Moonshine Sale Sat 28th May

[Mark Bowles]

The Moonshine part herd reduction sale takes place tomorrow Sat 28th May 2011 @1.00pm.
32 female lots, no bulls, some lots have been Linear Classified so you have an idea about what you are buying.
Venue Worcester Livestock Market, Nunnery Way, Worcester WR4 0SQ, Auctioneers are McCartneys on 01905 769770, catalogue online http://www.mccartneys.co.uk

[natmadaboutdexters]

I would have liked to attend this sale today but unfortunately busy washing cows etc for Herts Show tomorrow. Hope they acheived good prices and that it was well attended.

Natasha

[Mark Bowles]

Please note:- these are my unofficial prices.
Top price 760 gns Moonshine Enening song Cow in calf with well grown heifer calf at foot.
Averages
Autumn calved cows,9 ave 646gns
Spring calvers in calf with calves at foot,9 ave 599gns
In calf heifers,7 ave 546gns
Maiden heifers,6 ave 292gns
Well attended sale with good solid breeding cattle.

[Saffy]

Good to have some prices to look at - thanks.

The most interesting for me is the difference between maiden heifer price and in-calf heifer price, the in calf heifers made nearly double. So obviously most buyers like to buy something that will calve within a few months.

Stephanie

[bjreroberts]

Mark, did you get a feel for whether the linear assessment scores had an affect on the prices obtained?

[Mark Bowles]

You would really have to ask the buyers. I think it has to be a way forward at sales in particular, unless you see the cattle beforehand out in the fields you can't really see them properly in the pens. A classification score can help in your decision making on individual cattle knowing that an independent professional person has seen them properly in the right circumstances .
Early days for Linear Classification at the moment but education on the subject should help everybody get something from it.

[carole]

Really interesting point about how different cows look in a pen to further away. We attended the sale and found ourselves changing our minds between looking at them in the pen and from our vantage point above the sales ring. We did buy at the sale but were not influenced by the linear assessment due to our lack of knowledge of the system. Now we have a benchmark it may influence us in the future. By the way does anyone have a secret trick to removing lot numbers which seem to have been superglued on. we have purchased lovely cows with beautiful temperaments and the last thing we want to do is upset them by removing chunks of their coat Please don't suggest waiting for rain I don't think there is any forecast here until 2013.

[bjreroberts]

Sale report in last Friday's Farmers Guardian http://www.farmersguardian.com/shows-an ... 73.article