There was a full clearance of 41 heifers at the Donegal Holstein Friesian Breeder's club sale last week which saw prices for the freshly-calved heifers average €2,841.

The annual sale of fresh calved heifers on Wednesday, March 5 saw a very brisk trade at Raphoe Livestock Mart.

The catalogue offering was to a high standard with a quality offering of top merit heifers assembled for the annual show and sale event organised by the club.

The sale overview is as follows:

Top price was €3,860;
41 heifers averaged €2,841;
16 heifers sold for prices in excess of €3,000;
Six heifers sold for prices in excess of €3,500.

Culcara Olympus Frieda 1 (Lot 38) bred by Charles McCandless sold for €3,860 and was the sale topper. The heifer calved five weeks ago and is yielding 32L/day.

She calved down at 23 months of age and is sired by Hanrahan Olympus (FR5239). Her Dam Culcara Lotus Frieda 2 VG85 recorded 11,138kg of milk and 783kg of milk solids in her third lactation.

Culcara Olympus Janice (Lot 17) also bred by Charles McCandless sold for €3,780 was the next top price and had calved less than a month ago and is yielding 35L/day.

This heifer has a predicted transmitted ability (PTA) of +264kg of milk, +28kg of milk solids, +0.12% fat, +0.03% protein.

Her sire is Hanrahan Olympus (FR5239) and she is bred from a VG Dam who is now in her third lactation and performing well in the Culcara herd.

Culcara Olympus Fame 2 (Lot 5) sold for €3,750 completed a trio of top prices for Charles McCandless on the day. The heifer calved five weeks ago at exactly two years of age, and is yielding 30L/day.

This heifer was bred from the 'Fame' family and she is a potential twelfth generation VG/EX.

Culcara Praser Ruth (Lot 15) calved five weeks ago and is yielding 36L/day and sold for €3,740 and Culcara Olympus Fame (Lot 27) calved one month ago and is yielding 32L/day and sold for €3,540.

Ballyelly Boeing Flo (Lot 14) bred by Trevor Lockhart, sold for €3,300 and she also won honourable mention in the pre-sale show. This heifer had calved two months and is yielding 32L/day.

The heifer was sired by Dewgood 737 Boeing P Red (FR6874) and she is a potential eighth generation VG/EX.

Her Dam Ballyelly Punch Florence EX 3E recorded a sixth lactation yield of 11,071kg with 912kg milk of solids, equating to 4.81% fat and 3.42% protein, with a somatic cell count (SCC) of 36,000 cells/ml.  

Ballyelly Beoing P Precious (Lot 4) bred by Trevor Lockhart, Ballyelly herd, who was the Champion in the pre-sale show sold for €2,950.

This heifer had calved less than three weeks ago, and is yielding 30L/day and she is also sired by the AI bull Boeing P Red.

Her Grand Dam Crossnacole D Back Precious 2 EX 2E recorded a fourth lactation yield of 11,316kg of milk, with 819kg of milk solids.

Vendors on the day also included Alastier and Catherine Grier of the Ramelton herd and Kenneth Witherow of the Convoy herd.

The results of the pre-sale show are as follows:

Alexander Tinney, Drumcairn herd, Letterkenny was the judge of the pre-sale show in Donegal.