Steady Kanturk sales set standard for a week of lively trading across the cattle marts
The last time I was at a fat stock show and sale in Kanturk was way back in 1992. My father was with me on that day and, if memory serves me correctly, we had a nice few scoops in Kanturk before we waved goodbye to the town.
So where has it all gone wrong for me, you might well ask? With me now attending marts with all the sobriety of a Supreme Court Judge.
Sadly the days of mixing marts and stout are confined to hazy memories of the middle aged and the old. And mores the pity.
I firmly believe that if it was my task to put together a mart report nourished with a few pints, it would be a far more entertaining piece than it currently is.
For starters every mart would receive a glowing report. All would be rosy in the garden, with me I suspect, the rosiest of all.
And every scandal and misadventure whispered to me during the day would be given precedence on this page over trivial matters like cattle prices. It would be nothing but talk of affairs and general devilment.
In the interests of research, if only for one week, I must endeavour sometime to write a mart report after consuming a few pints during a day of cattle trading. An alcohol fueled report would most definitely make a fascinating change.
Anyway back to reality, and to Kanturk mart on Tuesday. The marts fat stock sale, as you would expect, drew a big turnout of farmers and cattle. And during the day I met Kanturk mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe. Seeing as the year is coming to a close I asked Seamus how 2014 had been for this busy north Cork mart.
“Its been a very good year for Kanturk mart. As a matter of fact, its been one of our busiest years ever.”
“But you cannot look at marts and ignore what has been going on in the beef trade,” Seamus added.
“The problems in the beef business which begun in the middle of the year and have continued right up to recent times have eroded confidence in beef farming.”
“The poor prices offered for finished stock has caused a great deal of worry and anguish for farmers.”
“Thankfully factory prices are starting to lift now. And hopefully for the remainder of the year, and into next year, this long overdue price rise will continue.”
And looking at the fat stock sale in Kanturk on Tuesday, the Supreme Champion prize was given to a two-year-old Charolais owned by Ellen McGivern from Carrigtwoohill. This Charolais weighed 760kg and was purchased by Paul Mullalley for €2,800.
The Reserve Champion was a Belgian Blue heifer was owned by Mervyn Busteed from Bandon. And this heifer weighed 755kg and made €2,550. The purchaser here was Gerald Ryan.
And before we leave Kanturk behind for another week, I must send a word of praise to the team in Kanturk mart for the wonderful hospitality they showed to every farmer who visited the mart on Tuesday.
There is nothing like a fat stock show and sale to remind one and all that Christmas is on the way.
And the Christmas spirit was certainly on display in Kanturk on Tuesday.
Simply put, nobody went home from Kanturk mart hungry or thirsty.
Kanturk
Tuesday
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Fr steer 800kg 1600
4 Ch steers 690kg 1450
2 Lm steers 530kg 1150
1 AA steer 730kg 1370
1 Lm steer 805kg 1530
1 Ch cow 670kg 1130
1 Fr cow 745kg 1060
The mart trade in Kilmallock this week had those attending reaching for the skies.
“A flying trade,” was reported by Denis Kirby. Kilmallock had 1,470 cattle on offer on Monday withé Denis adding, “the volume of cattle is attracting the buyers big time, as they fill sheds pre Christmas.”
Bullocks hit €2.24/kg in Kilmallock. Heifers went to a high of €2.29/kg. Dry cows were in good demand with good fleshy lots reaching €1.88/kg.
Weanlings sold well in Kilmallock with top lots of bulls and heifers hitting the €3.00/kg mark.
Taking a look at dairy stock, a two-year-old Friesian heifer, time up mid January to a Friesian sold for €1,260.
A four-year-old calved cow made €1,000. Breeding heifers in Kilmallock sold from €510 to €680 each.
And looking at suckling stock, a seven-year-old Hereford in-calf to a Belgian Blue sold for €1,360 on Monday. A five-year-old Shorthorn time up in February to Simmental made €1,150, while a 10-year-old Friesian in-calf to Belgian Blue made €1,110.
Kilmallock
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Sim steers 383kg 785
7 Fr steers 394kg 785
2 Hr steers 360kg 750
3 Lm steers 518kg 1070
1 BB steer 595kg 1155
2 Lm heifers 35kg 765
3 Hr heifer 343kg 690
In Skibbereen mart on Friday, weanling bulls made from €310 to €590 over the kilo. While weanling heifers made from €220 to €520 over their weight.
Continental bullocks in Skibbereen sold from €355 to €653 over the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €320 to €600 with the kilo. While Friesian bullocks sold from €150 to €340 with the kilo.
Again in Skibbereen there was a large variation in the prices paid for dry cows. Cull cows made from €190 under to €680 over the kilo. Heifers in Skibbereen sold from €250 over to €650 with their weight.
Skibbereen
Friday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Lm steers 597kg 1250
1 BB steer 545kg 1000
3 Hr steers 751kg 1300
2 AA steers 392kg 725
5 Fr steers 425kg 625
4 Hr heifers 495kg 910
1 Fr cow 800kg 1480
In Dungarvan on Monday mart manger Ger Flynn gave us this report after the cattle sale.
“We had a good sale all round, with prices holding well for all types of stock.”
Dungarvan
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 AA steer 660kg 1275
1 Lm steer 670kg 1260
8 Hr steers 588kg 1125
2 Ch steers 520kg 1070
3 Ch heifers 428kg 905
3 Hr heifers 443kg 835
1 Fr cow 750kg 1040
And there is still a lot of life in the mart trade in Macroom with numbers remaining good for the time of the year and prices remaining strong.
Macroom
Saturday
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Hr steer 605kg 1210
2 AA steers 415kg 900
1 Lm steer 595kg 1235
2 Sim steers 405kg 985
1 BB heifer 570kg 1245
1 Lm heifer 490kg 970
1 Ch cow 835kg 1520
And finally we go to Bandon mart where mart manager Tom McCarthy was high in praise for the cull cow trade.
“We had some great cows on offer on Monday and they are selling very well right now,” Tom said. I have listed a few of these dry cows in the table below.
In Bandon on Monday dry cows made from €100 under the kilo to €740 with the kilo. Heifers here sold from €350 to €715 with their weight.
Continental bullocks were up on the previous week and they made from €400 to €720 over the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €300 to €550 with the kilo. While Friesian bullocks sold from €120 to €400 with the kilo.
Bandon
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 BB steer 910kg 1630
7 Hr steers 446kg 860
7 Fr steers 395kg 825
1 Sim cow 900 1640
1 Sim cow 875kg 1400
1 Fr cow 675kg 1055
1 Fr cow 710kg 1205
