In this week’s Talking Trade, Catherina Cunnane, editor of www.thatsfarming.com, takes a look at prices in cattle prices over the last week.
Aurivo Balla Mart
According to Stephen Hannon, a “lively” trade prevailed for just over 500 lots at Aurivo Balla Mart’s cattle sale on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023.
The manager of Balla Mart and general manager of Aurivo Marts remarked that “it was a fine sale with dry cows making better prices than bullocks”.
Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €3.36/kg, while store bullocks in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket levelled out at €3.06/kg and heavier bullocks 500kg made €3.18/kg, on average.
Quality, heavy bullocks, 700kg+, went under the hammer for up to €1600 with the weight.
A Charolais bullock born in April 2021 and weighing 755kg peaked at €2,390, or €3.17/kg.
In ring two, lighter store heifers 300 – 400kg averaged out at €3.07/kg, while heifers 400kg to 500kg levelled at €2.98/kg and lots 500kg+ averaged €2.90/kg with highs of €2,200 in this category.
Hannon reported that dry cows are “sticking firm” with activity from online northern buyers, and local customers.
With a small entry on offer, a 505kg March-2020-born BBX cow (recip dam) with a LMX bull calf at foot, weighing 270kgs, made €3,060, following lively competition amongst online and ringside bidders.
Read more.
Aurivo Ballinrobe Mart
According to Teresa Gibsey, prices maxed out at €2,340 at Aurivo Ballinrobe Mart’s general cattle sale on Wednesday, June 7th, 2023, writes farming journalist, Catherina Cunnane.
The mart’s assistant manager reported that bullocks ranged from €700 to €1,700 per head or €1.95 to €3.75 per kg, while heifers pushed from €650 to €1,520 per head or €2.36 to €3.98 per kg.
Dry cows were a “blazing” trade with some top-quality lots on offer.
Prices ranged from €880 to €2,340 with a top call acquired by a farmer from Ballymartin, Kilmaine, who had a 895kg Charolais-cross.
Read more on this mart report.
Castlerea Mart
According to Brendan Egan, a smaller entry came under the hammer at Castlerea Mart’s general cattle sale on Thursday, June 8th, 2023.
At the previous week’s sale, over 500 entries crossed the sale, while Thursday saw over 300 lots pass through the rings as farmers availed of favourable weather conditions for silage and hay-making.
Bullocks maxed out at €2440, heifers hit €2120, and cull cows peaked at €2270.
The weanling rings witnessed bulls top out at €3.66/kg, while heifer weanlings reached €4.03/kg.
Cows with calves at foot made up to €2,200, while the calf ring recorded a full clearance.
See sample prices across all categories.
Ennis Mart
Cattle numbers dropped back to close to 300 head at Ennis Mart’s general cattle sale on Tuesday, June 6th, 2023.
A smaller entry of just over 400 lots, including some 130 calves, came under the hammer at the previous week’s sale, as reported by That’s Farming in this news article.
Calf numbers were back with 55 on offer on Tuesday, and these met with what the spokesperson described as “a very good trade”, especially for strong types with highs of €715 for a Limousin-cross bull calf.
The spokesperson commented that “bull weanlings met a lively trade and made to €3.96/kg”.
“There was a serious demand in the heifer ring as these made to €4.24/kg. There was a mixed sale of suckler stock with the highlight being a BBX cow with a LMX calf topping out at €2,680.”
Read more.
Tuam Mart
A “sizzling hot trade” prevailed at Tuam Mart’s bank holiday cattle sale on Monday, June 5th, 2023, according to Marion Devane.
The mart manager reported that cull cows maxed out at €2,460, while suckler pairs followed at €2,420, bullocks sold to €2,400, heifers topped at €2,160, and weanlings hit €1,260.
See sample prices.
See mart reports on That’s Farming.
