On Monday 20 February, the Northern Ireland Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Club and its members gathered at Clogher Valley Mart, Co Tyrone, for its 2023 Young Stars show and sale.

The show was judged by the very well-known Gareth Corrie from Newtownards, Co Down, who himself is no stranger to the commercial cattle show ring.

Corrie selected Chris Johnston’s Johnstown Sapphire as the overall champion on the evening before she went on to sell for £13,000 (€14,762.15).

The October 2022-born pedigree Belgian Blue calf that weighed 260kg on the night sold to the UK after an opening bid of £6,000 (€6,813.30) and flew up in increments of £1,000 (€1,135.55) all the way to £13,000. The Mountjoy Utopia heifer was bred from an Empire cow by Johnston from Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone. Johnstown Sapphire came from the same stable as the £36,000 (€40,879.80) Sassy Girl who was sold at the 2022 Welsh Winter Fair.

Left to right: auctioneer Rodney Windrum, exhibitor Nathan Harvey, purchaser John Killen, Sam Forbes and Katrina Killen with the second highest priced animal of the night that sold for £4,500 (€5,109.98).

The second highest price of the evening was a third-prize-winning four-month-old black Limousin heifer calf bred by Nathan Harvey which was purchased by John Killen for £4,500 (€5,109.98). The November 2022-born calf was sired by Trueman Idol and is a full ET sister to last year’s champion and a full ET sister to the 2019 Borderway Agri Expo baby beef champion.

Following suit, her stablemate was selected by judge Gareth Corrie as the champion breeding heifer on the night. This July 2022-born Limousin-cross heifer sired by Jaegerbomb sold for £4,400 (€4,996.42) to Anne Leonard. She is out of an Empire dam bred by Pearse McNamee and has an impressive sire stack, with Fury Action and EPI in the mix.

Selling for the third highest price on the night of £4,400 (€4,996.42) was the first prize winning Limousin-cross heifer born in July 2022. Left to right: judge Gareth Corrie, Connor McVeigh, MCV Promotions and Katrina Killen.

The next highest price of the evening was secured for the reserve overall champion, a three-month-old calf weighing 225kg sired by CF52 (Doonally New) and bred from a red and white Belgian Blue cow. Dara Walker sold this Charolais-cross heifer for £4,350 (€4,939.64) to Dessie O’Hanlon.

The next highest price of the evening was £3,750 (€4,258.31) for B Quinn’s July 2022-born Limousin-cross heifer weighing 355kg that sold to Kevin O’Hare.

The reserve breeding heifer on the night exhibited by Marcus Reynolds sold for £2,450 (€2,782.10). The Limousin-cross July 2022-born heifer weighed 390kg on the night.

There was a total of 36 calves in attendance with 33 going on to find their new homes.

The 33 calves sold to an average price of £2,622 (€2,977.41).