The British Simmental Review 2022

Kilbride Farm Iris 17F, dam of Iris 25LP.
Kilbride Farm Eunice 213G.
The family worked away at improving the herd, using the best semen
they could buy at that time, until their first stock bull was acquired
in 1980. Billy ventured to France to select the bull ‘Orage’, which did
exactly what they hoped he would. “Orage certainly put a stamp
on the herd. He helped us increase growth, conformation and milk
within the herd, and sired our first champion at the Perth Bull Sales,
Kilbride Farm Perry, which went on to sell for 6,000gns, in 1985,” says
Norman.
A few years later, the stock bull Moncur Sensation was bought
privately and became the first Simmental to win the inter-breed title
at Balmoral Show, also winning the breed’s Male of the Year title the
same year, in 1989. Another bull that proved particularly influential
on the herd in the earlier days was Milnafua Graduate, bought at
Perth in 1998, which sired sons to 11,000gns, in addition to many
high performing daughters.
Norman says: “Graduate daughters were very square females that
calved easily on any bull and had plenty milk – we’ve had a lot of
good bulls out of Graduate cows. While we were using Graduate, he
hurt himself, which resulted in us using a home-bred bull, Kilbride
Farm Newry, a son of Dovefields Gallant. We used him for two
years before selling him to AI Services.” Newry went onto have a
huge influence on the breed and was one of the most used AI sires
ever – topping the registration figures for several years in a row. For
the Kilbride Farm herd, he sired successful breeding females and
sons that made five-figure prices, including Kilbride Farm Strabane,
which was champion at Perth in 2006 and sold for 10,000gns to the
Blackford herd.
Another privately bought bull that performed well was Seaview
Prince Charming, sire of the 2008 Perth champion Kilbride Farm
Tarrant, which made 10,000gns to Corskie. And, Cairnview Snazzy,
bought at Perth for 15,000gns, went onto be the sire or grand-sire
to four Stirling champions, including Kilbride Farm Comber, the
October, 2012 champion, which made 20,000gns.
The herd’s top price to-date is the 22,000gns Kilbride Farm Foreman,
sold at Stirling in February 2016, where he was placed reserve
supreme champion. His sire, Crugmelyn Brenin, was bought privately
after being spotted at the English National Show. In addition to
Foreman, a further two sons of Brenin sold privately at five-figure
prices and his daughters became some of the best in the herd, with
a few still remaining. Norman explains: “We do a fair bit of research
before selecting a stock bull; we look at breeding lines and which
ones are consistently doing well. Based on his genetics, we bought
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