Holstein heifer calf sells for over €175,000 in Australia

A Holstein heifer calf recently sold for $251,000 (€177,500) at an auction in Australia, breaking the previous national record.

The two-month-old calf, named Lightning Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-IMP-ET, was sold by Lightning Ridge Holsteins and CMD Genetics at the World Wide Sires Evolution sale.

The calf went under the hammer on Wednesday, January 18, and it surpassed the previous national sale record which was set in 2015 at $112,000 (€79,230).

Opening at just $30,000 (€21,200), the sale of the calf quickly began to gain momentum, driven by the fact that she was the calf with the highest Genetic Total Performance Index (GTPI) to ever come on the market.

A US company, called Sexing Technologies, was the final bidder left standing at the end of the sale, which received a round of applause from those in attendance.

The record breaking calf was sired by S-S-I Montross Jedi, while the dam was Blondin Halogen Gold-ET.

With a GTPI value of +2,937, the heifer represented the perfect combination of balanced breeding and genomic style, according to the auctioneer.

The calf was originally purchased by Lightning Ridge Holsteins, which was set up by Declan Patten in 1999, and Callum Moscript as an embryo from a US company.

The sale took place during International Dairy Week, one of Australia’s largest dairy expo, which took place in Tatura in the State of Victoria in the south of the country.

International Dairy Week is a showcase of the latest developments in Australian dairy cattle, farming practices, dairy knowledge, breeding and genetics.

A total of 32 other heifers were sold at the sale, including daughters of royal show winners and state fair champions, with a reported average price of $14,760 (€10,440).

In comparison, the sale last year had an average price closer to $5,900 (€4,170), with the top-priced lot selling for $15,000 (€10,600).