MartBids, the Irish Farmers Journal online bidding platform, is partnering with Clogher Mart in Co Tyrone for a September Select Aberdeen Angus timed auction. The sale will take place online from Friday to Monday, 16 to 19 September, and will consist of a select entry of 20 males and females from some of the top Aberdeen Angus herds in Northern Ireland.
The sale will also include a number of embryos from some of the best breeding cows in the herds.
Drummeer Aberdeen
Angus herd
The Drummeer herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus was founded in 2005 and currently stands with 15 pedigree brood cows. The herd is owned by Alan and Naomi Morrison who are based in Co Fermanagh.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal ahead of the sale, Alan said: “The cows are of moderate frame, therefore leaving them low-input and easy to maintain. The genetics consist of traditional and modern bloodlines with a small infusion of Australian sires.
“The herd has enjoyed numerous successes at local and national shows. The herd’s first outing to RUAS Balmoral Show was in 2007 with the herd’s first homebred heifer. This heifer claimed junior and reserve breed champion at the age of nine months. This heifer was the foundation of our Pollyanna family.
“Another of the herd’s most successful cow families is the Blackbird line. Heifers from the Blackbird family have gained the same achievements at RUAS Balmoral shows.
“Descendants from this Blackbird family are included in the sale. The September Select sale will provide the opportunity for someone to purchase a Blackbird for the very first time as they will be the first ever Blackbirds to be offered for sale.”
Baronagh Aberdeen Angus
The Baronagh Aberdeen Angus herd of Victor and Stephen Wallace, Garvagh, has been in existence for over 45 years. Winner of the NI Aberdeen Angus Club 2019 large herd competition, it is a 100-cow pedigree herd principally selling stock direct from home.
Over the years, the Wallaces have supplied foundation females to several pedigree startup herds across NI, and have exported breeding females to six European countries.
The herd’s foundation females included cows purchased from The Laurels, Ballyshannon, Gilkey and a sister to Patrick of Breaffy.
Commenting on the sale, Stephen Wallace said: “ Over the years, we have built up strong breeding lines of cattle that are proven in a commercially run system.
“Our focus has been to maintain breed character and produce functional all-round females with good locomotion, easy calving and milkiness.
“Herd sires over the years included Castle of Mey Esquire, Cambusbarron Punch (Perth reserve champion, twice Balmoral champion), Maine Dragon, Wedderlie Blackdown (Stirling champion), Woodvale Kool Papa, Tonley Kalou, McCornick Dual and Easton Greys Everest. Two homebred sires who show through in many of our modern females are Baronagh Prince William and Baronagh Euro (sire of an all-Ireland champion).
The Lana herd
The Lana herd owned by Alan and Lana Cheney was founded in 1997. The Cheney family wanted a native breed which would thrive off grass and Aberdeen Angus fitted the bill.
Foundation females for the herd came from the Strule herd and these have been added to over the years with females from other top herds in Ireland and the UK.
Dam of Lot 3, Lana Jasper Eric, a March 2021-born son of Lana Prosper V926.
The herd now extends to 50 breeding females, with Alan specifying that cows must be easily fleshed and able to thrive on poor-quality land with no concentrate feeding summer or winter.
Stock bulls have been purchased from top herds in Scotland and England and are chosen on breed character, carcase length, easy fleshing and easy calving to produce bulls to suit the local market.
Although showing is not a high priority for the herd, Alan has had breed champions on a number of occasions at Clogher Valley, Omagh and Enniskillen shows, the most recent at Enniskillen in 2019.
He has also bred Dungannon society sale champions and NI Calf Show champions over the years.
The whole herd has been performance-recorded for approximately 20 years and is a member of the AFBI herd health scheme.
Alan said: “Heifers chosen for this sale would normally have been retained for our own use and have been chosen from our best cow families. They are easy-fleshing, easy-calving and functional heifers which we believe will be an asset to any pedigree herd.”
The Clogher Valley herd
The Clogher Valley herd from Fivemiletown, owned by Ian and Gillian Browne, was formed in 2009 with the purchase of Drumboy Corina at the dispersal sale of Arian McElroy’s Lough Erne herd.
Additional females were then purchased at Carrick-on-Shannon sales and privately from the late David Adams.
Lot 2: Clogher Valley Masterpiece X891, a March 2021-born son of Lanigan Red Deep Canyon.
The herd’s first showing at the Aberdeen Angus Society’s February sale in Dungannon was a success, with Clogher Valley Emperor L071 being made champion.
Other successes included the NI Aberdeen Angus Club’s small herd winner in 2019 and awards at local agricultural shows.
In late 2019, the herd expanded significantly with the purchase of the Strule herd of the now late Jim Jack, former society president, and his wife May who were retiring from farming.
Commenting on the sale, Ian Brown said: “We currently run around 120 breeding pedigree females and the herd, although not showing, is based on a low-input, commercially run farm where emphasis is placed on top Angus genetics, longevity and good working milky, medium-sized cows.
“Two of our stock bulls are former winners of the NIAAC herds stock bull competition with the other having been awarded third prize.
“All young bulls and females are sold at home to new and repeat customers and animals not suitable for breeding are sold to a local butcher where the meat is dry-aged and sold as pure grass-fed Angus beef.”
Lot 4: Baronagh Emma X614, an April 2021-born heifer sired by Drumcrow Proud Display U737.
Prospective purchasers must register on MartBids.ie in advance of the sale and obtain bidding permission from Clogher Mart.
For the online catalogue and bidding, click here.
MartBids, the Irish Farmers Journal online bidding platform, is partnering with Clogher Mart in Co Tyrone for a September Select Aberdeen Angus timed auction. The sale will take place online from Friday to Monday, 16 to 19 September, and will consist of a select entry of 20 males and females from some of the top Aberdeen Angus herds in Northern Ireland.
The sale will also include a number of embryos from some of the best breeding cows in the herds.
Drummeer Aberdeen
Angus herd
The Drummeer herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus was founded in 2005 and currently stands with 15 pedigree brood cows. The herd is owned by Alan and Naomi Morrison who are based in Co Fermanagh.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal ahead of the sale, Alan said: “The cows are of moderate frame, therefore leaving them low-input and easy to maintain. The genetics consist of traditional and modern bloodlines with a small infusion of Australian sires.
“The herd has enjoyed numerous successes at local and national shows. The herd’s first outing to RUAS Balmoral Show was in 2007 with the herd’s first homebred heifer. This heifer claimed junior and reserve breed champion at the age of nine months. This heifer was the foundation of our Pollyanna family.
“Another of the herd’s most successful cow families is the Blackbird line. Heifers from the Blackbird family have gained the same achievements at RUAS Balmoral shows.
“Descendants from this Blackbird family are included in the sale. The September Select sale will provide the opportunity for someone to purchase a Blackbird for the very first time as they will be the first ever Blackbirds to be offered for sale.”
Baronagh Aberdeen Angus
The Baronagh Aberdeen Angus herd of Victor and Stephen Wallace, Garvagh, has been in existence for over 45 years. Winner of the NI Aberdeen Angus Club 2019 large herd competition, it is a 100-cow pedigree herd principally selling stock direct from home.
Over the years, the Wallaces have supplied foundation females to several pedigree startup herds across NI, and have exported breeding females to six European countries.
The herd’s foundation females included cows purchased from The Laurels, Ballyshannon, Gilkey and a sister to Patrick of Breaffy.
Commenting on the sale, Stephen Wallace said: “ Over the years, we have built up strong breeding lines of cattle that are proven in a commercially run system.
“Our focus has been to maintain breed character and produce functional all-round females with good locomotion, easy calving and milkiness.
“Herd sires over the years included Castle of Mey Esquire, Cambusbarron Punch (Perth reserve champion, twice Balmoral champion), Maine Dragon, Wedderlie Blackdown (Stirling champion), Woodvale Kool Papa, Tonley Kalou, McCornick Dual and Easton Greys Everest. Two homebred sires who show through in many of our modern females are Baronagh Prince William and Baronagh Euro (sire of an all-Ireland champion).
The Lana herd
The Lana herd owned by Alan and Lana Cheney was founded in 1997. The Cheney family wanted a native breed which would thrive off grass and Aberdeen Angus fitted the bill.
Foundation females for the herd came from the Strule herd and these have been added to over the years with females from other top herds in Ireland and the UK.
Dam of Lot 3, Lana Jasper Eric, a March 2021-born son of Lana Prosper V926.
The herd now extends to 50 breeding females, with Alan specifying that cows must be easily fleshed and able to thrive on poor-quality land with no concentrate feeding summer or winter.
Stock bulls have been purchased from top herds in Scotland and England and are chosen on breed character, carcase length, easy fleshing and easy calving to produce bulls to suit the local market.
Although showing is not a high priority for the herd, Alan has had breed champions on a number of occasions at Clogher Valley, Omagh and Enniskillen shows, the most recent at Enniskillen in 2019.
He has also bred Dungannon society sale champions and NI Calf Show champions over the years.
The whole herd has been performance-recorded for approximately 20 years and is a member of the AFBI herd health scheme.
Alan said: “Heifers chosen for this sale would normally have been retained for our own use and have been chosen from our best cow families. They are easy-fleshing, easy-calving and functional heifers which we believe will be an asset to any pedigree herd.”
The Clogher Valley herd
The Clogher Valley herd from Fivemiletown, owned by Ian and Gillian Browne, was formed in 2009 with the purchase of Drumboy Corina at the dispersal sale of Arian McElroy’s Lough Erne herd.
Additional females were then purchased at Carrick-on-Shannon sales and privately from the late David Adams.
Lot 2: Clogher Valley Masterpiece X891, a March 2021-born son of Lanigan Red Deep Canyon.
The herd’s first showing at the Aberdeen Angus Society’s February sale in Dungannon was a success, with Clogher Valley Emperor L071 being made champion.
Other successes included the NI Aberdeen Angus Club’s small herd winner in 2019 and awards at local agricultural shows.
In late 2019, the herd expanded significantly with the purchase of the Strule herd of the now late Jim Jack, former society president, and his wife May who were retiring from farming.
Commenting on the sale, Ian Brown said: “We currently run around 120 breeding pedigree females and the herd, although not showing, is based on a low-input, commercially run farm where emphasis is placed on top Angus genetics, longevity and good working milky, medium-sized cows.
“Two of our stock bulls are former winners of the NIAAC herds stock bull competition with the other having been awarded third prize.
“All young bulls and females are sold at home to new and repeat customers and animals not suitable for breeding are sold to a local butcher where the meat is dry-aged and sold as pure grass-fed Angus beef.”
Lot 4: Baronagh Emma X614, an April 2021-born heifer sired by Drumcrow Proud Display U737.
Prospective purchasers must register on MartBids.ie in advance of the sale and obtain bidding permission from Clogher Mart.
For the online catalogue and bidding, click here.
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