A heifer with a great pedigree grabbed the headlines after selling for £3,200 at Shrewsbury Auction Centre’s Dairy Show and Sale yesterday (Tuesday).

 

The classy heifer, Whitgreave Haniko Zindra, from Stubbs Partners, Whitgreave, Stafford, which was backed by 10 generations in the top two grades, tracing back to the great Ocean-view Mandel Zandra EX95 and giving 36kg of milk, sold to R. A. Jones and Son, Pied House, Garthmyl, near Welshpool.

 

Halls auctioneer Jonny Dymond, Shrewsbury Auction Centre manager, said: “This well-bred heifer, a daughter of Haniko, was very correct and full of milk. Her looks matched her pedigree and the buyers clearly agreed.

 

“It was the best dairy price recorded at Shrewsbury for 18 months since the downturn in milk price.

 

“It’s evident that the Shrewsbury Auction Centre’s reputation for selling top quality dairy cattle is spreading far and wide. We are now attracting cattle from a huge geographical region including Carmarthenshire, Derbyshire, Ceredigion and Leicestershire yesterday, with others from Warwickshire, Gloucester and Lincolnshire in recent weeks.”

 

The market’s pulling power was demonstrated by dairy show champion Deri Enid 455, a Seagull-Bay Jo Dancer heifer giving 31.3kg from D. R. Evans, Dryslwyn, Carmarthen, which sold for £2,600.

 

Mr Evans sold four heifers, including the much admired Deri Pet 82, sired by Seagull- Bay MJ Applejax and giving 34kg, which all sold for £2,250. The quartet, which averaged £2,187, sold to the show judge, Rachel Owen, from Overton.

 

Shropshire supporters J Allsop & Sons from Leebotwood, Church Stretton, saw Enchmarsh Totem Ethel 2, a Totem sired daughter giving 30kg, sell for £2,380, while Hillstar Lighthouse Rebecca Raquel, a freshly calved heifer giving 36kg, with 10 generations in the top two grades, sold for £2,250.

New vendor G. W. Watkin, from Borth, sold an impressive group of 12 fresh heifers which topped at £2,150 for Henllys Kimball May 2, having calved two weeks ago. The group averaged £1,763.

 

The show’s second placed heifer was Deri Lofty 263 from D R. Evans which sold for £1,950 and third was Gwynnog Sedona Joanne from M. J. E. Hughes from Criggion which made £1,980.

 

The quality of the nine cows on show was underlined as more than half sold for £1,900 or more. The show’s reserve champion was Redlong Supershot Mauvoreen from A. C. & D. Drinkall, Wettenhall, which topped the cow trade at £2,350.

 

Close behind was a pair of cows with height and width in their rear udders from Neil Morgan and family from Arddleen, near Welshpool. Trederwen Imagine Pam, a three year old second calver giving 48kg, made £2,280 and Trederwen Uno Elsa, sired by Amigetti Numero Uno and giving 45kg, sold for £2,150.

 

The continuing dispersal of R. T. Albert saw a strong Montbeliarde cow making £1,550.

 

The 48 heifers on offer averaged £1,776 while the nine cows averaged £1,863.

 

Next Tuesday’s sale entries include a dispersal of a genuine group of Montbeliarde, Montbeliarde cross and Holstein cows from  E. R. & I. Dodd & Son from Crowton, Northwich this. The vaccinated, cubicle housed cows average 7,300kg with 4.50% fat, 3.60% protein.