Freedom herd flies the coop

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Lots 24 and 26. Prices jumped between $3200 and $3600 for the top cows and $1800 to $2000 for the smaller ones. Photo by Daneka Hill

The northern Victorian Lancaster-based Freedom Dairies herd of more than 600 cows has officially been dispersed.

The cows averaged around $2775 and the top price was $4750 for a cow who ended up selling locally.

Auctioneer Brian Leslie said there was extreme interest in the younger cows.

“There was a hell of a lot of people online and buyers from NSW, all parts of northern Victoria and Gippsland,” Mr Leslie said.

A significant crowd of buyers showed up in person to the final dispersal sale at Shepparton Regional Saleyards on August 12.

The first dispersal occurred at Echuca Saleyards on August 5.

Attendees were treated to another great Brian Leslie phrase, when he told the crowd the cows had “skins on them like racehorses”.

“If you are in the business of milking cows, what a good time to buy,” Mr Leslie told the bidders right before the auction began.

“Because if you buy in spring when there is heaps of feed around — who knows what prices you will be paying.”

The herd was dispersed because Freedom Dairies is transitioning into a beef feedlotting operation.

The Freedom Dairies herd has been dispersed across two sales, in Echuca and Shepparton. Photo by Daneka Hill