Cattle marts report: Prices and weather showing signs of picking up as focus moves to the fields
With a green pint in your hand, most likely, and a jig under way, it’s maybe snakes, but not steers on the brain.
But regardless of it being St Patrick’s Day, and you possibly in a state of high intoxication, we will press on, because someone has got to keep the show on the road.
On our farms at long last, the action has moved from the yard to the field, with the fertilizer spinner replacing the round bale on the backs of many tractors.
Spring has finally sprung.
The pick up in weather has led to a pick up in the marts, both in numbers and prices. And this week’s price increase is across the board from the calf, to the weanling, to the dry cow.
If I had to put a value on the increase, which you might demand that I do, I would say €30 a head on the calf and up to €50 per head from the weanling animal upwards.
Our first mart report of the week comes from Dungarvan mart and mart manager, Ger Flynn.
“The good weather here on Monday brought a big increase in cattle numbers, with a very good trade for all types. We had an excellent trade for dry cows here on Monday,” Ger reported.
No Breed Sex Weight €
8 Lm steers 577kg 1215
3 Hr steers 595kg 1185
1 Ch steer 405kg 960
1 Ch heifer 575kg 1260
1 BB heifer 525kg 1140
1 Fr cow 790kg 1120
1 Fr cow 765kg 1060
Bandon mart on Monday had 1,475 calves on offer, with mart manager Tom McCarthy reporting, “Friesian bulls up €30 a head.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 BB steers 482kg 1150
4 Lm steers 507kg 1130
2 AA steers 682kg 1380
4 Fr steers 650kg 1160
1 Hr heifer 390kg 850
4 Sim heifers 341kg 800
1 Fr cow 760kg 1190
Dry cows in Bandon made from €50 to €430 with the kilo. Continental bullocks on Monday sold from €400 to €700 with their weight.
Friesian bullocks sold from €200 to €505 with their weight. While Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €320 to €650 with the kilo.
Heifers in Bandon made from €290 to €550 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Lm steers 353kg 850
3 Fr steers 350kg 725
7 Hr steers 521kg 1250
1 Lm heifer 485kg 900
3 AA heifers 475kg 965
1 Ch heifer 380kg 810
1 Fr cow 495kg 765
I went to Kilmallock mart on Monday and noticed the pick up in prices there for myself. One example that caught my eye were seven Friesian bullocks born in early 2015 averaging a weight of 347kg, they made €755 (see picture, right). They were nice cattle, with the money also being far from unpleasant.
Kilmallock mart on Monday had over 2,000 stock on offer, including 1100 calves.
“The recent spell of fine weather has buyers getting anxious to buy cattle,” Denis Kirby told me. In Kilmallock on Monday bullocks made up to €3.09 per kg. Dry cows (Kilmallock had 170 on offer) sold for up to €1.77 per kg. Heifers went to a high of €3.07 per kg.
The trade for quality dairy stock was strong on Monday with calved cows hitting €1,500. Suckler cows sold for up to €1,350 on Monday (paid for a 5 year old purebred Shorthorn, calving March onwards to Shorthorn). The calf trade was very strong, with 137 buyers in attendance.
On Monday next Kilmallock mart will hold a clearance sale of 39 young dairy cows, mostly calved. This sale will start at 11.30am.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Sim steer 760kg 1375
2 Lm steers 490kg 1045
1 Hr steer 380kg 810
1 Lm heifer 600kg 1250
1 Ch heifer 520kg 1070
1 Lm cow 580kg 1040
1 Fr cow 730kg 1020
It’s Skibbereen mart we go to next where on Friday dry cows sold from €20 to €460 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks made from €450 to €700 with their weight. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €320 to €600 with the kilo.
Friesian bullocks sold from €220 to €500 with their weight.
Heifers in Skibbereen made from €300 to €650 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 AA steers 635kg 1240
2 Lm steers 503kg 1185
1 BB steer 435kg 1005
2 BB heifers 313kg 855
2 AA heifers 570kg 1040
1 Hr heifer 569kg 1150
1 Fr cow 770kg 1030
Kanturk mart on Tuesday also saw a large sale, with strong prices reported.
Kanturk’s mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe gave us this following summing up of the day’s activities: “We had a large sale with 1,420 animals, including 970 calves, on offer on Tuesday with buyers and sellers from around the country present.
“Hereford and Angus store bullocks were making up to €400-€500 with their weight, with Friesian bullocks making €200-€280 with their weight. Heifers sold here on Tuesday made from €2 to €2.60 per kg,” said Seamus.
“Our office is closed this Thursday, St Patrick’s Day and we will be holding a herd clearance sale here on Saturday March, 26.”
Corrin mart on Tuesday had some 1,400 cattle and calves on offer, with mart manger Sean Leahy reporting: “A good strong trade for both bullocks and heifers”.
In Corrin forward store bullocks sold from €350 to €688 over the kilo, with beef bullocks making up to €820 over the kilo.
Store heifers in Corrin made from €350 to €680 over the kilo with butcher types making up to €765 over the kilo.
Corrin had a large sale of dry cows on Tuesday with dry cows here making from €420 up to €1,300 a head.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Ch steers 352kg 840
7 Hr steers 275kg 770
6 Hr steers 370kg 830
1 BB heifer 390kg 945
3 Sim heifers 385kg 885
1 Lm heifer 645kg 1410
1 Sim cow 760kg 1300
And finally for this week we go across to Macroom mart where after Saturday’s cattle sale mart manager John O’Mahony furnished us with this following report.
“We had a large increase in numbers once again this week which was met with an excellent trade for all types of stock. Our number of calves was similar to last week, we did however have a big increase in the number of cattle on offer in comparison to previous weeks,” he said.
Dry cows in Macroom on Saturday sold from €60 under to €550 over the kilo.
Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks in Macroom sold from €225 to €640 over the kilo. With Continental bullocks selling from €235 to €765 over their weight.
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 AA steers 405kg 975
6 Hr steers 390kg 905
1 Ch steer 595kg 1285
4 Lm steers 440kg 1110
1 Sim heifer 550kg 1270
1 Lm cow 735kg 1280
1 Fr cow 640kg 1190
