Cow trade picks up but overall mart entry falling
Prices, however, continue strong for the better stock, while the lighter bullock price continues to drive upwards, reversing their dip in price a few weeks ago.
Beginning in Bandon, where Tom McCarthy reported that Monday’s sale saw a smaller turnout than recently.
“Numbers were tighter but the trade was similar to last week across the board,” he said. “We had plenty of men for stock, and even the plainer ones sold away alright. The factory price is probably underpinning buyers’ confidence.”
Confidence, he said, was equally high at their special dairy sale, also on Monday. “It was a very good sale. We had 65 in-calf Friesian heifers and sold 55 of them. Prices varied, but €900 to €1,400 was about the range of them,” Tom said.
He also noted that there was “good demand” for calved heifers, with prices ranging from €900 to €1,650. Despite predictions earlier in the year that there would be plenty of younger cattle about this autumn (one dealer I know had predicted back in the spring that, “We’ll be snowed under with light stores in the autumn”), Tom McCarthy reckons that their failure to show in bigger numbers at marts may be down to a number of factors. Chief among these were the decisions farmers made during the very poor weather in August. “We had very big sales at that time, and a lot of stock that should have come out later came out then,” Tom said. Another consideration was, “Some cattle were put into sheds back then, and men began feeding, and after a while just decided to keep them in and finish them, so they’re missing as well,” he said.
Kilmallock on Monday saw only a slight reduction in numbers from last week. Prices, however, were maintained, and increased in some cases. This increase was no doubt helped by a very strong contingent of Northern buyers present who arrived with strong sterling cheque books and purchased across a wide range, everything from dry cows to Friesian bullocks. Sample prices from the bullock ring included one Charolais of 530 kilos making €1,200, four Friesians of 507 kilos went for €920, while a heavier Friesian of 660 kilos made €1,270.
Moving north to Tuam, where Marion Devane said their sale on Monday was “Alright, our numbers were back to 300, but that’s probably to do as much with the fact that we had 1,000 cattle on the bank holiday Monday two weeks ago”.
“Quality was maybe a bit less though,” she said. Marion also commented, “It was not an easy sale to sell”.
With the long-term fodder situation critical on some farms, and with finishers having had to feed a lot of extra meals when animals should have been thriving on just grass and sunshine during the summer, Marion reckons that some men are now counting up the cost of the summer, and are very “cagey” about committing to buying, should the winter turn out to be a long one. That said, those with heavier factory types on the day found that factory agents “were well fit”, Marion concluded.
Also reporting an “alright” trade was Philip Healy at Tralee. “Trade was alright but it’s the cull cow that keeping the numbers up,” Philip said. “We had a good share of cows and if anything, the trade has strengthened for them. Canner cows in particular have lifted. A month ago, there really was no demand for them, but now they’re putting a floor under the cow trade,” he said.
Bullock prices remained “largely unchanged”, with the better continentals pushing beyond €2 a kilo. However, following the very heavy rains over the weekend, “some stock were looking a bit washed out”, he said.
An example of stock that appeared “a bit washed out” after the recent downpours and, as a result, their value was affected, were a lot of seven Herefords of 510 kilos which only made €890. Inrelation to the prospects for the coming weeks, Philip considers, “As long as beef continues to rise, that will put positivity into the mart trade.”
“Positive” was a word used by Tom Harrington of Enniscorthy Mart to describe their trade. “A good trade, a very good trade, very positive,” he said when I spoke to him after their sale on Tuesday.
“We had no shortage of buyers, and it was easier to sell the forward store, especially the 490 to 560 kilo animal. Anything of that weight with a bit of quality about them was a serious trade“, Tom said.
Heavy cattle made from €600 to €900 over their weight on the day, with the majority bought by buyers for further feeding and finishing, as opposed to storing them for spring grazing. Tom picked out two lots of five Charolais as being typical in quality and money, as examples of what he meant. The first five were 500 kilos and made €1,135, while the second, although a bit lighter at 490 kilos, didn’t stop until they hit €1,220! The heifer trade was also very strong, with the prices given below typical.
Corrin, also on Tuesday, saw a very lively sale, with Sean Leahy commenting, “Numbers of bullocks were less, we had a lot of heifers, and cow numbers were very big, which made for a very good trade.”
Concentrating on the cow trade, Sean said that they had a very wide selection. “We had all types, a wide variation. Good cows were in serious demand from both factory buyers and feeders.”
However, in relation to the smaller cow straight from the parlour, “They were what they were, and they made what they made.”
In relation to bullocks, “They were in very strong demand and were lively”.
He noticed that the lighter bullock in particular was much improved on a number of weeks ago, citing the example of 400 kilo Friesians making €740 — “a good price”.
Further examples of the improved trade for those lighter type stores were Aberdeen Angus at 480 kilos making €960 and Herefords of 380 kilos surpassing expectations at €810. Commenting on the heifer trade, Sean said, “We had a good yard of heifers with some very good quality and prices to match”.
Staying on Tuesday but moving to Nenagh, where Michael Harty noted a fall-off in numbers. “Numbers were smaller, especially the beef, including heifers, but the good cattle made great prices. However, I felt the trade wasn’t as sharp as before, overall. The same fluency wasn’t in it,” he said.
What was in it, and helped illustrate his point about a lack of “fluency” — as well as posing an interesting question — were a selection of Friesian cattle that Michael said had been in sheds for a few weeks. “They weighed between 530 and 550 kilos, and made between €860 and €900. That’s €100 easier on a few weeks ago,” he commented. I wondered whether this is an indication that some men may be considering their fodder and feed situation, the quantity, quality and price of same, and deciding that their first loss might be their best.
Also reporting a tougher trade was Michael Scanlon at Kanturk, where Tuesday saw, “A good trade, but not as good as last week.” Although Michael described the trade as “tougher”, a full clearance was achieved. Another feature was the numbers — up on the previous week. “Our numbers were up on the previous week, with a lot more bullocks, a lot of weanlings, and a stronger show of cows.”
“Some stock were showing the effects of the poorer weather of last weekend, in that they looked a bit washed out,” Michael said.
With good demand all round, there was a noticeable lift to the cow trade, with canner cows at about €1 a kilo, “or a little less”, Michael said. Examples of prices for better cows were a Friesian of 510 kilos making €910, and another slightly older Friesian of 650 kilos making €930.
The fodder situation continues to be a factor on many farms, with Michael telling me that he has seen loads of bales “on the move on every road” over the last week.
Although the mart trade may be winding down a bit, Kanturk will be holding their annual fat stock show next Tuesday. Michael tells me that by Tuesday of this week, their entry already stood at 120. “We’re expecting a big show with a lot of top class cattle,” he said.
