The May sales are now behind us and have been in these difficult circumstances, a reasonably successful way of marketing our bulls but I am sure we have all missed the buzz and excitement of a proper bull sale.
We had a young team and probably too young for those who were looking for a late replacement bull to go out with their cows in mid-summer.
We sold Balthayock Officer to a new and expanding herd owned by the Johnson-Hills and Balthayock Online to Steven and Simon Crabtree from Bolton Abbey. This is the fourth bull we have sold to this outstanding commercial herd.
Those bulls that we have left will be ready for the October sale and one or two may be kept for our own use because sadly Maerdy Grenadier and Balthayock Ferdinand have come to the end of their working lives. They have both done us proud but now we have to plan again for the future.
We were under bidders at the February sale for Mike Massie’s 25,000 guinea junior and reserve supreme champion Elrick Outlaw, but we have agreed with Mike to buy his half-brother, Elrick Paragon. He still needs to be scanned at home so we must wait to welcome him to Balthayock as a very promising young herd sire prospect, where he will join our other February purchase, a half share in Maerdy Osgood.
The Balthayock herd is now over 100 breeding cows strong with 150 followers and so we can now afford to sell a few of our in calf and bulling heifers which we will offer on farm on the basis of first come first served.