Welshpool farm attr and wide as pedigre
Buyers from as far away as Northern Ireland and Somerset were attracted to a Welshpool smallholding last week for the dispersal sale of an entire pedigree herd of Brown Swiss dairy cattle.
The buyers were keen to secure the top-quality genetics of the 108 cattle in the Shoestring herd owned by Paul Pritchard and Kate Loake of Cefn Hilin, Belan, Welshpool.
Farm machinery, implements, fodder, a 16:15 Alfa Lavel herringbone parlour and associated dairy equipment also went under the hammer in the auction conducted by auctioneers Halls.
The herd could not have been in a more favourable condition for sale, with most of the milking animals either freshly calved or due before Christmas.
The top price was £2,050 for Sujenca General Éclair, a cow bred by J Ball of Sandbach, which had just freshened in her third lactation and was yet to be weighed.
This pre-sale favourite was purchased by Messrs LA and SM Lloyd of Shrewsbury, who secured 17 cattle at the auction. They also secured the third-calved Shoestring Brooking Jenny VG86, a four-year-old that had calved on August 4, giving 40kg a day, for £2,000.
In-calf and dry cows were in demand throughout the sale and the bidding rose regularly over £1,500 to £1,900.
The highest seller was two-yearold Shoestring Monarch Wilma PI VG86, in-calf to Prossli with her second due in December, which sold for £2,020 to Messrs DW and LK Mycock of Buxton, Derbyshire.
A undoubted star of the sale was six-year-old Shoestring Silas Tigerlily EX92-2, due with her fifth calf to JP Jongleur on November 13. Wanted by both pedigree breeders and commercial farmers alike, she sold for £2,000 to Walford College of Agriculture, North Shropshire.
Five in-calf heifers sold on the day to a peak of £1,600 for Shoestring Joker Cortina, who was not far from calving down to Huck. She was the pick of local producer IL and OG Roberts of Welshpool. All correct heifers sold in excess of £1,300.
Fifteen bulling heifers were also very keenly sought-after by many buyers, the largest quantity selling to Richard Sheppard of Northern Ireland, who purchased five.
However, competitiveness was the song of the day, with the top five prices going to five different buyers.
The top price was given by local producer, T E and J A Jerman who paid £1,020 for Shoestring Simbaboy Gertrude 2.
Ten A lot heifer calves were sold after their dams, with prices ranging from £380 to £520 for a five-day-old heifer, Shoestring Huck Anya, from a freshly calved heifer, Shoestring Joker Anya, which achieved £1,850 in her own right. Both were purchased by Mr DP Manning of Shrewsbury.