Mart Reports: Hard times for buyers as demand remains strong

Latest prices from Macroom, Kilmallock, Bandon, Kanturk, Skibbereen, Ennis and Kilkenny

Pictured at the sale in Cashel Mart is a Charolais cross male weanling eight months old & weighing 360 kilos which sold for €770. Photo O'Gorman Photography

Macroom on Saturday had some nice cattle on offer and some nice prices to boot.

In Macroom mart on Saturday dry cows sold from €210 to €890 with the kilo. Friesian bullocks were making from €1.60/kg to €1.80/kg. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks in Macroom made from €1.95 to €2.25 with their weight. Continental bullocks made from €2.20/kg to €2.50/kg. Heifers in Macroom on Saturday made from €2/kg to €2.35/kg.

Weanling bulls sold from €2.20/kg to €2.45/kg. Weanling heifers sold from €2.20/kg to €3/kg.

Macroom
Saturday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Hr	steer	625kg	1300
2	AA	steers	530kg	1100
1	Lm	steer	470kg	1120
1	Ch	steer	400kg	1040
6	Fr	steers	590kg	1070
1	Fr	cow	530kg	870
1	AA	cow	796kg	1660

900 stock went under the hammer this week at Kilmallock mart. The trade continues to be very strong, according to the mart. It’s the same story across the country. It’s hard times for the buyer.

On Monday bullocks sold for up to €1,300 a head or €2.58 per kg.

Dry cows hit €1,120 a head or €1.84 per kg. Heifers sold for up to €1,090 a head or €2.17 per kg.

Heavy bulls made up to €1,640 a head.

In the calf ring runners made up to €610 a head.

On Tuesday weanling bulls made up to €970 a head or €2.74 per kg. Weanling heifers made up to €830 a head or €2.56 per kg.

On this coming Friday November 26th, a special sale of dairy stock will be held at Kilmallock beginning at 11.30am. Up to 100 winter and spring calvers will be on offer.

Kilmallock
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Ch	steer	380kg	980
6	Lim	steers	377kg	890
2	Hr	steers	360kg	790
1	AA	steer	540kg	1230
5	Hr	steers	524kg	1090
3	Lim	steers	470kg	1090
1	BB	steer	510kg	1080

Bandon mart on Monday had 173 calves on offer with Friesian bulls making from €50 to €140 a head.

Dry cows in Bandon sold from €40 to €365 with the kilo.

Friesian bullocks sold from €342 to €500 with the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €444 to €810 with the kilo.

Continental bullocks sold from €410 to €617 with their weight. Heifers made from €385 to €525 with the kilo.

Bandon
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
4	Fr	steers	518kg	860
5	Fr	steers	479kg	850
1	Hr	steer	565kg	1200
9	AA	steers	444kg	888
1	AA	heifer	395kg	780
2	Hr	heifers	485kg	1110
1	Fr	cow	600kg	750

Kanturk mart will be hosting its annual Fat Stock Show and Sale on Tuesday next, November 30th.

The general cattle sale will start a little earlier on the day (to make way for the champion cattle) beginning at 10am.

And the mart sale itself will most likely end a little later, as quality cattle change hands and old friends catch up after yet another eventful year on the land.

But back to this week. After Tuesday’s sale of cattle, Kanturk mart manager Seamus gave us this report.

“We had a big number of dry cows with plenty of demand.

“Prices holding the same as last week with plenty of competition between online and ringside customers.”

Kanturk
Tuesday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
4	Lm	steers	487kg	1190
4	AA	steers	422kg	900
9	Hr	steers	453kg	960
2	Lm	heifers	367kg	900
3	Hr	heifers	516kg	1150
1	Fr	cow	630kg	1270
1	AA	cow	570kg	1180

In Skibbereen on Friday dry cows sold from €150 under to €1070 with the kilo.

Heifers in Skibbereen made from €255 to €800 with their weight. Weanling bulls sold from €155 to €510 with the kilo. Weanling heifers sold from €270 to €560 with the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €250 to €595 with the kilo. Continental bullocks sold from €320 to €645 with the kilo.

Skibbereen
Friday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	AA	steer	545kg	1140
2	Hr	steers	485kg	1000
1	Ch	steer	535kg	1180
1	Lm	steer	440kg	1000
1	Ch	heifer	600kg	1400
1	Hr	heifer	480kg	980
1	Ba	cow	930kg	2000

Next to Ann Keane and a report on the sale of bullocks at Ennis mart on Friday.

“Good numbers again on Friday with just over 500 bullocks available.

“Trade was strong again with quite a number going North again and forward type cattle in excellent demand.

“Quite a number of Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks amongst the Continentals stock.”

And looking back to Thursday’s sale of heifers, dry cows and aged bulls at the same mart, Ann added,

“Fine size sale on Thursday with 270 cull cows, 170 heifers and half a dozen aged bulls on offer.

“More of a mix of dairy and suckler culls, with a very strong trade for good cows and many of these exceeded €2/kg.

“Dairy culls making from 75c/kg to €1.50/kg depending on condition. Heifers met a very good trade both stores and forward stock. Aged bulls averaged €1.71/kg.”

Ennis
Friday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Lm	steer	910kg	2330
3	Lm	steers	495kg	1390
1	Ch	steer	545kg	1510
9	AA	steers	563kg	1190
1	Hr	steer	610kg	1350
2	Fr	steers	547kg	920
2	AA	steers	640kg	1390

Kilkenny mart on Thursday had 670 cattle on offer with mart manager, George Candler, reporting a smaller sale of cattle with good selling conditions.

“We had a good selling trade all round. Heifers met a sharper trade compared to last week with a 99% clearance.

“Bullocks also selling well with a 96% clearance.

“The cull cows on offer lacked the quality of other weeks with many animals just out of the parlour being offered for sale.”

In Kilkenny on Thursday bullocks sold from €1.65 to €3.05 per kilo. Friesian and Jersey cull cows in Kilkenny sold from €0.70 to €1.75 per kilo. Continental cull cows made from €1.40 to €2.25 per kilo. Heifers In Kilkenny sold from €1.80/kg to €2.65/kg.

Kilkenny
Thursday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Lim	steer	830kg	1980
2	Sim	steers	640kg	1400
2	Fr	steers	570kg	1180
4	Hr	steers	510kg	1070
2	Ch	steers	490kg	1330
2	Lim	heifers	580kg	1390
1	Hr	heifer	380kg	720