A group of Angus cattle breeders and enthusiasts have come together to organise a unique format online timed-auction titled: ‘The Keys to Success – Angus Edition’, which is a sale of Aberdeen Angus genetics.
The timed auction will take place online via MartEye in conjunction with the Mid Tipperary Co Operative Livestock Mart page from December 8-11.
The sale will feature a total of 12 lots. 10 of the 12 lots will comprise of recipients carrying embryo pregnancies, confirmed via ultrasound at 60 days. Also on offer, are two lots of embryos, which will be eligible for either UK or EU export.
The contents of the sale have been described as “exceptional in terms of the genetics on offer and how they’re being offered”.
Commenting on the sale, veterinary surgeon and owner of VetEmbryos.ie, Daire Markham said: “We’re selling potential. We’ve chosen these embryos because they offer a unique cross on some very special donors.
“By selling a recipient with a confirmed pregnancy, our buyers can have confidence that they’ll hit the ground running with these exceptional genetics.”
All lots are sourced from the following donor dams:
- Elliot Felicia Y687;
- Gordon Pole Star X654;
- Netherton Blackbird L602.
Commenting on the donor dams, Co. Cork based Angus breeder, O’Halloran said: “Felicia is sired by Rawburn Loaded, a great bull with staggering performance data. She is one of a handful of his daughters present on Irish soil. Sons of Loaded have topped the Rawburn feed efficiency trials and sales.
“The Pole Star family needs no introduction to Angus enthusiasts, executing remarkable influence in both the sales and the show ring.
“X654’s great grandmother is none other than Belhaven Pole Star H070. She produced natural calves that topped the Stirling bull sales twice at 17,000gns and 22,000gns, and bred the Stirling record priced female, Pole Star X695 that sold for 40,000gns.
“Blackbird L602 is one of the top daughters of TLA Northern Samurai, who dominated the breed in the 90’s In Ireland, the UK and Canada.
“He was Champion at Farmfair and sired many show champions and top-prices. Blackbird L602 has been a consistent breeder with progeny sold to several countries, including a daughter sold for 5000gns in 2022.”
When it comes to the sires of these pregnancies, the organisers said they wanted to choose bulls with “exceptional pedigrees, indices, and conformation”.
“We wanted to use bulls on these donors that would make something really special,” Bryan O’Halleron added.
“We chose Tonley Jester Eric and Blelack Dean Martin as they are not available here in Ireland, and we saw this as an opportunity to get their genetics on the ground.
“We were lucky to source some of this semen last year as it’s no longer available. We’ve also used O’Neill’s Black Bardolier.
“His progeny continue to impress us, and were some of the highest sellers in the Blelack dispersal sale in October last year.
“The final sire used is Netherton Elsam. Elsam is sired by the legendary TLA Northern Samurai, stemming from the ever-consistent Netherton Evita line. With three generations of donors behind him, he’s bred to breed. I think when these sires are used on our elite donors, we’re going to create something unique.”
Angus sale information
The timed auction has been organised by the MCOH Syndicate.
This includes:
- Mick Culkeen;
- Daire Markham;
- Gerry Markham;
- Bryan O’Halloran.
The Keys to Success Angus sale has been described by its organisers as “the first of its kind in Ireland”.
Mid-Tipp Mart’s Murt Ryan said he “is looking forward” to the new initiative. “It’s great to see a new way of selling elite genetics. The Keys to Success sale will give Angus breeders the chance to purchase genetic combinations that won’t be available anywhere else, and we’re thrilled to be part of it.”
The recipients are supplied by VetEmbryos.ie’s Daire Markham, who has been supplying 60 day pregnant heifers for a number of years.
Markham said the Keys to Success sale “is not only a natural expansion of the recipient heifer service currently offered, but a natural fit too”.
“The health and nutritional status of the recipient heifers are key drivers of successful implants. The recipients earmarked for this sale are tested Neospora negative and vaccinated for BVD and Lepto. Recipients are typically beef bred from the dairy herd, implanted once over 420kg and timed to calf down from 28 months onwards.”
More information on the sale is available on the vetembryos.ie Facebook page.