The Irish Charolais Cattle Society hosted its first show and sale of Charolais bulls for autumn 2022 at GVM Tullamore Mart on Saturday (November 5).
An impressive 123 Charolais bulls were catalogued and according to a sale report from the society, “quality bulls were highly sought after, and buyers were plentiful for them”.
The top price of €7,000 was achieved twice, with an average sale price of €4,032 and a clearance rate of 75%.
Many of bulls had been purchased on-farm by eager buyers prior to the sale and this boosted the trade on the day.
Selling for the joint top-price of €7,000 was Crossane4 Supreme, exhibited by the McGovern brothers from Co. Sligo.
This bull is a CF-52 son and he secured first place in the Senior Championship under Judge Michael Hargroves earlier in the day.
Turning two years old next March, Supreme catalogued with a five-star terminal index of €153 and carries one copy of both myostatin genes. He sold to a suckler farm in Co. Offaly.
Also selling at €7,000 was the first-prize winner, Baurnafea Stephen, exhibited by John Bambrick from Co. Kilkenny.
This May 2021-born bull is a son of the herd’s stock bull Baurnafea Nelson and a Loulou bred dam. He carries a five-star terminal index of €159 and a calving figure of just 5.2% on beef cows. He was bought by a suckler farmer from Co. Limerick.
The Bambrick success did not stop there, they also received a bid of €5,000 for Baurnafea Scott, another son of Baurnafea Nelson and a Loulou bred dam.
Scott was born in June 2021 and carries a five-star terminal index of €152 along with a calving figure of just 4.8% on beef cows. He went west to a suckler farmer in Co. Roscommon.
Boltonview Sylvester from John Fleury in Co. Offaly was next best seller at €6,200. This one is a son of Coolategal O07 and a Bivouac-bred dam.
Born in May 2021, Sylvester packed an all round impressive set of indexes, as well as picking up a red rosette in the pre-sale show. He sold to a suckler herd in Northern Ireland.
Championship results:
- Senior Champion: Crossane4 Supreme;
- Reserve Senior Champion: Brownshill14 Samson;
- Junior Champion: Abbeymore Setanta;
- Reserve Junior Champion: Goldstar Sambuca.
It was a great day for new breeder James Foudy from Co. Clare, as his young bull Abbeymore Setanta picked up the Overall Junior Championship and went on to sell for €5,600.
This promising 15-month-old bull is a son of Fiston and a Cottage Devon bred dam. He went to sale with a book full of stars, as well as carrying one copy of both myostatin genes. He was snapped up by a suckler farmer from Co. Wicklow.
Two more bulls then traded at €5,600. The first of which was Gallaway Scotty, the property of Michael Kiernan from Co. Leitrim.
This one is a son of the NCBC sire, Lapon, and a Blelack Digger-bred dam. As his pedigree would suggest, stars were in abundance, along with a calving figure of just 6% on beef cows. He sold to a suckler enterprise in Co. Galway.
The Leitrim men’s success continued when they parted company with Gallaway Standout at €5,100. This May 2021-born bull is a son of the famous CF-52 and a pirate-bred dam.
Once again he carries a high terminal index of €162 and a below average calving figure of 4.7% on beef cows.
The last bull to hit the €5,600 mark was Caltun Seamie, exhibited by Maria Calvey from Co. Mayo. This one carried some heavy terminal hitters in his back pedigree, in Fiston, Pirate, and CF-52.
Packing a terminal index of €150 and a calving figure of just 5%, Seamie was always going to be an attractive lot. He was knocked down to a suckler farmer from Co. Clare.
The day’s Reserve Senior Championship went the way of Brownshill14 Samson, exhibited by Michael Kavanagh from Co. Carlow.
This powerful bull is a son of the 70,000gns Barnsford Ferny, and a Nelson-bred dam. He found a new home at €4,800.
Goldstar Sambuca from Martin Ryan in Co. Tipperary claimed the Overall Reserve Junior Championship.
Sambuca is a son of Ballym Mylove and the show cow, Goldstar Panacotta. He offered an eye-catching terminal index of €162, along with a calving figure of just 5.1% on beef cows. This 14-month old bull was sold at €4,400.
Other leading prices from the day included:
- €5,400 for Rooskeynamona Samuel by Knockmoyle Loki for Gerard Mulligan, Co. Leitrim.
- €5,400 for Clenagh2 Shadow by Lisnagre Elite for Barry Quinn, Co. Clare;
- €5,000 for Roughan Shane 2 by Roughan Ourasie for Pat McClean, Co. Donegal;
- €5,000 for Monagh Sam by Goldstar Othello for Nigel Peavoy, Co. Laois;
- €4,800 for Feakle Seamus by Derryolam Matt for Michael Greene, Co. Clare.
- €4,700 for Inish Solomon by Major for Louis Mc Gonagle, Co. Donegal.
- €4,700 for Tonyglasson Simon by Anside Foreman for Martin Hughes, Co. Cavan.
The next Charolais society sale is the Elite Heifer Show and Sale which will take place this Saturday (November 12) at Tullamore Mart.
The final Charolais sale of the year is the Christmas Cracker bull sale, which will take place in Elphin Mart in Co. Roscommon on Saturday (December 3).