When Western Australian dairy farmer Colin Gilbert wanted to sell his award-winning Guernsey herd, he chose to take all 50 head on a 3000km road trip to Rochester in Victoria.
The result was an auction that achieved a total clearance and a second-highest average for a Guernsey sale in Australia, at $5271.
Two mature cows sold for $21,000 each, the top price at the sale.
Colin was motivated by Rochester’s history with Guernsey herds and a successful sale of his stud cattle in 2021 — that set a world record for average prices — staged in the northern Victorian town.
Conversely, Western Australia’s dairy industry is struggling.
“Nobody wants dairy cows in WA. The industry is ruined,” Colin told Dairy News Australia.
The number of registered dairy farms in WA has decreased from 150 to around 120 since 2021, and the industry faces limited competition from processors, adverse weather conditions and rising input costs.
“Rochester was good to us three years ago and when I spoke to auctioneer Brian [Leslie] he said ‘why don’t you come back here?’,” Colin said.
“Rochester was traditionally a strong-hold for Guernseys. It has a history of sales here. It has good facilities, it has been good to us.”
Colin, who is looking forward to retiring, was supported by the Guernsey network in getting the cattle prepared.
Shifting the last of his dispersal herd from Dandalup, WA, and keeping the valuable Guernseys in good shape for the impending sale was an epic task.
It was a 3200km journey, accomplished with just one B-double truck.
The group of 52 included three cows highly classified in the stud industry, known as EX, and nine more classified as VG.
“We stopped and unloaded them at the Dublin South Australian livestock exchange north of Adelaide at 11pm at night and spelled them for six hours,” Colin said of the journey.
“We milked them out with a single milking unit. We spelled them and gave them hay.
“Then we loaded them up about 4am and drove non-stop through to Stanhope.”
The cattle spent a month at Todd Brown’s farm at Stanhope (30km from Rochester) and in the week prior to the sale, they were moved to the pavilions at the Rochester Showgrounds to prepare them.
Dairy Livestock Services auctioneer Brian Leslie said the auction average was the second highest for a Guernsey herd in Australia.
“It was no mean feat to bring them across the Nullabor in such good condition,” Brian said.
He praised the offering as having tremendous capacity and strength, with a depth of pedigree.
Colin was the only breeder to show both a Guernsey and a Holstein to win the supreme champion dairy cow (all breeds) at Perth Royal Show, and exhibited champions at International Dairy Week in Tatura.