Cattle marts report: Farmer talk at marts turns to inequity in distribution of the basic farm payment
If you no doubt recall, in 2009, Sully landed his stricken aeroplane where few would dare.
He took her down on the choppy waters of the Hudson River, saving all 155 passengers and crew on board.
The movie, naturally enough, hinges on Sully’s decision to drop the plane when and where he did.
And it’s decision time too on many beef farms right now, with the going getting tough under foot and the grass a shadow of its former self, cattle are moving in great numbers from the fields to the marts.
Just like Sully, the time has come for many farmers to make that move, to drop their load, and prepare for the bumpy landing.
And right now the Friesian bullock is having the bumpiest landing of all. He’s taking a pounding. Put another way, he’s the bargain of the moment.
The 400 kilo store is selling in general at the marts for about €200 with the weight, with plainer sorts struggling to make €100 with the weight.
If you want to know what a bargain looks like, then look no further than the Friesian bullock.
And on that upbeat, positive note (for buyers at least), we will start our mart report heading first to Dungarvan and to mart manager, Ger Flynn.
“Our cattle sales are remaining big with a steady trade all round for both bullocks and heifers. However plainer lots of Friesian bulls are harder to sell”.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Lm steer 620kg 1225
5 Hr steers 600kg 1190
5 Ch steers 506kg 1090
4 AA heifers 492kg 900
2 Hr heifers 452kg 810
1 Fr cow 700kg 950
1 Ch cow 600kg 980
In Skibbereen on Friday, weanling bulls sold from €2.20/kg to €2.80/kg.
Weanling heifers made from €2/kg to €2.50/kg.
In Skibbereen dry cows sold from €200 under to €545 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks here made from €380 to €650 with their weight. Friesian bullocks here sold from €220 to €405 over the kilo.
Hereford and Angus bullocks made from €350 to €650 with the kilo.
Heifers in Skibbereen sold from €220 to €545 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Ch steers 382kg 910
4 Fr steers 445kg 690
4 Hr steers 522kg 1010
2 AA heifers 450kg 820
1 Ch heifer 485kg 1030
1 Hr cow 620kg 810
1 Lm cow 745kg 1290
I went to Kilmallock cattle mart on Monday and, as usual, I found the mart wasn’t short of cattle. Kilmallock had 1,380 cattle on offer on Monday. Good quality cattle sold well, in both the bullock and heifer rings.
A typical example of this, in the heifer ring, would be a pair of nice Charolais heifers (pictured) weighing 423kg, with auctioneer Dermot Lenihan bringing down the hammer at €870.
Kilmallock mart had 227 buyers in attendance on Monday, with bullocks selling for up to €2.32 per kg. Dry cows went to a high of €1.82 per kg with heifers hitting €2.41 per kg. Weanling bulls sold for up to €2.80 per kg.
Weanling heifers hit €2.36 per kg. Suckler cows made up to €1,650 (paid for a seven-year-old Limousin and her Charolais heifer calf.)
This Friday, October 21, an autumn sale of pedigree Hereford bulls takes place at Kilmallock Mart. This sale will have over 65 bulls on offer.
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 AA steers 399kg 820
4 Hr steers 353kg 750
2 Lm steers 475kg 1085
5 Fr steers 531kg 945
1 Sim heifer 485kg 965
1 Lm cow 480kg 800
1 Fr cow 470kg 630
Corrin mart in Fermoy also had a large sale of cattle. On Tuesday the mart had 969 cattle, with a “lively trade for bullocks” reported by mart manager, Sean Leahy.
In Corrin on Tuesday store bullocks sold from €100 to €370 over the kilo, with beef bullocks making up to €650 with their weight.
Store heifers in Corrin made from €160 to €455 over the kilo with butcher types making up to €740 over the kilo. Dry cows in Corrin made from €360 to €1,200 a head.
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 AA steers 735kg 1370
2 Lm steers 520kg 1150
4 Hr steers 500kg 945
1 Lm heifer 570kg 1310
3 Ch heifers 350kg 790
2 Hr heifers 497kg 940
1 Fr cow 855kg 1200
This week was a big week of course for us in farming, with the issuing of the Basic Farm Payment. I saw, as well as you did, in last week’s paper that nothing has really changed with regards to the distribution of the funds.
The big fellow is still getting a fine decent slice, with the rest of us still having to make do with the crumbs.
After all the hot air and promises of a more equitable system, it remains as before, with some ‘more equal than others’. And with regards to my own payment, I have yet to summon up the courage to check out my sickly bank account, to see if it has arrived.
A bit like a septic leg, I’m slow to go near the thing these days for fear that I might find matters worse than ever.
Buoyed up with a few drinks and a prayer to St Jude, I’ll look into the matter at the end of the week in the hopes that it came through.
Sticking with weekend maters, we head next to Macroom mart, where at the end of last week, on Saturday, dry cows sold from €120 under to €495 over the kilo. Continental bullocks made from €300 to €675 over the kilo.
Hereford and Aberdeen bullocks sold from €250 to €550 over their weight. Heifers sold from €245 to €625 over. Weanling bulls in Macroom on Saturday sold from €300 to €615 over the kilo, with heifer weanlings making from €280 to €485 over the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
7 AA steers 550kg 1100
3 Hr steers 420kg 860
1 Lm steer 605kg 1280
1 Lm steer 400kg 915
1 Ch heifer 545kg 1140
1 BB cow 840kg 1335
1 Lm cow 705kg 1075
Seamus O’ Keefe, Kanturk mart manager reported as follows after Tuesday’s cattle sale.
“Today saw 853 cattle pass through the mart, with over 400 weanlings on offer, for our spring born show and sale sponsored by Dovea Genetics. We also had an organic weanling section, and this was a great success. With over 170 buyers present, there was a flying trade in both rings.
"Our supreme champion was a Belgian Blue female weanling owned by Conor Ring, Freemount, weighing 340kg, this weanling made €1,020. The reserve champion, a Belgian Blue owned by Brendan O’Callaghan, weighed 395kg and made €1,100. Our next weanling show and sale is on November 15 for spring born weanlings.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 AA steers 585kg 1100
5 Hr steers 490kg 955
5 Lm steers 467kg 1120
4 BB heifers 555kg 1025
4 Hr heifers 415kg 760
1 Lm cow 715kg 1100
1 Fr cow 735kg 990
Finally for this week, we go across for a look at the trade in Bandon mart, which on Monday had 210 calves on offer — with a noticeable rise in the number of smaller calves appearing at the sale.
Bandon mart had 75 dry cows on offer on Monday, selling from €200 under to €350 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks on Monday made from €400 to €650 over the kilo.
Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €350 to €550 with the kilo.
Friesian bullocks in Bandon made from €220 to €530 with the weight. Heifers in Bandon on Monday made from €220 to €605 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 Ch steers 672kg 1290
2 Sim steers 670kg 1360
2 Fr steers 496kg 860
9 AA steers 503kg 980
1 BB heifer 695kg 1300
4 Hr heifer 397kg 670
1 Fr cow 765kg 1000
