NI Charolais Celebrations 2008
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The two top prices in Perth in February; three Interbreed titles, best steak award and commercial championship at Balmoral Show: a Northern Ireland member elected vice chairman of the British Charolais
Society; a NI bred bull takes supreme champion at the Royal Show; young members take reserve individual and reserve team awards in the stockjudging competition at the Royal show; Charolais suckled calves sell to £2250 and the Charolais breed records a UK all beef breeds average of £5564 at Perth in October.
These are just some of the highlights of a very successful year for the Charolais breed which the NI club celebrated in 2008 and which leave the breed well placed to face the difficulties that herald 2009..
The club started 2008 on a high with the two top prices at Perth when the Donaghy, Donnelly and McGovern partnership sold Dartonhall Brandy for 14,000 gns and Will Short , Beragh sold Woodpark Bishop for 13,000gns
The March show and sale in Dungannon, sponsored by Northern Bank saw a top price of 4900gns paid to Danny McKay, Ballymena for Rowandale Bourbon, while 54 bulls averaged £2468.47 and the 14 females averaged £1914.28
The May sale in Ballymena was sponsored by Moore Concrete where the. top price went to Brian and William McAllister for Burnside Cedric which made 4100gns and 21 bulls averaged £2560
At Balmoral Show the Charolais breed may have been small in numbers but they certainly made up for this in awards, taking three Interbreed titles – Reserve Beef Interbreed champion; Junior Beef Interbreed Champion; Marks and Spencer Interbreed Bull performance award – along with Tesco’s Best Steak award and the commercial championship.
The beef judging began with Ashleigh Victor, taking the Charolais championship. This Doonally New son, exhibited by Messrs. McGovern, Donnelly and Donaghy then went on to claim the reserve Interbreed Beef Championship.
The reserve champion Charolais was a junior bull, Sandelford Curtis, from George and Gary Henderson’s herd at Bushmills and it took the Junior Interbreed championship at Balmoral and then went on to take the reserve senior championship at Perth in October, selling for 9000gns.. Standing second to Curtis in his class at Balmoral was Sandelford Chaplin which gave George and Gary Henderson a second Marks and Spencer Interbreed Bull Performance championship in succession.
Livestock haulier and cattle breeder, Sam Milliken from Coleraine demonstrated the value of a Charolais sire in commercial beef production when he showed his heifer, Ruffles and took the supreme championship in the commercial cattle section.
The reserve champion in the commercial section was also a Charolais with John Killen and daughters, Shauna and Katrina from Crossgar taking this award with their Charolais steer Crunchie.
Visitors to Balmoral therefore had the opportunity to view the success of the pedigree Charolais and then witness the effects of the breed in the commercial herd. The final link in the chain is the meat on the plate and here again the Charolais reigned supreme. Strabane farmer John McCrea beat all other breeds with his Charolais steak to win the Tesco ‘Specially Selected Steak Award’
Seamus Bellew, Newry reigned supreme at the June show and sale in Dungannon which was sponsored by Custom Built Homes. He carried off the championship and the top price selling Kiltybane Best for 6000gns. At this sale 22 bulls averaged £2713 and 10 females averaged £1837.
At the Royal Show in July it was a Northern Ireland bred animal which took the supreme championship with Killadeas Barney bred by Stuart and David Bothwell winning this prestigious title, Killadeas Barney took the supreme male championship at Fintona before being sold in Perth for 13,000gns.
At the British Charolais Society’s annual general meeting at the Royal Show, Martin Donaghy, Dungannon, was elected vice chairman of the Society, only the second breeder from Northern Ireland to be awarded this position.
Also at the Royal Show our young judges did us proud when Andrew McMordie took reserve senior individual and he and his brother William were reserve in the team award. Ryan and Noel Kerrigan took fifth place in the team awards.
The Dectomax final at Clogher Valley Show had six outstanding champions in the various age groups. The champion in the senior bull section came from William Oliver’s herd at Omagh, Clanabogan Charlie. Leading the Intermediate bull class was Stewart and David Bothwell from Ballinamallard with Killadeas Council , while Paul McGovern, Clogher took home the junior bull championship with Shanco Dynamo.
Gilbert Crawford, Maghera, led the senior heifer class with Coolnaslee Countess , while Devine Brothers, Strabane showed Brownhill Claire, to carry off the Intermediate heifer championship. Gilbert Crawford featured again in the junior heifer section with Coolnaslee Diane.
The 2008 NI National Charolais show at Fintona saw Gilbert Crawford take the supreme female and reserve supreme female awards. His senior female and supreme female champion was Coolnaslee Bopeep. The reserve supreme female champion and reserve senior female was Coolnaslee Countess.
The supreme male champion at Fintona was Cuillmore Casper which was previously purchased in Carrick on Shannon by Stuart and David Bothwell The reserve male champion was also Intermediate male champion and came from Harold Stubb’s herd at Lisnaskea. Derryharney Carryon..
The commercial championship at Fintona was taken by John Killen, Crossgar
The Charolais premier female show and sale at Dungannon Farmers Mart in October saw a top price of 3500gns for George and Gary Henderson’s Sandelford Tasmin with her female calf at foot. 20 heifers sold to average £1596 while three cows and calf teams averaged £2029.65.
Ulster Bank again sponsored the suckled calf competition which highlighted the demand for Charolais calves which sold to £2250 for a 456 kilo heifer exhibited by Sean McCloskey at Swatragh.
Buyers of quality cattle were out in force at the Club’s autumn show and sale of bulls in Dungannon Farmers Mart which was sponsored by Ulster Bank. The top price of 4800gns was paid to the club chairman, John McGrath for his junior champion Drumconnis Colossus. At this event the 33 bulls sold averaged £2142.00.
The Charolais breed finished the year on a high note when at Perth it recorded a UK all beef breeds average of £5,564 for the 108 sold. Northern Ireland breeders were to the fore with George and Gary Henderson taking the reserve senior championship and selling Sandelford Curtis for 9000gns.while Stuart and David Bothwell took the junior championship and sold Killadeas Charade for 8,500gns