A Shropshire family’s decision to cease milk production will result in an important dispersal sale of the entire milking portion of their long founded, home bred, dairy herd later this month.
The herd, comprising 133 Friesian dairy cattle in milk or in-calf, is being sold by auctioneers Halls at Shrewsbury Auction Centre at noon on Tuesday, April 28 on behalf of Messrs B.H., P. and G. Shropshire, of Wall Furlong Farm, Sidbury, Bridgnorth.
“After two generations in the dairy industry, the family has decided to cease milk production to focus on livestock and arable farming,” said David Giles, a director of Halls and the company’s dairy specialist.
“The herd has been bred to Friesian bulls from the noted Deansgate herd for a number of years, all through natural service, to produce compact, wearing cows with good udders, 70 per cent of which are in their third, second or third lactation.
“The cows are in good body condition, all year round calving, milked through a herringbone parlour and cubicle housed. The system aims for as much milk as possible from forage with minimal concentrates in the parlour. TMR is fed with maize and grass silage, wholecrop and crimped corn.”
Cows are recorded on an ad hoc basis purely for cell counts and the herd average runs at just under 7,000 kilos. The returns on March 31 showed 4.21 butterfat, 3.22 protein and 223 cell count.
