Simmental bulls soar to 3,500gns at Dungannon Farmers’ Mart

Brothers Kyle and Sam Hayes, Upper Ballinderry, pictured at the NI Simmental Clubâ€TMs autumn sale in Dungannon Farmersâ€TM Mart. Picture: Julie Hazelton

The sale was generously sponsored by Bimeda, and four bulls sold to average £2,861 each – an increase of £516 on this time last year.

Claiming the day’s top price, and setting a herd record of 3,500gns, was Pomeroy breeder David McElmurry who established his 12-cow herd in 2014. The fifteen-month-old Wellbray Kingbee TPI+81 SRI+85 was sired by Kilbride Farm Warren, and is the first calf from home-bred Kilbride Farm Dragoon daughter Wellbray Bella.

He is in the breed’s top 10% for milk and caught the eye of pedigree herd owner Aaron Smyth who runs the 8-cow Gortnacarry Herd alongside a 40-cow commercial suckler enterprise based at Culnady, Maghera.

NI Simmental Club secretary Julie Stinson deep in concentration at the clubâ€TMs autumn sale in Dungannon. Picture: Julie Hazelton

“This bull caught my eye,” explained Mr Smyth. “He is a long clean deep-bodied bull, with a level back, breed character and good legs and feet.”

Second highest price of the day 3,000gns, went to William Nelson, and son George, from Rosslea, for the fourteen-month-old Drumacritten Kyle TPI+75 SRI+90.

He was sired by the 2014 and 2015 Balmoral Show breed champion Dermotstown Delboy, and is out of the home-bred Omorga Volvo daughter Drumacritten Gaby GP84. Ranked in the breed’s top 15% for calving ease +3, this one sold to suckler farmer David Wright from Caledon.

The same vendors realised 2,400gns for the fourteen-month-old Drumacritten Ken. Another by Dermotstown Delboy, this one is bred from the Omorga Murray daughter Drumacritten April – one of 12 cows in the County Fermanagh herd. Buyer was E Rutledge from Fivemiletown.