Hyland sale brings in 700
Just four weeks before Northern Ireland farmer John Calderwood and his family emigrate to Canada, his well-known Hyland Holstein herd went under the hammer in Co Tyrone.
A capacity crowd of 700 farmers gathered as prices reached 6100gns for an eight-month-old calf.
She went to mainland breeders Smiddiehill Holsteins, who added Hyland Mike Froukje to their formidable collection of black-and-white genetics at their Wolverhampton base.
This calf is bred from the high-testing Froukje family from Holland and has a pedigree tracing back through nine generations of VG and Ex dams.
She is by Lucky Mike and her successful dam, who has several AI sons in Europe, gave 12,711kg at 5.6% butterfat and 4.01% protein.
Although this was a new cow family at the Calderwoods’ farm near Dungannon, there was also plenty of established breeding on offer and it was the great brood cow Maidenstone Mtoto Hope (Ex93) that made the day’s second highest price of 4500gns.
Dispatched to James Morton, Co Armagh, she was bought from the Wolfa herd dispersal.
She is by Airies Leader Hope and had twice topped 12,700kg.
Her heifer calves by Duplex and Lancelot reached 2400gns and 2200gns respectively to David Wilson, Newtownabbey, and Tom Craig, Limavady.
An outstanding example of the quality behind these cows was Hyland CD Mtoto Marq who is bred from 13 generations of VG and Ex dams.
This third calver, sold fresh after an 11,700kg second lactation, is out of Crichel Dombinator Marq and made 4100gns to Henry Hamilton, Dromara.
There were two 4000gns bids. One came from David Throne, Strabane, for Hyland Capri Marq – a Riglio Juror Capri milking heifer that had already topped 10,000kg after a September calving.
She was carrying a calf to Mr Sam.
Also paying 4000gns was Tony Whitten from Tipperary who secured Hyland Convincer Monogram.
She had a 14,600kg yield to her credit and was sold fresh with her third giving 66kg a day.
(R A Noble & Co with Michael Taaffe and David Jones).