Cattle prices remain strong despite silage season creating time pressure for farmers
I doubt if there is a field remaining in Donoughmore that hasn’t felt the run of a mower over the past few days.
After a surprisingly smooth winter, our summer is following the same line. It has been the perfect year, and it’s no surprise then that prices for livestock in the marts remain as sunny as the sky.
I was in Kilmallock mart on Monday, where the mart had 1,000 cattle on offer. With over 200 buyers doing business, Denis Kirby of Kilmallock mart was telling me that the demand for cattle and calves remains very strong with buyers still very anxious to secure numbers.
I noticed also that the cattle coming into the ring are starting to weigh well, the good weather clearly having an affect here also.
On Monday, bullocks in Kilmallock mart sold for up to €2.58 per kg. Dry cows hit €2.29 per kg. Heifers went to €3.22 per kg.
Looking at suckler stock sold at the Limerick mart, a six-year-old Charolais cow and her Charolais bull calf made €1,740. A 12-year-old Aberdeen Angus and her Belgian Blue heifer calf sold for €1,685. While an eight-year-old Charolais and her Charolais heifer calf made €1,340.
Looking at breeding bulls in Kilmallock mart , an Aberdeen Angus bull sold for €2,400, while a Charolais bull made €1,260.
Dairy stock sold for up to €1,470 a head, while some in calf heifers, calving January 2016 onwards, made up to €1,100 each. And Monday next, June 15, Kilmallock mart will have a special entry of 22 breeding heifers.
Kilmallock
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 AA heifers 498kg 1145
1 Hr heifer 470kg 1070
1 Lm heifer 455kg 1040
1 Ch heifer 415kg 915
1 AA heifer 375kg 840
1 Lm heifer 510kg 1130
2 Fr cows 415kg 820
Silage was on the minds of Tipperary farmers too, according to Thurles mart manager Martin Ryan.
“We had a smaller cattle sale on Monday by recent standards, but this wasn’t too surprising with half of Tipperary having been cut for silage over the past few days,” said Martin Ryan. “Cattle prices still remain strong, very strong for some lots, for example five Aberdeen Angus bullocks weighing 350kg made €950 a head here on Monday. Very plain Friesians are a little more difficult.”
Thurles
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
5 Hr steers 433kg 990
5 Fr steers 379kg 800
4 Lm steers 350kg 890
1 Sim heifer 330kg 880
4 Lm heifers 390kg 900
2 Ch heifers 255kg 720
1 Sim cow 615kg 1180
Some 570 calves were sold in Bandon mart on Monday, with the trade for calves remaining as strong as ever. Bandon mart had 75 dry cows on offer on Monday and here they sold from €200 to €700 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks in Bandon sold from €470 to €750 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €400 to €720 with the kilo. There was a good demand for Friesian bullocks at Bandon mart and here they sold from €300 to €720 with the kilo. Heifers on Monday sold from €400 to €800 with their weight.
Suckler stock in Skibbereen sold from €1,080 to €1,510.
Bandon
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 BB steers 432kg 1080
3 Ch steers 361kg 1000
4 Fr steers 638kg 1355
4 Sim heifers 361kg 760
1 AA heifer 375kg 840
1 Ch cow 825kg 1790
1 Fr cow 795kg 1560
“We had an exceptional trade for bullocks today, with a very strong demand for all types,” was the report we received from Sean Leahy, manager of Corrin mart, after Tuesday’s cattle sale.
And in Corrin on Tuesday, store bullocks made from €250 to €710 over the kilo, with beef bullocks hitting a high of €900 with the weight. There was a lively trade for all heifers in Corrin, and here they made from €300 to €650 with their weight, with butcher types making up to €700 over the kilo. Dry cows in Corrin sold from €750 to €1,550 a head.
Corrin
Tuesday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Lm steers 635kg 1530
7 AA steers 380kg 910
2 Fr steers 594kg 1150
1 BB heifer 444kg 1150
1 Lm heifer 256kg 600
1 Lm cow 830kg 1550
1 Fr cow 828kg 1300
Next we move to Dungarvan mart, where after Monday’s cattle sale mart manager Ger Flynn gave us this report. “We had a very good trade especially for suckled bullocks and heifers. Dry cows are holding well also.” And looking at suckler stock in Dungarvan, a Hereford cow and her bull calf made €1,430.
Dungarvan
Monday
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Sim steers 552kg 1380
1 BB steer 480kg 1250
7 AA steers 542kg 1200
3 Ch steers 471kg 1180
3 BB heifers 391kg 940
3 Lm heifers 338kg 810
1 Fr cow 735kg 1150
Mart manager Tom McCarthy reported a nice sale of dry cows in Skibbereen on Friday. Dry cows here sold from €190 to an impressive €900 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks in Skibbereen sold from €400 to €920 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €370 to €700 with the kilo. Friesian bullocks sold from €255 to €500 with the kilo. Heifers on Friday sold from €350 to €900 with their weight.
Suckler stock in Skibbereen sold from €1,080 to €1,510.
Skibbereen
Friday
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Lm steers 521kg 1215
1 Ch steer 590kg 1510
2 Fr steers 350kg 700
2 Ch heifers 365kg 1050
1 BB heifer 450kg 1350
1 Ch cow 825kg 1790
1 Lm cow 650kg 1480
And next to Macroom mart on Saturday, where mart manager John O’Mahony gave us this following report.
“We had a nice turn out of suckler cows on Saturday with in-calf sucklers selling from €1,000 to €1,460 a head, while suckler cows with calves at foot sold from €1,120 to €1,780,” said John.
“We also had a section for weanlings last Saturday with a good trade all round with plenty of buyers at ringside.”
Macroom
Saturday
No Breed Sex Weight €
7 Hr steers 590kg 1320
2 Lm steers 680kg 1550
1 Ch steer 395kg 1040
2 Lm heifers 475kg 1145
3 Ch heifers 355kg 950
1 Ch cow 695kg 1350
1 Fr cow 805kg 1430
And in Macroom mart on Saturday dry cows sold from €115 over to €755 over the kilo. Friesian bullocks made from €140 to €465 over the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €210 to €800 over the kilo. While Continental bullocks made from €260 to €865 over the kilo.
Heifers in Macroom on Saturday sold from €215 over to €735 over the kilo.
Kanturk
Tuesday
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Fr steers 560kg 1100
4 BB heifers 385kg 845
1 Fr heifer 455kg 850
2 Ch heifers 470kg 980
1 AA heifer 535kg 1030
1 Fr cow 640kg 1080
1 Fr cow 670kg 1240
And finally for this week we go across to Kanturk mart in Cork, where — after Tuesday’s cattle sale — mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe gave us this following report.
“We had a smaller sale today with 600 animals on offer, which included 350 calves. Bullock prices were the same as last week and all calves made big money, with plenty of buyers present from around the country.”
