Forfar Mart’s annual Young Farmers sale and show of overwintered calves produced a first class turnout with 39 entries and a record price.
The judge at the Friday evening show – a young farmer herself – Aileen Ritchie, 21, from Tamala,Whitecairns is a member of Belhelvie JAC and already a seasoned show cattle exhibitor. She is busy assembling a show team for the summer season and was to add to it at the sale on Saturday morning by bidding to £4,700 to secure the champion from Kinneff JAC member Asheligh Nelson, Mains of Lundie, Edzell.
The champion, a 16 month old Limousin cross bullock, was bid fairly smartly by auctioneer Willie Paterson to £3,600 when it looked to the packed ringside as if the hammer was about to come down. Another slow but steady bout of bidding between Aileen and fellow north east show exhibitor Blair Duffton was to however take the price to £4,700 setting a record for the Forfar Young Farmers competition. Turning the scales at 530kg this equates to 886 pence per kg.
Ashleigh, 19, is a Rural Business Mangement student at SRUC’s Craibstone Campus. She bought the bullock, a Killin Show class winner from McDiarmid Brothers, Ben Lawers, at Forfar Mart in the autumn,
Before the sale Aileen praised the turnout of calves reckoning the young farmers could easily match, if not better, their elders when it came to bringing out cattle.
She also said her summer line-up was not yet complete. It turned out she didn’t only have the champion in her sights but also the reserve which she snapped up at £1500. This was a 605kg 14 month old Limousin cross bullock from Brechin JAC member Stewart Lawrie, Hillhead of Careston, Brechin.
Stewart has produced the champion for the last two years but this time had to settle one place lower. His bullock, which was bought at Forfar in the autumn from breeder Willie McLaren, Muirhouses, Kirriemuir, was out of an Aberdeen-Angus home bred cow and by Mr McLaren’s Hafodlas bred stock bull. The calf was shown succesfully last summer at Fettercairn, Alyth and Kirriemuir.
The best opposite sex to the champion was a pure Limousin heifer shown by Forfar JAC’s Andrew Adam, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar. Andrew’s December 2013 born heifer also won him the prize for “best presented”. It was bred at the Adam family’s Auldallan farm at Kirriemuir and bought by Andrew at Forfar in the autumn. The buyers on Saturday at £1,300 for the 560 kg heifer were Jim and David Peters, West Bog, Kirriemuir
Drew and Margaret Wilson, Greenhead, Forfar presented two Jockey Jan Memorial Trophies in the ring on Saturday. The first, for the best daily liveweight gain, went to Forfar JAC member David Millar and the second, for the best return on capital (champions excluded), was shared by first equal contenders Beth Alexander of Bankfoot JAC and Drew Speed of Brechin JAC.
The best halter trained award went to Lyndsay Nelson of Brechin JAC.
By the end of the sale 17 bullock calves had averaged 287 pence per kg (plus 33p on the year) or £1491 per head. The 22 heifer calves levelled at 248pence per kg (plus 14p on the year) or £1239 per head.
Young Farmers results-
Bullock (any other breed)- 1 Matthew Steel (Forfar JAC) 450kg £1240; 2 Rebekah Hawkesworth (Forfar JAC) 505kg £1320; 3 Claire Dyce (Forfar JAC) 505kg £1180; 4 Beth Dandie (Forfar JAC) 540kg £1320.
Bullock, Limousin sired 15/11/13 to 27/1/14 – 1 Ashleigh Nelson (Kinneff JAC) £530, £4700; 2 Stewart Lawrie (Brechin JAC) 605kg £1500; 3 Rory Stodart (Forfar JAC) 595kg £1310; 4 Fraser McEwen (Brechin JAC) 555kg £1240.
Bullock , Limousin sired 13/2/14 to 28/2/14- 1 Fraser McEwan (Brechin JAC) 595kg £1350;2 David Millar (Forfar JAC) 555kg £1230; 3 Liam Wylie (Forfar JAC ) 550kg £1340.
Bullock, Limousin sired 23/3/14 to 15/4/14 – 1 Beth Alexander (Bankfoot JAC) 465kg £1430; 2 Beth Alexander (Bankfoot JAC) 440kg £1290; 3 Rob Alexander (Bankfoot JAC) 440kg £1200; 4 Rob Alexander(Bankfoot JAC) 465kg £1230.
Heifer (any other breed)- 1 Tom Strang (Forfar JAC) 490kg £1140; 2 Barbara Shaw (Strathmore JAC) 495kg £1210; 3 Tom Strang (Forfar JAC) 500kg £1210.
Heifer, Limousin sired 9/12/13 to 17/2/14 – Andrew Adam (Forfar JAC) 560kg £1300; 2 Matthew Steel (Forfar JAC) 565kg £1320; 3 Drew Speed (Brechin JAC) 555kg £1500; 4 Rachel Houston (Strathmore JAC) 520kg £1200.
Heifer, Limousin sired 25/2/14 to 24/3/14 – 1 Tom Stodart (Forfar JAC) 495kg £1140; 2 Stewart Lawrie (Brechin JAC) 455kg £1220 ; 3 Ruaridh Lawrie (Brechin JAC) 415kg £1040; 4 Jodie Jackson (Brechin JAC) 505kg £1180.
Heifer, Limousin sired 29/3/14 to 12/4/14 – 1 Lyndsay Nelson (Brechin JAC) 525kg £1340; 2 Andrew Beattie (Forfar JAC) 530kg £1220; 3 Ruaridh Lawrie (Brechin JAC) 515kg £1040; 4 Glenn Jackson (Brechin JAC) 500kg £1120.
Heifer, Limousin sired 17/4/14 to 31/5/14 – 1 Rory Stodart (Forfar JAC) 470kg £1280; 2 Dean Farquharson (Forfar JAC) 505kg £1270; 3 Drew Speed (Brechin JAC) 455kg £1220; 4 Nicola Beattie (Forfar JAC) 375kg £1060
Lawrie and Symington also held the mart’s first spring show and sale of 602 store cattle sponsored by Alexander Gauld, Farmer and Haulage Contractor, and judged by Miss Aileen Ritchie.
The champion and reserve were both consigened by David Cooper of P Cooper and Sons, Govals, Inverarity. The champion was a Limousin sired yearling bullock out of a British Blue cross cow and sold for £1380 weighing 455kg (303.3ppk). The reserve was a Limousin sired yearling home bred heifer and sold for £1210 weighing 440kg (275ppk)
Bullocks (331) averaged 241.4ppk or £1083.16
Heifers (271) averaged 231.4ppk or £958.55
Show results –
Pair of bullocks-1 P Cooper & Son; 2 GD McDonald & Son, Meadows of Ballied; 3 P Cooper & Son
Pair of heifers- 1 W McLaren, Muirhouses; 2 W. McLaren.
Single bullock- 1 P Cooper & Son; 2 S Brown, Roe Park; 3 IG Grant, Banks of Gallery
Single heifer -1 P. Cooper & Son;2 GD McDonald & Son.
Leading prices per kg –
Bullocks- Lim. 303.3p Govals, 286.5p Newton of Logierait; Char. 264.8p West Park, 263.5p Hilton; Simm. 273.9p Chamberlain Knowe, 256p Suttieside; BRB 297.7p Banks of Gallery, 255.3p Banks of Gallery; A.A. 242.9p Ardlebank Farms, 236.7p Ardlebank Farms; Short. 216.7p Nether Drumheads, 204.5p Nether Drumheads.
Heifers- Lim. 313.3p Govals, 279.1p Meadows of Ballied; Char. 255.3p Lodgehill, 251.7 Runavey; Simm. 257.5p Aucharroch, 250.6p Suttieside; A.A. 238.1p Auchleish, 228.6p Ardlebank Farm; Short. 227.6p Runavey, 208.3p Nether Drumheads.
Leading prices per head –
Bullocks – Lim. £1380 Govals, £1320 Meadows of Ballied and New Bourtreebush; Char. £1205 West Park, £1190 Lodgehill; Simm £1185 Lundie Castle, £1135 Suttieside; BRB £1280 Banks of Gallery, £1200 Govals; A.A. £935 Ardlebank Farm, £850 Ardlebank Farm; Short. £1145 Nether Drumheads, £1040 Nether Drumheads.
Heifers- Lim. £1300 Govals, £1230 New Bourtreebush; Char. £1040 Haymount, £1010 West Park; Simm. £1090 Suttieside, £1040 Suttieside; A.A. £1020 Radernie, £1005 Haymount; Short. £1070 Knowhead, £1000 Nether Drumheads.