Cork Marts Corrin played host to the annual production sale of the Lisduff Holstein herd on behalf of John O’Sullivan and family from Whitechurch, Co Cork, on Friday 12 April.

The sale consisted of 80 freshly calved pedigree Holstein Friesian heifers and 20 pedigree maiden heifers, all within 30 days of test.

All of the heifers were genotyped and boasted EBIs as high as €260 and were also well backed by high yields and high solids.

There was a strong appetite for freshly calved heifers, with a 100% clearance rate of the 84 lots on offer.

These first-calvers typically sold from €1,600 to highs of €2,300, while an average of €1,873 was recorded at the sale.

Topping the trade

Topping the trade was Lisduff Beatrix 224 with an EBI of €237. Projected to yield 6,788kg in her first lactation, this stylish first-calver sold for the top price of €2,320.

March 2022-born heifer Lisduff Leslie 453, a first-calver that was projected to give 7,100kg in her first lactation with an EBI of €190, was the first of two freshly calved heifers to achieve €2,300 on the afternoon.

Her February 2022-born stablemate Lisduff Dairybreiz 218 with an EBI of €164 made up the second half of this duo.

Good-quality high-EBI cows were definitely the favourite flavour of the day and other notable prices included €2,120, €2,200 and €2,220 all for February and March 2022-born first-time mothers.

Maiden heifers

There was also a decent selection of good-quality maiden heifers on offer at Friday’s sale, which met a slightly easier trade than the calved lots.

Nine maidens sold to an average price of €806, with the recent pressures of weather and nitrates failing to help heifer sales around the country.

Some of the lesser-quality types in this section sold around the €720 mark, while the better-conformed lots pushed just shy of €900.

These heifers were typically born from October 2022 to February 2023.

Top call

However, the top call in the maidens was secured for an October 2022-born heifer Lisduff Lenora 192 that sold for €880.

She had an impressive EBI of €236 and was 20.22kg for fat and 12.28kg on protein.

Other notable prices included a November 2022-born heifer with an EBI of €214 that sold for €860, an October-born heifer with an EBI of €217 that sold for €840 and another November-born heifer with an EBI of €248 that sold for €840 also.

In pictures

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in January 2022 with an EBI of €214 sold for €1,840.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in March 2022 with an EBI of €195 sold for €2,020.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in February 2022 with an EBI of €194 sold for €2,000.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in February 2022 with an EBI of €174 sold for €1,940.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in January 2022 with an EBI of €249 sold for €1,900.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in October 2021 with an EBI of €145 sold for €1,880.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in February 2022 with an EBI of €250 sold for €1,800.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in March 2022 with an EBI of €191 sold for €1,720.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in March 2021 with an EBI of €171 sold for €1,780.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in January 2022 with an EBI of €208 sold for €1,420.

This pedigree Holstein heifer born in January 2022 with an EBI of €231 sold for for €1,500.