It's International Dairy Week and a Jamberoo farmer is very happy after their star unjoined heifer set the sale alight with a breed record price at auction.
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The STG Australia Create the Future all-breeds sale saw a return to the excitement of previous IDW sales with a large crowd witnessing two animals making $21,000 and the sale averaging $9631 overall.
The record-priced Illawarra cow was born January 1, 2022, heifer, Eagle Park Theo Pamela 6157, and sold by Natalie Shierlaw, Jamberoo, NSW.
The record-priced Illawarra was reserve champion in the show and the best he had ever sold, auctioneer Brian Leslie said.
The buyer was Leo McGrath, Wootanga Park from Orford in Victoria.
Mr McGrath said he and his sister, Rachael, who run a Jersey and Brown Swiss herd of 250 to 280 cows, decided, after much thought, to buy an Illawarra.
"We thought 'why not?' and it allowed us to diversify a bit more," he said.
"Unlike with the Brown Swiss when we went into them three or four years ago and ended up with around 20 animals, we only plan on having one or two Illawarras to run purely as show, stud cattle," he said.
Eighteen-year-old Mr McGrath works off farm for Midfield while Ms MGrath runs the farm milking about 260-280 with the vast majority being Jersey.
Mr McGrath said they were tossing up whether to take the Illawarra heifer to the Sydney Royal.
"We have a Jersey heifer that's good enough to take, but it's a huge commitment and it's a long way from home," he said.
Auctioneer Brian Leslie said it was an outstanding sale with tremendous demand for every breed as well as creating the new record for an Illawarra.
It was very solid, with the top-priced Holstein at $21,000 and buyers from almost every state and a "marvellous crowd" and a lot online.
He said there were amazing pedigrees represented and the cows matched the pedigrees.
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