Close-to-profit
Close-to-profit
heifers attract Europon bidders
Head
By Jeremy Hunt
LYING-OFF cattle met a sticky trade but ringsiders at the Europon Christmas heifer sale competed sharply for entries close to profit and took bidding to 5200gns.
Essex-based David Eagle came up with the highest offer to claim Zandhoeve Emily 15th for his Cottonfarm herd.
Bred from seven successive generations of Excellent or Very Good cows, this nine-month-old calf is by the Blackstar son Etazon Lord Lily and out of the successful brood cow Sestak Elsie 25th.
The sale, for Europon Livestock (UK) Ltd, was held at Savee Farm, Banbury, Oxon where the best trade was for the eight Dutch/American maiden heifers which averaged £3294.
The 63 Dutch in-calf heifers averaged £874 and the 13 German entries levelled at £1587.
There was plenty of milk behind Wolfvers Moniek, a yearling maiden heifer by Dombinator. She is out of Pond-Oak Ned Boy Margot and is maternal sister to the 20,000gns Hayleys Aerostar Margot that gave 15,478kg in her second lactation.
Buyers at 4600gns were J W Tinkler and Son, Ilkley, West Yorks.
Peter Dixon-Smiths determination to take the next lot paid off when his 3400gns call deterred the competition and secured him Barnkamper Marilyn 12th. This January 1997-bred heifer is by Fatal and has a PIN of +£105. She is a first calf; her dam gave 1104kg in her heifer lactation.
Van Ness Partners, Sussex paid 2600gns for Skalsumer Skalsumer Shalo, a yearling heifer by Evereux Clei while John Pickford, Stone, Staffs gave equal money for the yearling Beatie Betty, a Maizefield Bellwood daughter with a PIN of +£111. (Wright-Manley)n
At 5200gns, this was the top-priced animal at Savee Farm, Banbury.