A WONDERFUL
DAY’S TRADING
AT BEESTON CASTLE MID MONTH DAIRY SALE
TOP OF £2350 AND 23 OVER £2K
The first collective dairy sale of
the year at Beeston Castle Auction, the Famous Wright Marshall Mid Month Sale
of Pedigree and Commercial Dairy cattle including sections for the Western
Holstein Club’s Focus Milk cattle, took place on Tuesday, 13th
January and attracted a large entry of 360 head in the catalogue of which over
280 were fresh milkers. This was a huge entry and, of course, is by far the
biggest available anywhere in the UK on one day. Naturally enough, especially
regarding the current crisis in the dairy industry surrounding the appalling
low levels many of our farmer clients are now receiving for their milk, the
auctioneers approached the day with more than a little trepidation.
However our fears for what the day
might have been, proved to be completely unfounded. For a start the largest
crowd seen for months and months turned up to populate the ring which was full
to the rafters at its peak. There was lots of bidding throughout with buyers
standing several deep at one stage. As is always the case the sale opens with
the cows and there was plenty of bidding, particularly for the best, but when we
moved on to the heifers bidding rose to another level and at times was fast and
furious and this was the case virtually throughout, but it has to be said after
having reached a substantial peak, trade eased off considerably for the last
forty or fifty lots.
Quality was really good with buyers
prepared to pay a premium for the type they wanted – lots of condition, lots of
width, good udders and plenty of milk and there was a huge amount of this type
to choose from. Anything, even with a slight degree of frailty or narrowness,
is severely discounted.
MILKING COWS AND HEIFERS
The top five prices came from the
large team of heifers consigned by Jack and Barclay Taylor of Myddle,
Shrewsbury. Their top seller was the Bassingthorpe Drayman daughter Westeric
Fiona 57th who was sold giving 34 kg to D & HE Colclough &
Son of Hassall, Sandbach. Next at £2320 was the homebred Burnbrae Butze Gwen by
Kerndt Premier Butze sold giving 33kg to Adrian Jones, Welshpool for his
Garthmyl Herd. They then sold three at £2250 each for daughters of Dover, Reece
and Ponder as well as two at £2200 apiece for daughters of Xray and Jeeves.
Lots of our regular vendors were in the money selling heifers at or above the
£2k mark and in all 23 fell into this sector. These included Lancashire
breeders, Harry Jolly, Tom Cowell and Enchanted Holsteins, Ballakillingan from
the Isle of Man and local exhibitors, Mark Bowden, Wilf Lomas, Simon Powell,
Roger Sutton, Mark Mottershead and Matt Jackson.
Overall there were 259 milkers
forward on the day and only five failed to find new homes, which considering
the state of the industry at the moment, is quite remarkable.
IN-CALF HEIFERS
There was only a very small show of
in-calf and served heifers and these met with a quite indifferent trade selling
up to £1200 for a February calving heifer from David Ishmael. There were no maiden
heifers entered.
HEIFER CALVES
There was a nice entry of heifer
calves and these sold to £600 for a September born Red calf by Damartini
Attitude Red with several others from the same home in excess of £500. Younger
calves were generally from £200 to £300.
AVERAGES:
57 Cows £1305.78 (including 5 Focus Milk Cows at £1606.00); 197
Milking Heifers £1574.67 (including 86 Focus Milk at £1745.12); 13 In-calf and Served Heifers £1003.08; 32 Heifer Calves £313. 85. 2 Bulls £1750.00
WRIGHT MARSHALL of Beeston Castle Auction, Cheshire were the
Auctioneers.
