The Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) recently held its 47th premier bull show and sale, with 40 bulls catalogued for sale.
On the day 25 bulls were put forward for auction, with an overall average sale price of €3,170 achieved.
Premier bull sale
The presale show saw Lot 20, Greenlea Ray, take overall champion. A potential 15th generation EX, his grand dam is Peak Golden Rhapsody EX92.
His dam is Greenlea Monterey Rhapsody VG87 and he is sired by Westcoast Yamaska.
He is a full sister to Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody EX97. She is a three time grand and supreme champion UK dairy expo.
She was also HM grand champion on UK Dairy Day 2018 and supercow interbreed agriscot and all-Britain champion 2014.
Image source IHFA (photo by Martin Ryan)
The overall results of the show:
- Champion: Lot 20 Greenlea Ray;
- Reserve: Lot 31 Mountfarna Hero;
- Honourable: Mention Lot 7 Laurelelm Brinny.
| Class results | First | Seconds | Third | Highest economic breeding index (EBI) award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Lot 7 Laurelelm Brinny | Lot 16 Mountfarna Yamazing | Lot 1 Greenlea Kalo | Lot 4 Monamore Endco |
| Class 2 | Lot 20 Greenlea Ray | Lot 21 Ballylongane Yamaska | Lot 18 Castlefergus Lucky Winner | Lot 25 Radney Vital |
| Class 3 | Lot 31 Mountfarna Hero | Lot 40 Blackstairs Norris 2034 | Lot 36 Liscolvia Praser Bloom 3 | Lot 34 Radney Snow |
Radney Ronan
Top price of the sale went to Radney Ronan (Lot 6) bred by Henry O’Keeffe, Freemount, Co. Cork.
Bred from the Deborah family, he is a son of Galtee Merci (GMI). He is backed by three generations of dams achieving over 4% protein.
His Dam Radney OOK Deborah EX90 4E recorded 8,402kg of milk, 710kg of milk solids, 4.33% fat and 4.12% protein in her fourth lactation (288 days).
Longevity is also a strong point, with his three generations of dams averaging a lifetime of nine lactations each. He sold for €5,000 on the day.
Radney Vital
Following closely behind was Radney Vital (Lot 25) also bred by Henry O’Keeffe; Radney Vital sold for €4,600.
Bred from the Odetta family, he is backed by six generations of VG/EX dams. With an EBI of €330, he was the highest EBI bull at the premier sale.
His dam recorded 9,377kg of milk, 733kg of milk solids, 3.95% fat and 3.87% protein in her second lactation (305 days).
Monamore Endco
Next was Monamore Endco (Lot 4) bred by James and Tom Kelly’s Monamore herd.
Bred from the Evon family, Endco is backed by eight generations of VG/EX dams with protein over 3.60%. His EX dam recorded 10,684kg of milk, 860kg of milk solids, 4.16% fat and 3.87% protein in her second lactation.
His genomic breeding values include components to + 0.11% fat, + 0.12% protein, +2.11 on feet and legs. His sire is Lars-Acres Super Nerd ET and sold for €3,800.
Four bulls achieved a sale price of €3,000 including Mountfarna Yamazing (Lot 16), Radney Eric (Lot 26) and the Champion bull Greenlea Ray (Lot 20).