Towpath Dispersal A Success
It was a beautiful spring day in Port Gibson, NY for the Towpath Farm Dispersal held Saturday May 2nd. A large crowd was on hand to show support to owners Gordon & Kathy DeMay.
You can see the gorgeous setting of Towpath Farm behind the blooming trees. The farm lies near the edge of the Erie Canal and was named for the towpaths along the canal that were used to tow boats up and down the canal before the invention of steam engines for boats.
A large crowd filled the barn before the sale to see one of the finest herds of Brown Swiss in North America.
Gordy DeMay (center) points out some of his favorite heifers to Ken Main.
Dr. Kenny Manion of New View Swiss takes a look at the stacked line-up of quality cows down the line.
New York Brown Swiss enthusiasts Jeff True, Larry Hill and Stacia True discuss the herd with sale staff member Jeff Woods.
Jason DeMay, Gordy & Kathy’s son, welcomes the crowd on the bittersweet day. He is flanked by sale manager and long-time friend to the family Wayne Sliker and auctioneer Darrell Wordon. Jason now manages Cricket Creek Farm in Massachusetts with his wife, where they sell milk and cheese on the farm. Jason continues to own & breed Brown Swiss there.
The tent was over-flowing!
Lot 13 – Towpath Dynasty Lora-ET – you knew she had to be special to be on the end stall in this great herd! She would go on to top the sale, selling to Sunshine Genetics, WI for $12,700. She is recently fresh in March with her 2nd calf. She scored VG-85 as a 2-year-old and is backed by seven generations of Excellent cows. She goes back to one of the matriarchs of the herd, and breed, Vine Valley Paul LuAnn, 5E – Superior Brood Cow, the All-American 2-Year-Old in 1970 and National Total Performance Winner in 1979. Over 20 lots in the Towpath catalog go back to LuAnn!
One special heifer, who was already halter broke, was lead in the ring by the DeMay’s daughter Kelly. She is Towpath Titanium Peaches, a fall calf for 2009. She sold for $6,800 and is backed by six generations of Excellent dams. Her fourth dam is Vine Valley Paul Patsy 5E, a full sister to LuAnn. Another 15 animals in the catalog go back to Patsy.
The 2nd high seller of the sale was Lot 97 – Towpath Intel Disco, EX-93. She was purchased for $12,200 by New View Swiss. She is a 5-Year-Old for 2009. Her dam was VG-85 as a 2-year-old and her granddam is EX-92. Disco’s January ’09 Agenda calf brought $6,500.
