Prices held up as cattle off-loaded from wet fields

June of 2012 will probably be remembered by many farmers as the month that redefined the meaning of hardship.

With upwards of 2.5 times the normal rainfall in some places in the first three weeks of the month, the difficulties for the farming community are by now legion. However, 2012 may also be remembered as the year that the buoyancy in the cattle trade offered farmers real and profitable options as they navigated their way through the problems posed by the poor weather.

An example of these options was evident at Bandon mart last Monday, with Tom McCarthy revealing that their sale of 320 cattle was an increase of nearly 100% on the same week last year.

Tom reckons that some farmers are choosing to lessen the strain on water-logged fields by off-loading some stock — a decision that has put unseasonably high numbers into the sales rings. He told me that the single biggest increase has been in 2011 born stores. “But we’ve also seen an increase in heavier 2010-born stock.”

He said good cattle sold very well on Monday, but the plainer dairy types were a little harder to sell.

“Some of them were back €60 to €70 on two weeks ago,” he said.

Tom is very optimistic for the autumn however, stating that as long as the beef price remains high, “Factory prices always work their way back into the sales ring”.

Next it’s Mid Tipp Mart in Thurles, and their sale also on Monday last, where Martin Ryan was in fine form.

A combination, I soon discovered, of a buoyant mart trade coupled with Martin returning from a trip to the Highland Show in Scotland; also helping the form was Tipp’s victory on Sunday. “Victory over Cork,” he said, “was sweet, but it’s not a major statistic yet.”

Moving off the subject of hurling and onto his trip to Scotland, he described the Highland Show as “Like a four-day Tullamore Show and the ploughing match, without the ploughing, rolled into one.”

He commented that calf prices in Scotland “are substantially lower” than here, with good Friesian bull calves making “around Stg£100”.

The Scottish suckler herd, Martin reckons, appears to be heading towards being bred largely along Limousin and Aberdeen Angus lines, with a certain number of Angus cows being also crossed with Charolais.

The Scots, he said, qualify the efficiency of their suckler herd on the basis of the weight of the weanling sold versus the weight of the suckler cow it has to maintain. Hence the move to crossing Angus cows with Charolais bulls.”

Down the road in Kilmallock on Monday, Denis Kirby further reaffirmed my belief that farmers are continuing to take advantage of good prices to ease the pressure on land caused by the poor weather.

He told me their sale of 983 cattle, which included 300 calves, was 115 animals ahead of this time last year, with the number of dry cows reaching 140, as opposed to just 40 this week last year.

Light stores made up to €3 a kilo, with forward stores hitting €1,000 with the weight. “A very good trade all round,” he reflected.

Moving to Tuesday and the sale in Fermoy/Corrin, where auctioneer John Murphy said their sale of 800 animals met a rising trade, with heavy cattle in particular being exceptionally strong.

“The 580 kg plus bullock was up €50 to €90 a head on the previous two weeks,” he said.

He posed the question put by Jimmy Walsh of Carlow last week in relation to the possible inadequate supply of grass in September and October suitable for finishing factory cattle, given the current weather.

“Paddocks have been damaged, and aftergrass is scarce.”

There is no doubt that good grass and good weather are needed; however, should the weather straighten itself out, stock prices could no doubt strike on again.

Meanwhile, across the border in Kerry, matters pertaining to qualification for the disadvantaged areas scheme (DAS) were helping to underpin the trade in Tralee on Monday.

Philip Healy said they had a number of men present who were attempting to fill their quotas before the end of the month, in the hope of qualifying for payment.

The Department’s rules — and there has been a deal of controversy about how the Department has presented its case to Brussels on the matter — require animals to be kept for six months to qualify. Philip also commented that Tralee is now beginning to see more 2011-born cattle. “Not huge numbers,” he said, “but they are starting to come”.

On a lighter note, he reckoned, “Tipp got out of jail on Sunday”, and that what beat Cork was lack of experience. Fair comment from a man whose county is traditionally neutral on matters hurling.

The sale in Carlow on Monday saw 360 cattle on offer. “A sizeable sale given the day of the year,” said mart manager Jimmy Walsh.

Cattle in his part of the world continue to look good as they reap the rewards of a good grass supply, he said. However he also commented that their numbers were swelled somewhat by a number of men who presented stock that in other years would have been kept until September.

Prices were maintained and they had “a good clearance“, although, “heifers might have been a little less”.

Another sale with significant numbers for the day of the year was Sixmilebridge in Clare, with Sean Ryan commenting that “both numbers and prices are still well up”. The numbers on Saturday last, he said, saw more weanling stock than year-and-a-half stores.”

An accurate reflection of the tradition of breeding versus fattening in that part of the world. What also caught his attention, however, was the fact that they had a share of animals that had travelled significant distances to be present.

“We had stock from a number of counties outside of Clare that had travelled 50 or 60 miles” he said.

Leaving aside the old adage of “far away fields are always greener,” a day out at the mart is a day out, and an occasional change of scenery is not a bad thing.

My next port of call was Tuam in county Galway, where Marian Devane told me her numbers were also up on the previous week, with 200 animals present, as opposed to 150 last week.

“A good sale and a full clearance,” she said. Prices were well maintained, with a good show of cull cows helping to underline the demand for beef and underpinning prices.

Examples included two Herefords who weighed 810 and 700 kilos respectively, and made €1,640 and €1,420. Equally impressive was a Limousin weighing 735 kilos, making €1,420.

Turning to the weather, I suggested that if Marian’s prediction of good weather due to the changing of the moon on July 3 — made in this column last week — did not come to pass, I was considering investing in a Child of Prague, to which she replied, “The Child of Prague only works if you’re getting married, dear.”

Suitably educated, I headed finally to Enniscorthy, where Tommy Harrington said 400 cattle met a fine trade and a full clearance. So much so that he said, “We could have sold the same again.”

There was, he said, a very strong demand for the 500 kilo plus animal from plenty of “anxious” farmer buyers. Feedlot buyers, he said, were, “Well fit to push €1,000 with the weight for cattle close to being fit. Animals that could take another month’s feeding before being slaughtered”.

As at other marts, cheque books spoke loudly, with some heavy hitters buying full loads, and in some cases, going a long way on the second load. All told, the trade has not yet got itself back into balance, with mart mangers and fatteners saying demand continues to outstrip supply, regardless of the weather.