There were buyers from near and far at Luing Cattle Society’s 17th annual Spring Breeding Sale.
Held at Dingwall Mart, the event saw a total of 73 pedigree and commercial Luing changing hands. A similar number of breeding cattle also attracted plenty of interest.
Buyers were geographically widespread, with some cattle going to the south of Scotland and others to Orkney.
Sale averages up in all classes
The clearance rate was 100% for females and 50% for bulls, with sale averages for all classes up on the year.
There were 58 pedigree Luing bulling heifers forward. They achieved an average of £3,132.80 – up by more than £1,000 year-on-year.
Champion pair fetch top prices
And they sold to a top of £4,200 per animal for a pair of polled Finlarg Ziggy daughters, consigned by AC & AL McCall, of Culmaily Farm, Golspie.
These were bought by EJ & AM Fox, of St John’s Kirk Biggar.
The two heifers had entered the sales ring after being named champion pair in a show judged by Colin Little of East Bracklinn, Callander.
The McCall family also had the next two highest prices, £4,095 and £3,990, again for Finlarg Ziggy daughters.
The first pair at 3,900gns went home with J Jardine, of Dalbeattie. The second pair at 3,800gns were knocked down to S & L Dodd, of Tundergarth Mains, Lockerbie.
Orkney heifers top at 3,700gns
Local breeder Graeme MacRae, of the Kintail herd at Newton of Ferintosh, Mulbuie, had a single pair on offer. These were snapped up by Messrs Brims, of Caithness, for £3,885.
Meanwhile, Tom Lyth brought six heifers all the way from Heatherhouse Farm in Orkney. These sold for £3,225, on average, with a top of 3,700gns achieved for Tom’s pre-sale reserve pair.
Scott and Farquhar Renwick, of Inverbroom, also has a consignment of six. These averaged £3,535, selling to a top of £3,885 for a pair that were purchased by Messrs Jardine, of Dalbeattie.
Elsewhere, Rory Cameron, of Monzie, Perthshire, had a run of six heifers which averaged £3,150. The best were a pair sold for £3,465 to Messrs Brims, of Caithness.
Similarly, a small consignment of Sim-Luing bulling heifers sold to a top of £1,746, consigned by AC & AL McCall, which re[presented an uplift of £621 from a year ago.
Bulls sell for an average of £3,675
Three in-calf cows consigned by Gary Mackenzie of Fanblair, near Beauly, all in-calf to Sutherland Brora and due in July, averaged £2,345 and sold to a top of £2,625.
Bulls sold to a top of £4,200 and averaged £3,675, similar to last year’s trade.
There were four of them forward, with two finding new homes.
David McLaughlin, of Lewis, sold his homozygous polled Nunnerie Young Gun son for £4,200 to I & W Sutherland, of Strathnaver.
The last bull in the Luing Cattle Society sale catalogue was Lochbroom Commando, a heterozygous polled Commonside Scania son which sold for £3,150 to Ardtornish Estate.
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