May Sale has Snow on Top

Quality cows and heifers were in abundance at the May Border & Lakeland Club Show & Sale held at Borderway, Carlisle with a number of top herds offering some of their very best animals.  Prices for top quality heifers were slightly up on the month however the overall average was slightly down with buyers deciding to be more selective.  This sale remains one of the best places in the UK and Europe to buy quality Holstein animals from high health herds. 

The sale commenced with nine charity lots for the Craig Bell Memorial Fund with all the money raised going to the Brain Tumour Charity.  Simon Hesketh who was the herdsman at Holmland for a number of years offered a day’s hoof trimming and this sold for £350 to Matt Bland, Hesket Farm, Penrith.  Other lots included semen and embryos, in total the auction raised over £7000 and the Bell family would like to pass on their deepest and heartfelt gratitude for everyone’s kindness.  

Sponsoring the event was Paragon Veterinary Group and Cogent and the judge was Mr James McNeil from the Cairnpat herd in Stranraer.  The overall Champion was awarded to Snow Peggy consigned by G&M Wilson, Lowfield Farm, Appleby.  This beautifully balanced heifer had a special udder that flirted with perfection she was sired by Gillette Jordan and was giving over 40kgs, she sold for 2,800gns to the Woodcatt herd.  Another classy uddered heifer from the same herd sold for 2,800gns, Snow Mushroom sired by Denmire Murphy selling to FS Sturrock & Sons, Cleveland.

Reserve Champion went to the first place cow Bankview Laxton Lynne consigned by JAH Walton & Son, Bank View, Kirby Stephen.  This stylish black silky cow displayed outstanding quality and sold for 1,900gns to JH Sloan & Son, Dormieston Farm, Ayrshire.

Topping the day’s trade was a heifer with a special pedigree from the Pinehurst Rhapsody family consigned by the Armour family at Moffat.  Annandale Hambone Rhapsody was potentially the thirteenth generation of excellent classified cows she sold for 3,900gns to DC Hall, Church Close Farm, Skipton.

The Brewster family from Boclair consigned three special heifers the best topping at 2,650gns for Boclair Triumphant Vision.  She was sired by Boclair Triumphant and bred from a super line of high producing cows with very high components.  

Commenting on the trade after the sale auctioneer Glyn Lucas said “...buyers have had a high class of animals to choose from today and it is nice to see quality and special pedigrees achieving a premium.  Trade for fresh calvers has dropped in recent weeks due to a lot of bulk tanks running close to capacity and the seasonal milk price drop has dinted producer confidence”. 

The  next dairy sale at Borderway is on Wednesday 4^th June and already has over 100 animals on offer included in this sale is a special consignment of in-calf heifers and bulling heifers and young calves.

 Leading Prices

LOT  PURCHASER                  PURCHASERS ADDRESS                                                                             GNS

Averages

10 Cows in milk/calf                     £1879.50

96 Heifers in milk/calf                  £1936.80

15 In calf heifers                £1571.80

121 Overall average           £1895.40