South Devon Society’s Spring Sale

SPRING SHOW & SALE - Exeter, 24th March 2010

HIGH PRICES & HIGH LEVEL OF ENTRIES BRING REWARDS AT SOUTH DEVONS’ SPRING SHOW & SALE

The highest number of bulls entered at a Society Sale since the 1970s attracted a big crowd of buyers at the South Devons’ Spring Show & Sale at Exeter. Once again, the demand was from across England & Wales – from Kent & Sussex to Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Wales, and back to the south-west.

Show judge, Mr Malcolm Broome from the Welland Valley herd in Leicestershire, had plenty of work to do to sort through six good classes of bulls in front of a packed show-ring. He found his champion male in a Cornish bull, Kestle Leo 5, offered by Mr R K Rundle from Newquay, a bull sired by Lumbylaw Leo 2 and out of Kestle Buttercup 97, and with a Beef Index of +18. Reserve champion male and best polled male was Mr & Mrs Richard Harvey’s Z AI Sexton Poll Hermes 4, by Australian bull Z Torr Down Hermes 3 and out of Sexton Snowdrop 363.

In the female section, Mr Rundle saw success again, taking champion and reserve champion places with Kestle Dahlia 57 and Kestle Buttercup 116 (T), who then went on to take the Greenslade Perpetual Cup for best pair of females.

Trade in the sale ring saw a top price of £7,455 for Messrs Harvey’s Z AI Sexton Poll Hermes 4, sold to Mr R Edwards from Leominster in Herefordshire – a price £945 higher than Spring 2009. Next highest at £6,300 was Hadley Farms’ Z Knightcote Demetrius 2, a polled bull by Z Colcharton Demetrius, sold to P G Bowditch from Axminster in Devon.

Next highest bull prices: £5,775 for Mr R K Rundle’s Kestle Leo 5 sold to D J Hedgeman, Wareham, Dorset; £5,670 for M R & R J Rowe’s Tregondale Balti 11 sold to G L Stidston, Thurlestone, Devon; and £5,460 for Mr W H D Scott’s Grove Midas 26, sold to G C & V J Hill from Tavistock, Devon.
Heifers topped at £2,625 for Kestle Dahlia 57 from Mr R K Rundle to Messrs Pluess from Bude in Cornwall, who also bought Kestle Tulip 80 from the same breeder for £2,100.

Averages: 46 bulls at £3,059; 10 halter-broken heifers at £1,696; 9 non halter-broken heifers at £1,178
Auctioneers: Messrs Kivells, Hallworthy, Cornwall