All roads lead to the Showgrounds, Boyle Road, Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday 25 November where the Midland & Western Livestock Improvement Society Ltd will host its annual Winter Fair of commercial livestock.

This event has become the highlight of many commercial breeders’ years, attracting the best of the best from throughout Ireland, and is likely to see some of the top commercial prices of the year also.

Judging this year starts at 11am on Sunday with the Young Stockperson Class. This class is sponsored by the Midland and Western society and acknowledges the importance of encouraging and supporting our young cattle enthusiasts.

Following this class, two rings will be used for the 31 classes where the spectator is assured to see quality commercial stock of all breeds being exhibited across eight breeds, namely Charolais, Limousin, Belgian Blue, Simmental, Blonde, Angus, Shorthorn and Hereford. There will also be a specific class for butchers heifers under 600kg.

A testament to the reputation the event now holds as the premium commercial winter fair in Ireland, exhibitors will be travelling with their stock from 20 of the 26 counties for this year’s event.

Sunday, however, is just the tip of the iceberg, with 360 of the 390 animals forward hitting the sales ring on Monday morning from 11am. This sale offers prime opportunity for prospective buyers looking for next summer’s show animal or for top breeders. Included in the sale and in catalogue order are 22 bullocks, 81 breeding heifers, eight butchers’ heifers, 56 bull weanlings and 194 heifer weanlings.

Last year’s sale saw a heifer weanling top at €6,000 and with the dozens of calves hitting Facebook this past week, there will likely be another to match her.