Cattle marts: Latté drinking beef farmers, the cattle trade is looking up
True to form, we immediately put down our cups and resolved to tackle the man on delayed GLAS payments and promised improvements in suckler payments.
“Ok, just as soon as I finish drinking my latté,” says I to the brother-in-law.
And just like that, it dawned on us that perhaps two nicely relaxed, latté-supping farmers weren’t the best people to tackle the Minister.
And with that we began to wonder if the farming scene isn’t too bad right now. Sure, the mart trade is going rather well at the moment.
So, instead of tackling Minister Creed, we ended up praising him for his good work. What else could you do, and you clutching a latté?
And we even went so far as to encourage him to challenge for the leadership once Enda does the inevitable. I mean, if he has a beef and a suckler farmer drinking fancy coffees of a Monday morning, think of what good the Macroom native could do if he got the chance to run the country?
I’ll begin my look at the mart scene starting appropriately enough in Macroom, where on Saturday last a serious demand for store bullocks saw 500kg Hereford bullocks selling for €700 with their weight.
With the year only just beginning for the store bullock, there’s a battle developing ringside for stock.
In Macroom on Saturday, dry cows sold from €80 under to €520 over the kilo. Continental bullocks made from €350 to €820 over the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €280 to €700 over their weight.
Friesian bullocks sold from €205 to €555 with the kilo. Heifers sold from €280 to €710 over their weight.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Fr steers 490kg 1045
5 Hr steers 500kg 1200
3 Lm steers 570kg 1390
1 Lm heifer 545kg 1255
1 Fr cow 810kg 1260
1 Ch cow 720kg 1220
1 BB cow 630kg 1150
While the weather looks a bit more promising for the week ahead, it was a different story on Tuesday last.
Tuesday was a day for the long johns. However, there is always a plucky devil looking on the bright side, and one farmer I met in Kanturk mart on Tuesday cheerfully quipped that the bit of frost and snow makes the grass “nice and crispy for cattle.”
Well, cornflakes is what they must surely have been feasting on then, for Tuesday was bitter.
However, in spite of the crispness outside, the cattle trade within Kanturk mart was anything but frosty.
I saw a strong trade for store heifers and bullocks.
Kanturk had a big sale on Tuesday, with 1,400 animals on offer, this number included 890 calves. Mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe, had this to say with regards to the mart’s dairy sale last Saturday.
“At our dairy sale, calved heifers made from €1,300 to €1,620 a head, with young calved cows selling from €1,200 to €1,600. We’ll have a special sale for breeding heifers and an all breed bull sale here on Saturday April 8.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
6 AA steers 620kg 1210
10 Fr steers 480kg 845
1 Hr steer 545kg 1050
6 Lm heifers 485kg 1020
1 Lm cow 645kg 1000
1 Fr cow 800kg 1110
1 Ch cow 890kg 1610
Iin spite of there being snow on the ground in Thurles when I spoke to Thurles mart manager Martin Ryan on Tuesday morning, Monday’s cattle sale had no chill factor.
“Yesterday’s sale saw a big surge in numbers from the previous week,” said Martin.
“We sold 1,158 animals with a clearance rate of 94%. The main increase was with bullocks and heifers, while we saw declining numbers of calves and cull cows.
“Despite the poor weather conditions that prevail today, the trade was very strong yesterday. There was a noticeable presence of grass buyers at the ringside adding to the vibrancy of the trade. This has increased the pressure on the feedlot buyers, forcing them to revise their budgets.”
Heavier cattle were in strong demand in Thurles, with smaller cattle also seeing a good lift due to the presence of exporters buying young bulls under 320kg.
“The cull cow trade has also been lifting steadily, despite the decrease in numbers. Dairy cull cows averaged €1.41/kg (€1.18/kg-€1.58/kg).
"Calves have remained steady, Friesian bull calves averaged €114 here on Monday, with continentals averaging €317. We have also seen an increase in shipping activity for the lower value calf.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
7 Fr steers 265kg 530
4 AA steers 326kg 710
7 Fr steers 390kg 775
4 Ch steers 493kg 1215
8 Hr steers 277kg 735
3 Sim heifers 381kg 820
2 Ch heifers 522kg 1275
In Skibbereen on Friday, bullocks sold from €245 to €685 with their weight. Heifers made from €230 to €670 with the weight. Weanling bulls made from €280 to €605 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Lm steer 440kg 1125
2 Hr steers 517kg 1105
1 Ch steer 520kg 1150
3 Ch heifers 351kg 845
1 Lm heifer 430kg 1100
1 Fr cow 790kg 1110
1 Lm cow 665kg 1160
“We had a bigger sale of cattle with a sharper trade for all. Quality lots of bullocks and heifers, especially continentals, ranged in price from €2.30 to €2.90 per kilo.
"Cull cow numbers were scarcer with a top call of €2.05 per kilo,” Kilkenny mart manager George Candler reported after last Thursday’s cattle sale.
“The grass has finally started to grow, and even allowing for an uncertain future, farmers have decided to start buying,” added George.
“Quality store bullocks and heifers were in demand here in Kilkenny. Numbers have still not peaked, but the trade looks positive for the weeks ahead.”
In Kilkenny on Thursday, Friesian cull cows sold from €0.90 to €1.70 per kilo, with continental types selling from €1.40 to €2.05 per kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 AA steers 785kg 1640
6 Fr steers 520kg 1010
6 Ch steers 435kg 1150
2 AA heifers 335kg 850
3 Lim heifers 480kg 1160
2 Ch heifers 420kg 1050
7 AA heifers 570kg 1100
Kilmallock mart saw a big entry of cattle on Monday. The mart had 2,100 stock including 1,020 calves on offer, and 258 buyers were in attendance, with prices remaining strong for all types of stock.
Bullocks in Kilmallock sold for up to €2.63 per kg. Weanlings hit €3.00 per kg. Dry cows sold made up to €1.95 per kg. Heifers hit a high of €2.70 per kg. Dairy stock made up to €1,600 a head, while in the suckler ring a three-year-old Charolais and her Charolais bull calf sold for €1,100.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Lm steer 395kg 925
3 Hr steers 380kg 825
6 AA steers 320kg 765
1 BB heifer 495kg 940
1 AA heifer 490kg 1000
1 Hr cow 440kg 740
1 Fr cow 460kg 665
And for those on the lookout for an organic sale, one takes place in Kilmallock mart on this Saturday, March 25.
This is the mart’s first organic sale of the year, which should see over 200 stock on offer. The organic sale begins at 11am sharp.
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 AA steers 560kg 1210
2 Ch steers 625kg 1340
2 AA heifers 395kg 880
2 Lm heifers 400kg 1020
1 BB heifer 725kg 1580
1 Fr cow 725kg 1100
1 Lm cow 815kg 1660
“We had a good strong trade for all types of cattle,” was the report we received from Corrin mart manager Sean Leahy after Tuesday’s cattle sale.
In Corrin, store bullocks made from €150 to €650 with their weight, with beef bullocks making up to €720 with the kilo. Heifers sold from €240 to €620 with the weight, with butcher types making up to €855 with the kilo.
Dry cows in Corrin made from €550 to €1,660 a head.
No Breed Sex Weight €
6 Hr steers 335kg 720
6 AA steers 517kg 1030
8 Fr steers 368kg 630
2 Lm heifers 507kg 1060
7 AA heifers 350kg 680
1 Lm cow 860kg 1700
1 Fr cow 815kg 1110
At Bandon mart, calf sellers could well afford a latté or two after a good day’s work on Monday. The calf trade is as firm as a coffee bean. Bandon mart had 1,680 calves on offer with the Friesian bull calf selling from €65 to €220 a head.
In the cattle ring, dry cows sold from €50 to €850 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €400 to €600 with the weight.
Friesian bullocks in Bandon made from €200 to €500 with the kilo. Heifers here made from €250 to €700 with the kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
5 AA steers 602kg 1265
1 Hr steer 595kg 1235
2 Lm steers 627kg 1290
7 AA heifers 332kg 790
3 Hr heifers 398kg 890
1 Lm cow 760kg 1600
3 Fr cows 655kg 1010
After Monday’s cattle sale in Dungarvan, mart manager Ger Flynn reported “a very good trade all round, with prices holding well for quality stores.” Hereford bull calves sold up to €400 a head.
