The dispersal sale of Mr W J Forrest’s Coopers Court Guernsey herd saw a strong trade for young milking cows and in particular the maiden heifers and heifer calves at foot. The sale of what was one of the newest herds in the breed was as a result of a change of farming policy and was a very sad day for Colin Gleed who had purchased the Guernseys in the summer and autumn of 2007.
The top price on the day of 2800 gns is a modern day breed record, eclipsing that set in 2004 at the Luckley sale of 2600 gns and it was the Grose family who purchased a superb daughter of Edgewater Meadows Yogibear, freshly calved with her second calf having given 6500 kgs as a heifer. The young cow Lot 117 Viaduct Rizzo traces back to Pat Beard’s good Oatfield herd. The 6 Yogibear‘s averaged more than 1200 gns and included Lot 113 Bickfield Lilian 14 at 1100 gns also bought by the Grose family.
30 animals sold for more than 900 gns, with Lot 66 at 1550 gns Bickfield Sandy 27 also bought by the Grose‘s and Lot 88 Bickfield Dolly at 1500 gns returning home to Bickfield with Lot 54 Bickfield Pride 54 and Lot 57 Bickfield After Dark 3 who sold for 1350 gns.
Colin Evans from Carmarthen bought Lot 77 Blacknor Penny 46 at 1180 gns, and Lot 21 Raywa Xandina 23 at 1050 gns and he purchased 8 animals in total including Lot 66a at 600 gns for the June Oak daughter of Bickfield Sandy 27. Merion Jones also from Carmarthen purchased 3 animals including Lot 39 Bickfield Pride 29 at 1080 gns.
Mr James from Pembrokeshire was buying spring calving cows (9) and 23 maiden heifers and 13 heifer calves to join a newly established herd to be run on New Zealand lines with Aryshires and Jerseys. It will be interesting to see how the Guernseys compare. His 9 cows averaged 522 gns and included Lot 114 Bickfield Silver 57, a Yogibear at 980 gns, whilst the 23 Maidens averaged 397 gns with Lot’s 135, 136 and 148 all at 460 gns all 3 sired by Boskenna Junes Royal Oak.
Tony Dallyn was the other volume buyer with 37 cows which averaged 673 gns and included 4 at over 1000 gns.
Lot 28 Blacknor Lucy 67. Lot 40 Bickfield Sweet William 19, Lot 53 Bickfield Princess 16 and Lot 75 Bickfield Rainbow 48 and 7 Maidens which averaged 455 gns and included Lot 142 Coppers Court After Dark, a June Oak daughter at 620 gns whose dam was one of the three returning to Bickfield.
David and Rosie Paull purchased 8 fresh calvers to help fill their new parlour at Babcary and they included Lot 55 Bickfield Alison 32 at 1150 gns, Lot 102 Bickfield Jess 47 at 1120 and Lot 95 Bickfield Valerie 25 at 1080.
Rob Maiklem was another to take several cows (16) and he like the Paull‘s is now processing his Guernsey milk into Yoghurt. His 16 averaged 704 gns and included Lot 104 Bickfield Dolly 39 at 1200 gns and Lot 78 Bickfield Linda 27 at 1000 gns, Rob also bought 6 of the younger calves including Lot 88 A Coopers Court Dolly at 360 gns, the dam having made 1500 gns.
Jason Salisbury had made the long journey from Suffolk and bought two really good young cows Lot20 for 1050gns. Easby Polyanthus 4 who traces to Buckmotts and Lot 51 a Silverado, Bickfield Lorraine 7 at 1080 gns.
Ron Smith purchased 4 cows and a calf also to travel east and they included Lot 120 a Nimrod daughter Bickfield Golden Arza 7 whose yearling daughter made 420 gns.
There were two other first time buyers one from Leicestershire, Mr Sumner who bought 5 heifer calves and a bull calf and is particularly interested in the A2 benefits of the Guernsey breed and Ken Prestige from Yorkshire who is taking a farm on in Yorkshire in November and is adding Guernseys to his Shorthorns which are currently in Wales with a friend. He bought 7 cows and a maiden including Lot 86 Bickfield Ester 18 at 980 gns.
Altogether a good trade as the sale had been called at short notice and just two days before the Dairy Show at which several breeders were committed to preparing cows and with cows going to the Lizard, the Pembroke Coast, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk and Yorkshire have gone to all corners.
For those who did not receive a catalogue, full pedigree and production detalis can be found by using the CDI links on the left hand side of the website. Just enter the animals prefix, name and family number.