Central Auctions Nenagh Mart hosted their annual spring dairy show and sale last Thursday with some top lots securing exceptional prices.
A top price tag of €2,900 was hit on two occasions with overall sale average resting at over €1,800.
Speaking after the sale mart manager Michael Hearty said: “There’s huge demand at the moment for the top-quality calved heifers and for the right type buyers are willing to give a great price.
“We were lucky to have a good selection of these heifers on offer and they made the price. The online is definitely helping with buyers on Thursday from right across the country.”
Leading the prices were cattle from Gerard McCormick’s Cappavilla herd in Co Clare who recorded an impressive average of nearly €2,620 for his seven on offer.
Two of his heifers hit price tags of €2,900. First of these was the day’s overall champion Cappavilla Madeline.
This 97% Holstein heifer was born December 2018 and sold having calved the previous week.
Sired by XDO DE Sol her dam has a projected 305 day second lactation of nearly 9,000kgs, while her grand dam hit over 10,000kg.
Matching her at the top price was Cappavilla Laura. This powerful September 2018 born heifer was again 97% Holstein and carried an EBI of €115.
Calved four weeks she is sired by Vh Balisto Brook. Dam of Laura is a VG88 classified cow with a projected yield of over 8,500kg.
Taking home a price of €2,640 was Cappavilla Christine 49. This October 2018 born heifer is calved a week and sired by Co-Op Bosside Massey.
Both dam and grand dam of this powerful heifer hit an impressive 11,000kg of milk.
The prices didn’t stop there for McCormick with two further heifers selling for €2,600 each.
First up was the four week calved heifer Cappavilla Primrose 94. Sired by Mountain Glenalbyn 7, Primrose is a fifty/fifty split Holstein to British Friesian genetics. Out of two generations of 11,000kg dams she sold with an EBI of €71.
Matching the money was Cappavilla Fran. This January 2019 born heifer is a daughter of Wintersall Titan and sold having calved in early January.
These top prices and a number of other exhibitors also securing bids on the upper side of €2,000 meant that sale average for the top third of lots sold settled at a staggering €2,350.
Clearance rate hit nearly 90% with 61 of the lots on offer finding new homes.
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