Best dairy trade of the year reported at Shrewsbury Auction Centre
The best dairy trade of the year was reported by Halls auctioneers as Shrewsbury Auction Centre attracted an entry of 131 cattle on Tuesday.
Winner of the Robin Maund Cup and champion of the dairy show and sale, sponsored by Semex UK and judged by Alan Tomlinson, was P. & M. Timmis from Stafford with their cow Westvalley Bright Olive 213 VG87 which sold for £2,350.
Described as “an absolute powerhouse” by auctioneer Jonny Dymond, Shrewsbury Auction Centre manager, the champion third calver calved a month ago and is giving 54kg of milk. She gave more than 12,000kg with her second calf.
Regular seller at the market, Alistair Drinkall, claimed the top price in the cow section – £2,420 – with a fresh Holstein cow which had calved a week ago and was giving 35kg.
Meldamar Apps Marie 96, a month into her second calf and giving 40kg, sold for £2,320 for J. M. & D. Shepherd & Sons from Derbyshire and a duo from Millenheath Farm, sired by Morningview Homeground, sold for £2,280 each for the Hares family. Also breaking the £2,000 barrier were another cow from the Shepherd family and one from J. Morris & Sons. New Marton.
First prize in a high quality heifers section went to Aliann Rager Peach, backed by 14 generation VG/EX cows, calved just two weeks and giving more than 30kg. She achieved the day’s top price of £2,500 for B. & L. Whitfield from Wolverley.
She just pipped the equally high pedigree Whitgreave Summerfest Rapture, which has 17 generations VG/EX and sold for £2,480.
Tony Scott with Styche Aladdin August, calved three weeks ago and giving more than 30kg and Paul and Becky Fenton’s Springlebee Drafter Pimms, calved 10 days and already giving more than 30kg, each sold for £2,420. The Fentons saw a group of seven top quality heifers average £2,168.
The other show results were: Cows: 2, Millenheath Homeground Maxine from Millenheath Farms which sold for £2,280, 3. A fresh calved Holstein cow from A. C. & D. Drinkall which sold for £2,420. Heifers, 1, and reserve champion, Aliann Rager Peach from B & L Whitfield which sold for £2,500, 2. Styche Chief Joy from A. J. Scott which sold for £2,350, 3, Pimhill Pagani Beatrice from M. J. E. Hughes which sold for £2,280.
A group of 15 dry cows, due from next month until the end of June to Friesian bulls, sold to a top of £1,500 for a Friesian cross cow born in 2020. She sold just ahead of her herdmate at £1,350.
In-calf heifers started the youngstock with a top trade for a group from R. Fowler, Droitwich, which averaged just over £1,600. A group from Stubbs Partners, Whitgreave sold to £900 for Whitgreave Alcove and a group from Paul and Jane Knight sold to £820.
A group of four bulling heifers from the Boughey family sold for £740, while a group of heifers from Allwoods sold to £720. A group of young calves from the Shepherd family sold to £310 for Meldamar Davinci Laura 202, a six-week-old heifer sired by Davinci.
Mr Dymond thanked all the sellers for supporting the show and sale with “quality in every age group” which he said was reflected in the prices achieved.
“The prices achieved surely makes the point that there is a market for tremendous pedigrees at Shrewsbury,” he said. “We really do appreciate the support we get from everyone who sells and buys quality dairy cattle at the market. It spurs us on to bigger things.”
He also thanked sponsors Semex UK and Mr Tomlinson for his “expert eye” as judge.
More than half of the 30 milkers in the sale sold for in excess of £2,000 top. Seventeen fresh cows averaged £1,752.35 to a high of £2,420. An entry of 39 fresh heifers averaged £2,035.26 to a high of £2,500. Fifteen dry cows averaged £1,032.67 to a high of £1,500 for Dairy Farm Services, Malpas. Six in-calf heifers averaged £608.33 and peaked at £1,720 for R. Fowler & Sons, Hanbury. Fourteen bulling heifers averaged £582.86 and peaked at £740 for E. V. & B. Boughey, Clotton, Thirty-three maiden heifers averaged £631.52 and peaked at £900 for Stubbs Partners, Whitgreave. Six dairy calves averaged £221.67 and peaked at £310 for J. M. & D. Sheppard, Hassop. A breeding bull from C. S. A. Brassington & Son, Roden sold for £1,800.
