Fairvale’s Farewell tops $24,000
Selling agents Dairy Livestock Services
Top price: $24,000 – Sale average: $3885
More than 170 lots were bought by Victorian buyers
A huge crowd of Holstein breeders from throughout Australia converged at Bracknell, Tasmania for the first stage Complete Dispersal Sale of Ross and Leanne Dobson’s Fairvale Holsteins.
Fairvale drew the crowd because it is the most anointed prefix at Australia’s biggest show – International Dairy Week (IDW). It has bred and reared five IDW champions for three different exhibitors between 2005 and 2014. This achievement has always been more significant, because Fairvale has never shown at IDW in its own right, it is separated from Australia’s mainland by 240 kilometres of ocean, and the first entries wearing a Fairvale prefix didn’t debut at IDW until 1998.
One of the main challenges for the sale was its location, not its achievements, nor the potential of its cattle. Tasmania is an island state of Australia, and getting big cows safely across Bass Straight in stock trucks remains one of the biggest hurdles for buyers.
Yet, of the 275-head marketed that day, more than 170 were bought by Victorian buyers, who faced up to that challenge. The sale animals were averaging around 45 litres, and during transit they didn’t see a dairy, water or feed for (on average 26 hours). They were all also travelling into hotter Victorian summer weather. All landed safely.
Picture perfect preview
In the perfect preview to the sale the week before, a 12-year-old Fairvale bred and sold as a 2.5-year-old, became Australia’s first cow to classify EX97-5E.
Fairvale Morty Lady 51 EX97-5E
Fairvale Morty Lady 51 EX97-5E (owned by Will and Lisa McKay and Lindsay and Sandra Thompson) was already a household name in Australia. She is the former IDW two-time Grand Champion at IDW [2011 and 2014].
This week, she added Supreme Champion of the Victoria & South-Eastern South Australia On-Farm competition (a nationwide competition which judges cows on-farm) to her treasure trove of achievements. The competition includes almost 2500 cows across the country – and it’s worth noting that Lady’s state includes 51% of those entries.
Top price
The top price at Fairvale’s Farewell was $24,000, and it was paid for a rising five-year-old, Fairvale AJ Nola 28 EX92, whose recent classification included an EX95 mammary. She completed three generations of EX and was purchased by the double Master Breeder herd of Calthorpe Holsteins, run by the Perkins family, at Latrobe, in Tasmania.
The next best price of $16,000 also stayed in Tasmania when Fairvale Dempsey Butter 274, a VG88 second-lactation cow which completed 12 generations of EX and VG sold to Green Glory Holsteins, at Broadmarsh, Tasmania.
Before their sale, Ross and Leanne were milking 450 cows through a 30-a-side swingover dairy with Automatic Cup Removers, and shipping more than four million litres a year off their 1000-acre undulating property, where the cows walk significant distances to pasture every day. The whole herd was averaging just over 39 litres, with the fresh sale animals averaging around 45 litres.
Third high-seller was Fairvale Bradnick Josie 118, VG85-2YRS – a daughter of the EX94 2017 winning aged cow at IDW – Baxter Josie 64 EX94. She sold at $12,500 to Bluechip Genetics and Fairvale Holsteins. This same buying partnership paid $9000 for Fairvale Goldchip Josie 117, VG87 on 1st lact.
Fourth sale high at $12,000 was Fairvale Dazzler Repa 57 EX 91-2E. She sold to K & H Jones of Foster, Vic.
At $10,000 was Fairvale Goldchip Butter 287, VG86-2YRS. She sold to Elm Banks Holsteins, Victoria. Also, at $10,000 was Fairvale Fever Repa 56 EX, who sold to T & J Clark, of Nerrena, Victoria.
Other noted sales included Fairvale Goldchip Butter 291, VG86-2YRS at $9500 to Greg & Michelle Anderson, Victoria. Fairvale Dempsey Melody 775 VG made $9500 to C & F Bills of Drouin, Victoria who selected many lots throughout the sale. Also at $9500 was the second last lot in the sale, Fairvale Damion Melody 747 VG88. She sold to Tony & Kathy Hogan, Victoria. Fairvale Damion Bonnie 224 sold for $9000 to R & J Gordon of Victoria.
Another volume buyer at 24-head included Garry and Bev Carpenter, at South Riana, Tasmania.
