With winter milkers in the thick of calving down, dairy sales are well and truly underway at marts, but what is stock making?

More than 80 head of stock recently went through Kingdom Co-op Mart in Tralee, Co. Kerry.

There continues to be a strong appetite around the ring for quality cows, ready for milking.

Dairy stock

€2,500 was the top price paid at the mart on the day, a price which was achieved on two separate occasions.

The first of which was given for a September-2024-born heifer, who was calved down with less than a week.

The pedigree heifer weighed in at 625kg, and had an economic breeding index (EBI) of €-4, with a milk sub-index of €48 and a fertility sub-index of €-41.

The second time €2,500 was paid was for another recently calved cow.

The March-2020-born cow is now in her second lactation, and "is guaranteed to do seven gallons".

The 650kg freshly cow has been recorded to have an average somatic cell count (SCC) of 82,000 cells/ml.

She has an EBI of €-33, broken into a milk sub-index of €-18 and a fertility sub-index of €-65.

The next best price achieved in the ring was €2,380, given for a January-2023-born heifer. The recent calver weighed in at 545kg.

A Jersey cross then went under the hammer for €2,100 on the day.

She was born in February 2024 and has an EBI of €170, with a €2 milk sub-index and a €67 fertility sub-index.

The sale, which largely consisted of in-calf heifers, averaged just over €1,511/head.

Borderway sale

Across the water in the Borderway Mart in Carlisle, England, over 200 head of stock recently went up for sale in the monthly dairy sale.

Trade topped at £3,900 when Bankview Victor Audery made her way through the ring.

The second lactation heifer was sired by Legend-Maker Victor.

Her dam, a VG cow, gave more than 11,000kg of milk in her second lactation in her second. 

The next best price was £3,800, given for a freshly-calved 2024-born heifer.

She was described as "one of the best uddered heifers sold at Borderway for some time".

Close behind her, the hammer rang again to the tune of £3,700 for a 2024-born freshly-calved heifer.

Overall, 60% of the stock up for sale made £3,000/head or more on the day. 

117 heifers in milk averaged £3,061/head, while 30 cows in milk averaged £2,705/head.

Six Ayrshire cows in milk averaged £2,216 on the day, a Jersey cross made £1,950, while four British Friesians averaged £2,462.