The second annual show and sale on behalf of the Belted Galloway Cattle Society at CCM Skipton Auction Mart proved a real belter, with 100% clearance in the main sale -they included White Galloways for the first time – a top price of 5,800gns (£6,090) for the supreme champion and significant interest from buyers heading south from Scotland and the heart of Belted Galloway country.
It produced a similar outcome as its inaugural predecessor the previous year when Chris and Christine Ryder, Scaife Hall herd, Blubberhouses, retained the supreme championship and again took top price in sale.
They achieved back-to-back titles with their only entry, a home-bred May, 2022, bull, Scaifehall Lorenzo, by the same sire as their 2023 victor and main stock bull, the Scottish-bred Mochrum Lachlan, a 4,000gns purchase as a prize-winning junior bull at Castle Douglas in 2019, the main centre for the breed.
Lachlan, well utilised across four breeding seasons at Scaife Hall, is himself a son of Broadmeadows Jamie, sold by Clifton Belted Galloways near Dumfries to Mochrum Estate, Wigtownshire, in 2016, and great grandson of Clifton Hercules, champion bull at the 2015 Great Yorkshire Show.
The supreme champion’s dam, Scaifehall Ivana, is by Glen Elvis, a 3,000gns acquisition, whose own daughters continue to cross well with Lachlan. First tapped out as male champion by show judge Becky Burgess-Smith, Blackthorn Belted Galloways, Lincoln, Lorenzo, a promising young bull said to have great conformation and a good temperament – ‘a proper Beltie type’ – went on to claim 5,800gns top when falling to joint purchasers from Newton Stewart, South-West Scotland, Helen Ryman, North Kildarroch herd, and George and Isabel Milroy, Mains of Machermore herd.
“It was a great day. When the sale was on the ring was full of people and there was a great atmosphere,” commented the Ryders, who established their now 140-strong Belted Galloway herd in 2010.
The adjudicator was spot on again when her chosen female champion and overall reserve headed her section prices at 2,500gns. She came from Nidderdale and Steve and Karen Halsall’s Summerstone herd, Thwaite House Farm, Lofthouse.
Presented by farm manager Graham Tibbot, Summerstone Diana is a May, 2022, daughter of Auchengassel Origin, himself by Cairnsmore Glenmorangie and acquired in 2018 when the now 38-strong breeding herd was first established and who has since produced heifers with excellent maternal ability and ease of calving. A trio of 2021-born Origin daughters also sold well at last year’s inaugural fixture.
The second calf of a big, solid cow and Broadmeadows Jamie daughter, Mochrum Gillian 2 – she now has four on the ground – Diane, scanned in-calf due December to the 9,000gns Mochrum Finnegan, who carries the red gene, joined Kirklees buyer J Taylor, Golcar.
Two unled 2022-born maidens from the same home also sold well. Summerstone Diamond, a red heifer again by Origin and also due November to Finnegan, made 1,500gns, with the Park Perseus daughter, Summerstone Daffodil, claiming 1,250gns. Mr Tibbot has worked hard to successfully develop the herd since joining Summerstone Estate in September, 2021, and his Skipton trio were, in fact, the first heifers for sale that were born under his care. He says he is now reaping the dividends of his labours in terms of performance records. Half of the herd’s Belties are put to the Wagyu sire for quality meat production, all going to Charles Ashridge, Taste Tradition, Cold Kirby, Thirsk.
Back with the boys, second top call of 4,000gns went to a senior bull from Cumbrian breeder Carolyn Fletcher, Barwise herd, Appleby. Her lightly used Barwise Herdmaker, an April, 2021, son of the home-bred sire, Barwise Jeorge, out of a Whitepool Kite Mark-sired dam, was said to encapsulate all the best genetics used in the herd. The buyers were J&Z Kirk, Auldgirth, Dumfries.
From the same neck of the woods, claiming 2,200gns was a senior bull from A&S Pearson, Harley Rigg herd, Kirkmahoe, with their June, 2022, Shelsleys Buffalo Bill son, Harley Rigg Furgus, out of a home-bred dam by Agra Xcaliber, selling locally to ME Jeffrey, Eldwick.
Again doing well from the Forest of Bowland were Malcolm and Marty Handley, who run the Croasdale herd, Slaidburn, in partnership with son, Mick, and took the reserve male champion with a junior bull, Croasdale Tyson, an April, 2022, son of senior stock bull Lomond Whisky Galore, purchased at Castle Douglas in 2019, who also sired ‘Galloway Miss Europe’ 2023 and the 10,000gns top-priced female at the Castle Douglas sale last November.
Tyson looked good in the ring before falling to the East Riding of Yorkshire’s Anne Mountain, Harlthorpe, Selby, who last year came out of retirement to establish her new pedigree Belties herd, also picking up the Ryders’ female champion at Skipton’s inaugural sale.
A brace of females from the same vendors also caught the eye. Both were Whisky Galore daughters, both scanned in-calf to Cairnsmore Prince. First up and first into the ring was Croasdale Sabrina, who made 2,200gns, followed by her herdmate Croasdale Shelagh, a 2,000gns sale. The duo went to the same buyer, Woodend Farms, Dunsop Bridge.
From Pendle, Paul Atkinson, Sweetwell herd, Briercliffe, reserve male champion last year, returned with a brace of 2022-born females. Sweetwell Nancy, by Barwise Boeing, a high-flying son of top show cow, Barwise Maggie May, made 1,450gns, bettered at 1,600gns by Sweetwell Nikki, whose own sire, Gruige Invincible, was Castle Douglas male champion 2019. Both were out of home-bred Cairnsmore Dominator-sired dams and both joined JR&JB Longmire, Broughton Beck, Ulverston.
White Galloways also made their Skipton debut, a trio from JT&TA Wigham, Riggshield herd, Irthington, Carlisle, selling to a top of 1,500gns for Riggshield Majestic, a June, 2021, male by Troloss Kingfisher, out of a Heritage Casper-sired home-bred dam. The Weardale buyer was P Thompson, Wolsingham.
Also hitting four figures at 1,050gns was a June, 2023, female, Riggshield Osprey, by Wolsingham McCoy, by a home-bred Miefield Malcolm-sired dam. This joined the Procter & Waring partnership, Colton, Ulverston.
In addition, a reduction sale of 12 females of various ages from Karen Brooke’s Rylestone herd, Pilling, Preston, all scanned in-calf to Bigginvale Dunbledor (Dun), saw the seven sold all hit four figures to a top of 1,450gns twice for home-bred 2018 and 2019 Arnside Jaz daughters, both going to CB Farms, Newton-le-Willows. Two further 2017 and 2019 Jaz daughters both made 1,300gns, both going to Wales with C&O Jones, Trearddur Bay, Anglesey.
Averages showed a marked increase on the year, junior bulls selling to 5800gns, av £3413, senior bulls to 4,000gns, in-calf heifers to 2500gns, av £1830, and maiden heifers to 1600gns, av £1628.
