Top heifer at Borderway

A FITTING END to a successful year’s trading at the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club‘s events at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, came with the club‘s final sale of the year where bidding reached 1800gns – the top heifer price of 2004.

The call came from Albert Innes, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, to claim the stylish calved heifer Letterkenny Jogger Kathy 3rd from J and R Hunter, Shotts, Lanarks.

Judge Andrew Dennison, from Ulverston, Cumbria, sorted through some strong classes including a top-ranking turnout of in-milk heifers.

Pulled out to head this class and stand overall champion was an entry from Ian and Mark Mallinson‘s Carhall herd at Armathwaite, Carlisle.

His Wiltor Lee Malea PI, with some deep Canadian breeding behind her, boasts six generations of EX and VG dams. She joins the herd of Cumbria farmer Peter Sherwin at 1700gns.

One of this club‘s most consistent vendors is Willie Armour whose Annandale entries never fail to draw the bids.

This time it was the young bull Annandale Lucky Leo, by Annandale Leosteen and bred from the Brynhyfryd Aroma family. Buyers at 1480gns were Dumfriesshire farmers D R and L Bell.

The second-prize winning heifer from the Butterfield family’s Ingleview herd at Bentham, Lancaster, took the reserve championship and realised 1300gns to C Innes & Son of Nairn who took two other high-priced lots paying 1280gns for an entry from the Barwood herd of Messrs Barton and 1120gns for a cow from the Abbeyfields herd of Messrs Jennings and Son.

Averages: 14 cows in-milk £962; 39 heifers in-milk £975 and two bulls £1433. (Harrison and Hetherington)