A total of 100 breeding suckler cows, mostly with calves at foot, were offered for sale at Markethill Mart on Thursday night (7 September) as part of a dispersal sale from the herd of Clive and Joel Richardson, Annaghmore, Co Armagh.

Top price on the night of £4,300 was paid for a 2013-born Belgian Blue cow with an exceptional one-year-old Shorthorn-bred bull calf at foot. The cow was scanned back in-calf 18 weeks to a Shorthorn bull.

There were a number of high-conformation quality lots on offer, with a total of seven cows, all with calves at foot, making over £3,000. Most came with older calves either close to, or ready for weaning. All cows were scanned back in calf to a mix of Limousin, Shorthorn, Charolais and Maine-Anjou bulls. Cows with younger calves at foot were not presented for sale on the night. Across 87 lots, the average price paid was £2,139.

At the end of the sale , 11 in-calf cows and heifers were also offered, with the top price paid for a Simmental-bred 2014-born animal that made £1,750. In total, nine were sold to an average of £1,513.

The Richardsons are converting to milk production, and hope to start with around 70 cows milked through a Lely robot this autumn.