COMMERCIAL BUYERS really swung into action at the Perth bull sales yesterday when the Simmentals took their turn in the ring.

It was obvious from the start that there was serious interest in bulls that looked right and had performance figures to match.

With so many herds now closed and breeding their own replacements, maternal characteristics were sought after.

The demand was reflected in a sale average of £3944 for 93 sold, a very solid 79% clearance rate.

Last year 72 sold for £3205

After his stint on the rostrum, auctioneer David Leggat said, “It was a very good level show, with very little tail end.”

A clearly delighted breed development manager Fiona Sloan agreed, saying, “This will be our best sale for a decade.

“It was a good entry, with no rejections at the pre-sale inspection.”

Finlay McGowan and son Neil, from Incheoch, had a particularly good day, selling three sons of Starline Nelson to a top of 10,000 guineas and an average of £9274.

It was the first crop of calves from this sire, which was a 7000 guineas purchase in 2004.

“We have concentrated on the maternal side right from the start on both milk yield and easy calving,” said Finlay.

“The bulls had good figures. The 10,000 guineas one particularly had one of the best balanced set of figures in the breed, combining calving ease, birth weight, eye muscle and carcase weight.”

The buyer of Mr McGowan’s top-price bull, Dirnanean Salvador, was pedigree breeder Rory Bell, Roxburgh Mill, Kelso, who has 20 Simmental and 40 Luing cows.

However, the honour of top price was to be shared.

Billy Robson, Kildare, County Antrim, also took 10,000 guineas for the overall champion, Kilbride Farm Strabane.

This bull’s sire, Kilbride Farm Newry, has been sold privately to AI Services and has built up a reputation for easily-calved progeny.

It was a joint purchase between Billy and Ann MacPherson, of Blackford, Croy, Inverness, and Delfur Farms, Rothes.

Colin Fordyce, stock manager at Islabank, Meigle, was in close contention, selling under his own Blair prefix. He sold Blair Solomon, a Blackford Lionheart son out of a Milnafua dam for 9500 guineas to W. A. Galloway, Culnoak, Newton Stewart.

Solomon was junior male champion at this year’s Highland and reserve Simmental at Alyth on his only show outings.

The next best of the Incheoch trio, Dirnanean Shane, made 8500 guineas to pedigree breeder Ron Loftus, Lodge Farm, Kirkham, Lancashire.

Shane is out of the 15-year-old Dirnanean Bali, a cow with good maternal genetics from Austria and Canada.

The reserve overall champion was also to sell at 8500 guineas.

From Northern Ireland consignor Joe Wilson, Newry, County Down, his Innerwick Krackerjack son, Ballinalare Farm Spartacus, sold to one of Scotland’s largest-scale organic farmers, John Hamilton, Aikengall, Dunbar

There was a clutch of sales at the 8000 guineas level.

The third of the Incheoch consignment, Dirnanean Soloman, was reserve senior champion and had a very high terminal sire index of 29.

He is heading south to John Trafford, Springfield, Cockermouth.

Billy Robson sold another Kilbride Farm Newry son, Kilbride Farm Scarva, at the same price to Mr Stewart, Lennoxstown, Glasgow.

Not to be outdone, Gethin Lloyd, Glanrhyd, Carmarthen, sold his only entry, Crugmelyn Shamrock, again at 8000 guineas to D. Smith, Shandscross, Turriff.

Finlay McGowan was back in the market, but this time as a buyer, paying 7500 guineas for a bull from Northern Ireland.

Burndennett Spain, a Dellfield Lloyd son from John Henderson, Ballyheather, Strabane, County Tyrone, attracted Mr McGowan because of his easy calving figures.

Immediate past Royal Highland chairman John Young, Skerrington Mains, Kilmarnock, sold at 7000 guineas to fellow Ayrshire farmers J. H. Logan, Dalfask, Girvan.

This junior bull, the June 2005-born Skerrington Showman, was sired by Sterling Nelson 2nd.

In another 7000 guineas transaction, Corrick Supreme from Mr C. McIlwaine, Newtonstewart, County Tyrone, sold to Mr A. Jack, Kilcoy, Muir of Ord

Simmental stalwart Dorothy Moffat, Innerwick, Dunbar, sold Innerwick Sultan, an Oakhill Ned son and the interbreed champion at Berwickshire Show, for 6800 guineas to Allan Young, Bunchrew, Inverness.

Another long-established breeder and current breed president Dan Evans, Wroxall, Warwick, sold at 6500 guineas to Snaigow Farms, Blairgowrie.

This bull, Wroxall Shaggy, created a deal of interest, being the first son to be sold sired by Danish import and naturally polled bull, Langmose Triton.

The hammer came down at the same price for Pasturehouse Snickers from J. B. and E. J. Piele, Bolton Low Houses, Cumbria, selling to Pitgaveny Farms, Elgin.

Also at 6500 guineas, Jimmy and Iain Green, Corskie, Garmouth, sold the reserve junior champion, Ballinalare Farm Nightrider’s son, Corskie Storm, to Whitehouse Farms, Alford, Aberdeenshire.

By the time the last lot had passed through the ring there had been no less than 23 sales at over 5000 guineas.

Simmental breeders would go home well pleased with their day in the limelight.

Later in the afternoon a sale of Charolais females topped at 6000 guineas for a six-year-old cow with a bull calf at foot from Jim McConnachie, Culfoichmore, Grantown on Spey.

Advie Rapunzel is an AI daughter of Moyness Lincoln, and her bull calf was by Derryharney Outstanding. Buyer was Peter Mallabar from Staffordshire.

Mr McConnachie also took the second-best price of 5000 guineas with another cow, the four-year-old Advie Tina, due to calve to Advie Victor in November.

Ballathie Estates, Stanley, were also amongst the high flyers, selling the six-year-old Ballathie Rosehip for 4500 guineas to James Innes, Dunscroft, Huntly.