What they did not quite expect was for bidding to reach $28,500 before the rising 5-year-old cow was knocked down to Australian purchasers Peter and Jessica Fullerton, who farm in Victoria, setting a season record.
Mr and Mrs Fullerton had seen a photograph of Rana in an advertisement Mr and Mrs Bayne ran in an Australian cattle magazine and wanted to buy her privately.
But the cow had already been entered in the sale, so they decided to attend the sale and see if they could buy her.
''It's a long way to come for a cow,'' Mr Bayne said.
Export restrictions mean the cow cannot be sent to Australia so she will remain at the Baynes' property and be flushed for embryos.
From a well-performing family, Rana was a good all-round cow, with good production figures and of good type, Mr Bayne said.
Her grandmother was the best cow the Baynes had ever owned and sold several years ago, as a 10-year-old, for $20,000.
The couple already have several daughters from Rana and will also have embryos in the future from her.
''She's still got to prove herself as far as sons and daughters go. Hopefully, she'll stack up all right,'' he said.
While the number of registered Holstein-Friesian studs had been declining, there were still a lot of ''passionate people'' involved, Mr Bayne said.
The Busybrook stud has sold about four cows for more than $20,000. Rana's sale saw the selling season end on a high with an average price (including embryos) of $7343 at the sale.