A sale of over 200 in-calf heifers from renowned Northern Irish commercial cattle producer Jalex Livestock will take place next month.
The on-farm sale, taking place on 30 April, will include over 200 continental cross in-calf heifers, hand-picked and all selected for their size and shape.
The offering will include a variety of black, blue roan, red and white and red roan heifers, with breeds including Limousin X, British Blue X, Charolais X and Simmental X.
There will also be a selection of show quality heifers available, including some ex-show beasts.
All are Johnes, BVD tested and vaccinated and TB tested, which is carried out every four months, livestock auctioneer Harrison & Hetherington (H&H) says.
The heifers are in calf via a mixture of AI and natural service, and calving dates are available for all. Most will also have sexes provided.
Bulls selected for use include Uptonley Living the Dream, Ampertaine Lance, Elderberry Galahad and Carmorn Cantona.
James Alexander, proprietor of Jalex Livestock said: “Our most recent sales have seen a growing interest from mainland UK and our aim is to further expand our audience and geographical coverage."
H&H says calving dates for all heifers will be available on the catalogue, some will be summer calvers but the majority are due from September. The sale is specifically timed for those with autumn calving herds.
With around 80 heifers all holding to AI on the same day, the auctioneer says the calving period will be extremely tight, reducing labour and allowing the heifers to fit into the buyer’s system as quickly as possible.
The sale will be conducted by H&H auctioneer, James Little, who said: “This is a very special sale with very special heifers - they have all been hand-picked for their size and shape.
"I have known James for many years, and he is a regular purchaser of top-class stock here at Borderway. I did not think we would ever see a run of heifers like this – the quality is phenomenal.”
“Despite being commercial heifers, due to the traceability requirements in Ireland, James works hard to produce pedigree lineage and family history for each heifer.
"James really does go the extra mile and the information that is available to purchasers is unprecedented.”
H&H has arranged for a bus to transport buyers to the sale from mainland UK, which will leave Borderway Mart on the morning of the sale with further collection points en-route by arrangement.
Bidding will also be available online via the auctioneer's website, as well as Mart Eye.
