Herd sires
Bulls from Australia, Canada, the USA and Ireland, and the best of our own.
Our working bulls
Our own young bulls run with the cows after the May/June and November/December timed AI. All five are DNA-tested polled and myostatin free, and all five rank in the top quarter of the breed’s bulls on Cow Value.
Duncraggan Emperor 660
Born in 2023, and 8th of the 164 live registered Beef Shorthorn bulls in South Africa on Cow Value (118), with strong growth and milk.
Duncraggan Faustus 703
Born in 2024, out of one of our top-ranked cows. Joint 9th in the breed on Cow Value (117), and above average for fertility and calving ease.
Duncraggan Graduate 721
Born in 2025, a Smashing Stuff son out of Lancaster 590. Joint 9th in the breed on Cow Value (117), with a calf growth index of 124.
Duncraggan Falkirk 670
Born in 2024, by our Australian AI sire Futurity Kokoda. Cow Value 113 and a calf growth index of 121.
Primeston Fantastic
Born in 2024 from the Firefly family, which gave us Firefly 65, joint top of the breed for fertility. Milk index 120.
Imported sires we use
We have used AI on our cows since the start, which gives us bulls we could never buy outright. These are the overseas sires with calves on the ground here, with the number of AI calves from our own records. Overseas figures are the October 2026 breed evaluations; our original write-ups are further down the page.
Crooked Post Stockman 4Z
From the Seaborn family’s Crooked Post Shorthorns in Alberta. Top 2% of the breed for weaning and yearling weight, top 5% for milk, and an ASA Pacesetter Sire five times. He died in January 2025, but we hold a good stock of his semen, and his sons and daughters carry on here.
Spry’s All Gold D052
From the Spry family at Wagga Wagga, NSW. He topped Spry’s 2011 sale at A$25 000 and is top 3% in Australia for carcase weight and top 10% for weaning weight. Sire of our Smashing Stuff 103.
Saskvalley Yesterday 116Y
A Semex sire from Saskvalley Stock Farm, Saskatchewan. Top 10% of the breed for calving ease and for milk, and an ASA Performance Sire in seven different years. Our go-to bull for heifers.
JSF Gauge 137W
Bred by Keith Lauer and run at Jungels Shorthorn Farm, North Dakota. With 1 164 registered calves he is one of America’s most used Shorthorn sires, and was an ASA Pacesetter Sire every year from 2015 to 2025. Top 5% for milk, top 10% for marbling.
Futurity Kokoda
From Jason and Kylie Catts’ Futurity Shorthorns, Baradine, NSW. Top 15% in Australia for calving ease and top 10% for stayability, the measure of cows that last.
Muridale Phantom 10F
Our newest AI sire, from Muridale Shorthorns, Saskatchewan, marketed by Semex. Top 10% for calving ease, top 5% for milk and top 3% for stayability. We like what we see so far.
Deerpark Furty
A proven Irish sire collected by Dovea Genetics, with 693 recorded progeny in Ireland. Primeston Furty, at the 2026 National Sale, is one of his sons.
Dovea Sir James 2nd
Another Dovea sire, whose daughter Mohill Gemma won the All-Ireland two-year-old heifer title at Mullingar in 2015. Used in our Primeston herd.
Sires we have bred
The best of our own bulls, used across both herds. Index figures are from SA Stud Book’s August 2026 Logix evaluation, where 100 is the breed average.
Duncraggan Smashing Stuff 103
Arguably the best Shorthorn bull we have bred. Moderate frame and exceptional thickness, and a calf growth index of 124 on SA Stud Book’s 2026 figures.
Duncraggan Willy Wonker 337
A roan Smashing Stuff son with 36 calves here, and sire of Auld Reekie 496. His daughters milk: index 114.
Primeston Warranty
Linebred to Redstone Sunbeam 0553. His Fertility Value of 146 matches the best in the breed, and daughters such as Wildeyes 449 are among the top cows in the country.
Duncraggan Tarantino 159
Our thickest Scotty son, on a moderate frame, out of the same dam as Smashing Stuff. Used mainly in the Primeston herd, and sire of Primeston Warranty.
Duncraggan Zuckerberg 465
A roan Stockman 4Z son and sire of Diplomat 611, our 2024 ARC national winner. Above breed average for Cow Value, calving ease and fertility.
Duncraggan Auld Reekie 496
Used on both herds from 2021 to 2023, and sire of Deadeye Dick 618, who sold for R35 000 at the 2024 National Sale.
Sires we used in the early years
Bulls we brought in by AI between 2012 and 2016. Their daughters and granddaughters are still in the herd.
Crawfdown Fighter Pilot 1W
From Crawfdown Farms, Glencoe, Ontario: thick, heavily muscled and solid red. Three AI calves here in 2015.
Shadybrook Powerplay 802U
From the Shadybrook and WHR embryo programme: muscle, length of spine and maternal strength.
Homedale Accomplished
Added after we saw his progeny in South Africa. He has 193 registered progeny in the US.
Shadybrook Scotty 83K
From Shadybrook Farm, West Brome, Quebec. Still top 1% for rib-eye area on the 2026 figures, and an ASA Performance Sire in five years.
Where our sires shine
Overseas figures tell you what to expect. These show what each bull’s calves have actually done here, on SA Stud Book’s August 2026 Logix evaluation, where 100 is the breed average.
| Sire | Calves weighed in SA | Strongest SA figures |
|---|---|---|
| Duncraggan Smashing Stuff 103 | 86 |
Calf growth 124
|
| Crooked Post Stockman 4Z | 69 |
Cow Value 119Milk 112Calf growth 110
|
| Spry’s All Gold D052 | 69 |
Calf growth 124Milk 123Cow Value 116
|
| Duncraggan Willy Wonker 337 | 32 |
Milk 114Calf growth 112
|
| Duncraggan Zuckerberg 465 | 26 |
Milk 113Cow Value 108Calving ease 105
|
| Duncraggan Uncle Ted 210 | 24 |
Calving ease 112Milk 109
|
| Futurity Kokoda | 23 |
Calf growth 123Cow Value 106
|
| Primeston Warranty | 23 |
Fertility 146Milk 116Cow Value 111
|
| Saskvalley Yesterday 116Y | 21 |
Calving ease 112
|
| Duncraggan Utterly Amazing 223 | 18 |
Calving ease 113Cow Value 105
|
| Duncraggan Auld Reekie 496 | 18 |
Fertility 116
|
| Duncraggan Threadneedle 187 | 16 |
Calving ease 115Fertility 111Milk 108
|
| Duncraggan Crackerjack 582 | 15 |
Milk 111
|
| Duncraggan Xtra Special 365 | 15 |
Milk 129Cow Value 115
|
Source: SA Stud Book Logix breeding value reports for Duncraggan and Primeston, August 2026.
Original sire profiles
What we wrote about each bull when we chose him, word for word. Figures in these were current at the time.
Spry’s All Gold D052
Sprys All Gold D052 (P) 
All Gold is a bull that we have used extensively through AI after acquiring the South African semen rights in 2008 when Laurence saw him as a calf on a visit to Spry’s Shorthorns in Australia. He stood out due to his muscling, balance and mobility. His mother appealed as a ‘model’ cow in what we are striving for in our herd and she has since become a leading donor for the Spry’s ET programme. He is homozygous polled and adds a tremendous amount of growth and thickness. He is a trait leader for 200-Day as well as Milk EBV’s in the February 2017 Shorthorn Group BREEDPLAN and his calves really stand out for their natural thickness, do ability and character. He was sold at Spry’s 2011 Wagga sale for AUD$25,000 to Malton Shorthorns. He has been used extensively in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and South Africa
A number of daughters are in production and they are performing well so far. We are especially happy with their udder/teat formation, thin, good length teats on a well suspended udder, as well as their fertility.
We have entered four grandsons into Phase C testing, as of end December 2016, and they have achieved two Gold and two Silver Merits!
Saskvalley Yesterday 116Y
Saskvalley Yesterday 116Y
From the renowned Saskvalley herd in Saskatchewan, Canada, this homozygous polled, roan sire appealed due to his low birthweight and high calving ease. With an actual BW of 80lbs, ASA Spring 2017 EPD’s of 0.8 BW and 14 CE and a 5.8 frame score with a top 10% Marbling, we could not ask for more. He has $CE in the top 10%, $BMI in the top 1% and $F in the top 2%!
Coupled with a phenotype which conforms to what we are looking for in terms of depth and hindquarter muscling, we believe we have found the ideal heifer bull.
We brought in a second tranche of semen in 2016 and we now have numerous progeny.
JSF Gauge 137W
JSF Gauge 137W
We imported our first tranche of semen in 2012 and he was used heavily in the 2012 Spring and 2013 Autumn breeding seasons:
He was selected due to his excellent BW and CE EPD’s, in a moderate frame. The solid red colour was an added bonus!
Of interest is that, on his dam’s side, he goes back to Pa Do Ole Gringo 944, a bull used extensively, and to good effect, by the Rigby’s and Nonen herds in the 90’s.
His figures have improved since we first used him and in the ASA August/Spring 2016 Trait Leaders list he now ranks in the Top 10 on seven traits, five of those in the Top 5 in the breed!
We feel that the combination of calving ease (Direct and Maternal), Ribeye area, Marbling and Fat thickness EPD’s is hard to beat!
See the full list in the link below:
We have subsequently imported a second tranche of semen due to his exceptional performance and will use it over the next few years. We have used five doses in Spring 2023.
Duncraggan Smashing Stuff 103
Duncraggan Smashing Stuff 103
We have numerous calves on the ground by Duncraggan Smashing Stuff 103, arguably the best Shorthorn bull we have ever bred.
Sired by Sprys All Gold D052 and out of Redstone Sunbeam 0553, a Nonen Hutton daughter, he has been a standout since birth. Moderate framed and with exceptional thickness throughout, he is transmitting this to his progeny with a Gold and two Silver Merit sons on Phase C, out of three sons tested.
We have collected him for further use in our programme.
Duncraggan Tarantino 159
Duncraggan Tarantino 159
We have collected him for further use in our programme, he has mainly been used in the Primeston herd, and we are expecting a first calf from female progeny in August 2017.
Sired by Shadybrook Scotty 83K and out of the same dam as D. Smashing Stuff 103, he was the thickest Scotty son we have produced, well defined muscling and on a moderate frame.
We have retained a linebred son out of his maternal half-sister due to Scotty’s tremendous, trait leading 200-Day, Milk, EMA and RBY EBV’s in the Shorthorn Beef BREEDPLAN in Australia.
Crawfdown Fighter Pilot 1W
Crawfdown Fighter Pilot 1W 
Sired by the extremely popular, Little Cedar Aviator 503X. He was named the 2009 RAWF Grand Champion and Supreme Champion Shorthorn Bull. He is thick made, with tonnes of muscle and eye appeal. He brings some new outcross genetics to the herd in a solid red package and will be used to add muscle and style.
We have used a limited amount of semen and have a few doses left.
Shadybrook Powerplay 802U
Shadybrook Powerplay 802U 
Powerplay was admired as a yearling for his muscling, thickness and length of spine. He was Champion Shorthorn and Reserve Champion All Breeds at Brome Fair in 2010
He is from the heart of the Shadybrook and WHR Shorthorns embryo programme and brings a new outcross pedigree and strong EPDs while providing a balance of muscle and maternal strength in a polled package.
Powerplay's dam is a picture perfect female with a sound udder, body depth and strong maternal balance.
We have used a limited amount of semen and have one daughter in production, D. Lancaster 268, she is currently running at Haleston.
Homedale Accomplished
Homedale Accomplished
After seeing progeny of this bull in South Africa we decided that he was an essential addition to our sire line-up.
Homedale Accomplished has ASA Spring 2017 EPD’s in the top 20% for CEM, top 25% for REA and top 15% for Marbling. He also rates in the top 20% for both $BMI and $F indices.
We have a number of superb female progeny, and a Gold Merit 2016 Phase C son out of a Sprys All Gold D052 daughter. We have used a grandson in Spring 2022 and in Autumn and Spring 2023.
Foundation sires
Bulls for sale
Our sale bulls carry these bloodlines.