Fortune favours the bold – global record average for 2025 achieved in Australia
Anyone who has run a cattle sale knows the result is never a given, and there are multiple pressure points.
When Benleigh Brown Swiss decided to host its first sale to celebrate 50 years of breeding by its principal Max Wake (together with his son, Gavin, and daughter-in-law, Sarah) it was a bigger decision than most would have realised.
The Hunter Valley family milks 280 Brown Swiss – because they love the breed’s temperament, great legs and feet, and fat and protein. And, while Swiss are their first choice all day, every day, it isn’t a breed for everyone, which sometimes makes selling them a bigger risk.
Selling 50 of their best was particularly tough for Max. He lost his wife, Robyn, in 2019, and getting up to those good cows makes every day worth it for him. He’s not known for being a natural seller. However, registered cows also carry value, and Gavin and Sarah encouraged Max to test Benleigh’s genetic programme with a “50 years of Benleigh Brown Swiss” celebratory sale. They admitted afterwards it did put significant pressure on their shoulders.
They are relieved to now be reflecting on a sale that blew two records apart.
Benleigh achieved the highest global Brown Swiss average in 2025 for a single vendor (with a sale average of $8116), a gross of $413,900, and a top price (and Australian Brown Swiss price record) of $31,000.
The top price of $31,000 was paid by Isabella Osborne (Kempsey, NSW) for this rising two-year-old, Benleigh Barca Lorna. She’s due to calve to sexed Caviezel in November. Photo: Jo Dickson.
Over and above…
Sarah said they had no idea what the market would say before the sale.
When Dairy Livestock Services’ auctioneer Brian Leslie walked through the cattle early in the process, they asked him if he thought they might average between $3000 and $3500.
Sarah remembers with a smile, “Brian told me, ‘I’ll take that average off you now, and keep the profit’.
“But even with him saying that, to get more than 8000 and have a new breed record was mind blowing. Max is a man of few words, and I think even he is still shocked.”
Gavin countered, “He’s probably still cranky we sold so many good ones. But, in all seriousness for me personally I’m also still wrapping my head around the result. I’m just proud that we had a vision and we were able to pull it off.
“We didn’t set out to break records. That wasn’t our motivation. We didn’t do it because we had to do it, and we didn’t do it because we needed to do it. We did it because we wanted to do it.
“There are not too many sales of this type in the Brown Swiss breed in Australia. There was a lot of planning went into it. The results were a bonus.”
Sarah added, “We wanted to ‘do it once, and do it well’. We also wanted to present something that we could be all be proud of, and to show the legacy Max has built in his 50 years of breeding.”
Sale prices
The top price of $31,000 was paid by Isabella Osborne (Kempsey, NSW) for a rising two-year-old that is due to calve to sexed Caviezel in November. Benleigh Barca Lorna is out of a VG Superstar dam. Her second dam is Benleigh Mission Lorna EX91-4E. Isabella also bought the equal second top-seller, Benleigh Albert Sarajevo, VG86-2YRS – the 2025 Sydney Royal Intermediate Champion for $20,000.
Late in the sale was Benleigh Barca Donna a great young cow from an EX 2E Nescardo dam backed by several International Dairy Week (IDW) & Sydney Champions. She sold due again in April for the equal second-top price of $20,000 to Hunterfield Past Co (Deniliquin). These buyers also selected the ultra-milky young cow, Benleigh Pete Maureen VG86 for $15,000.
Auctioneer Brian Leslie adding value to Benleigh Brown Swiss that would help propel it towards two new records. DLS’ Scott Lord flanks Brian. David Ninness takes the bid. Photo: Sarah Wake.
Other noted sales included:
Benleigh Alum Sasha, a yearling from Blooming Sasha 6, VG the 25 Reserve Intermediate Champion at Sydney Royal, then Grandslam Sasha, EX91-2E – $14,000 (Jason Rozynski, Imbil, QLD).
Benleigh Phil Bethli bred back to the four-time Sydney Royal Show’s Champion cow, Benleigh Ringleader Bethli EX92 – $12,500 (Munden Farms, Nilma, VIC).
Benleigh Superst Fantasy VG85 on her 1st lact bred down from World Dairy Expo Grand Champion Kruses GK Jade Fantasy Vix, EX94-4E – $10,000 (Greg Meyland of VIC).
Multiple big buys
Several buyers at the pointy end of the sale prices didn’t shy away from multiple purchases at that top end of town in terms of price either.
One of them was the Dickson family (Terang, Southwest Victoria). Bryan and Jo Dickson (together with two of their four daughters, 19-year-old twins Leah and Anna) bought seven animals (with their five top-priced ones averaging $13,200). They were also the underbidders on the top priced lot. They are well-known in the Holstein and Jersey industries at the elite level – milking 950 cows – and the family already had runs on the board with Benleigh cattle. They own the reigning Intermediate Champion Brown Swiss from IDW, who carries the Benleigh prefix. Leah runs her own Dusty Road Brown Swiss prefix off the back of Jo’s early passion for the breed. She also owns IDW’s 2025 Junior Champion Brown Swiss, while Anna owns IDW’s reigning Junior and Reserve Junior Champion Illawarra.
Their selections at Benleigh included:
Benleigh Jinxer Faith, a November calving daughter of the 2025 Sydney Royal Champion cow Benleigh Prince Faith, EX 91 – $18,000.
Benleigh Wonderment Margaret, VG86, a tremendous young cow backed by generations of EX & VG dams – $15,000.
Benleigh Albert Genevieve a VG86-2YRS – $13,000.
Two “pick of the pair” lots in Benleigh Ralice Sarajevo (a yearling bred from eight generations of EX & VG dams) – $10,000 and Benleigh Blooming Peggy 4 (a great first-calf heifer backed by 3 VG then seven generations of EX dams from the famed USA Blessing Peggy line) – $10,000.
Leah and Anna have worked with Benleigh’s show string at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for a decade. Together with Chelsea Atkins, they had commercially clipped all 52 animals for the sale in the four days leading into it. However, Gavin and Sarah said they had no idea just how deep the Dickson family’s interest was until they read the buyers’ list.
Jo Dickson said the cows had settled well into their 950-cow herd and adjusted from a seven a-side herringbone and the smaller Benleigh herd to their bigger herd and rotary. She said the new Swiss are already coming through the dairy in the first half of the milking.
Floor from StockLive
In other interesting sidenotes, Gavin said the 260 people watching the sale online through StockLive, put a floor in the average kick-starting many of the lots. However – because of the strong prices – bidding and buying were two different subjects. One buyer told the family they didn’t succeed in securing an animal until Lot 24.
There was also a buyer from Ireland. John Tarpey paid $7000 for Lot 49, Benleigh Bender Donna.
Gavin and Sarah said they remain grateful for the industry support on several levels.
“I guess this is the advantage you get when you pick the brains of the best people in their field,” Gavin said. “In addition to Brian [Leslie, Dairy Livestock Servies] and Shane [Oslear, Dairy Livestock Services], we were grateful for the experience of Hayley [Boyd, Signature Graphics] who designed the catalogue, and Andy [Cullen, Cullen Marketing], who did the tops, photos, and helped with the sale-day management and mtimelines.
“Dad has been able to consistently breed cows of that calibre, then I put the catalogue together, and Sarah took care of all the logistics. We all had our areas of expertise, and it all sort of come together. We also had a great crew. We didn’t do this on our own.”
Now, to the next plan. How to make the money work for Benleigh’s operation.
Gavin smiled, “Well, you can never have too many tractors.”
Dairy Livestock Services reported Australian buyers from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania (in addition to Ireland):
34 cows averaged $7550
5 joined heifers averaged $13,020
12 unjoined heifers averaged $7675
51 females grossed $413,900 for an average of $8116 (Brown Swiss breed record average and record Australian Brown Swiss top price)