In a unique collaboration to offer dairy farmers an opportunity to bid for block calving grazing cows at auction, LIC has joined forces with Barbers Auctions and Gwilym Richards as Market Drayton Dairy Sales to offer six specialist market days next year that will give producers a chance to see any cows they buy playing a major part in their overall herd improvement plan.
The six days will focus on the first Mondays of February (7th), March (7th), April (4th), September (5th), October (3rd) and November (7th) and the days will be marketed under the banner Pasture to Profit Dairy Cattle Sale – solid cows for solid income.
Detailed information on each entry will be provided in the catalogue, and with the first sale in February, farmers are being asked to get in contact now so work on the catalogues can start as soon as possible.
“This is a real first and we’re really excited to be leading this initiative with Gwilym, Barbers and Market Drayton Market” says LIC lead consultant, Sean Chubb. “The cows farmers bring into their herds will have a huge impact on the future performance of that herd, no matter how long these cows remain in the herd. For this reason, we believe farmers need to have access to cows that meet the specific needs of their farm, milk contract and current position.”
Farmers will be asked to provide the information below for each animal:
- Age
- Weight
- Calving dates (last and next)
- Health status of herd and cows
- Breed makeup
- Sire information of the cow as well as the calf if pregnant
In addition, they’ll be asked for:
- Herd production (average litres, fat %, protein % and somatic cell count for the past full year)
- Cow production (litres, fat %, protein % and somatic cell count for the past full year), if it is a heifer, they must also provide the mother’s information
- Kg milk solids to Kg of liveweight
And for the following mating information
- Calving pattern of farm
- Length of mating period
- 6-week-in calf-rate
- Empty rate
The cow and herd information that we want farmers to put forward will help potential buyers to select the right cows for them and, at the same time, help sellers to realise the true value of the cows they are selling” adds Sean. “The timing of these sales will correspond with the key decision-making periods for block calving farmers and help those impacted by TB through having windows to target to get clear.”
“We’re delighted to join LIC in this unique opportunity for sellers and buyers alike,” says Gwilym. “We believe these special auctions will draw great entries and a lot of interest as many dairy producers are looking for good grazing cows with high solids production to make their herds more profitable and efficient. The information we will promote will put real value on high performing grazing cows and enable buyers to select the right cows for their system. This is a real first, and we’re looking forward to the first sale on Monday 7th February 2022.”
Farmers interested in putting animals forward for any of the sales are invited to contact Gwilym Richards on 07768 020393 gr@grichards.co.uk or Jonty Cliffe on 07595 453 306 j.cliffe@barbers-auctions.co.uk for further information or to book cattle in for the first sale.
