FOLLOWING two bumper breed sales in the native sections earlier in the day, the momentum continued as Limousins proved popular too when they met a strong commercial demand, with 30 bulls reaching the 5000gns bracket or more. 

With 68 bulls forward for sale on Monday and only six unsold, the breed produced an increase in its average of £501 to level at £5102 for 62 sold, which was a 91% clearance for six more sold on the year.

It was a double celebration for father and son duo, Jim and Bruce Goldie, from Townfoot, Mouswald, when their Goldies Lordoftherings picked up the overall championship, and went on to sell for the lead price of 12,000gns, marking a third consecutive lead price, and four out of the last five, for the herd at the Limousin sales at Stirling. 

He has some terrific breeding behind him, being an AI son of Goldies Fantastic, a bull which sired one of the joint top priced bulls at Stirling, last May, when the family topped the sale at 9000gns twice. Out of Goldies Dove - an Ampertaine Foreman daughter which has bred sons to 9000gns and 8500gns - and born in June, 2015, he sold to pedigree breeders, Jimmy and Donald MacGregor from the Dyke, Milton of Campsie. 

Mary Fotheringham and daughter Hazel McNee, along with Hazel's husband Robert, who run their 80-strong herd in partnership at Over Finlarg, Tealing, had plenty to celebrate when their black genetics proved popular, selling three to 11,000gns, 8000gns and 6800gns. First in the trade stakes was their reserve senior champion, Westhall Black Landman, one of the first sons by Newhouse Hartley, purchased from the Adam family at Stirling, in 2014, for 12,000gns. Born in April 2015, and out of Westhall Hlame, herself by Westhall Fothers, he sold to commercial producers at Wester Kinloch Farms, Blairgowrie. 

Ian Patullo from Sandyford at Kirriemuir, went to 8000gns for a similarly aged bull, Westhall Black Lance, which stood second in its class to the senior champion. Another by the home-bred bull, Westhall Fothers, he is out of Westhall Fame.

The first bull through the ring also reached 8000gns for Strawfrank Leroy, from Allan Campbell who runs the 28-strong herd at Carstairs Junction, Lanark. This AI son of Vagabond, which stood senior champion earlier in the day, giving Allan his first ever bull sale champion win, is out of Gunnerfleet Fassuna, which was purchased as a heifer from Ian Handley, at Carlisle. Allan and stockman, Cameron Jackson, enjoyed a successful summer last year too with Leroy when he picked up the junior and male champion tickets at the Scottish Limousin Grand Prix and stood beef champion at Lesmahagow. He was snapped up by Aberdeenshire commercial breeders, J Walker and Sons, Sauchenbush, Echt. 

See this week's issue of The Scottish Farmer, out February 11, for the full report from the first week of the Stirling Bull Sales, featuring reports, leading awards and photos of the trade leaders from the Beef Shorthorn, Aberdeen-Angus and Limousin breeds.