averages: 23 cows cows with calves at foot, £3406; six heifers with Hereford calves, £2205; six yearling heifers, £1593

WITH many calves at foot showing great promise at the dispersal of John, Kate and Hamish Dykes’ Mendick herd of Simmentals, it was the stock sire that topped the trade at 7500gns.

With a considerable increase to sheep numbers resulting in a change of farming policy at East Slipperfield, West Linton, this was a true dispersal and leaves John and Kate more time to focus on their prize-winning Mendick Highland ponies and traditional Bluefaced Leicesters.

That leader was Blackford Grouse, an April, 2015-born bull bought for 11,000gns at Stirling in October, 2016, that really put his stamp on the herd. A full brother to the record-price Bel Dhu Capercaillie at 45,000gns, Grouse is by Hockenhull Waterloo and out of Blackford Wagtail, a Kilbride Farm Strabane daughter. This lad sold for commercial use at Neuk Farm, Cocksburnpath, for the Firm of SR Findlay.

A polled and dark-coloured seven-year-old cow, Mendick Cara, and her spitting image of a stretchy heifer calf, five-month-old Mendick Joyce, by Grouse, led the female trade at 5200gns when sold to young Kate and Alan McNee, of Over Finlarg, Tealing, Dundee. The Thursford Viceroy-sired Cara is out of a Dirnanean Paramount 2 daughter, Mendick Ada, and was scanned back in calf to Grouse.

Four-year-olds were in flavour with the dearest of these at 4800gns being Mendick Favour, a Team Banker daughter bred from the Dirnanean Paramount 2-sired Mendick Bridget. Selling to the Greenhill family at Craighill, Duntrune, Angus, she changed hands with her stretchy Grouse-sired heifer, Mendick Justine, and back in calf to Grouse.

The Team Banker/Dirnanean Paramount 2 cross breeding proved popular and featured in the next two lots at 4500gns and 4100gns.

Making 4500gns was another solid-coloured outfit, Mendick Fara and her Grouse-sired heifer, Mendick Julie, which sold to I Tennant, Hyndford Road, Lanark. She was pd’d in calf and is out of Mendick Canna.

Just one lot earlier, the Paramount 2-sired Mendick Flora, sold to multiple buyer McFarlane Farms at Quixwood, Duns, for 4100gns. Scanned in calf to Grouse, she is out of Mendick Bramble, a Paramount 2 daughter bred from the same cow as the 10,500gns Mendick Delboy that sold to Northern Ireland.

Maiden heifers hit 2800gns for a big, dark heifer in the shape of Mendick Iris, a May, 2017-born daughter of Wolfstar Dynamite. Snapped up by Messrs Stevenson, Ballingry, she is out of the Paramount 2-sired Mendick Bracken.