NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In these days of everything going virtual, you don’t need a barn to hold a cow sale. On Dec. 5, 300 dairy folk from all over the United States and Canada sauntered into The Stage, a Nashville music bar, for the Music City Celebration Sale. That many more took part at home via their computers.

The Dairy Sales Alliance, owned by Tim and Sharyn Abbott and Chris and Jen Hill, managed the auction.

This was the sixth year for the sale. It averaged $12,830 with a $1,026,450 gross on 80 head. The best year ever, Chris Hill said. The top-selling lot, at $64,000, was an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) session from S-S-I Doc Have Not 87840-ET EX-95. “Doc” sold for $1.925 million last summer. The IFV session buyer was Elmvue Farm, New York.

“We sold a daughter of the same cow (Doc) for $63,500,” Hill said. “We had all seven dairy breeds represented. Holsteins, Ayrshires, Guernsey, Jersey, Brown Swiss, and Red and White Holsteins.”

While people were buying cattle via online auctions before the pandemic, it has exploded since, Tim Abbott said. People have adjusted to it.

“If anything happened out of this pandemic that helped us, we all learned how to do virtual things,” he explained. “We had created our auction company, people want to sell cattle or buy cattle, and we can’t get together, so let’s do this virtually.

“We are active on social media, and it is really out of my league,” Abbott said. “I’m not very well versed in it, but I am blown away by how much traction you can get with doing things on Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.”

The Abbotts and the Hills all love visiting Nashville. While others in the industry have attempted destination sales so people could get away, they never took hold.

“So, we came up with the idea; it’s the end of the year for everyone, before the holidays, so why not try this?” Abbott said.

The cows were at home contentedly munching hay while their photos and videos were displayed on the big screen. Chris Hill did the auctioneering while Abbott read the pedigree announcements.

Doing an online and live auction together is a little tricky, Abbott said. “You have to go at a slower pace because you have to make sure that the online and the live things are synced. Chris is talented with that. He knows the right rhythm and the right methodology.”

The Dairy Sales Alliance has a system of truckers around the country who know about the sale and are ready to go, Abbott said. A cow was already en route from California to Michigan the morning after the sale.

“The buyer has 30 days to go look at their animal and approve her,” he said. “They could back out, but we’ve never had that happen. We do a lot of videos and take photos to ensure that everybody knows what they’re doing. Every line of animal in the sale has an inspection by a certified veterinarian, so the buyers know that the animals are healthy and sound.”

The managers also ensure that everyone has a great weekend. They secure a hotel package so people can stay downtown at a reasonable rate. They provide information on where the best bands are playing and where to find the best food. They also offer two private shows by Nashville musicians.

On Sunday night, they presented the prestigious All-American Awards for Jerseys and Holsteins. Cattle in 10 age groups shown during the 2022 show season were eligible for awards. A panel of six judges selected the winners.

“Probably 75 percent of the people in attendance are real dairy farmers,” Hill estimated. “Some have 50-cow herds, and some have 5,000. That’s what we pride ourselves on – that we can get all of these people together for one weekend of the year. They’re normally so busy they never go anywhere. We try to assemble the best genetics we can find, and it has worked out well.”