Tom and Helen Stafford hosted a dispersal sale of their Kilskyre Holstein Friesian herd in Carnaross Mart last Wednesday.
The sale was made up of the entire milking herd, which amounted to 180 lots. Trade throughout was brisk, with prices surpassing the €3,000 mark on a number of occasions.
Overall 161 lots sold on the day, grossing over €310,000 to settle at an average sale price of €1,930 per cow.
Younger cows proved a much easier sell on the day, and with all cow’s milk recorded and classified, all information was at the buyers’ fingertips.
In total, 23 of the heifers were exported on the day, including all three top-priced lots.
Leading the charge and securing a bid of €3,500 was the freshly calved Kilskyre Jamming Frances.
This second-calver was classified GP83 and calved on 5 June. Carrying an EBI of €87, she comes off the back of an 8,500kg first lactation. Sired by Mr Edg Jamming, she is out of a Wilra Bolvier Sequoia-bred dam.
Next in line and securing a price of €3,400 was Kilskyre Sisco Daffodil. This VG85 two-year-old heifer calved down in February and sold back in calf due the same time in 2022. Projected to give nearly 8,700kg of milk, this December 2018-born heifer is a daughter of AGK Sisko.
Securing a bid of €3,300 was the outstanding young cow Kilskyre Tango Florence 2. This second-calver is classified very good and has a projected yield for 2021 of over 9,200kg. Homebred on both sides, Florence sells having calved in late April.
Next in line was the in-calf cow Kilskyre Kalisto Red Kay. This red cow is due her third calf this month and is coming off the back of a 10,000kg lactation. Classified GP84, she is a daughter of VVH Kallistro Red.
Last of the lots to surpass the €3,000 mark was Kilskyre Lasse P Maureen 67, which sold for €3,050. This first-calver calved back in September and is due again late October. Projected to give nearly 8,000kg, the September 2018-born cow is classified GP83.
In general, the majority of well-made young cows easily surpassed the €2,000 mark, with those with better projected yields heading north of €2,500.