One of Shropshire’s best-known dairy herds is set to go under the hammer this month, bringing three generations of family farming at Whattall Farm to a close.
D. & A. C. Shakeshaft of Ellesmere will disperse much of the acclaimed Dilandy Holstein Herd, selling 60 in-milk and eight dry cows, alongside 80 in-calf and served heifers, 40 maiden heifers and 20 heifer calves.
The sale will take place at Shrewsbury Auction Centre on 23 September, following Halls auctioneers’ monthly dairy show and sale.
With the tenancy of the 300-acre Whattall Farm coming to an end, the Shakeshaft family has opted to part with the bulk of its herd.
Around 80 youngstock will be retained for a scaled-down venture at English Frankton, before the family shifts its focus towards building up pedigree Hereford and Beef Shorthorn herds.
The Dilandy Holstein Herd, which is bluetongue vaccinated and licensed to sell into Welsh holdings, currently averages 11,466kg of milk with 4.40% butterfat, 3.45% protein and a 105 cell count.
The 60 milkers produce 32kg daily and were classified for the first time earlier this year: 21 VG cows, seven VG heifers, 14 GP cows and 15 GP heifers, with no animal scoring below 80 points.
The herd’s reputation has long been established at Shrewsbury Auction Centre, where it has been a consistent prize-winner.
The dairy enterprise at Whattall Farm dates back to 1929, when the late Hughie Edwards, grandfather of current farmer Andrew Shakeshaft, began milking cows there.
Andrew’s mother Isabelle, now 91, was born on the farm and later married David Shakeshaft in 1959. After David’s passing in 2011, Andrew and his wife Helen continued to manage the herd with notable success.
“I have enjoyed dairy farming very much for the past 40 years but nothing lasts forever,” said Andrew.
"This new opportunity has arisen and I am looking forward to it. Whilst I am still fit and healthy, I need to focus on something that is more manageable.
“With a dairy herd, you have always got to be milking twice a day and you don’t get much respite. By comparison, a beef herd is less demanding.
“The way forward for the dairy industry seems to be more cows per unit and labour working on a shift system. One of the biggest problems is getting staff to work on the smaller farms where the hours can be onerous.
“When I was milking 300 cows, I would start at 5am and finish around 6.30pm and I still might have to attend to a calving cow.”
One of Andrew’s proudest achievements has been breeding high-quality dairy cattle. A career highlight came in partnership with the late Bryan Challenor of Worldwide Sires, when the pair bred Dilandy Debonair Tabitha Red.
Sold privately to the Logan Holstein Herd in Scotland, Tabitha went on to be crowned interbreed champion at the Royal Highland Show and Red and White champion at AgriScot in 2014.
Earlier this year, Andrew completed the breeding cycle by purchasing two of Tabitha’s descendants in Scotland.
“Logan Holsteins have had a lot of success with the breed and it started here with Bryan and me,” he reflected.
Shrewsbury Auction Centre manager Jonny Dymond said the dispersal represented a rare opportunity for buyers.
“This is a highly respected and extremely well-bred herd and it has been a privilege to sell cattle for the Shakeshaft family over a number of years."
