Ayrshire conference video sale proves a hit

AS has become tradition, the Ayrshire Cattle Society held a successful sale of semen and embryos, as part of its conference, which was in Scotland, recently.
Cattle Services Ayr provided a selection of semen packages for sale and Ayrshire breeders were asked to offer embryo packages of interest.
This year’s sale saw John Barclay take up the role of auctioneer and society breed manager, Duncan Hunter, promoting each package.
First up for sale were the semen packages, which averaged £50 per straw. Top price was £60 per straw for the package of 10 doses of Morwick Sand Ranger purchased by Mungo Bryson, Ayrshire.
Mark Nicholls, from Devon, paid the second top price of £58 per dose for a mixed package of two sires – Forever Schoon MM Cornelius and Ben Ferme Amigo.
A package of embryos with a bonus of a guarantee of a heifer calf created lots of interest and furious bidding from around the room.
The offer from the Lawrie family, from Sandyford, was for the successful bidder to take five embryos from any cow with the Brieryside prefix from either Sandyford or Myremill and mated to a sire of their choice.
The final bid was for £5800 for the package of five embryos, working out at £1160 per embryo, from a syndicate of Colin Mair, Townhead; George Templeton, Knowe, and Arthur Lawrie, Cuthill Towers.
The second top package was purchased by Gilmour Lawrie, Sandyford, for five embryos out of Carnell Snowdrop 258 EX92 3E sired by Hilltown Oblique or West Mossgiel Modern Reality.
This was consigned by the Templeton Family at Pocknave, and made £520 per embryo.