THE Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society’s 6th annual autumn sale at CCM Skipton on Wednesday (November 6) began well when a quartet of served heifers from John Walsh, Buckhurst herd, Walmersley, Bury, sold to a top of 3500gns for Buckhurst Lady Heather Z350. 

Displaying strong figures, the June, 2023, heifer was sired by HF Alcatraz 60F, this year’s National Show champion, and is out of the prolific Lady Heather line. Scanned in-calf to Buckhurst Mistic Prince, she was one of four claimed locally by Andrew Holgate, Rathmell, who also took home five at the same day’s Beef Shorthorn Society annual highlight.

Buckhurst also sold Blackbird Z338, Elegant Z343 and Ebony Z337, this out of the 10000gns Rawburn Ebony N666, all three sired by Morpheus Rolex UO45, who has bred multiple show champions and sale toppers, and in-calf to either Mistic Prince or Blackeye, selling for 3400gns, 3,000gns and 2,200gns respectively.

A draft of in-calf cows from Adrian and Penny Johnson’s Yearsley herd, Brandsby, Hambleton, sold to 1900gns for the February, 2022, Yearsley Royal Lady Y241, sired by McCornick Pathfinder and out of a Rawburn Black Hawk-sired dam. Carrying a calf due next Spring to Moss Florian, it sold to the Church family, Otley.

A Wedderlie Black Art-sired March, 2021, cow, Duncanziemere Ellen Erica X415, carrying a Pathfinder calf again for next Spring, made 1800gns, while a single young March, 2024, bull, Yearsley Royal Logistic A464, himself from Yearsley Royal Lady and by Rawburn Loaded, sold for 1000gns. With 12 forward, in-calf heifers averages £3176 and in-calf cows £1732.50.

The Johnsons have been breeding Angus cattle at Clarence House Farm since 1987 and have shown successfully at all their local shows, building up a very good trade, with virtually all of their bull calves going on as breeding bulls from Cornwall to Aberdeen, while heifers have been sold into Europe, primarily France, Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic.