TRADE held up well at a society sale of Luing cattle at Castle Douglas, where buyers from all over the British Isles ensured a strong demand and resulted in all section averages improving on the year. 

While the initial sale of bulls through the ring proved to be slightly variable with several lots going unsold, many later sold in the pens to result in 23 of the 26 bulls forward finding new homes. 

The top price of 17,000gns was paid mid-way through the sale and brought in a best price to date for Robert and Hazel McNee, of Over Finlarg, Tealing, when their Finlarg Tornado sold to the MacArthurs, Nunnerie. This April 2015-born polled bull is the first son to sell by Finlarg Pedro, himself a son of the Benhar Lennox bull that also bred the 11,000gns Finlarg Senator sold last year, while the dam is Finlarg Bouny, a daughter of Benhar Kaiser.

It was a good sale day for the McNee family when Robert’s brother Andrew sold the dearest from his Benhar herd for 9000gns to Dave and Annabel Stanners for their Tynedale herd at Low Chesterhope, West Woodburn, Hexham. That was Benhar Typhoon, the first son to sell by the 7200gns Attonburn Nijinsky bought here a few years back that also sired bulling heifers that sold for 1700gns. Brought out by stockman James Wightman, Typhoon was born in March, 2015, out of a heifer, Benhar Bracklinn P43, by the Benhar Murray bull that was used on a few cows before selling to the Stanners for 10,000gns. 

The Graham family - Billy and his father, Willie - sold the dearest of the bulls from their Craigdarroch herd from Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, for 6800gns. Easily recognised for having a shorter tail, their red polled bull named Craigdarroch Torres is by Finlarg Nero, a Benhar Klassik son bought for 8000gns, while the mother is a home-bred Harehead Jake daughter from the 60-strong Craigdarroch herd. He caught the eye of Kirsty Dunlop and heads to work in the Commonside herd near Hawick.

There was a strong demand for females, with this section peaking at 3000gns for the champion pair of in-calf heifers from Banhar, as picked out by Les Robson, of Buckholm, Galashiels. This pair of polled heifers born in the simmer of 2014 are both by Benhar Klassik, out of College Kracker daughters and sold to D McFadzean, Balado, Kinross, having been served by the aforementioned Attonburn Nijinsky. 

See the February 18 issue of The Scottish Farmer for the full report, photos and averages.