856 Pedigree bulls and females on show and sale
United Auctions is set to host a super-sized Autumn Bull Sales as they welcome 856 pedigree beef bulls and females on show and sale at Stirling Agricultural Centre.
This year Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers are holding the October Bull Sales over four days – from Sunday 16th to Wednesday 19th October 2016 – to accommodate a particularly busy programme.
Sunday judging of the Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn breeds, introduced last year, will continue this year with sales taking place the following day on Monday, 17th October.
The Autumn Bull Sales are sponsored by independent property consultancy CKD Galbraith.
A highlight at this year’s Sales will be four prestigious dispersals of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus, Charolais and Simmental females.
One of the most significant Aberdeen-Angus sales staged in the recent history of the breed will take place on Monday afternoon as the sale of the Spring calving portion of the renowned Blelack herd from Graeme and Neil Massie goes under the hammer. The Blelack herd has produced no less than 13 champions at the Bull Sales – a record unsurpassed by any herd. The attractive catalogue of cattle features 75 lots of cows with calves at foot. Many of these cows have already produced bulls, which have featured at the Bull Sales.
The afternoon of Tuesday 18th October sees the dispersal of the Massie family’s Blelack pedigree Charolais with 90 lots forward, including many cows with Spring-born calves at foot. The herd has consistently achieved top prices and averages at the Bull Sales.
This will be followed by the dispersal of the Angus-based Guthrie herd from the Murray family with 17 lots of Charolais females on offer.
Meanwhile, the dispersal of the entire Spring calving portion of the Woodhall herd, comprising 55 lots, from Hector Macaskill will be held on Tuesday morning. This herd of Simmentals was established in 1976 and has been a consistent source of top class pedigree and commercial stud bulls.
David Brown, Sales Director and Auctioneer at UA, who will be in the rostrum for all four dispersals said: “These sales are a unique opportunity for buyers to source highly productive and successful bloodlines. The majority of the lots are cows sold with really promising calves at foot with most of the cows having been re-served with selected bulls. This is a rare set of sales offering an excellent choice for buyers.”
John Roberts, Sales Director and Auctioneer at UA said: “With 450 beef bulls forward from eight different breeds, including the largest entry of Charolais bulls for a number of years, the quality of pedigree livestock on offer at the October sales is just tremendous.”
In addition, the October Bull Sales will include a charity auction on Sunday 16th October at 5pm for the Doreen Cormack Stem Cell Fund. This special auction will help raise funds towards Doreen’s Stem Cell treatment for MS at a specialist clinic in Mexico next February.
More than 70 lots, including livestock, embryos, semen, special prizes and sporting experiences, have been kindly donated to help the Angus breeder meet her fundraising target of £50,000. Two of the UK’s leading herds have been generous in offering livestock lots. The opening lot is from the Davidson family who donated the pick of their Skaill herd. Doreen and Alistair recently travelled to Orkney and selected three-year-old cow Skaill Tibbie N812 who comes with her promising second calf at foot, Skaill Tibbie S545.
The second lot is a choice of an in-calf heifer from the entire Wedderlie herd run by the Tilson family in the Borders. The 200-cow Wedderlie herd celebrated its centenary in 2014 and Wedderlie genetics have been used in the foundation of eminent herds over the years.
A dedicated catalogue is available on the UA website and telephone bids are accepted on the day.
Full catalogue details for the Sales will be also available on the Stirling Bull Sales’ page of UA’s website along with access to the sale ring’s live webcam. Opportunities for photographs are available from Sunday.
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Issued by JK Consultancy on behalf of United Auctions. For further information, please contact Jenny Kumar on 07989557198 / jenny@jkconsultancy.com
Notes to editor
Judges
Aberdeen-Angus – Robin Orr, Halbeath Farm, Dunfermline
Beef Shorthorn – Sally Horrell, Podehole Farm, Thorney, Peterborough
Limousin – Jonathan Aiken, 82 Corbally Road, Carnew, Dromara, Dromore
Simmental – Vikki Wood, Popes Farm, Longridge Road, Dutton, Preston
Charolais – Bob Adam, Newhouse of Glamis, Glamis, Forfar
SHOW AND SALE PROGRAMME
Sunday 16 October
8.30am Aberdeen-Angus bull inspection
9.30am Beef Shorthorn bull inspection
10am Simmental bull inspection
12 noon Charolais bull inspection
1.30pm Show of Aberdeen-Angus bulls followed by females
3pm Limousin bull inspection followed by Salers, British Blonde and Luing bulls
3pm Show of Beef Shorthorn females followed by bulls, followed by parade of Luing
5pm Doreen’s Stem Cell Fund – charity auction
Monday 17 October
8am Show of Limousin females followed by bulls followed by parade of Salers & British
Blonde bulls
10.30am Sale of Aberdeen-Angus bulls (45) followed by Beef Shorthorn bulls (19) and Luing (2)
12 noon Sale of Aberdeen-Angus females (101) including dispersal of the adult portion of the
Blelack herd (75)
12.30pm Show of Simmental females followed by bulls
1.30pm Sale of Limousin bulls (78) followed by Salers (8) and British Blonde (2) bulls, followed by Limousin (16) and Salers (5) females
2.30pm Sale of Beef Shorthorn females (79)
Tuesday 18 October
9am Show of Charolais females followed by bulls
10.30am Sale of Simmental females (77) including dispersal of the entire spring-calving portion
of the Woodhall
herd (55)
1pm Sale of Simmental bulls (132)
3pm Sale of Charolais females (130) including dispersals of the Blelack herd (89) and
Guthrie herd (17)
Wednesday 19 October
10.30am Sale of Charolais bulls (165)
About United Auctions
United Auctions (UA) are Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers and procurement specialists and operate a network of different auction markets across Scotland, including Stirling, Huntly, Lairg, Dalmally, Tiree, Islay, South Uist and an area office and lairage facility at Oban. The company conducts auctions of both commercial and pedigree livestock, including the world-famous Stirling Bull Sales, and provides farm-to-farm and farm-to-abattoir procurement services. In 2013, UA was named in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’.