Marts Report: Are we in a ‘golden age’ of cattle prices?

A dry cow in Skibbereen sells for €3,200.

A Belgian Blue cross bullock born March '21 weighing 400 kilos sold for €1,060 at a sale in Kilmallock Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

The 400kg store bullock has always been the ideal candidate.

For the seller, getting a bullock to this weight ensures that you are bringing something of substance to the mart.

Equally for the buyer, when throwing a bid on a bullock over 400kg you know full well the finish line is not a million miles away.

And at the marts this week, while the ‘golden age’ in cattle prices continues, I have noticed the bullock over 400kg is commanding the most interest.

Or put another way, over the past two weeks I have spotted a little slippage in demand for the lighter store.

Admittedly there are fewer, younger lighter cattle on the ground at present, but I wasn’t blown away by the prices they were making. And I felt I should have been considering the prices being paid out for the larger animal.

An Angus cross bullock born August '20 weighing 620 kilos sold for €1,890 at a sale in Kilmallock Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

And staying with the larger animal and being blown away with prices, we will begin with Skibbereen.

In Skibbereen on Friday the highlight of the day was the sale of a Belgian Blue cow that sauntered into the ring weighing 890kg and sauntered out again having made a whooping €3,200. That’s €2,310 with the kilo.

Continental bullocks in Skibbereen sold from €400 to €1,315 with the kilo.

Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks sold from €360 to €1,428 with the kilo.

Heifers in Skibbereen made from €240 to €1,085 with their weight.

Skibbereen
Friday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	AA	steer	672kg	2100
6	AA	steers	327kg	890
2	Ch	heifers	442kg	1090
1	Lm	heifer	320kg	810
1	Fr	cow	615kg	1450
1	BB	cow	890kg	3200

A nice round number of 1000 cattle and calves went through the rings at Kilmallock mart this week.

And it wasn’t the only nice number. “Vendors continue to enjoy great prices as the trade powers on,” the mart reported.

Bullocks here sold for up to €2,280 a head or €3.33 per kg.

Dry cows sold for up to €2,000 a head or €2.76 per kg.

Heifers made up to €1,810 a head or €3.10 per kg.

Four Angus cross bullocks born March '21 average weight 476 kilos sold for €1,450 each at a sale in Kilmallock Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

Up to €1,760 was paid for dairy stock (paid for a 4-year-old calved cow).

Strong calves sold for up to €585 a head.

On this coming Monday, June 6th, the mart will have an entry of 6 Pedigree Aberdeen Angus yearling heifers and 3 cows with calves at foot, for Brendan Cronin, Dromahane, Mallow Co Cork.

Kilmallock
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	AA	steer	480kg	1270
12	Fr	steers	545kg	1200
2	BB	steers	653kg	1720
1	Lm	heifer	325kg	740
5	Hr	heifers	325kg	700
1	Fr	cow	465kg	1140

In Macroom mart on Saturday Friesian bullocks made from €2/kg to €2.50 per kilo.

Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks are still flying high in Macroom and making from €2.40/kg to €3.10 per kilo.

Continental bullocks sold from €2.70/kg to €3.25 per kilo.

Heifers sold well, selling from €2.50/kg up to €3.20 per kilo.

Shipping calves in Macroom (Friesian bulls) made from €80 to €165 per head. Farmer buyers paid up to €200 a head for stronger calves.

Macroom
Saturday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
2	Fr	steers	375kg	880
2	Hr	steers	545kg	1600
7	Hr	steers	387kg	1070
5	AA	steers	379kg	1020
1	Lm	heifer	630kg	2000
2	AA	heifers	427kg	1150

Bandon mart on Monday had over 700 calves on offer with mart manager, Sean Dennehy, reporting “A flying trade for calves and a strong demand for all types of cattle.”

Here, Friesian bull calves sold from €85 to €155 a head.

Friesian bullocks in Bandon ranged in price from €1.70/kg to €2.32/kg.

Continental bullocks sold from €2.41/kg to €2.76/kg.

A Charolais bullock born February '20 weighing 565 kilos sold for €1,300 at a sale in Kilmallock Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

Dry cows in Bandon sold from €1.15/kg to €2.54/kg.

Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €2.69/kg to €2.89/kg.

Heifers in Bandon made from €2.30/kg to €3.70/kg.

Bandon
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
4	AA	steers	315kg	930
1	Hr	steer	435kg	1020
1	Ch	steer	720kg	1970
3	Ch	heifers	520kg	1650
1	Fr	cow	565kg	860
1	Sim	cow	695kg	1750

Ennis Mart next and a report from Tuesday’s sale of calves, weanlings and suckler stock. Geraldine Walsh of Clare Co-op marts gave us the latest news.

“We had a smaller sale on Tuesday with just over 450 head on offer.

“The trade was strong all round in all rings. A lot of autumn born weanlings appearing and these are meeting a great trade.

“Bulls made to €3.91/kg and heifers made to €3.94/kg with a top price of €5.48/kg achieved for a Belgian Blue heifer.

“Calf numbers are beginning to drop off with just 75 on offer, these are still meeting a good demand from both farmers and shippers.

“A special entry of in-calf pedigree Limousins made up to €3,060. Suckler pairs made to €2,120.”

Ennis
Tuesday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	BB	bull	415kg	1380
1	BB	heifer	330kg	1810
1	Ch	heifer	325kg	1150
1	Hr	heifer	495kg	1310
1	Ch	heifer	290kg	960
2	Lm	heifers	242kg	960

George Candler, Kilkenny mart manager, gave us the following report after the sale of cattle at the Kilkenny mart on Thursday.

"We had another good yard of cattle with beef bullocks and heifers still in demand.

"Bullocks peaked at €2700 a head with heifers to €2660, and cull cows to €2780 a head.

"Plainer cattle were a bit more difficult to sell.

"Total sales on the day exceeded €1 million which has happened on 13 occasions in 2022."

In Kilkenny mart on Thursday bullocks sold from €1.80 /kg to €3.57/kg.

Heifers made from €2.50 to €3.53 per kilo. Continental cull cows in Kilkenny sold from €1.80 to €3.25 per kilo.

Friesian cull cows made from €1.30 to €2.50 per kilo.

The mart had 900 cattle on offer.

Kilkenny
Thursday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
2	Ch	steers	760kg	2500
6	Hr	steers	645	1900
2	BB	steers	390	1220
2	Ch	heifers	775kg	2660
7	Lim	heifers	545kg	1750
3	Hr	heifers	370kg	880