Holsteins average above £2,600 at Lancashire dispersal sale

Charlie Reeve 13 March 2025

>More in

Dairy cows and youngstock continue to attract exceptional prices at auction, with more than 50 cows selling in excess of 2,700gns on 6 March.

A dispersal sale of almost 200 cattle from the Heygill Holstein herd, near Clitheroe, went under the hammer at Gisburn Auction Mart last week.

More than 100 cows and calved heifers averaged £2,646, while six served heifers levelled at £2,100 a head.

The “robust, profitable and durable” cows achieved a herd average of almost 10,000kg, and almost one-third of milkers sold for more than 3,000gns.

A top price on the day of 3,900gns went to Heygill Haze Carmen, a fresh second calver sired by Rubi-Haze and producing 44kg a day.

Norton & Brooksbank auctioneer Simon Lamb told Farmers Weekly there was a huge crowd of buyers who had travelled from as far as Scotland and Devon.

“It was an extremely successful sale, following on from recent demand nationally,” he said.

“It was a lovely load of cows that sold particularly well.

“What was most pleasing was the youngstock prices, which were extraordinary.”

Youngstock sold to a cracking trade, with a total of 33 heifer calves averaging £970 each, and 16 selling for more than 1,000gns.

Market Drayton

An entry of 42 dairy cattle at Market Drayton on 5 March sold to a top price of £3,400 for a pedigree heifer.

Milking heifers averaged £2,313 overall, while 12 milking cows achieved an average price of £1,930.

Auctioneers reported a smaller entry on the week with varying quality, but no shortage of buyers and a complete clearance of stock.

Cast dairy cows were selling for more than £2,000 a head at Brockholes Arms Auction Mart in Lancashire this week.

A top price of 320p/kg or £2,624 was paid.

Auctioneer Tom Greenow said there were some tremendous cows with weight and no bag or belly.

The best of the dairy culls were selling for between 230-250p/kg, while leaner cows were generally about 170-185p/kg.