Averages: 62 cows and heifers in milk, £2186.03; 16 in-calf and recently bred heifers, £1307.25; 14 maiden heifers, £971.25; and 51 heifer calves born 2019, £809.76.

The first sale to disperse the well-known Tallent herd has resulted in trade peaking at 3300gns, with an overall average for the milking cows and heifers coming in at £2186.

Since its establishment in 1987, under the management of Anthony Brough, Tallent Holsteins made a name by breeding some of the industry's best-known stock, including one of the world’s greatest Holstein sires, Picston Shottle, alongside partners, the Pickford family.

Topping the sale at 3300gns was the catalogue cover girl, Tallent Applejax Mandy, which had recently calved in August and was bred from 10 generations of dams that classified either Ex or VG. She is sired by Seagull-Bay-MJ Applejax and is out of the Picston Shottle-sired dam, Tallent Shottle Mandy. This cow has classified VG 86 and was purchased by R Lee, from Bellanleck, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Next in the trade stakes, at 2400gns, was Tallent Silver Mandy, which had calved her second offspring in July and was producing almost 40kg on the sale day. Recently classified as VG 88, she id a daughter of Seagull-Bay Silver and out of Tallent Zelgadis Mandy. Forking out the cash for her was Hugh Howie, Kirkcolm, Stranraer.

Also selling for 2400gns was Tallent Poldark Marci, from the Henkeseen Mark Marci cow family. Sired by Abs Poldark and out of Tallent Lauthority Marci, she calved in October, with plenty potential and joined the herd of SH Purdie, from Stranraer.

Heifer calves with deep pedigrees were in strong demand, with 51 heifer calves cashing in at £809 and peaking at 1900gns for Tallent Silver Sabrina, a June-born calf from the Dunnerdale Sabrina bloodline. She is a daughter of Seagull-Bay Silver and out of Tallent Sid Sabrina, which is classified Ex91 and sold for 1300gns, in her fifth lactation and was the eighth generation of direct Ex dams. This show calf was purchased by Ewan Corbett, from Ayrshire.

Topping the in-calf heifers was a heifer sired by Seagull-Bay Silver from the Condon Aero Sharon cow family. Tallent Silver Chamois is due in January to Samaritan and her pedigree is bred from a VG Lauthority dam, VG87 – a full sister to Picston Shottle – and Aero Sharon. She sold for 1900gns to the Hodge family, from Ayrshire.