Demand for dairy at Sedgemoor pushes prices up

The dearth of herd dispersals gave added impetus to the demand for dairy cattle in the south west when buyers produced a day of “no nonsense” bidding at the 17^th Quota Filler sale at Sedgemoor Auction Centre where prices reached 2310gns for a calved heifer – but cows once again created a blistering trade averaging £2149 for 11 lots.

It was the freshly calved heifer Yardgrove Stormatic Nell PI from E Gay and Sons’ Walkabout herd at Axminster, Devon that topped the sale. Bought as a heifer calf from David and Oliver Coombes’ dispersal, she is from the Crichel Nell family and out of a dam by Patron that gave 10,000kg as a heifer.

Another freshly calved Stormatic heifer, sold with her heifer calf at foot, was well fancied by the ringside which took the outfit to 2690gns. Consigned by S E Voysey and Sons, Inspiration Stormatic Mikki made 2250gns while her heifer calf left the ring at 440gns to Somerset breeders J and S Rowland and Sons. Another from the same herd, Inspiration Janner Diana, made 2200gns

Among others to make over 2000gns were D J Norman’s Ciderhouse Shottle Nora at 2100gns; R and H Bugler and Partners’ Bettiscombe Zenith Rhodian 65^th at 2050gns and D C Dennis’ Dinnaton Fatal Riley Cypress at 2000gns. Four heifers from I W Dimond’s Dorset herd averaged £1890 to peak at 1980gns.

But the cows were a flyer with E Gay and Sons once again taking the richest spoils with the second calver Walkabout

Tory 2^nd, a Comestar Leader daughter giving 42kg and from eight generations of VG and EX dams. She made ??? Other cows from the Walkabout consignment reached 2220gns and 2050gns.

A second calver from Sturminster Newton breeders B Rose and Sons Intheshade herd and sired by Westminster made 2200gns while a third calver from Dinnaton reached 2050gns. The Gay family couldn’t put a foot wrong and led the bulls too with a