South Devon Society’s Spring Sale

SPRING SHOW & SALE - Exeter, 24th March 2011

RECORDS TUMBLE AGAIN AND AVERAGE PRICE RISES BY OVER £900 FOR SPRING BULLS!

X Grove Brutus 113 in the ring

The South Devon Herd Book Society’s Spring Sale at Exeter broke the records again with the top bull achieving £11,025, over £8,400 for another two, and over £6,000 for another four bulls. The average price for 38 bulls sold was £961 higher than last year, at £4,020.

Breed Secretary, Caroline Poultney, was delighted with the results, saying “After a hard winter, and tough economic conditions, it is a real credit to the breed to produce such a resoundingly successful pedigree sale! South Devons continue to go from strength to strength right across the country!”

Judge Hugh Lello MBE from Camborne in Cornwall was faced with seven strong bull classes, from which he selected his champion from the Mutterton herd near Cullompton, Devon, bred by A H & E M Bartley.

Champion Lot 21 10500gns

X AI Mutterton Ashton Bitter is by polled bull Z Shorland Ashley and is out of a homebred cow by Northwick General 8. With a Beef Index in the top 5% and a Suckler Replacement Index in the top 1% of the breed, the bull also pleased the judge in the performance competition, winning the Thornton Cup. In the Sale Ring the judge’s decision was firmly vindicated with some red-hot bidding which took the sale to £11,025 and the hammer finally falling to A & C Farms from Langham in Rutland.

Reserve male champion was Peter Rowe’s Trewint Magnetto 4, from Menheniot in Cornwall. By Trewint Magnetto and out of Trewint Suffragette 17, this well-fleshed strong bull was a clear winner in his class. He sold to Mrs A Daniels from Aveton Gifford, Kingsbridge, Devon for £7,875, with his two fellow consignees from the same herd achieving £10,080 between them.

Trewint Magnetto

Second highest priced bull was a smart polled bull from Mr T H E Laity, Z Polkinghorne Genpro, with a pedigree going back to Z Cilgwrrwg Illya and AI Z Countisbury Cracker 2. He sold to R R B & S J Harvey from Ermington, Devon for £8,505. Mr Laity’s second bull, Z Polkinghorne Dazzler by the same sire sold for £6,300 to Mr T J Warhurst from Sutton-under-Brailes, Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Third highest bull was Mr W H D Scott’s scurred bull, X Grove Brutus 113 by AI Z Highgate Hanover 2 which sold to W J Perkins & Sons from Coryton in Devon for £8,400.

In the female judging section, champion female was Mr W H D Scott’s AI Grove Erica 25, a 2 year old bulling heifer by Trevowah Joe Louis 11. Reserve champion was a polled bulling heifer by Stretchford Dynamic 4 from R J & C J Edwards - Z Colcharton Darling 225. The winning pair of females was from A L Pascoe’s herd from Hayle in Cornwall.

Top priced female was Hawkley Dairymaid 34 from R J & S E Whitcombe, Liss, Hampshire, who sold to Church Farm Publow LLP, Pensford, Bristol for £1785.

Trewint Tornado 8	Perless Hannibal

Polkinghorne Genpro

Averages: 38 bulls, average £4020. 5 halter broken bulling heifers, average £1617. 14 non halter broken heifers, average £986

Auctioneers: Messrs Kivells