A BUMPER show of Beef Shorthorn bulls backed by soaring demand, produced a record breaking trade for the breed with a new high of 26,000gns and a best ever average just shy of £6000.

Add to that a further eight five-figure bull sales, and averages jumped by a massive £1565 on the year to level at £5914. More impressive however, was the fact that almost double the number of bulls sold, with 65 finding new homes, representing an 87% clearance, against the 34 cashed last year from a 51% clearance

“We had a great sale, with a new record top and our highest ever average,” said Sally Horrell, newly appointed breed president.

“There has been an insatiable demand for good, fertile, docile, easy calving cows in recent years and the Beef Shorthorn just fits the bill. The Morrisons’ premium for Beef Shorthorn beef, which at 25p per dwkg for an R4L steer is also boosting demand for the breed, whether the cattle are sold finished or in the store ring,” added Mrs Horrell, who pointed out that membership and registrations to the society had increased by 40% since 2010, with many new breeders looking to invest in the breed at the sale.

Star attraction undoubtedly was the sale of Major John Gibb and his daughter, Catriona’s Glenisla Jackpot, which secured the new breed record of 26,000gns for the family farm at Glenisla, Blairgowrie. Living up to his name and surpassing the previous best of 17,000gns paid here in 2014, for Willingham Formalhaut, was an AI two-year-old son of Broughton Park Thunder, an Australian sire, which bred the herd’s top breeding bull, Glenisla Xcalibur along with many other lead priced bulls in the breed.

The dam, Glenisla Desire, by Glenisla Vagabond, is one of the best breeding females in the 70-cow herd established in the mid 1970s. Jackpot, a roan bull brought out by stockman Stephen Martin, stood second in his class at the pre-sale show, and was knocked down to pedigree Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus breeder, James Porter of the Uppermill and Old Glenort herds, respectively from Dromore, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

On the other side of the equation, Major Gibb bought the champion at 12,000gns from Jack and Grace Ramsay, Millerston, Mauchline. The couple who run 30 pedigree females, secured their second championship and best ever price with Millerston Jamboree, a May 2015-born roan by the privately purchased stockbull, Meonhill Charlie Chaplin, which has since been sold to Knockenjig. The dam, Millerston Augusta Eilidh, a Podehole Beefeater daughter, is a full sister to the top show cow, Millerston Augusta Foxy.

Adding to the Millerston celebrations, the Ramsays also received 10,000gns for a similarly aged roan bull by Charlie Chaplin and from the same successful Augusta line. Millerston Jukebox, brought out with assistance of Stuart Wilson, is out of Millerston Augusta Evelyn, also by Beefeater, and stood reserve male champion at the Stars of the Future in 2015 and a member of the champion progeny pairs at the Highland Show in 2015. Jukebox goes out to work in Glos, having been purchased by SS Horton and Sons, of the Hannington herd, Poulton Fields, Cirencester.

Douglas McMillan’s Coldrochie herd from Luncarty, Perth, enjoyed a flying trade with sales at 15,000gns and 10,000gns. Dearest was Coldrochie Jurassic, a 20-month-old roan bull by the 12,000gns Knockenjig Foremost, a bull whose six heifers sold at the October sale peaked at 11,000gns to average just short of £5500. Reserve junior at the pre-sale show, Jurassic is out of Colnvalley Rosebud, by the home-bred sire Colnvalley Titanic, and sold to Bill and Jane Landers, Bargaly, Newton Stewart, who were second last bidders on the 26,000gns Glenisla bull.

Coldrochie stockman, Charlie Reed, brought out the 10,000gns bull for Mr McMillan, which was purchased by Phil Shaw, new herd manager at Glenrinnes Farms, Dufftown, buying for the herd’s 25-cow pedigree herd. This was Coldrochie Jeronimo, another roan Foremost son, this time out of the Tamhorn Zip-sired cow, Colnvalley Joyful.

The similarly aged Jason of Upsall, an AI son of Glenisla Zetor from Gerald Turton’s Upsall herd from Upsall, Thirsk, also proved popular, selling for 14,000gns to give long-term stockman, Ian Park a real cause for celebration, as he is turning freelance this year. Bred from one of the best female lines in the 80-cow herd, this roan bull is out of the Wallace of Upsall daughter, Clipper X431 of Upsall, which is the dam of two bulls already used in the herd. Immediate past president, Geoff Riby, Low Stonehills, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, was the last man in.

Northern Ireland breeder, Duncan McDowell, enjoyed his best ever year in 10 years breeding too, selling the top priced female at 6600gns, his junior champion bull at 13,000gns, and several other lead priced lots. All his bulls were sons of John Elliot’s first Shorthorn, Elliot Matrix, a Canadian embryo, which sold privately to Mr McDowell for £10,000.

Junior champion was Castlemount Jetliner, a 19-month-old roan bull that was reserve overall at just 11 months of age in the native inter-breed beef breeder class at last year’s Highland Show and reserve champion at the Northern Ireland National show where he also went on to stand inter-breed champion. He is out of Castlemount Raeburn Zipy, an Uppermill Raeburn daughter which goes back to the Floss family at Chapelton and made 13,000gns to E and T Richardson buying for their Catterall herd based at Sturzaker House Farm, Catterall, Preston.

Castlemount Junior, another by Matrix from the same stable made 8500gns to Page Farm, Newton Grange Farm, Newton-Le-Willows, Bedale, North Yorkshire. This red and white June 2015-born bull which was senior champion at the NI Club Calf Show, is out of the show winning Castlemount Zulu Zoe, which stood overall champion at the NI Beef Shorthorn Calf and Yearling Show, in 2013.

John Scott's 70-cow Fearn herd from Fearn Farm, Black Isle, also came up with the goods, with Fearn Jumpstart, brought out by Jimmy and Helen Laing, realising 10,000gns to David Dickie, Knockenjig, Sanquhar. The first calf by the Dakota of Upsall son, Fearn Godfather, which made 10,000gns in 2015 to Coldrochie, Jumpstart, is out of the Bundaleer Yahoo Serious-sired cow, Fearn Esme Musette.

Dean Anderson, Smallburn Farms, Elgin, bought two bulls going to a top of 9500gns for Meonside Javelin, a dark roan intermediate bull from the Drayton Farm Partnership comprising Frank and Belinda Moffat and their daughter Sally, and grand-sons Tom and David Bradley Farmer. The bull from Drayton Farm, East Meon, Petersfield, is the result of an in-calf female purchase being the out of the Gregors Brigadoon-sired Ballylinney Lancaster, bought at the herd dispersal and sired by Ballylinney Grant, by Glengloy Callum.

William Allan's up and coming Miltonlockart herd from Crossford, Lanarkshire, also enjoyed a good day with his best, brought out by John and James Currie, making 8000gns to P and J Bailey, Far Bank End, Coupland Beck, Appleby. A maternal brother to the herd's champion here in May, which made 6500gns, this intermediate roan bull is by Chapelton Glen Garry and out of Tofts Princess, purchased from Playfair Farms.