The Jalex brand is recognised all over the country for show-quality cattle and James Alexander’s recent venture into on-farm sales has proven a big hit with suckler buyers.
Having completed a number of successful open days in the past, 2020 saw the Alexander family hold their first on-farm sale, followed by another very successful on-farm sale last Saturday.
Auctioneer Richard Beattie had a mammoth task, with over 200 in-calf heifers going through the ring.
Bidding was ringside and online, attracting buyers from all over Ireland and further afield.
Heifers
The majority of the heifers are sourced in southern Ireland as maiden heifers, with the Alexanders then specialising in the sale of in-calf heifers once scanned in-calf.
Saturday's sale saw an almost-100% clearance, with an average price of £2,450 for 215 heifers sold.
Top call
Top call of the sale went to a March 2019-born Belgian Blue heifer. She was scanned in-calf and due on 13/12/2021 to a Limousin bull and sold for £7,500.
Heifers ranged in price from £1,500 to £7,500, with 72 heifers being bought at under £2,000/head.
There were a number of heifers which crossed the £6,000 mark, with a lot of overseas interest in some of the top-end lots.
'Delighted with how it went'
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, James Alexander said: “We were delighted with how the sale went.
"It took a huge amount of work, but it’s a great feeling when it goes well.
"We sold heifers all over Ireland and exported a number across the water to England and Scotland.
"Fifty-one heifers were exported back down to southern Ireland and 38 went across the water," he said.