Taaffe auctions conducted the dispersal sale of the Willofarm herd for the Throne family, in Dungannon Mart on Thursday January 25.
The sale included the entire milking herd and all of the youngstock from the farm, with a total of 101 lots on offer.
The sale topping price of 2,700gns was achieved by Lot 18: Willofarm Aladdin Pietje Red (VG87)
She is a sixth generation VG/EX cow sired by R DG Aladdin Red. She calved last November and she sold milking 37L on her third lactation.
Image source: Taaffe auctions
Two animals sold for 2,550gns, including a daughter of the sale topping cow. Lot 16: Willofarm Pietje Red 2 (VG86-2YR).
Sired by Kenmore Avance-Red, she sold calved into her first lactation since May, and due with her second calf in July.
Also selling at 2,550gns was Lot 4: Willofarm Batman May a calved heifer fresh since January 4, milking 28L and sired by Sandy-Valley-I Batman.
Taaffe auctions
The heifer calves that were born between October to January were a lively trade, according to Michael Taaffe from Taaffe auctions, with a top price of 1,000gns for Lot 52 achieved.
Lot 52 was an October 2023-born calf sired by Westcoast Retrolook and was from the Grantchester Jill cow family.
The dam of Lot 51: Willofarm Jill 74 (VG87) is in her second lactation and is an eight generation VG/EX. She sold for 2,380gns.
The group of 12 served heifers sold to a top of 1,220gns for Lot 93: Willofarm Roxy 198.
This Westcoast Redcarpet daughter is backed by eleven generations of VG/EX cows and sold scanned pregnant for September calving to Angus.
The sale concluded with two red and white stock bulls. The top price for the stock bulls was 2,350gns and was achieved by Lot 101: Willofarm Ginger Red.
He is an August 2022 bull and a Kenmore Avance-Red son of Lot 18 (the sale topping cow).
Image source: Taaffe auctions
Dungannon dairy sale
Taaffe auction also conducted its first Dungannon dairy sale of 2024, which was held on Thursday, January 18.
According to Michael Taaffe, there was a more cautious approach from buyers, resulting in a fall in average price of £250/head from the December sale.
For the first time in some time, there was a clearance rate of just 85% on the day.
On day three, lots achieved the top price of the sale, which was 2,500gns.
First at that price was Jim and Nicholas McCann’s Lot 35: Simlahill Adorable Lola, a freshly calved heifer, calved exactly one month and giving 36L. She was sired by Stantons Adorable.
The other two lots selling at 2,500gns were both from Norman and Nathaneal McCollum’s Bellemont herd.
Lot 203: Bellemont Wavelength Allison was an added entry cow freshly calved on her second lactation and milking 40L.
She had completed a first lactation of 10,220kg of milk and protein of 3.54%, she was bred from the well-known Aitkenbrae Starbuck Ada cow family and sired by Wisselview Wavelength.
Lot 101: Bellemont Sassafras Lexi (VG86) competes eight generation of VG/EX cows from the Savage-Leigh Licorice USA cow family.
This freshly calved second lactation cow sold milking 37L and had completed a first lactation at 5.04% Butterfat and 3.88% protein and was sired by ABS Sassafras.
