Marts Report: The heat is on at the marts
A special entry of top class Limousin cows with calves at foot made from €1,750 to €2,000 at Kanturk mart on Tuesday.
The heat is on at the marts "I suppose you are anxious for a bit of rain now Den?" an old friend asked me on Tuesday evening. He knows us farmers, like a weather clock, are never happy in one position for too long.
And God knows, he was right, a drop or two of rain wouldn't go astray at this stage. I don't have hay on the ground and I'm not in the business of rearing camels so yeah, I wouldn't object to a downpour.
But look, until that happens we will just have to suffer on and make the best of it. At least the cattle are thriving in the heat.
We will go first to Kanturk mart, where this week some right good Limousin suckler stock got heads turning and fingers going.
The entry of Limousin cows with calves at foot (calving again from August to October) made from €1,750 to €2,000.
Elsewhere in the mart, it was business as usual, albeit under sweltering conditions. Kanturk mart manager Seamus O'Keeffe remarked.
"It was a day when we had to leave all the doors open. The breeze was needed to cool us down on such a beautiful fine day.
"We had a smaller sale of cattle on Tuesday with 380 on offer. However, once again this week the trade was as good as the weather."
Kanturk mart's first Autumn born Weanling Show and Sale will take place on Tuesday, August 10 with €2,000 in prizes up for grabs.
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Kanturk |
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Tuesday |
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|
No |
Breed |
Sex |
Weight |
€ |
|
1 |
Hr |
steer |
645kg |
1340 |
|
1 |
AA |
heifer |
665kg |
1510 |
|
1 |
Lm |
heifer |
585kg |
1460 |
|
1 |
Ch |
heifer |
590kg |
1380 |
|
1 |
Fr |
cow |
660kg |
1130 |
|
1 |
Hr |
cow |
590kg |
1270 |
|
1 |
AA |
cow |
495kg |
950 |
And the picture was just as hot over in Kilmallock, County Limerick on Monday with the mart reporting, "As temperatures hit the early 30’s all over Ireland, the cattle trade here is also hot at the ringside and online."
'But how hot was it?' you might cry from the comfort of your paddling pool. Well hold onto your sangria, the mart reported that it had 700 cattle on offer with 120 buyers present. All presumably were safely in the shade doing their bidding.
Of the 70 dry cows on offer at Kilmallock, the top price achieved was €1760 (paid for a Limousin dry cow of 775kg) Bullocks sold for up to €1800 a head on Monday or €2.46 per kg, for heavier lots. Lighter bullocks sold for up to €1320 a head or €2.84 per kg.
Heifers made up to €1540 a head or €2.67 per kg.
Sucklers hit €1620 (paid for a 9-year-old Simmental and her April born Simmental bull calf).
Dairy stock made up to €1360 (paid for a three-year-old springer).
Factory bulls sold for up to €1900 (A Limousin bull 920kg). Up to €620 was paid in the calf ring (paid for a February born Aberdeen Angus heifer).
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Kilmallock |
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|
Monday |
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|
No |
Breed |
Sex |
Weight |
€ |
|
1 |
Lim |
steer |
390kg |
890 |
|
1 |
Sim |
steer |
360kg |
870 |
|
1 |
Lim |
steer |
225kg |
640 |
|
2 |
Lim |
steers |
485kg |
1130 |
|
3 |
AA |
steers |
508kg |
1120 |
|
5 |
Fr |
steers |
437kg |
790 |
|
8 |
Hr |
steers |
573kg |
1120 |
As I write, I hear planes whizzing past overhead. I imagine jetting those with money to places that might just be as hot as the place they left behind.
Ireland can be a wonderful country (the best in the world) when we get the weather to enjoy it. Everything looks brighter, even the cattle trade.
And so next we turn to Dungarvan mart where mart manager Jonathan O Sullivan had another beaming report to give us from the sunny south east.
"The cattle trade is continuing to hold strong with a great demand from buyers for all types of stores.
"We are seeing autumn cattle selling early this year due to price increases.
"Factory demand is driving cow prices also at the mart."
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Dungarvan |
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|
Monday |
||||
|
No |
Breed |
Sex |
Weight |
€ |
|
6 |
Lim |
steers |
432kg |
1150 |
|
4 |
AA |
steers |
381kg |
880 |
|
2 |
Fr |
steers |
420kg |
850 |
|
5 |
Ch |
heifers |
503kg |
1240 |
|
1 |
AA |
cow |
625kg |
970 |
|
1 |
Fr |
cow |
690kg |
1160 |
|
1 |
Lim |
cow |
680kg |
1180 |
In Skibbereen on Friday dry cows sold from €140 to €915 with the kilo. Friesian bullocks made from €245 to €587 with their weight. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €250 to €1030 with the kilo.
Heifers in Skibbereen made from €260 to €833 with their weight. Continental bullocks made from €350 to €895 with the kilo.
|
Skibbereen |
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|
Friday |
||||
|
No |
Breed |
Sex |
Weight |
€ |
|
3 |
Fr |
steers |
613kg |
1200 |
|
2 |
Fr |
steers |
430kg |
780 |
|
2 |
Hr |
steers |
642kg |
1450 |
|
2 |
Ch |
steers |
645kg |
1540 |
|
2 |
Lm |
heifers |
557kg |
1390 |
|
1 |
Ch |
cow |
815kg |
1650 |
|
1 |
Sim |
cow |
725kg |
1640 |
And after Tuesday's sale of calves, weanling and suckler stock at Ennis mart, Geraldine Walsh of Clare Co-Op Marts had the following report.
"We had a smaller sale on Tuesday with just over 300 cattle on offer.
"The trade was strong both for the bulls and heifers with more farmers about, possibly anxious to replace stock.
"Again a small number of calves on offer, only a dozen, with €555 the highest price achieved. Paid for a 5 week old Charalois bull calf.
"Also at the sale we had a small entry of suckler stock and €1,580 was the highest achieved price for a pair."
|
Ennis |
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|
Tuesday, |
||||
|
No |
Breed |
Sex |
Weight |
€ |
|
1 |
Lm |
bull |
295kg |
920 |
|
1 |
Ch |
bull |
280kg |
870 |
|
1 |
Ch |
bull |
390kg |
1200 |
|
1 |
Lm |
bull |
320kg |
1060 |
|
1 |
AA |
heifer |
450kg |
1040 |
|
1 |
BB |
heifer |
295kg |
1360 |
|
1 |
AA |
heifer |
330kg |
730 |
