In this news article on www.thatsfarming.com, our editor, Catherina Cunnane, takes a look back at some headlining prices at suckler sales over the last week.
Articles include:
- Highs of €7,200 in Elphin;
- Victoria Farms’ breeding stock soar to €7,500;
- Coolnaslee Charolais bows out with 15,000gns record;
- €4,650 for suckler pair in Balla Mart
€7,200 in Elphin
As part of our Mart Focus segment, we attended Elphin Mart’s show and sale of breeding heifers on Wednesday, which saw highs of €7,200.
Gareth Corrie of Drumhilla Farm in Northern Ireland officiated as pre-sale judge and selected three Belgian Blue-cross heifers – two from one seller – as his red, blue, and yellow rosette winners.
His overall champion came in the form of lot 16A, a May-2021-born (28-month-old) BBX heifer, out of a Limousin-cross dam, with three owners (in her current herd 446 days), which crossed the scales at 810kgs and went on to sell for €7,200 or €8.89/kg, following a flurry of ringside and online bidding activity.
His second-prize winner was lot 13A, a 685kg Belgian Blue-cross, also out of a Limousin-cross dam, born on 08-06-2021 (27 months) with three owners (from the same seller above – in current herd 450 days), and she sold for €3,900 or €5.69/kg.
Corrie’s third-prize winner, 75A, came from a separate seller and was a Belgian Blue-cross heifer, also out of a Limousin-cross dam, born on 09-01-2022 (20 months), with 2 owners (in her current herd 265 days). She crossed the scales at 610kgs, and the hammer fell at €4,000 or €6.56/kg.
See videos of these prize winners selling in the ring under Gerry Campbell’s hammer.
We also have a separate post with videos of other entries selling.
Victoria Farms’ elite breeding females to €7,500
Meanwhile, Victoria Farms’ virtual timed auction of elite breeding females, in conjunction with MartEye and Mid-Tipp (Thurles) Mart topped at €7,500, with in-calf lots proving to be the highest-selling contenders.
Headlining the sale was lot number 3, a December 2020-born Belgian Blue-cross-Limousin, out of FSN (AI BB bull) and an OZS-sired cow. She crossed the scales at 858kgs and is in-calf to AI Limousin bull, EBY, due with a heifer calf on 26-10-2023.
On her heels at €6,000 was lot number 4, an April 2021-born ELZ daughter, with some Limousin influence. She weighed in a 738kgs and is in-calf to the AI Limousin bull, Loyal, carrying a heifer calf, due on 15-12-2023.
Next in the ranks was the sale’s first lot at €5,200, an 863kg February 2021-born Belgian Blue-cross-Charolais heifer, in-calf to EBY and carrying a bull calf, due on 25-10-2023.
Read this report.
15,000gns Charolais heifer
Prices topped at 15,000 guineas at the dispersal sale of the Coolnaslee Charolais herd for an outstanding July-2020 born heifer, Coolnaslee Rita.
Sired by the homebred bull, Coolnaslee Nico, the dam traces back to Balbithan Gilly and now heads to well-known vet, Claire Ferris.
Chasing this at 11,000 guineas was an exceptional maiden heifer snapped up by Cecil and Neil McIlwaine, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone.
This much-admired January 2022 born heifer is sired by Dundas Einstein and out of a Goldstar Hugo2 sired dam.
Coolnaslee Oona caught the eye of Claire Ferris, who secured a number of females in the sale for her Damview herd.
This young Newhouse Bigal daughter was knocked down at 10,500 guineas. A Young, Castlederg forked out 9000 guineas for Coolnaslee Nice Girl accompanied by her heifer calf sired by Coolnaslee Pingpong.
Read more on this mart report.
€4,650 for suckler pair in Balla Mart
A Salers-cross cow with her Limousin-cross heifer calf have sold for what could be a new centre record price for a suckler pair at Aurivo Balla Mart, Co Mayo.
The 2019-born second-calver, herself out of a Charolais-cross dam, with her December-2022-born heifer, with a combined weight of 1,035kgs, sold for €4,650, at the mart’s general cattle sale on Saturday, August 26th, 2023.
The cow was scanned on August 22nd, 2023, circa 3.5 months in-calf to a four-star Limousin stock bull, due in February 2024.
Upon entering the ring, resident livestock, auctioneer, Brendan Corrigan, announced that the cow has a five-star replacement index with a value of €159 (genotyped), while the heifer also boasts a five-star replacement rating (also genotyped) with a value of €143.
See a video of livestock auctioneer, Brendan Corrigan, selling the team.
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