Averages: 23 calved heifers, £3337.17; 106 heifer calves, £1552.50; eight bull calves, £695.63.
Just shy of £250,000 changed hands at the Wills Bros' Willsbro sale of pedigree Holsteins from Wadebridge, Cornwall, where a Lambda calved heifer topped the trade at 5600gns.
The herd which is recognised as one of the finest dairy units in the country with 1400 plus cows averaging in excess of 13,700kg at 4.16%BF attracted a huge audience to the sale at Exeter Sales Centre, with many more viewing via MartEye.
In all, 23 calved heifers and 106 heifer calves aged 3-10 months old were offered with a top price in both sections paid for daughters of Farnear Delta-Lambda.
Sale leader at 5600gns was the first animal in the ring, a Lambda from the Amber family, yielding 53kg daily. Willsbro Amber Lambda, an ET bred from a flush from the recently Ex93-classified Willsbro Cardinals Amber, sold having calved in Novemeber to Steve Pinniger for his Pinnupp herd, near Calne, Wiltshire.
Mr Pinniger also purchased the similarly aged Willsbro Score Ashlyn 220 VG86-2yr, by Kings-Ransom Score.
Willsbro heifers settled in at Exeter market
Next best amongst the calved heifers at 4000gns, local breeders LF and AJ and JL Bartlett, buying for their Hayne herd from Gittisham, Honiton, bought the ET-bred Willsbro Miami Ashlyn 219 VG-86-2yr by Claynook Miami.
Scottish producer, James McNeil of the Cairnpat herd from Stranraer, bought the lead priced heifer calf at 3900gns over the telephone. This was Willsbro Lambda Roxy 3100 ET, a six-month-old calf bred from 11 generations of Excellent-classivied cows, being the result of a flush from the Ex92-2 SP cow, Willsbro Sender Roxy 218 ET.
Just behind on 3600gns, AR Mitchell of the Laram herd from St Kew, Bodmin, bought the eight-month-old Willsbro Soundsystem Pammy 2952 ET, a daughter of Mirabell Sound System out of the VG89 SP cow, Willsbro Lambda Pammy 248.
Co Cork producer, John O'Connor of the Bawnmore herd, Kanturk, bidding on MartEye, gave 3200gns for the three-month-old, Willsbro Chief Abudhabi 3391, a Stantons Chief daughter bred from the VG88 SP cow, Crystalclear Doorman Abudhabi ET.
Biggest volume buyers were Stowell Farms of Marlborough, Wiltshire who are expanding their Goldenball herd, and bought more than half the heifer calves, at prices up to 2200gs three times.
Auctioneers: Norton and Brooksbank and Kivells
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