Some 400 head of dairy cattle forward for the Monthly Dairy Day sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, saw prices peak at £2650, with fresh milkers averaging £1844.

The sales leader was a heifer from the Reid family, Fulton Farm, Lockerbie, which sold a month calved and gave 40kg per day. Sired by the ABS Genus bull, OCD Marvel, she was knocked down to Messrs Hunter and Son, Penrith.

The same buyers also went to £2550 for a fresh second calver from the Wadsworth family, Big Balcraig, Port William. This Aladdin P daughter gave just shy of 10,500kg as a heifer.

The Baillie family from Hillhead of Covington sold 10 cows and heifers to average £2175 from a top price of £2500. Covington Radical Duchess, a fresh second calver by RI-VAL-RE Radical, was knocked down to Messrs Fingland, Kirkpatrick Durham, Castle Douglas.

Cumrue Farming Partners and Glenapp Estate sold 79 spring-calved New Zealand Friesian–Jersey cross-bred cows to average £700 with a top price of £1080 for a milking heifer due again in May to an Angus. Some of these animals were confirmed in calf again for May with the remainder running with the Angus bull.

Buyers had a good selection of in-calf Holstein heifers to choose from which were topped at £1950 by a daughter of Mr Stone-front Reeve Red, consigned by Ed and Linda Wilson of Petteril Hill Farm.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

Averages: Freshly calved animals – 129 heifers, £1844.19; 43 cows,£1733.18; six British Friesians, £1925.00; six faulted ¾ cows, £1191.66.

Mid lactation – 79 New Zealand Friesian cross cows, £700.02.

Youngstock – 21 Holstein in-calf heifers, £1572.94; 89 Holstein bulling heifers, £903.71; 11 New Zealand Friesian cross heifers, £597.27; 23 heifer calves born 2023, £535.21.