NI-bred Stirling Simmental supremo hits record price

By Julie Hazelton

LOCAL Simmental breeders Joe and Alan Wilson had a memorable trip to this week’s breed society sale in Stirling, winning the intermediate and supreme overall championships, and

topping the sale at 28,000gns.

This five-figure price tag sets a new record for the Rathfriland-based herd, and also surpasses the previous 25,000gns record for a Simmental bull bred in Northern Ireland.

The father and son team run two herds, Ballinalare Farm and Bannhill Farm, totalling 60 pedigree Simmental cows.

Toast of the show and sale rings at United Auctions in Stirling was the 20-month-old Bannhill Farm Masterpiece, described by Scottish judge Colin Fordyce as ‘perfect’.

Mr Fordyce, herd manager at Strathisla Farms in Perthshire, selected the bull from a 110-strong entry consigned by breeders from

throughout the UK. “It has been a great show, with plenty of growthy Simmental bulls with good

conformation, suitable for the com-mercial market.

“The supreme overall champion is a perfect example of the breed. He is well-grown, displays great length, a superb backend, and boasts tremendous locomotion.”

The Wilson duo bred the February 2022 Stirling ‘Masterpiece’ using many of the breed’s most prolific and proven bloodlines. He was sired by the 12,000gns Kilbride Farm Bantry, who is a son of the 15,000gns Cairnview Snazzy – sire and grandsire of multiple Stirling champions.

Bannhill Farm Masterpiece was bred from Ballinalare Farm Evita – a full sister to Ballinalare Farm Galaxy, the successful AI bull available from Cogent’s Signature Beef Collection. Galaxy shared joint pole position as the sire of the most calves registered with the society in 2021.

Evita is a daughter of the 20,000gns Stirling junior and supreme champ-ion (2010) Auchorachan Wizard, and bred from Raceview Tia Nicollette, purchased for €8,500 as a six-month-old heifer.

The Wilsons have previously had a reserve supreme Stirling champion, and sold bulls to a top of 10,000gns twice. This time last year Ballinalare Farm Legacy, a full brother to Masterpiece, sold at Stirling for 10,000gns.

Ballinalare Farm Masterpiece made

his showring debut at Stirling at the weekend. He made the trip to Scotland along with herd mate Ballinalare Farm Mack, who stood second in his class and came under the hammer at 8500gns.

Ballinalare Farm Mack was a first prize winner at NI Simmental Club’s National Show at Armagh in June last year. He is a Rabawn Ernie son out of the home-bred Auchorachan Wizard daughter Ballinalare Farm Helena 2nd.

Northern Ireland bulls made their presence felt at Stirling, with the second highest price of the day, 20,000gns, going to Richard Rodgers and son Rhys, from Portglenone, for their reserve junior champion Hiltonstown Matrix. They also secured a bid of 9000gns for the first prize Hiltonstown Magnificent.

Breed Stalwart Billy Robson OBE,

and sons Michael and Norman, Doagh, Ballyclare, realised 14,000gns

for the reserve intermediate champ-ion Kilbride Farm Morikawa, while the second prize winning Kilbride Farm Merlin sold for 13,000gns.

Eleven NI-bred bulls sold to average £11,665; and overall 97 Simmental bulls were traded for a record average of £7,260 (88 per cent).