A Western Southland dairy farmer took a punt on auctioning his empty cows for the first time.
‘‘My gamble didn’t pay off,’’ Beach Valley Dairies owner Jason Bennett said.
Mr Bennett, of Tuatapere, offered 31 Jersey empty cows on the online auction platform Bidr earlier this month.
He sold six cows, born in 2020, and another six cows, born in 2023, featuring high breeding worth data.
All the cows sold for the reserve price of $1450 each.
If he had sent them for slaughter, he estimated he would have been paid up to $1150.
There had been some interest in buying the remaining cows for lower than the reserve price.
When the Bidr fee and agent commission was factored in, the cows needed to fetch near the reserve price to make it worthwhile, he said.
Sending cows for slaughter could be challenging, as killing space at the works could be tight when needed, he said.
Also, the beef schedule might fall due to the conflict in the Middle East, which was impacting trade, he said.
Mr Bennett wondered if demand at the auction was soft because they were Jerseys, rather than Holstein Friesians or crossbreds.
The chances of him holding another empty cow sale were slim, he said.
‘‘I had a shot and it didn’t pay off.’’
His breeding programme includes a strict policy of removing any empty cows from the herd to increase its fertility.
He decided to sell the cows due to the higher prices being paid for dairy cows and his offering having sound udders, capable of producing milk over winter.
‘‘They are nice dairy cows and good to milk from for years.’’
Usually he sent his empty cows to the works.
PGG Wrightson national dairy specialist Jamie Cunninghame, of Manawatū, said the sale of empty dairy cows was popular, but they were generally auctioned at saleyards or by private treaty on farm, rather than an online auction.
‘‘Nationwide there is a good demand for good, quality empty cows.’’
The buyers often milked them and got them in-calf to sell in autumn.
‘‘Buyers are selective, but there is a market for it,’’ Mr Cunninghame said.
