THE showcase sale of Pedigree Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss saw crowds flock from all across the UK including Ireland with keen bidding throughout ensuring a 90% clearance rate and achieving over 5000gns twice!

Top price went to Wiltor Rory Rosie Red Polled who is out of the 2017 UK Dairy Expo Red and White Champion and in the words of her breeder and the vendor David Jones from Monmouthshire ‘The best cow he has ever bred’. This heifer was both red and polled and hailed from the Roxy family and she finds her new home in Dorset with Young Breeder Jake Symms of the Symba Herd.

Second top price also comes from a top show cow, Riverdane SVS Atlee VG88-2yr who was chosen as one of the team to represent the UK at the European Championships last year, was twice All Britain awarded and was also Champion calf at the All Britain show. Her Doorman Riverdane DM Atlee, who travelled down from Cheshire from Mark & Susan Nutsford, a sublime pedigree with her second dam being the full sister to the Type bull Atwood meaning she was secured by Gloucestershire Breeder Mike Robertson for 5000gns.

Show type was clearly in demand throughout the sale with many purchasers finding this year’s calves to show over the summer with the next highest price being no exception. It was the choice of two full sisters from the Panda herd that had already been champion and reserve champion calves at the recent Bath & West Show. The ET sisters were by Brokaw and from the Fools Gold family who have already had many show winnings under their belt with these calves sure to carry on the winning streak. The successful bidders at 4200gns were Brian and Randolph Miller for their Moorshard Herd and they chose Blackberry the younger of the two.

The Miller family were on good form also picking up Davlea Fitz Ashlyn at 3600gns, who was considered to be one of the fanciest calves at the sale and out of a VG88-2yr, and Churchvale Silver Ghost who had a much-admired Pedigree tracing back to Sterndale and who was one of a large contingent consigned from West Wales she sold for 3400gns making the journey worthwhile.

Also another worthwhile journey was made from Kent by John Downing who entered three from his noted Mila family with the DG Brody daughter from an Ex94 who is the dam to Wintersell Titan and Sister to Wintersell Milo both at Cogent, she achieved 3500gns to Lancashire Breeders, Norbreck Genetics.

Jerseys sold to 2050gns for a show potential heifer springing to calve to Tequila, she was bred by Sonny Warren from Dover, and along with the last lot of the day being the April born Jersey Show calf Elite Beautiful Daisy Belle (1200gns) sold to Olympic Jerseys and will no doubt be seen at the shows this forthcoming year. Also from the Elite herd of Jerseys and Swiss was the Brown Swiss Calf, again only 3 months old who sold for 1350gns to the local Sedgemoor herd of Brian Miller.

With buyers from all across the country as far as Cornwall, Carmarthen, Lancashire, Ireland and everywhere in between, the day was extremely well supported and the impressive line-up attracted much interest creating the following creditable averages:

Holstein: 2 Calved Heifers £2005; 32 Maiden Heifers £2532; 7 Embryos £530.

Jerseys: 1 Incalf Heifer £2153;1 Heifer Calf £1260.

Brown Swiss: 1 Heifer Calf £1418.

Top Prices: 5100gns Wiltor Rory Rosie Red Polled J Symms (Symba); 5000gns Riverdane DM Atlee MJ & LJ Robertson (Ashlea); 4200gns Panda Blackberry Fools Gold RK & SG Miller & Sons (Moorshard); 3600gns Davlea Fitz Ashlyn RK & SG Miller & Sons (Moorshard); 3500gns Wintersell Mila 115th Norbreck Genetics (Norbreck); 3400gns Churchvale Silver Ghost RK & SG Miller & Sons (Moorshard); 3200gns Tregibby Absolute Pledge G Thomas (Gwynnog); 3000gns Wintersell Mila 101st RA & SA Reed (Aller); 2800gns Stowey Denver Jess M Hussel (Perrins); 2700gns Tirnewydd Windbrook Teekah TR Quick (Mendip); 2500gns Stowey MD Beth MT & ATC Clements (Rydale); 2500gns Lyganlan Mr P Rhapsody Red RK & SG Miller & Sons (Moorshard); 2500gns Churchvale Silver Ambrosia B O’Connor from Ireland; 2500gns Churchvale Fitz Rachel Payne & Westaway; 2500gns Wintersell Mila 103rd JM & BS Jones (Larchwood).