TOP OF £4000 FOR ‘WHINCHAT’S VERY BEST’
Hundreds of breeders and milk producers descended on Dungehill Farm, Wymeswold, Nr Loughborough, Leicestershire on Thursday 15th June to inspect the award winning WHINCHAT Herd of pedigree Holsteins the property of Andrew and Mimi Birkle and family to celebrate them winning Holstein UK’s Premier Herd for 2016.
As has become the custom in recent years, the owner of the herd has presented a sale of the best genetics in some form or other. This year Andrew decided to present a ‘Silent Auction’ and catalogued 29 of the herd’s young stock under the banner, ‘Whinchat’s Very Best’ These comprised 26 maiden heifers and heifer calves, 2 young bulls and a bull calf which not only had fantastic pedigrees, but were also show stoppers in their appearance; they really were a great group and his ‘very best’ for their age.
This format of selling has been used very little in the UK and historically has proved not to be very successful. However, we are pleased to report that the sale created much interest amongst the visitors and a 65% clearance rate was achieved – far better than any other similar sale in recent history.
The top price of £4000 was achieved for the incredible Whinchat Doorman Savoire Fare ET, a daughter of Val-Bisson Doorman born at the end of August last year with one of the best pedigrees available anywhere in the world. She has no less than 10 generations Multi-Excellent cows averaging over 94 points in direct line behind her. Signing the cheque for this wonderful calf was Breeze Farms Ltd of Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire who also took the October ’16 Whinchat Eudon Elsie at £2000, a daughter of Go-Farm Royal Eudon out of the 9th generation VG/EX, Whinchat Sanchez Elsie (Ex94-2E).
Another member of the Savoire Fare family attracted great interest, in fact more bids on her than any other animal. This was Whinchat Doorman Savoire Fare 2nd, by the same sire, but just a fortnight younger than the top seller; her dam was a VG87-3yr daughter of Van Gogh who was out of the 100 tonne Whinchat Metro Savoire Fare (Ex95-7E & SP) who in turn was the third dam of the top selling heifer so very closely related! She eventually sold for £2500 to Roger Morse of Carmarthen.
There was plenty of interest in the two bulls on offer; they were both full brothers by Doorman and out of Kingsway Goldwyn Abrakazoo ET EX91 3* a full sister to Goldwyn Abrakaboom (VG89-3yr & SP) the reigning Champion of UK Dairy Day 2016. One of these bulls Whinchat Wizzard sold for £2200 to local milk producers, Armett Brothers of West Leake, Loughborough.
AVERAGES:
16 Maiden Heifers and Heifer Calves £1903.12; 2 Bulls £1850.00.
WRIGHT MARSHALL of Beeston Castle Auction, Cheshire were the Auctioneers
