All 23 lots sold for a total turnover of R7,5m or an average of R326k per lot. Clearly a financial success! All the numbers I quote are exclusive of VAT.
Of the lots on offer, 12 were less than a year old and 11 were between 1 and 2 years old. The younger lots fetched an average of R293k per lot and the older ones averaged R362k. Comparing the prices between bont and traditional (mostly brown with some white markings) the 8 bont lots fetched R319k, and the 15 traditional lots fetched R330k on average.
The top 6 lots were 3 bonts and 3 traditionals, with 1 lot each from all 6 of the sellers. It was a truly a premium heifer auction of top genetics.
My son Zack came up with this idea. The concept we tested was similar to the thoroughbred horse industry’s ‘yearling sale.’ As with horses, genetics determine most of the potential, but feeding certainly plays a part in an animal’s development.
Ankole buyers have strong preferences for the colour, horns and other features of an animal, therefore it certainly helps to know the sex of the animal as well as what she will look like! But we still get the genetic potential of the parents.
Apart from the financial benefits of buying heifers which you like both in terms of physical features and genetics, there are also practical benefits. They transport easier and they adjust to their new habitat much better at a young age. Through feeding them well they will develop to their top ability in terms of fertility. They will fit easier into your existing herd and your chosen farming set-up, whether it is extensive or intensive. These young heifers are all tame and properly domesticated and can truly be farmed like normal cattle.
I have no doubt that at the time of our second auction early next year, some of these heifers will already have produced!
At Fire Sky we have bought and made hundreds of embryos, and we shared our results publicly. Knowng what it costs to make young heifers is why we believe the young heifers sold on auction were value for money for both sellers and buyers. Buyers saved at least 2 years of waiting time compared to buying embryos. Sellers got a fair return for their cost.
At Fire Sky we still do embryo transfers into recipient cows, but we no longer sell pregnant recipients because we have found that there is just too much risk (of embryo absorption or abortion) involved before one can claim to have produced a healthy young Ankole. Unless sexed semen is used, one still can only hope for the best when it comes to the sex of the calf. At Fire Sky we have decided to no longer buy or sell ‘lucky packets.’
I shared at the auction that when we wanted to secure a bull from the newly imported Kenyan Ankole, we knew we had to buy at least 3 recipients to have a reasonable chance of having 1 bull at weaner age!
So, embryos and pregnant recipients, as well as mature cows all have their place in the Ankole industry, but for us at Fire Sky it was very important to test the market for young heifers containing all the potential of top genetics.
We like the answer!
Thank you!