The Ranfurly Simmental herd based in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, has announced the private sale of its pedigree Simmental bull ‘Ranfurly Rolo‘ to the Stronach family’s Islavale Herd at Berryleys Farm in Keith, Banffshire in northern Scotland.
The £22,000 deal includes the retention of semen and marks a new record sale price for the Dungannon-based herd, which was founded by David Hazelton more than 50 years ago.
Rolo is the 24th Ranfurly bull to join a pedigree herd in the last 10 years.
The £22,000 bull is sired by Banwy T-Rex and, at 13-months-of-age, the pedigree Simmental bull is the first calf bred from the Curaheen Bandit daughter, Ranfurly Weikel 45th VG87.
The bull tested free of myostatin genes and boasts a yearling weight of 842kg, coupled with impressive Breedplan performance figures.
Ranfurly Rolo‘s Breedplan performance figures:
- In the breed’s top 1% for terminal production index (TPI) at +124;
- Has a self-replacing index (SRI) of +146;
- Milk (+14);
- Top 5% for eye muscle area (+6.1).
Currently the Ranfurly 17-cow herd includes seven cows classified Excellent, eight VG, and two first-calf heifers awaiting classification.
The Ranfurly herd has been built on the use of artificial insemination (AI) sires such as:
- Hillcrest Champion;
- Raceview King;
- Team Celtic;
- Samark Superman.
Cow families include Weikel, Diana, Kleeb, Beauty, and Stella. The Weikel family, founded in 2003 with the impromptu purchase of South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd is the most successful female line at Ranfurly, according to the herd owners.
Rolo’s maternal great-grandam, South Park King Kong Weikel 2nd EX93 was a successful Simmental show winner, brood cow, and embryo donor.
She has produced numerous Simmental and interbreed champions, both male and female. Her son, Ranfurly Formula One was supreme Stirling champion in 2015 and sold for 15,000gns. Her legacy has lived on through the generations at Ranfurly and within other pedigree herds.
Rolo is the second Ranfurly bull to join the Islavale herd. The last bull to join the herd was Ranfurly Confederate EX94. This bull has produced sons to a top of 24,000gns.
To date, Confederate has 562 progeny registered in 87 herds within the British Simmental Cattle Society herd book. He was the society’s most popular sire in 2019 and 2020.
The 200-cow Islavale herd purchased Ranfurly Beauty 13th for 7,000gns at the Ranfurly herd’s third joint production sale in 2020. She has produced four heifer calves.
Commenting on the private deal, Stewart Stronach said: “We are delighted to have acquired another stock bull from the Ranfurly herd.
“Our most significant investment in Simmental bloodlines to date, Ranfurly Rolo is our type of bull, boasting fantastic breed character and presence. He is the complete package, wide from his plates right through to his shoulder, long and clean with a leg in every corner.
“Ranfurly Rolo really catches the eye and his pedigree is filled with excellent female lines. The herd has really come to the fore over the last few years, breeding our type of cattle.”
“We are hoping that Rolo does as well for us as our last Ranfurly stock bull, Confederate, whose first crop of Islavale calves included two bulls sold at Stirling to pedigree herds for 24,000gns and 16,000gns.”
Stewart Stronach concluded: “We believe Ranfurly Rolo is the foundation for the next chapter or our pedigree Simmental herd, and we thank the Hazelton family for allowing us to purchase him directly off-farm.”
The bull is currently at the AI Services (NI) Ltd bull stud for semen collection and will be exported to Scotland in due course.
