SOUTH DEVONS’ AVERAGE UP BY £681 AT EXETER

A solid trade for bulls was to be found at Exeter for the South Devons’ Spring Sale, with 21 out of 23 bulls sold, and the average price increasing significantly by £681 even without the boost of a record-breaker.  New homes were found as far away as Essex and Lincolnshire, and there was a good demand from the South West.

Judge of the pedigree show was Mr Douglas Scott from Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, whose award-winning Grove herd is well known and respected across the pedigree world.  His Male Champion was a March 2015 born bull from R R B & S J Harvey’s Ermington, Devon herd – Sexton Senator 8, with grandsires Z Northwick General 10 and Goffe Cave Marius making a firm stamp on the breeding.  This bull was also one of the Harveys’ Best Male Pair alongside Z Sexton Senator 14.  Reserve Male Champion was D J Thomas & Son’s Z Treguddick Hallmark 27, from Launceston, Cornwall, whose heterozygous polling is established on both sides of his pedigree.  He was judged Best Polled Bull at the Show.

Best bull judged on performance and inspection was another heterozygous polled bull, AI X Woodhayes Homer 24 (twin) from B G & J Z A Dart, Cullompton, Devon.  By Woodhayes Homer 11 and out of AI Z Woodhayes Daffodil 13, this bull has been reared on grass and silage only, achieving Quality Beef and Suckler Replacement Indexes in the top 5% of the breed.

AI X Woodhayes Homer 24 (twin) went on to sell at the highest price of the day – 5,400 gns – to J Wharton Agriculture, Swaby, Lincolnshire.  Next highest price at 5,200 gns was the Male Champion Sexton Senator 8 selling to Mr D Ashcroft, Selborne, Hampshire; followed by two at 5,000 gns – M E & T E Broome’s Welland Valley Dominator 2 from Thorpe Langton, Leicestershire selling to Newquay, Cornwall breeder Mr R Rundle – and the Reserve Male Champion selling to Shillingham Farms, Saltash, Cornwall.  Devon breeder Mr R J Leach, Payhembury, Honiton acquired one of a consignment of bulls from P S & A P Rowe – Trewint Samuel – for 4,800 gns.

In the female section of the Show, the Champion was Mr R Sadler’s Z Carlydnack Hawthorn 17 from Falmouth, Cornwall, a May 2015 born polled maiden heifer with bloodlines going back to the Wishworthy, Sexton, Billington, and Kestle herds.  She was also Best Polled Female.  Reserve was an in-calf heifer from K V & M A Plain, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, Foxhole Caitlyn 2 (twin) with breeding from Treguddick, Colcharton and Goffe Cave, and out of Foxhole Wilma 4.

Highest priced shown heifer was the Female Champion at 1,600 gns selling to Mr R D Gendall, Helston, Cornwall; and Mr R Sadler’s polled heifer Z Carlydnack Sapphire 10 was top price at 1,650 gns selling to G K & M A Garrett & Son, Okehampton, Devon.

Mark Davis, Kivells auctioneer said, “I thought it was an excellent day for the breed and it was encouraging to see strong demand for the bulls.”

Averages: 21 bulls £3,647; 7 heifers £1,582

Auctioneers: Messrs Kivells