By Janice Barrett

The 85 sales reported to Holstein World in 2008 reflect an average price paid for registered Holsteins of $7,168 – setting a new record for the fourth consecutive year.

As the dairy industry enjoyed another year of high milk prices in 2008, sale prices for registered Holsteins followed suite, jumping an additional $2,763 over last year’s record high average of $4,405. Sale managers provided Holstein World with catalogs and price lists for 85 public auctions held throughout 2008. A total of 6,870 head of cattle and unborn ET lots were sold in these auctions, grossing $49,243,100 and averaging $7,168. As shown in Table I, this is a new record for the 99 years we’ve analyzed and published this analysis.

To produce this analysis each year, Holstein World asks sale managers to provide information on registered Holsteins sold at public auctions. Staff member Janet Crast then uses a spreadsheet template to process the data for average, volume, type of sale, age categories and sires, providing a consistent way to compare and analyze the data. Since it is voluntary for sale managers to provide this information, we do not receive information on every sale held in the country.

We received information on 12 fewer sales this year as compared to last and 728 fewer animals sold, but the 85 sales reported to us grossed a whopping $16 million more than last year (see Table I). Certainly sale prices were up this year, but there were a higher number of “elite” sales that really charted record sale prices and therefore bumped the averages up.

Eleven sales surpassed $10,000 averages this year, as compared to only seven last year. Global Glamour at Arethusa, the highest averaging sale of the year (Table V) at $98,142, also featured the high selling female of the year (Table X), KHW Regiment Apple-Red-ET at an even $1 million. There were eight sales held this year that grossed over $1 million and five of those featured less than 100 head. Prime Time V at Sherona Hill was the top volume sale (Table IX) at $7,776,000 on 72 head sold.

There were more high ticket animals sold this year as well. Forty-two females sold for over $50,000, as compared to 20 last year. In fact, Table X lists 24 female lots that sold for $75,000 or more in 2008!

Table II shows the seasonal flow of the sales in 2008. Following historical trend, the second quarter showed the most activity with 27 sales reporting 2,459 head sold, however the fourth quarter proved to be the highest volume period with total sales of over $15 million, approximately one third of the year’s volume.

Table III shows the analysis of sales by category. As in the past, Females, 2 Years and Over was the largest category with 2830 head selling for $16 million, followed by 2091 heifer calves that sold for $11.5 million. Unborn ETs were again the highest averaging category, capturing a $10,833 average on 528 lots sold. The average of bred yearlings sold in 2008 was $4,242, slightly less than the 2007 average of $4,329. It is important to note in the Bulls category that $79,000 of the $95,900 total volume is due to the sale of two high selling males, which certainly skewed the average of this category.

 

As shown in Table IV, 95% of all sales reported to Holstein World this year averaged over $2,000. As mentioned earlier in the article, 11 consignment sales averaged over $10,000, accounting for nearly 13% of all sales reported this year. Global Glamour at Arethusa averaged $98,142, followed by the World Classic at $25,213, a record for this successful sale series held at World Dairy Expo. If we deduct the influence of the 11 consignment sales that averaged over $10,000, the average of the remaining cattle sold in 2008 drops to $4,361, nearly $3,000 less than with them included.

Table V shows all the consignment sales averaging over $6,000 in 2008. Two New York Holstein Association-sponsored sales lead Table VI, which lists the 20 state and regional sales reported to us. The Dodgerama Spring Fling again leads the list of 16 local club and college club sales we received this year. This sale averaged $6,051, a record high average for the sale series.

There were 17 herd sales reported to us in 2008,

including dispersals and select sales. The Liddleholme Dispersal tops this list with an average of $8,700 on 170 head. The Pinehurst/Fieldstone Complete Dispersal is next with a $6,274 average, followed closely by the Crescentmead Dispersal, which averaged $6,215.

Table IX – High Volume Sales, includes 24 sales that grossed over $500,000 in 2008, including the eight over $1 million – two of them over $5 million.

For the third year we’ve gathered information on sires of females selling in order to compile a list of the sires having the most impact on the marketplace. Table XI lists sires whose reported daughters sole averaged over $4,000. Picston Shottle leads this list with 140 daughters averaging $23,394. A listing of all sires with 20 or more daughters reported appears at www.holsteinworld.com.

Thank you to the sale managers and sale chairpersons who provide us with the catalogs and price lists necessary to produce this summary each year. Also, a special thanks to Holstein World staffer Janet Crast, who does the data entry for the bulk of the information used to analyze the year’s sales activities.