The Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) hosted its premier sale in Nenagh on Wednesday, with the average price skyrocketing.

Strong demand at marts for milking cows and heifers over the past number of weeks gave an air of confidence to bull buyers.

This resulted in 16 of the 19 bulls presented for sale finding new homes to average a massive €3,600. This average is up €600 on the 2018 and 2019 sales.

Four bulls sold for over €5,000. Two of these prices, including the sale topper, came from the Monamore herd of James and Tom Kelly, Drogheda, Co Louth.

Monamore Revvup who sold for €5,600, exhibited by James Kelly.

Their top lot, Monamore Revvup, had a number of interested parties before auctioneer Denis Barrett eventually dropped his hammer at €5,600, selling to John Hanly. Sired by Seagull Bay MVP and carrying an EBI of €212, this powerful bull was described by James as one of the most complete animals ever bred at Monamore.

The Kellys’ second entry to break the €5,000 barrier was Monamore Quorum.

This son of Ballygown Albert is from the Quarts family line, with his dam having produced over 10,000kg of milk in her first lactation, of which over 800kg was solids. Carrying an EBI of €236, he was secured by Fintan McSweeney at €5,100.

The Kelly family also sold a third bull at €3,800, recording an impressive pen average of over €4,830.

This third bull was Monamore Eastend, which carried an EBI of €217. Sired again by Seagull Bay MVP, this one is out of Monamore Everests Ellymae, which has a projected yield of nearly 12,000kg.

Taking the second top price was Henry and Liam O’Keeffe of the Radney herd, based outside Freemount, Co Cork. Their January 2020-born bull Radney Wazza hit the market at €5,300.

James Kelly and Micheal McEvoy exhibiting the top priced bull, Monamore Revvup, who sold for €5,600 and Monamore Quorum who sold for €5,100.

High EBI

Carrying one of the highest EBIs in the catalogue at €285, this son of SSI Shamrock Mystic is from the herd’s Deborah line, with a number of 4% protein cows in the lineage.

The Radney outfit sold three bulls to an average price of just shy of €4,000. Second highest from the outfit was Radney Cole, which sold for €3,600.

This son of Ballygown Albert is out of a homebred dam by the successful AI bull Radney Levi 5 that last year yielded 9,245kg of milk at nearly 8% solids.

One of the first lots into the ring, Mountfarna Dallas, sold for €5,100. Bred and exhibited by Bandon native John O’Callaghan, this big powerful bull is a son of Westcoast Yamaska.

Dam of Dallas is the EX90-classified cow Mountfarna Frajo Daisy, which gave over 11,000kg in her last lactation, with nearly 1,000kg of this solids.

Just after O’Callaghan’s high seller, Greenlea Krush ET hit the market at €4,700. This September 2019-born bull was bred and exhibited by Padraic Greenan from Co Monaghan.

Sired by Maverick Crush, he is out of Luck-E Guthrie Katrina, which is a seventh-generation EX-classified cow. In her second lactation, she milked 11,750kg of milk of which 940kg were solids.