moir, Auchorties, Keith; £4,800 for a cross-bred bull from the Mackays at Wester Tomloan, Nairn, to D Swanson, Clatequoy, Glengolly, Thurso; £4,200 for a Simmental from Brian and Stuart Grant, Druid Temple, Inverness, to D MacKay, 17 Englishtonmir, Bunchrew; and £3,000 for a Beef Shorthorn from Alison Watt, Birkenburn, Keith, to G Hamilton, Tullochgribban Farm, Grantown-on-Spey.
