John D M Thomson
Newlands, Eaglesfield, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire
DG11 3AA
01461 500769 (home)
01228 528939 (office)
info@shawhillshorthorns.co.uk
Matthew Thomson
07900 181 635
John Dick
j.dick01@btinternet.com
NOVEMBER 2016 - 1
A successful visit to the Skipton Shorthorn Sales where a large entry of Beef Shorthorn females met good demand, at all levels, throughout.
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We were fortunate to take both champion and reserve and to break the centre record for the sale of a Beef Shorthorn.
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Our bulling heifer, Shawhill Lovely Jade, by Burnside Elite, stood champion and sold for 5,900 guineas. Our reserve champion, the in-calf heifer, Shawhill Tulip Heather, by a Vortrekker of Upsall son, made 3,800 guineas. Both were bought by Mr P. Scott Taylor and we wish him every success.
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Overall, our five heifers at Skipton averaged 3,000 guineas per head.
Beef Shorthorn Society Skipton Sale Report
This follows on our visit to the Stirling Sales last month where 3,000 guineas was also the price at which we sold Shawhill Dewdrop Her Highness who stood first in her show class.
OCTOBER 2106 - 3
We had a good day at the very impressive and packed Borderway Agri-Expo. There was a nice show of Beef Shorthorn calves and young cattle judged by Mr W. McLaren.
Our March born bull, Shawhill Kenco, was the best bull in the show and took the reserve championship. Kenco is our first calf by our bull, Shawhill Henderson, a Shawhill Freedom son.
1st in the older heifer class was our October 2015 born heifer, Shawhill Lady Jessica, by Shawhill Glenfiddich who, in turn, is by Vortrekker of Upsall.
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OCTOBER 2016 – 2
There is a good entry of Beef Shorthorn Females for the sale at CCM
Auctions, Skipton Auction Mart, on Wednesday 9th November and our annual
consignment to this sale comprises five heifers from Shawhill Shorthorns.
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Shawhill Tulip Heather (lot 12) is a very attractive roan heifer in calf to the good North American bull, Winalot Rodney.
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The remaining four heifers are unserved with lot 21, Shawhill Lovely Jade, having had show successes including standing 3rd in a strong class at this year's Great Yorkshire Show. She has masses more future show potential and is by Burnside Elite, a top price Stirling bought bull, out of Outrawcliffe Emilly, an LS Zeus daughter who was reserve female champion at the Carlisle 2012 sale.
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Lot 23, Shawhill Dee Jane, is also by Burnside Elite. Shawhill Charmaine Joanna (lot 49) is a daughter of our successful Canadian bred stock bull, Shawhill Freedom, out of the best of the Fieldhouse families, the Florences and lot 51, Shawhill June Rose, is a particularly nice and well bred young white heifer going back to Vortrekker of Upsall and Alvie Blue Eyedboy.
In the afternoon of the previous day, Tuesday 8th November, C & D Auction Marts at Longtown hold a multi breed beef bull sale and we will be selling a Beef Shorthorn four year old stock bull, Bankfoot Forbes by Trojan of Creagassie, with his dam going back to Tofts Romany. This bull has been running with cows all summer and, indeed, right up until sale time. We have some excellent pedigree daughters of this bull. There will be other Beef Shorthorns at the Longtown sale and a very useful selection of Limousin and Simmental bulls, together with Herefords and Whitebred Shorthorn.
OCTOBER 2016 - 1
We have two heifers at the Stirling
Sales on Monday 17th October. Lot
207, Shawhill
Dewdrop Her-Highness will have been seen at some of the
Summer Shows. She is by a Vortrekker of Upsall bred sire out of an
all-Canadian dam. She is in calf to the North American bull, Winalot
Rodney X-(CAN).
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Lot 217 Shawhill Juniper Rose is a nice white heifer by Burnside Elite. Her dam has been Shorthorn Champion at Westmorland and Dumfries Shows and was Reserve Female Champion at the 2015 Great Yorkshire.
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We will have a further draft of five heifers at the Skipton Sale on November 9th, to include a very showy maiden heifer who stood third in her class at this year's Great Yorkshire Show. On the afternoon of the day previous, 8th November we hope to have a couple of pedigree cows and a senior bull at the Border Bull Sales at Longtown Mart. The Longtown auctioneers are seeking more entries for that day and may be contacted on 01228 791 215.
SEPTEMBER 2016 – 1
A busy week. Matthew was off over the fog shrouded moors of Yorkshire
to Ruswarp Mart, near Whitby on Thursday (15th). A sale of Native and
Rare Breeds, held by Richardson and Smith, had attracted some Beef
Shorthorns and we purchased four pedigree cows with strong heifer calves,
and also an aged stock bull. On Friday (16th), John Thomson was at
the Mull of Kintyre Ram Sales at Campbeltown, run by C & D Auction
Marts for the Kintyre Agricultural Society and Matthew and John Dick
made their first visit to Eggleston Show, near Barnard Castle on Saturday
(17th). They were extremely well looked after at this enjoyable event.
Shawhill J-A-T took a first in the bull class with Shawhill Lovely
Jade standing second in a strong heifer class.
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AUGUST 2016 -2
A flying visit to the Isle of Man (in an extremely compact aeroplane) and we are very pleased to have bought a good small herd of Beef Shorthorn cows with calves at foot. These comprise the Faradale Herd of the late John Faragher and his wife Margaret. They were 3rd placed in last year's Medium Herd Section of the North of England Herd Competition. The cattle have travelled well and are now out in the rains of Dumfriesshire, probably a change from the rains of the Isle of Man. The calves at foot are by Eurosceptic of Upsall (by Broughton Park Thunder) and the cows are p'd in calf to him again.
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AUGUST 2016 - 1
A nice show of Beef Shorthorns at Dumfries and Lockerbie Show although the event was dominated by the Galloway Cattle World Congress festivities. There were many foreign visitors and the largest and best show that one will ever see of Black Galloways, Belted Galloways, White Galloways, Dun Galloways and Riggit Galloways; the latter are very primitive in colouring.
We took a second and two thirds with our three Shorthorn cattle and our two heifers stood second & third to Messrs Landers with their excellent champion heifer. David and Rosemary Dickie took the well-deserved reserve.
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JULY 2016 – 2
An exceptional entry of Beef Shorthorns at the Great Yorkshire Show
and, given the level of competition, we were pleased to get a 3rd and
4th for our promising young heifers, Shawhill
Lovely Jade & Shawhill
Juniper Rose. It was good that Gerald Turton took the championship
for the first time and that the Dairy Shorthorns were overall supreme
dairy breed. There was an excellent and very well deserved send-off
for our retiring secretary, Frank Milnes. The Shorthorns also won the
inter-breed fancy dress competition but you will have to look elsewhere
for the photographs!
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JULY 2016 – 1
We are off to the Great
Yorkshire Show this week, and the team have
been trying to catch up with cattle-work and preparation. The young
bull being washed is Shawhill
J-A-T and the heifers, Shawhill
Juniper Rose and Shawhill
Lovely Jade.
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JUNE 2016 – 1
We have had three weeks of exceptional weather. Cows and calves are enjoying
the sunshine and preparation for the summer shows is rather belatedly in hand.
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MAY 2016 – 1
At last, several good sunny days in this late spring. We did not commence calving
until the 1st of April but calving has thankfully been fairly trouble free and
on a very tight pattern. We have finally got one or two cattle outside and here
is Shawhill
Barrington Flicker (by Alvie Blue Eyedboy) enjoying the grass, with
two April calves by Langalbuinoch
Gallant (by Podehole Beefeater).
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APRIL 2016 – 1
John Thomson has just returned from attending the World Shorthorn Conference
in Uruguay. There was a small but select attendance from the UK and
a good and interesting time was had by all. Uruguay has a population
of 3,000,000 with some 12,000,000 cattle and 8,000,000 sheep. The estancias
are large and run on an extensive grassland system herded by gauchos
on horseback. Although farming is traditional, they are very up to
date with electronic EID for cattle and are enthusiastic exporters.
It seemed to rain as much in Uruguay as it does in Scotland but we
were assured that this is not typical. The hospitality was excellent
and everyone looked after us well; it was really good to meet the Uruguayan
breeders and their families on their home ground.
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JANUARY 2016 -2
Another image of our bull Shawhill Henderson, lot 228 in the upcoming Stirling Bull Sales.
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JANUARY 2016
No snow and ice photographs for this New Year but plenty of water.
Our fields at Annan have had considerable flooding and it is still
raining! Fortunately we live on high ground. We are looking forward
to Stirling bull sales (see December 2015 “News”) and to the 2016 calf
crop. We trust that the cattle which we have sold in 2015 have done
well and send best wishes to all our friends and clients. We hope that
2016 proves to be a better year for agriculture than we are probably
expecting.
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