Auctioneers: Harrison & Hetherington
Averages: 3 Holstein heifers in milk £2,800.00;10 Holstein In-Calf heifers £3,707.81; 73 Holstein Open heifers £3,945.24;2 British Friesian heifers £2,520.00; 31 Embryos £ 513.00
There was a celebratory atmosphere at Borderway, Carlisle, for the 30th Black & White Anniversary Sale that took place in front of one of the largest crowds in the event’s history. The prestigious annual event is the UK’s premier elite dairy sale and is the longest running pedigree sale outside North America. Few people could have imagined or predicted 30 years ago, the impact this event would have and the importance it now holds within the elite global sales calendar.
Commenting on the sales success, Harrison & Hetherington Senior Pedigree Auctioneer Glyn Lucas said: “We wanted to celebrate this incredible milestone by putting together the best catalogue in the Black & White sale’s history and thanks to the support from the breeders, we achieved this in tremendous style. Virtually all the best cows and UK cow families were represented in this year’s catalogue and the results speak for themselves. I would therefore like to wish everyone who purchased animals, continued future success with their investments.”
With such an exceptionally strong line up of consignments, it was not surprising that trade topped at 18,000gns. Reflecting the strength and depth throughout, the sale averaged £3,945, the best average for several years with a total of 107 lots sold. Buyers from 27 counties and 6 countries were registered on the buyers list. Thirty-three heifers sold for £4,000 or above, and there was a noticeable increase in the demand for embryos.
In a very fitting gesture, the event was opened by retired Harrison & Hetherington auctioneer Edward Brown, who had the vision to start the sale back in the 1980s. Lot 1 was consigned by local breeder John Greenop, Bridgedale Farm near Wigton, the purchaser of lot 1 in the inaugural Black & White Sale. Bridgedale Spottie was a REW Seaver daughter from the Sunnylodge Prelude Spottie cow family and was sold for 1,300gns to Steven Brough, Buckabank Farm, Dalston.
The event has built a strong reputation for attracting the best show heifers from the best show cows in the world. The top price heifer was exactly that; Panda Lucky O’Kalibra consigned by Molly Westwood, owner of the Panda herd in Somerset. Buyers had the choice of two full sisters sired by Luck-E Absolute Awesome Red and granddaughters of Decrausaz Iron Okalibra EX97, a World Champion and European Champion in 2015 and the three times Grand Champion at Swiss Expo. This was the first occasion progeny from this amazing cow had been sold in the UK, and the winning bid of 18,000gns was placed by the Thisillda Syndicate from south west Scotland.
The sale also attracted daughters from the best shows cows in Europe and the cow on the front cover of the Sale catalogue, Illens Atwood Australia was one such example, being owned by the Laird family, Blythbridge Farm, Scotland. Australia was the 2016 Supreme Champion at UK Dairy Expo in the spring, and finished off the show season a few weeks ago, by winning Supreme Champion at Agriscot. In between these two national events, Australia represented the UK at the European Show in Colmar, France, where she placed 2ndto the overall European Champion. The buyers again had a choice from five of her daughters born in October 2016, all sired by Walnutlawn Solomon. This winning bid was placed by J Ohanlon, Golden Hill Farm, Rep. of Ireland.
A Walnutlawn Solomon daughter from UK Dairy Day Grand Champion also featured in the sale and was consigned by A&J Whittaker and G. Jones. Knowlesmere Goldwyn Abrakaboom VG89 was Grand Champion in September, following her success in 2014 when she was the winning two-year-old at the same event. Her older daughter by Doorman had topped last year’s Black & White sale at 10,000gns and had returned to Borderway for UK Dairy Expo, where she won the Spring Yearling class. The Allie cow family developed by Kingsway Farms is currently one of the most successful breeding lines in Canada with more All Canadian & All American nominations in recent times than any other. This young August born calf, Knowlesmere Jones Sol Aloof, sold for 8,000gns to Richard Watt, Augher, N. Ireland.
Selling from the same cow family and from an Excellent 95 Sanchez sister to Knowlesmere Goldwyn Abrakaboom, was an ultra-fancy daughter of Val-Bisson Doorman consigned by Absolute Genetics. March born Absolute Doorman Tangfastic attracted a lot of interest in the build-up to the event. Her incredible length and style makes her a big show prospect for 2017, and she sold for the second top price of the day to Shanakiel Farming Partnership, Co. Cork, Rep. of Ireland for 15,000gns. Her full sister, consigned by Orton Grange Farms, Carlisle, OrtonGrange Doorman Arangatang, sold for 5,000gns to J Moore Co. Offaley, Rep. of Ireland.
A poignant moment in the sale came when the raffle was drawn to win Sweetings Euphoric Bubble, a prize-winning heifer kindly donated by John Lawson and Anthony Jackson. The raffle was in memory of Louise Hartley, a Farmers Guardian reporter and past member of the Lancashire Holstein Young Breeders Club, who sadly lost her brave battle with ovarian cancer earlier this year. Over £10,000 worth of raffle tickets had been sold raising money for the Louise Hartley Memorial Fund to support young people in agriculture. The winning ticket was won by Frank Mattinson from the Troutbeck herd, Wigton, Cumbria. Mr Mattinson generously requested the heifer to be auctioned, with all the proceeds awarded to the fund. Bubble subsequently sold for 2,800gns to Philip Halhead, Norbreck Genetics, Lancashire.
Robert and Elaine Butterfield owners of the prize winning Ingleview herd in Bentham, Lancashire, sold a Seagull-Bay Silver daughter from their showing winning cow, Newirks Jazz for 5,800gns to the Ards Holstein herd in Co. Down, N. Ireland. Jazz had been a crowd favourite in 2016 firstly placing 2nd in the Senior three-year-old class at UK Dairy Expo and ended the show season by winning the Senior three-year-old class at UK Dairy Day, and finishing as the event’s Reserve Grand Champion. In between those two National shows, she represented the UK at the European Show in Colmar, France, placing 2nd in her class and she was also Grand Champion at the Great Yorkshire show in July.
The Feizor herd owned by the Booth family sold a daughter from the 2014 World Dairy Expo Red & White Champion for 9,000gns to Designer Holsteins, Essex. Feizor Beemer A Kandie, sired by the top type sire Beemer, is a daughter of Luck-E Advent Kandie Red EX95, the unanimous 2014 All American winning five-year-old. This was the first progeny to sell in Europe from Kandie who is a descendant of the Royal Klassy cow family, expertly developed by Luck-E Holsteins, USA.
The only daughter consigned in the sale from the legendary Braedale Goldwyn was Nobold TLC Gold Bambi, consigned by Mike Roberts and Tom Lomas from Shropshire. This close to perfect heifer was a daughter of the 2013 All Canadian winning three-year-old as well as, 2013 Intermediate Champion at the Canadian Royal Winter Fair, the renowned, Aingers Advent Bambi. Her Goldwyn daughter sold for 8,000gns to the Bambi syndicate in Cheshire.
The hottest cow family in Europe in 2016 was the Twizzle cow family, originally from Luck-E Holsteins in the USA, and developed in Ireland by the Philip Jones, owner of the Hallow herd. Consigning an animal for the first time in the UK, Emerald Doorman Twizzle, from Donal & Thomas Neville from Co. Limerick, Rep. of Ireland, sold for 6,600gns. This animal is a granddaughter of Hallow Advent Twizzle EX96, Grand Champion at the Baileys Show and Emerald Expo show in 2016, and a daughter of Hallow Atwood Twizzle 3 VG89, the nominated All Ireland four-year-old in 2015. Full sister to the dam is Hallow Atwood Twizzle EX93, who recently won Grand Champion at the Italian National Show in Cermona, Italy, and who also won her class at the European Show in Colmar, France, earlier this year. This powerful in-calf heifer was purchased by Andrew & Euan Lawrie, Grangehall Farm, Lanarkshire.
The Champion Udder Award at the 2016 UK Dairy Expo went to Feizor Knowledge S Melody EX93 with an EX96 mammary. Her daughter sired by Bertaiola Mincio was jointly consigned by the Premier winning Wormanby herd and Pettril herd and sold for 6,000gns to an undisclosed buyer. A sister of Feizor Knowledge S Melody EX93, by Walnutlawn Solomon and consigned by the Feizor herd sold for 6,000gns to Oliver Williams, Cambridgeshire.
Topping the Red & White trade was Auchensala Absolute Shakira Red consigned by Ali Cook, Ruthwell, Dumfries. Shakira is sired by Apples Absolute Red and bred from Blondin Rampage Suzette VG89, a sister to Blondin Redman Seisme EX97, the four times All Canadian winner and twice Grand Champion at both World Dairy Expo and the Royal Winter Fair. This very special heifer sold for 5,500gns to D Dawes, Oxford.
