Ayrshire High Jinks At National Show And Sale

 
Sponsors of the Northern National Ayrshire Show and Sale

Record entry numbers, packed visitor attendance and BBC Children In Need cameras, created an electrifying atmosphere as a record sale for the venue of 5,000 gns was achieved for one of the Ayrshire breed’s top young show cows. The third Northern National Ayrshire Sale and Show, sponsored by specialist mineral supplement company Almins and Cattle Services (Ayr) Ltd, was held on Wednesday 2nd November at Harrison & Hetherington’s Borderway Sale Centre, Carlisle.

Almins MD Archie Leitch, Cuthill Towers Kyles Lady and James Lawrie

The show and sale included 79 entries comprising heifer calves, milking heifers and cows as well as an impressive entry of 11 young bulls. Topping the sale at 5,000 gns was Halmyre Urr Jinks VG 88, 3rd Junior Cow at The Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh, 2011 and 1st Junior Cow, Champion Ayrshire and Reserve Champion Dairy Interbreed, Dumfries Show 2011.

Bred and owned by L Davidson & Sons, Castle Douglas, Scotland and fresh since May 2011, Jinks was 1st place in the Almins Cow in Milk class and was Reserve Champion overall. Judge Geraint Thomas’s admiration for the three-year-old was evident in the pursuing sale with the final bid taking Jinks to his renowned Gwynnog herd, Carmarthen, Wales.

Cuthill Towers Kyles Lady took 1st place in the Almins Red and White Heifer In-milk class and was awarded Champion overall.  Bred and owned by A & S Lawrie, Cuthill Towers, Kinross, Scotland and fresh since September 2011, the stylish two-year old exhibited a superb udder and cleanness throughout.

Sired by Morwick Kyle Red, Lady’s second dam carries more Morwick bloodlines being sired by the famous Morwick Sand Ranger Red; she sold for 2,400 gns to Messrs Galbraith, Sunny Bank.  Commenting on his placement reasons Judge Geraint Thomas said, “The Champion is a lovely balanced young cow with a little more dairy character owing to her stage of lactation than my reserve.”

A & S Lawrie received an additional bonus as Cuthill Towers Pammy took 1st place in the Almins Maiden Heifer class. The owners of the winning animal in this class received an additional sponsorship prize of 250 kgs of Almins Calf Vantage Starter range.  Sired by Hunnington BBK Easlad, her dam is Cuthill Towers Pammy 5 EX 90.

The 13 month old Gwynnog Remington Sailor Girl 2, consigned by Judge Geraint Thomas, sold for 2,600 gns to Mr Thomas Gordon for his Grove herd in Northern Ireland. Sired by high type Canadian sire Mapleburn Remington, her dam Sailor Girl 2 VG 89, is sired by Morwick Sand Ranger Red, and was the Royal Welsh Breed Champion 2011 and the champion Ayrshire at the All Breeds show 2011.

Cuthill Towers Ellie 13, fresh since September and sired by Morwick Kyle Red, sold for 2,400 gns to Messrs Galbraith, Sunny Bank, Kendal, England.  Bloodlines from D A Howie & Sons, Morwick, Acklington, Northumberland, were further in demand at 2,350 gns as the two-year-old, Morwick Gwen 12, sold a few days fresh also to the Galbraith family.

A strong contingent of extremely well bred bulls resulted in 13 month old West Mossgiel Modern Reality ET making a top price of 4,200 gns. Bred and owned by the Cunningham family, Mauchline, Ayrshire and by Palmyra Tri-star Reality, his dam is West Mossgiel Miss Modern 5 EX 93 and sold to leading breeders Willie Stevenson and Sons, Kirminnoch, Stranraer, Scotland.

Harrison & Hetherington Auctioneer Andrew Templeton was delighted with the quality and prices made at the event.” I’d like to thank Almins for its continued support and sponsorship of this leading breed event. This is the third Northern National Show and Sale and the event is now firmly placed in the farming calendar

“Apart from a couple of entries, every animal sold; 16 made over 2,000 gns and over all young stock, heifers,  cows and bulls, the sale averaged just a few pence short of 2,000 gns. This is an excellent result and I commend the vendors for the quality of stock put forward and good sense in the sale ring,” he said.

Leading Prices
Lot        Gns         Vendor                                                     Purchaser
3            5000        L Davidson & Sons, Halmyre                   G R Thomas, Tyreglwys Farm, Carms
79          4200        R & R B Cunningham, West Mossgiel      M W & A Stevenson, Kirkminnoch, Stranraer
67          2600        G R Thomas, Tyreglwys                           T Gordon, 134 Braepark Road, N Ireland
29          2400        A & S Lawrie, Cuthill Towers                    Castlesteads Farming, Penrith
52          2400        A & S Lawrie, Cuthill Towers                    Messrs Galbraith, Sunny Bank Farm, Kendal
46          2350        D A Howie & Sons, Morwick                     Messrs Galbraith, Sunny Bank Farm, Kendal

Sale average
4 Cows in Milk = £2512.13
47 Heifers in Milk = £1876.60
2 Maiden Heifers = £1890.00
9 Bulls = £1983.33