The World Dairy Expo grounds host more than 1,000 top-of-the-line animals throughout the week. While the majority are there to be evaluated by the official breed show judges, and some change hands over the course of Expo, the official breed sales deliver another way for breeders to gain exposure and marketing for their genetics. These events also provide an opportunity for breed enthusiasts to bolster their herds with elite cow families and genomic offerings.

Tuesday night kicked off the action with two sales, including the Top of the World Jersey Sale, where 18 lots were up for grabs. The sale finished with an average of $3,388. That was anchored by the high seller, JX Pine-Tree 12620 Stoney 2770 {4}-P-ET, who commanded a price of $18,500. She is a high genomic-ranking April-born heifer consigned by Matthew Steiner of Marshallville, Ohio.

The World Ayrshire Event Sale was also held Tuesday night, returning for the first time since 2019. This year, the sale offered eight live animals, two picks of flushes, and five embryo packages. The high seller was a consignment from Kurt Wolf and Michael Maier of Epworth, Iowa. The pick of five heifers due next March from the mating of Margot Precious EX-91 to Libby’s Lochinvar brought $11,000.

Also returning to the Expo sale lineup this year was the World Premier Brown Swiss Sale. It was made even more special this year by the international attendees who have traveled to Madison for the World Brown Swiss Conference being hosted here this week.

In the last five years, the Brown Swiss sale has had the highest average of the colored breed sales, and this year, the 38 lots tallied an average of $8,584. The high seller was Hilltop Acres J Promise ETV consigned by Dennis Mashek of Calmar, Iowa. Promise sold for $28,500.

The final sale of the week was the World Classic ’22 Sale on Thursday evening. The sale offered 31 genomic Holstein lots, 16 type Holstein lots, and three Jersey lots. Additionally, two spring-born bull calves were sold — one Holstein and one Jersey.

The 52 lots averaged $38,918. The high seller was the first Jersey lot, JX FB Verstappen {6}-ET, a June-born calf consigned by FB Genetics of Dumas, Texas. She sold for $170,000. The second highest price, $105,000, was commanded by both the Jersey bull lot and a December-born genomic heifer consigned by Pine-Tree Dairy of Marshallville, Ohio. The Holstein bull calf, from Johnson Holsteins of Baldwin, Wis., sold for $100,000.

Katelyn Allen

Katelyn Allen joined the Hoard’s Dairyman team as the Publications Editor in August 2019 and is now an associate editor. Katelyn is a 2019 graduate of Virginia Tech, where she majored in dairy science and minored in communication. Katelyn grew up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy, Glen-Toctin Farm, in Jefferson, Md.