Farmers busy at marts while bank holiday revellers soak up sun
The greatest day to be a beef farmer is the day the mart cheque arrives. Suddenly you have money.
Money to pay the vet, the bank and the feed merchant. Money to pay almost everyone.
Last Tuesday morning in this house, the mart cheque arrived — and by last Tuesday evening most of it had gone again.
A bit like a revolving door, it can be hard sometimes for the farmer himself to get a look in, without getting caught in the mechanics of the thing.
But at least when the dust settles, if you have made enough to cover your costs and your bills, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve made enough to keep the show going, and in this beef game where fellows go to the wall quicker than a Mexican on the Texas border, that alone can be some achievement.
And speaking of keeping the show going, we begin our mart report by heading first to the bank holiday sale of cattle at Kilmallock mart, where on Monday numbers of cattle were up and demand was good.
Denis Kirby of GVM gave us all the details. “We had almost 1,200 calves and calves on offer here at Kilmallock mart on Monday. These were very big numbers for the August bank holiday. Once again, this week exporters and farmers fought keenly for stock.”
Bullocks in Kilmallock on Monday sold for up to €2.34 per kg, while weanlings hit €3.04 per kg.
Dry cows sold for up to €1260 each or €1.85 per kg. Heifers hit €2.83 per kg.
Dairy stock made up to €1,220 (paid for a four year old calved Jersey). In the suckler ring a four-year-old Charolais and her Limousin bull calf sold for €1,900. And in the calf ring, runner type calves made up to an eye-rubbing €800. This sum was paid over for a 21-week-old Charolais bull. He must have been some bull.
This Saturday, August 12, a weanling show and sale takes place in GVM’s Abbeyfeale mart, while on this coming Monday, there will be one held in Kilmallock. Intake for weanlings at Kilmallock commences at 8am.
The show begins at 9.30am, and the sale starts with weanling bulls at 10.30am.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 AA steer 395kg 845
1 Hr steer 380kg 780
2 Fr steers 358kg 570
2 Ch steers 538kg 1165
1 Sim heifer 495kg 1060
2 Lm heifers 453kg 1010
1 Fr cow 640kg 880
While bank holidays are of course a big deal in the wider world, in farming they are about as welcome as coccidiosis in young calves. Farmers in general hate bank holidays.
They’re a real inconvenience, with so many business premises shutting up shop.
We have too many bank holidays these days, they seen to be occurring with ever greater frequency. We didn’t have half as many when I was a young fellow, and people worked a lot harder. Who decided the labour force was in need of so many siestas? Were the backs breaking at an alarming rate?
Anyway, in Macroom on Saturday, while a queue of bored-looking caravan-towing families snaked their way slowly through the streets of the town in search of a better life in Killarney, at the mart it was business as usual.
Macroom mart had plenty of cattle on offer with plenty of buyers on-hand, ignoring the urge to tow a caravan and put the feet up. In Macroom, dry cows sold from €20 to €645 over the kilo. Continental bullocks made from €330 to €720 over the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €270 to €545 over their weight. Heifers sold from €280 to €545 over their weight.
No Breed Sex Weight €
7 AA steers 365kg 815
2 Ch steers 530kg 1250
1 BB steer 440kg 1100
2 Ch heifers 480kg 1025
4 Lm heifers 380kg 860
1 Ch cow 680kg 1240
1 Fr cow 720kg 1110
We go next to Kilkenny mart, where George Candler gives us the following report on last Thursday’s eventful cattle sale.
“We had a somewhat smaller sale compared to last week, and even though the factories are dropping their quotes, trade remains very firm, especially for quality lots,” said George.
“Forward store bullocks and heifers showed little or no change, and some of the plainer type cattle were a little more difficult to sell.
“Beef heifers peaked at €2.60 per kilo on Thursday, with forward store bullocks peaking at €2.80 per kilo. Cull cow prices remain firm.”
In Kilkenny mart on Thursday continental cull cows sold from €1.40 to €2.32 per kilo, with Friesian cull cows making from €1.10 to €1.70 per kilo.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Lm steers 785kg 1700
3 Hr steers 460kg 935
6 Fr steers 420kg 820
8 BB steers 360kg 855
2 Lm heifers 470kg 1295
4 AA heifers 465kg 920
7 Hr heifers 360kg 760
Corrin mart on Tuesday had 670 stock on offer. Mart manager Sean Leahy reported “an excellent trade for bullocks, a similar trade to last week,” with “a good strong trade” reported by Sean for both heifers and dry cows.
In Corrin on Tuesday bullocks sold from €200 to €630 with their weight, with beef bullocks making up to €920 with the kilo. Store heifers sold from €250 to €530 with the weight, with butcher types making up to €890.
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Lm steers 790kg 1705
5 AA steers 460kg 1010
2 Sim steers 590kg 1215
2 Ch steers 370kg 905
3 Lim heifers 626kg 1515
1 Ch cow 700kg 1180
1 Fr cow 725kg 1090
We switch next to Kanturk mart where mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe gave us all the details after Tuesday’s cattle sale. “We had a sale of 420 cattle and calves which is a big sale after a bank holiday. We had a good trade all round with heifers slightly easier. We’ll hold our spring-born weanling show and sale on Tuesday, September 5, sponsored by Boherbue Co-op.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Hr steers 720kg 1370
2 Ch steers 845kg 1300
1 Hr heifer 600kg 1170
1 Ch heifer 460kg 960
1 Ch heifer 430kg 900
1 Ch cow 790kg 1330
1 Fr cow 715kg 1200
And finally for this week we go to Skibbereen mart where on Friday dry cows sold from €35 to €535 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €285 to €675 with their weight. Continental bullocks sold from €485 to €775 with the kilo. Heifers in Skibbereen sold from €285 to €805 with their weight. In Skibbereen weanling bulls made from €390 to €590 with the kilo. Suckler stock in Skibbereen made up to €1,460.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Ch steers 615kg 1380
6 AA steers 470kg 990
1 Lm steer 585kg 1340
2 Ch heifers 602kg 1405
1 BB heifer 395kg 950
1 Lmx cow 735kg 1320
1 Chx cow 695kg 1160
