Pedigree dairy day at Borderway on Wednesday 23^rd November was celebrated with a wonderful line up top quality heifers for sale. First through the ring came the best show of Holstein milkers seen for a long time at the Border and Lakeland club event. It must have been a hard job for the skilled judge Stewart Mitchell of ‘Grougar Holsteins’ to make his choices. 

Exactly half the entries of fresh heifers made over £2000 to a top of 3400gns, this bid by Mr Wallace of 78 Printshop Road, Northern Ireland, came from the two year - two month Boclair Shottle Elegance 2 ET. She boasted the best pedigree in the catalogue being out of the homebred Durham Elegance with a grand dam who was full sister to the world famous All-American cow Budjon-JK Linjet Eileen PI ET EX96.  Well grown and oozing style she came second in the show to a very smart Buckeye daughter from the Wilsons of ‘Evening Hill’ that won overall champion and made 2350gns.

The reserve champion Hillhead Acrobat Clementina was one of several smart heifers from the Fleming family of Kirkpatrick Fleming, and made 2500gns.

The second highest price of the club sale was like the top price, sporting a very classy pedigree. At 2850gns this Roylane Jordan daughter is from the famous Copywood Out Sara family. She now joins one of Cumbria’s finest herds belonging to the Sandersons at Lanercost.

Following the Border and Lakeland sale came the final sale to disperse the highly regarded ‘Highoaks’ Herd of Edward, Linda and Steven Wilson.

This comprised all the most recently calved heifers (plus a handful of cows), their baby heifer calves, all the in calf heifers and few spring born maidens.

It would be impossible to overstate the consistent quality of this stock, and the countless numbers of compliments paid to the breeders bore this out. Amongst the sound, solid pedigrees were some gems from famous cow families.

The top price of 4700gns secured for an undisclosed Borders breeder, a Comestar Lheros daughter of EX91 Goldwyn cow from Marqi family, This fortnight calved heifer will surely become the 14^th successive VG or EX when the classifier comes.

Her heifer calf by the stock bull, Colvend Jazzbolt, made 1300gns to Stephen Moar of Coilsmore Farm.

The second top price, 4000gns, was paid by Messrs Armstrong of Wolfa, for Highoaks Talent Kimo 3 ET. Bred off 8 successive VG and EX cows she sold 3 weeks fresh and will now grace this great redeveloping herd at Great Salkeld.

A feature of the Highoaks sale was the demand for the heifer calves, and the great trade was not dependant solely on loyal support of the highly respected herd. Conscious of well bred stylish, expertly farmed dairy cattle buyers were quite simply spoilt for choice and they indulged. Resulting in a wonderful trade for wonderful stock,

Leading Prices

Border and Lakeland

Lot     Gns      Vendor                                                              Purchaser

143       3400     J. Brewster, Boclair Farm                                   DG Wallace, 78 Printshop Road, Crumlin, Co.Antrim

153       2850     WM. Hutchinson, Redgate                                 N&S Sanderson, Burtholme Farm, Brampton

119       2500     RD. Fleming, Hillhead                                        J&E Irving & Son, Creechan Park, Stranraer

150       2400     RD. Fleming, Hillhead                                        JV Allan, Bleak House Farm, Turbury, Staffs

139       2400     CJ&VM Gillespie, High Ploughlands                   RK Rudd & Sons, Grassings Farm, Kirkbride, Wigton

113       2350     Evening Hill Farm Ltd, Evening Hill                     A&I Lamont, Sandieston Farm, Lochwinnoch

129    2350     CJ&VM Gillespie, High Ploughlands                      SK. Morton, Long Meg, Little Salkeld, Penrith

Highoaks

Lot     Gns         Purchaser

32         4700     Undisclosed Purchaser

23         4000     M. Armstrong, Wolfa, Great Salkeld, Penrith

45         3000     M. Armstrong, Wolfa, Great Salkeld, Penrith

35         2800     A&E Bargh, Woodclose, Skelton, Penrith

55         2800     DF.Forsyth, Baltier Farm, Whithorn, Newton Stewart

24         2700     H&D Forster, East Wharley, Hexham, Northumberland

15         2650     JV Allan, Bleak House Farm, Turbury, Burton on Trent, Staffs

17         2600     W&W Mitchell, Grougar Mains, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire

34         2600     DF.Forsyth, Baltier Farm, Whithorn, Newton Stewart

46         2550     JV Allan, Bleak House Farm, Turbury, Burton on Trent, Staffs

Averages

Border and Lakeland

2          Cows in milk                  £1128.75

53         Heifers in milk               £1943.49

Highoaks

8          Cows in milk/In-calf including heifer calves         £1922.75

38         New calved heifers incuding calves                    £2717.55

23         In-calf Heifers                                                    £1934.28

5          Six month old Heifer Calves                               £1722.00

Prize List