After 39 years of breeding pedigree Simmentals, the Carbery Simmental herd is set to be dispersed in its entirety on Saturday, 3 August 2024, in Tullamore Mart at 12pm. The sale will consist of 45 lots of cattle and seven embryo lots.
The Carbery Simmental herd was established in 1985 by the Vickery family, with the first purchase of an Irish-bred cow called Towermount Katja from Dovea AI station.
The then-manager Dermot Cahill, had a keen interest in the Simmental breed and kept a herd at the station. The following spring three more cows were purchased from the well-know Seabank herd of Cyril Goode. These four females formed the beginning of the Carbery herd.
Right from the start showing was a big part of the herd’s breeding programme, as it showcased the herd and helped focus on quality.
Towermount Katja went on to win the overall beef interbreed championship at Cork Show, back when it was a three-day national event at the old showgrounds in Ballintemple.
Many good show days were had, but perhaps the most memorable for the Vickery family was the national livestock show in Tullamore in 2014, when the Carbery herd won overall yearling heifer, junior All-Ireland pairs and the overall male championship, with a calf from the first set of Kilbride Farm Bantry calves on the ground.
The mainstay for keeping the herd moving forward was using 100% AI for the last 30 years.
Only proven bulls were used, which meant that new, young bulls were seldom tried.
Some of the most notable that Keith Vickery has used in the last 20 years would have been Gretnahouse Supersonic, Raceview King, Rosten Barney, and Kilbride Farm Bantry.
Derreen Jack now seems to be the new star on the block. These bloodlines can be seen throughout the pedigrees of the cattle included in the sale.
The herd is vaccinated annually for salmonella, IBR and lepto. The herd has never had a TB or BVD-positive test and has been level one for Johne’s disease for the last five years.
Sale day
The sale will consist of a guest consignment of cattle from the Dermody herd, which will include its complete heifer crop from last season.
The catalogue can be found on Irish Simmental Facebook page and website.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal Keith Vickery said: “We hope that the new owners of our cattle will derive the same pleasure from owning and minding these wonderful Simmental cattle as we have done over the last 39 years.”
Online bidding is available on sale day and all lots will also be available to export to Northern Ireland on the day.
