Farmers encouraged by good prices paid for quality heifers at Macroom mart
The only bargains in Macroom that I saw on Saturday were across the road in Lidl. Good continental store heifers were clearing the €2 per kg hurdle with ease.
And in spite of all the doom and gloom that may prevail at present, farmers were still very keen to purchase the animal that was easy on the eye and hard on the pocket.
And while all eyes were on continental stock, Aberdeen Angus heifers were selling in or around the €2/kg mark.
In Macroom on Saturday heifers sold from €80 to €535 over the kilo.
There seems to be a bit of a gallop emerging too in the bullock trade. I noticed this pickup in pace last week in Kanturk and the gallop continued in Macroom on Saturday.
Now the reason for this rise in confidence is nothing short of a mystery wrapped in a riddle. Nobody seems to know why there has been a move in an upwardly direction at the mart.
So we have to conclude that the rise is simply down to, as mart manager Tom McCarthy once put it “the eternal optimism of the beef farmer”.
In Macroom on Saturday continental bullocks made from €135 to €595 over the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €80 to €535 with the kilo. While Friesian bullocks sold from €90 to €365 with the kilo. Dry cows Macroom sold from €145 under to €380 over the kilo.
Macroom
Saturday
No Breed Sex Weight €
6 Fr steers 535kg 900
1 AA steer 550 kg 1080
1 Hr steer 295kg 640
2 Lm steers 352kg 900
1 Ch steer 445 kg 1000
3 BB heifers 291kg 635
1 BB cow 545kg 850
And mart manager Martin Ryan has also referred to the mystery of the expensive store animal, when I spoke to him after Monday;s cattle sale in Thurles.
“Cattle numbers were strong and so too was the market,” said Martin Ryan.
“Finishers are a little exasperated at the moment by the prices being paid for stores. And a lot of finishers that have cattle of their own are contemplating selling what they have rather than buying more. There was a fantastic trade for all types, with the exception being cull cows coming directly from the milking parlour,” he said.
Thurles
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Hr steers 365 kg 740
4 AA steers 423kg 895
4 Ch steers 500kg 1095
5 Fr steers 496kg 730
1 BB steer 375 kg 760
3 Ch heifers 365kg 770
3 AA heifers 438kg 820
In Skibbereen on Friday continental bullocks sold from €300 to €620 over the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €250 to €520 with the kilo. While Friesian bullocks sold from €170 to €300 with the kilo.
Dry cows in Skibbereen made from €50 under to €580 over the kilo. Heifers in Skibbereen sold from €250 over to €700 with their weight.
Skibbereen
Friday
No Breed Sex Weight €
5 Ch steers 484kg 1095
1 Lm steer 535kg 1135
8 Hr steers 477kg 980
1 Sim heifer 560kg 1260
4 Lm heifers 487kg 1020
4 Ch heifers 471kg 950
1 Ch cow 770kg 1260
The report from Kilmallock mart on Monday was of a “very firm trade” with Denis Kirby adding “the fine September weather is a big help to the cattle trade, buyers are anxious to buy cattle to eat the late burst of grass that is growing at the moment.”
Kilmallock mart had 1,174 stock on offer last Monday with prices continuing to improve. Looking at dairy stock, a four-year-old Friesian cow springing down to calve sold for €1,270, while a two-year calved heifer made €910.
Meanwhile, in suckling a four-year-old Aberdeen Angus and her Simmental heifer calf sold for €1210 while a nine-year-old Shorthorn and her Simmental heifer calf made €1,200.
Kilmallock
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 BB steer 390 kg 815
6 AA steers 365kg 780
7 Hr steers 371kg 770
6 Fr steers 500kg 866
7 AA heifers 341kg 690
1 Lim heifer 500kg 1020
1 Sim cow 705kg 1090
Next we turn to Bandon where on Monday the mart had 150 calves on offer. Dry cows here made from €100 under to €465 with the kilo.
In Bandon continental bullocks sold from €490 to €650 over the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €270 to €550 with the kilo. While Friesian bullocks sold from €120 to €470 with the kilo.
Bandon
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
6 Lm steers 517kg 1090
12 Hr s teers 462kg 905
10 AA steers 504kg 955
2 Fr steers 665kg 1000
4 Sim steers 471kg 960
1 BB cow 695kg 1160
1 Fr cow 700kg 1020
And so back we go to Macroom, where it was with tears in my eyes that I arrived in the mart last Saturday morning.
I went to Macroom mart with two jobs in mind. The first was to check out the mart trade and the second was to meet cattleman Sean Desmond to book a few cattle into the meat factory.And with a glum factory trade, these days deals can only be done with watery eyes.
Certainly the beef trade isn’t flying high at the moment but in spite of a poor factory trade, carry on we must.
Just like the famous Chesley B “Sully” Sullenberger did a number of years ago when he found himself flying over New York with a plane full of passengers and no engine worth a damn.
With two engines blown, Sully did the only thing he could. He carried on. We like Sully must keep our heads up.
Sully, if you recall, managed to swing his plane in the direction of the Hudson river.
The landing on water was rough. Those of us selling to the factory right now are also experiencing a bumpy landing. But Sully hung in there and we must too.
Kilkenny
Thursday
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Ch steers 720kg 1535
1 Sim steer 800kg 1660
8 Hr steers 480kg 1035
2 BB steers 495kg 1150
1 Lm heifer 750kg 1560
6 AA heifers 340kg 775
1 Ch heifer 500kg 1120
So next we turn to Kilkenny where Mart manager George Candler had this to report on the action there.
“We had a bigger sale of cattle with trade somewhat livelier for heavy bullocks. Heifers met a similar trade to last week but quality not as good. Northern buyers were a help to the trade especially for quality forward stores in both the bullock and heifer ring.”
Cull cows met a solid trade in Kilkenny.
Friesian culls in Kilkenny sold from €1.00/kg to €1.45/kg. Continental cull cows sold from €1.20 to €1.85/kg.
And finally for this fairly encouraging week at the marts, we go over to a very lively Kanturk mart, where Michael Scanlon had the following observations to report on Tuesday’s cattle sale.
“We had an outstanding trade for all cattle at today’s very big sale. Prices were much improved from last week,” he said.
“All bullocks met a great trade with a complete clearance of all stock.
“Large numbers of factory cattle, both heifers and bullocks, made up to €650 over the kilo.”
Kanturk
Tuesday
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Lm steers 510kg 1015
3 Lm steers 390kg 840
4 Fr steers 685kg 1145
1 Sim steers 765kg 1275
2 Hr heifers 600kg 1075
4 Ch heifers 370kg 780
1 Hr cow 670kg 930
