Record for Robertsons

Commercial cattle breeders set new mark at Royal Northern Spring Show

Commercial cattle breeders John and Craig Robertson set a Royal Northern Spring Show price record yesterday.

The father and son, who run 170 cows at Newton of Logierait, Pitlochry, sold a home-bred Limousin cross heifer for £9,000.

April-2016 born Pepper landed the overall champion rosettes at the show of exhibition cattle – a key feature of the Royal Northern Spring Show, which is organised by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society and held at Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ HQ at Thainstone.

A record 8,000 farmers flocked to yesterday’s show, which was attended by society patron Princess Anne.

Pepper, weighing 416kg, was on her first outing. One of the first calves from the 6,500gns Calogale Irresistible, she was snapped up by Bill Stewart of Greenfold, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly, who was bidding on behalf of someone else on the telephone.

The £9,000 bid set a Spring Show record and was a new best price for the Robertsons at Thainstone.

Pre-sale show judge Lin Pidsley, from Upton Ley Farm in Honiton, Devon, said she had been looking for a beast with style, correctness and balance.

The Robertsons were also responsible for the next three leading prices of £6,050, £3,000 and £2,600.

In total the duo sold six beasts for £26,450, an average of £4,408.30.

Landing the family £6,050 was a home-bred second-prize winning April2016 born Limousin cross heifer, weighing 342kg, by the same sire as the overall champion. She sold to Mike and Melanie Alford, from Devon.

Selling for £3,000 was a March-2016 born Limousin cross heifer, by Lodge Hamlet, and bred by W Kennedy of Dornoch. She sold to John Lumgair, East Idvies, Letham, Forfar.

The next best from the Robertsons at £2,600 was the reserve bullock champion, a home-bred December-2015 born Limousin cross named Cameron. He sold to Blair Duffton of Huntly. Another lot selling for £2,600 was a home-bred March-2016 born Limousin cross heifer from established show calf producer Wilson Peters, Monzie Farms, Gilmerton, Crieff. The buyer was D Blair & Son, Littleinch Farm, Balmerino.

Standing reserve overall champion in the show was another Robertson father and son duo, Mark and Michael of Fodderletter Farms, Tomintoul.

Their champion beast, which was not sold as the pair want to keep her for showing later this summer, was June2016 born British Blue cross heifer Rachel.

She was bought privately in October from Alistair Robson, Old Manse, Huntly, and stood overall champion at the Rising Stars Calf Show at the Christmas Classic last November.