The Rugby Farmers Market at Stoneleigh saw several high-achieving cattle go under the hammer as the Goodrest herd – from Paul and Jessica Semple – and the draft from Nigel Hollick’s Honesberie herd took to the ring.
The Goodrest herd, based in Kenilworth, was being sold due to the end of the farm tenancy. Established 12 years ago, the Semple family has developed a high quality, strong, quick-growing herd, with investment in European bloodlines offering some unique genetics.
Goodrest Sequin was the most sought-after female in the herd, at 5,900gns. Sequin is sired by Greensons Orson and her dam is the Hinz daughter and Scottish-bred Grahams Luna. She was purchased by NAS Johnson and will join the Bietteswell pedigree herd in Lutterworth.
Prices exceeded 5,100gns twice more, first for the five-year-old Grahams Poppy and five-month-old heifer calf Goodrest Umeshu. Poppy was bred by R and J Graham, based in Stirling, and is sired by the 24,000gns Carlisle junior champion Claragh Franco and bred out of Grahams Luna, who goes back to the German-bred Hinz.
She was purchased by Orlham Limousins, GH and J Samuel, Ledbury, Herefordshire, and sold in calf to the polled bull Lego and with her accompanying heifer calf Goodrest Umeshu, a Jpeg daughter.
Greensons Rosello, a 2020 born cow which was bred by the Green family, Huntington, was also sold at 5,100gns to Adam Kunz, Wetherby, North Yorkshire. With French sire Homerep and Dam Greensons Jello, going back to Greensons Howlett, she has top 10% scores for both maternal calving ease and fat depth. Accompanying her was her first born four-month-old son Goodrest Udonis, a homozygous polled bull calf sired by Goodrest Thankmar.
The next lot was the black-coated Greensons Reflection and her six-month-old bull calf at foot Goodrest Umbongo, which made 4,800gns when she was purchased by ET White and Sons. Reflection was bred by the Green family, out of Greensons Notion, who goes back to Greensons Howlet, and is sired by Greensons Outlaw.
The Semple family’s top-priced in-calf heifer was the homebred Goodrest Trinket which was snapped up for 4,400gns by Adam Kunz, who went on to purchase a further two heifers. A two-year-old, she was sold in calf to the Swiss heterozygous polled bull Palve. She is a heifer calf bred out of Goodrest Pypa, a Greensons Montana daughter and sired by Khw Kenni, a homozygous polled bull of Canadian and German breeding.
Next, it was the turn of the in-calf cows and topping the trade in this section at 3,900gns was the 2015-born Greensons Lyrical, another bred from the Green family yard. Sired by Greensons Howlett, her dam is the Goldies River daughter Cambridge Brilliance and she was also purchased in calf to the homozygous polled Lzb Nautilus by the Orlham Limousins.
Joining the females was a small consignment of five bulls from the Semple family. The top priced at 6,500gns was the September 2022-born Goodrest Torbjohn, who caught the eye of breeder James Milligan-Manby, Manby Farms Ltd, of the Mcturk herd at, Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Sired by the Swedish Oddbjorn av Stromvik, he is out of Grahams Poppy.
The next lot was Goodrest Udo, a 15-month-old black-coated bull by the Mateo-sired Italian bull Justso PP. Hand-reared after losing his dam, the Greensons Dollar-sired Millington Gardenia, he has an excellent temperament. Another to be homozygous polled and double F94L myostatin carrier, he was knocked down at 6,200gns to LG Farms Ltd.
The other herd featured at the sale was the Honesberie herd of Nigel Hollick, Priors Marston, Warwickshire. Founded in 2006 with French generics, they work hard to produce cattle which calve naturally with high levels of milk.
Proving popular with the bidders, the females on offer sold to 5,300gns for the cow and calf outfit Honesberie Olwyn and Honesberie Unity. The 2018-born Olwyn who has produced four calves to date was sold with her first heifer calf, the six month-old Unity, who is sired by the herds French stock bull Oscar. Sired by Gizmo and bred out of Grange Delft, a Serge daughter, Olywn is a double F94L carrier with a top 10% maternal calving ease score and was another to be purchased by NAS Johnson of the Bitteswell herd.
Two cow and calf pairs were knocked down by auctioneer Tom Wrench at 4,800gns and the first was Honesberie Olina, a November 2018-born third calver. Another daughter of Gizmo, but this time with a full French back pedigree, out of Doline, who goes back to Viking. She was purchased by DN Burbridge, with her August-born bull calf Honesberie Unevine, who is sired by Liban, and she was sold back in calf to the same bull.
The second 4,800gns lot was the cow and calf outfit Honesberie Ramona and Honesberie Ulotina, who were the fourth of Mr Hollick’s pairs to be purchased by NAS Johnson. Ramona is a four year-old cow, sold back in calf to Loustic, sired by Emir and out of Honesberie Merlea, a daughter of the French-bred Eddy. Her eight month-old calf at foot, Ulotina, is her second calf and is also sired by stock bull Oscar.
Averages
Goodrest: 10 cows & calves – £4,079.25, four in-calf cows – £3,097.50, one in-calf heifer – £4,620, 11 maiden heifers – £3,803.18, one bull calf – £2,940, five bulls – £5,754
Honesberie: eight cows & calves – £4,698.75, eight maiden heifers – £2,651.25, two bulls – £3,832.50