THERE was plenty to choose from at the Borderway monthly dairy sale, where the average for milking heifers slipped £175 on the month reflecting the lack of confidence in the market following several milk price reductions. 

The Mair family from Kinnermit, Turriff, enjoyed the best of the trade selling to a top of £1850, with their four heifers averaging £1750. Their leader was the Toc-Farm Goldfish-sired Deveronside Goldfish Zora, which is bred from a Man-O-Man dam. She sold to Smallthwaite Farms, Penrith. 

The Mairs also sold a Gen-I-Beq Sammy daughter out of a Goldwyn cow for £1800, also to Smallthwaite, as well as a Glauco daughter giving 48kg to W Lennox, Netherholm, Strathaven, for £1700. 

A Trigger daughter from the Leak family at Hill Farm, Holmrook, Cumbria, followed next at £1680. Selling to Messrs Eilbeck and Son, Plumbland, Espatria, she is out of an Ex-classified dam with yields above 13,000kg. 

Next at £1650 and also selling to the Eilbecks was a milking Dairy Shorthorn heifer by Strickley Goldpanner from the Dotchin family, Cumcatch, Brampton. 

Messrs Wilson Wood, of Auldbar, Brechin, sold 15 recently calved cows and heifers to average £1265 at what was the first portion of the herd’s dispersal. They peaked at £1650 for a March-calved Holstein heifer which sold to the Firm of WA Clark, Whins Farm, Kirtlebridge, Lockerbie.

Averages: 10 Holstein cows in milk, £1201.12; 87 Holstein Heifers in milk, £1389.61; 16 three-quarter or faulted cows and heifers, £831.11; nine Montbeliarde cows in milk, £880.00; four British Friesian bulling heifers, £645.00; 19 Montbeliarde cross bulling heifers, £716.84; 36 Jersey cross bulling heifers, £425.83.