Excerpt from the Hereford Cattle Society report 4th July 2022:
Staged on-farm at The Haven, Dilwyn, Herefordshire, the Lewis Family Bicentenary Sale saw a number of breed records smashed by the Haven and Havenfield herds of EL Lewis and son and JW Lewis’ Boycefield herd, on celebrating 200 years of the Lewis family continuously breeding pedigree Hereford cattle.
The sale saw a new female and poll female record set by EL Lewis and son, who still also holds the breed’s male price record set in 1980. Across the offerings from the two breeders, the sale broke the European female record sale average at £6,252, with the Boycefield females averaging £5,394 while Haven and Havenfield heifers averaged £6,592. With the society’s official auctioneer Jonny Dymond in the rostrum, a fast-paced exchange around the ring saw bids fly to 20,000gns for Haven Thrush 74th, a September 2020-born heifer. Paying the money was New House Herefords, Hampton Bishop, Herefordshire and in doing so a new female price record was set at public auction. This powerful and correct female can be traced back 22 generations to one of the foundation cows purchased in 1850 under the Lewis ownership. By Irish-bred sire Shiloh-Farm Elite, it is a maternal brother to Haven Kermit which won the 2014 National Hereford Show as well as a maternal grandson of Haven Wizard, the horned Hereford bull of the year 2005.Haven Thrush 74th was sold in-calf to Mawarra Influential Q162 which EL Lewis and son purchased shares in at Australia’s National Hereford Show and Sale for AUS$42,000 in 2021.
Also beating the previous female record although later on in the sale was Boycefield Acorn 45th sold to a top call of 14,000gns to A Whitfield, Derrington, Staffordshire. The Lewis’ Acorn line descends from the famous LL Moore’s Brampton herd and is a full sister to Boycefield Stormzy which stood reserve champion at the 2019 Kington Show. This September 2020-born heifer was sold in-calf to Boycefield Congo, reserve male champion at the 2007 Royal Show.
Read the full report from the Hereford Cattle Society: https://www.herefordcattle.org/news/3163/