Cattle marts report: Welcome blast of jungle weather turns up heat for buyers and sellers at marts

Unfortunately I was unable to go to Saturday’s Guns’n’Roses concert in Slane, I was too busy on the farm. And I missed their last appearance in Slane 25 years ago too for the very same reason. I never seem to be able to get the time to let the hair down.

Hopefully by the time Guns ’n’ Roses come around again, perhaps in 25 years, I will finally have figured out how to get some time off and will be there, rocking my socks off.

Rocking in the fields of Slane, with my Zimmer frame, and letting what remains of my hair down. Third time lucky, as the fellow says. Roll on Slane 2042.

Staying with the Guns’n’Roses theme, one of their big hits from way back, when we all had more hair, was ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ and in rural parts this week, it certainly feels a lot like a jungle.

And I don’t mean fellows have begun to swing off branches and feast solely on bananas, I’m talking about the weather. It’s hot and it’s wet.

It’s jungle weather, my friend, exactly the kind of weather to cheer a fellow up. It’s growth all the way, and if you can’t muster a smile at such times, you’d really need to find yourself another job. These are the days when farming looks like a right good occupation.

With growth all around, it’s not surprising that the mart trade has lifted this week, ever so slightly.

Put it this way, I’d prefer to have sold my cattle this week rather than last week. Cattle are up €30 a head, conditions both in the mart and on the ground have improved.

I was in Corrin on Tuesday and saw two lots of good Friesian stores around the 400kg mark come close to the €2/kg. A rarity this summer.

Corrin mart manager Sean Leahy was impressed with Tuesday’s sale. “We had an excellent trade for bullocks today with an improved trade on last week. We also saw a good demand for heifers and dry cows,” Sean said.

Corrin

Tuesday

No Breed Sex Weight €

6 AA steers 397kg 905

5 Fr steers 490kg 875

5 Lim Heifers 540kg 1190

3 Hr heifers 260kg 605

1 Ch heifer 510kg 1135

1 Sim cow 795kg 1470

1 Fr cow 880kg 1390

Corrin mart had 800 cattle on offer on Tuesday with dry cows selling from €480 to €1,470 a head. Bullocks here sold from €150 to €550 with their weight, with beef bullocks making up to €660 with the kilo. Store heifers sold from €250 to €500 with the weight with butcher types making up to €650.

Kilmallock

Monday

No Breed Sex Weight €

1 Lm steer 340kg 835

2 BB steers 480kg 980

5 Fr steers 490kg 885

2 AA heifers 488kg 1130

1 Lm heifer 490kg 1100

1 AA cow 625kg 1090

1 Fr cow 485kg 1020

From Guns’n’Roses songs to stories, the Golden Vale Mart Group recently celebrated an impressive milestone. The society is now 60 years in existence. And what better way to celebrate 60 years since its foundation, than with the publication of a book.

‘From Fair to Mart and Beyond…,’ is the title of the book that documents the history of the Society since 1956.

The book was launched in the South Court Hotel, Limerick on last Friday night, May 26, to an attendance of over 350.

The gathering included shareholders, present and former staff, customers, representatives of various organisations associated with the Society and other guests.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, also attended.

The author of the book is Sean Liston from Knockaderry, a local historian and archivist whose family had a considerable association with the Society over the years.

Sean told the gathering on Friday night that the book describes the changes in livestock marketing from the days of the fairs which were held in every town in Ireland.

He explained the activities of the fair including the early morning cattle droving and the engaging with dealers, ‘blockers’, and ‘spotters’.

Then there could be the conveying of stock to railway stations for transportation to the midlands or to England, via ship from Dublin’s North Wall. Chief Executive of GVM Group, PJ Buckley, also spoke, thanking the founding members and the successive boards for their contribution.

He thanked staff past and present for their contribution.

He praised Sean Liston for producing an excellent history, which would serve as a record of events over the past 60 years.

‘From Fair to Mart and Beyond’ is certainly a book that should be of interest to all of us who dabble in the livestock game both today and in years past.

Back to the present, we go straight to GVM’s Kilmallock mart where, on Monday, it was another busy day, with 1,230 cattle on offer, this number included 400 calves.

Denis Kirby of GVM told me that the mart had “200 buyers anxious for stock with the trade remaining strong.”

Bullocks in Kilmallock sold up to €2.60 per kg. Weanlings hit €2.62 per kg.

Dry cows (Kilmallock had 150 cows on offer) sold for up to €2.10 per kg. Heifers sold for up to €2.53 per kg.

Dairy stock peaked at €1,520 a head. Sucklers made up to €1,020 (paid for a 13-year-old Aberdeen Angus along with her Limousin heifer calf).

Breeding bulls made up to €2,080 each (paid for an Aberdeen Angus). On this Monday, June 5 (the bank holiday), a special suckler cow sale takes place at Kilmallock mart.

Macroom

Saturday

No Breed Sex Weight €

1 Ch steer 680kg 1450

3 Ch steers 300kg 850

1 AA steer 560kg 1230

3 Hr steers 300kg 725

1 Lm heifer 405kg 1110

1 Ch cow 870kg 1735

1 Fr cow 700kg 1240

In Macroom on Saturday, dry cows sold from €75 to €865 over the kilo. Continental bullocks made from €310 to €770 over the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €255 to €670 over their weight. Heifers sold from €240 to €750 over their weight.

Bandon

Monday

No Breed Sex Weight €

3 Hr steers 361kg 760

4 AA steers 568kg 1220

6 Ch steers 423kg 1165

1 Ch heifer 755kg 1540

4 Ch heifers 333kg 830

1 Hr cow 845kg 1475

1 Fr cow 775kg 1290

Bandon had 800 calves on offer on Monday; mart manager, Tom McCarthy, reported “a very good calf trade.” Friesian bull calves on Monday sold from €80 to €250 a head. Strong Hereford and Angus bull and heifer calves made up to €490 a head on Monday.

Dry cows sold from €50 to €900 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks made €300 to €750 with the weight. Continental bullocks sold from €500 to €1,000 with the kilo. Friesian bullocks made from €200 to €540 with the kilo. Heifers in Bandon sold from €250 to €700 with their weight.

Skibbereen

Friday

No Breed Sex Weight €

2 Ch steers 540kg 1280

2 Lm steers 400kg 1005

1 AA steer 365kg 800

5 Ch heifers 423kg 1020

1 Hr heifer 420kg 950

1 Lm cow 640kg 1330

1 AA cow 685kg 1270

In Skibbereen on Friday dry cows sold from €50 under to €700 with the kilo. Bullocks sold from €250 to €720 with the weight. Heifers made from €250 to €625 with the kilo. Weanling bulls sold from €400 to €600 with their weight.

Dungarvan

Monday

No Breed Sex Weight €

3 Sim steers 620kg 1360

1 BB steer 660kg 1365

3 Ch steers 501kg 1245

3 Lim heifers 390kg 905

6 AA heifers 344kg 750

1 Fr cow 725kg 1050

1 AA cow 625kg 990

In Dungarvan mart on Monday, Friesian bull calves sold from €70 to €140, with €240 a head paid for weaned Friesian bull calves. Hereford bull calves made up to €270 a piece.