Carnew Mart is set to host the production sale for Joe and Joseph Hughes’ farm, with freshly calved heifers and cows, autumn calvers, bulling heifers and heifer calves on offer.
The sale is set to take place on Wednesday, May 17, with 120 lots on offer from the Hughes herd.
The herd has been artificial insemination (AI)-bred for over 40 years and has an average production of 7,200kg of milk and 556kg of milk solids, with a somatic cell count (SCC) of 134,000cells/ml.
The success of sexed semen on the farm has meant there has been an increase in the number of high quality heifers being born on the farm.
Due to this, the family is planning on having a yearly production sale, with this year being the first sale.
Carnew Mart
Around 475 are currently being milked on the farm, with a spring and winter milk system, with about 65% of the herd calving in the spring.
The herd has an average economic breeding index (EBI) of €155 and a six-week calving rate of 86%.
The sale will contain freshly calved heifers and young cows, along with in-milk autumn calving cows, bulling heifers and heifer calves with EBIs of up to €270 on offer.
A number of awards have been won by the family, with the most recent being MSD prevention for profit dairy calf rearer of the year 2022.
Joe was also a finalist in the FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition in 2022.
Walk to the mart
The twist to this dairy sale is the fact that the stock will be walked from the farm to the mart on the morning of the sale.
The farm is located about 500m from the mart and the decision has been made to bring the cattle to the mart by walking them down the road, rather than transporting them by trailer or truck.
It is believed that will have been over 50 or 60 years since animals were walked to Carnew Mart and both mart staff and the Hughes family will be escorting the animals to the mart on the day.