Marts report: Very sharp trade for weanling heifers

Latest prices from Kanturk, Dowra, Kilkenny, Ennis and Kilmallock marts

Wed, 17 Aug, 2022 - 21:30

Denis Lehane

The world of cattle purchasing has changed dramatically over the past three years. With the introduction of online bidding the heat has most certainly been taken out of the mart ring.

With many bids now being taken from buyers sitting at their kitchen table, the spectacle of a two-way bidding war at the ringside has all but died.

And this is a pity because it used to be a mighty spectacle.

Many will of course claim, and possibly rightly so, that bidding from home is far more convenient. And that what you see on the tiny screen is more than enough to guide you with regards to the quality of the animals on offer.

An Angus cross bullock born April '20 weighing 750 kilos sold for €1,960 in Cahir Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

But some disagree, talking to an uncle of mine recently about the old days of cattle buying and the modern age of online buying, he was adamant that the old ways were best, and that there is still only one way to do it.

"There is nothing like seeing an animal in the flesh," he claimed. And I agreed with him.

Perhaps we are a dying breed, those of us who cling onto the belief that we need to see the beast in front of us before we raise our hands, but I think all will admit there was something very special about those days when the hand, the eye, or the shake of a head was all the auctioneer had to guide him on that noble quest to sell a mart animal.

And so to the marts we go, beginning first with the sale of cattle at Kanturk mart on Tuesday and a report from Michael Scanlon.

"We had a good number of cattle at Tuesday's sale, we had 390 cattle including 60 calves.

"Plenty of customers at the ringside and online for all cattle with good quality stores in great demand."

Kanturk
Tuesday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
2	BB	steers	585kg	1480
2	Hr	steers	530kg	1330
7	Fr	steers	630kg	1280
1	Lm	steer	605kg	1600
3	AA	heifers	585kg	1530
1	Hr	cow	640kg	1380
1	Fr	cow	615kg	1400

There was a mighty sale for weanling heifers at Dowra mart on Saturday.

I watched it online. The beauty of the mobile device is that distance is no object.

I was at Dowra mart in 5 seconds. It does have its advantages.

The screen may have been small, but at Dowra mart the prices were huge.

2 heifers there that caught my eye were Belgian Blue by make and well-bred by nature.

The first entered the ring weighing 450kg and left the ring after selling for €1380.

Two Saler dry cows born April '17 average weight 630 kilos sold for €1,470 each in Cahir Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

The next one weighing 410kg sold for €1750 (€4.27/kg).

The mart overall had cattle numbers smaller than the previous week with 360 cattle on offer.

Forward and heavy cattle sold well with weanling heifers, as I saw myself, a very sharp trade.

Dowra
Saturday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Ch	steer	620kg	1750
1	Ch	steer	570kg	1710
1	Ch	steer	620kg	1700
1	Ch	heifer	370kg	1380
1	BB	heifer	450kg	1380
1	Lm	heifer	490kg	1260
1	Ch	heifer	400kg	1200

Geraldine Walsh of Clare Co-op marts gave us the following report after the sale of cattle at Ennis mart on Thursday.

"We had a big sale on Thursday with just over 750 cattle on offer.

"A lot of forward cattle in the bullock ring and these met a great demand.

"Some great quality cull cows on offer and these met a great trade.

"We had 30 cull bulls on offer and these made up to €2,400 for a Charolais bull of 1,090kg."

Ennis
Thursday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Ch	steer	430kg	1440
3	Lm	steers	595kg	1800
1	AA	steer	855kg	2190
1	Ch	heifer	490kg	1680
1	Lm	heifer	500kg	1550
1	Ch	cow	810kg	2380
1	AA	cow	890kg	2300

There is a Hereford sale to look forward to at Kilmallock mart next Monday.

On Monday August 22nd the Millfarm dispersal Hereford sale will take place beginning at 12.30 approximately.

Catalogues are now available both online and in the mart office at Kilmallock.

Looking at Monday's cattle sale the mart reported another strong trade.

A lot of farmers are now purchasing cattle to eat aftergrass. And after the rain we have had over the last few days there will certainly be a nice flush of grass.

Bullocks in Kilmallock sold for up to €1,810 a head or €2.84 per kg.

Three Angus cross bullocks born February '21 average weight 460 kilos sold for €1,020 each in Cahir Mart. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

Dry cows made up to €1,800 a head or €2.44 per kg.

Heifers sold for up to €1,490 a head or €2.83 per kg.

Up to €1,780 was paid for dairy stock (paid for a 5-year-old calved cow). A 3-year-old calved cow sold for €1,660.

Bulls made up to €2,080 a head (paid for a 1040kg Friesian bull).

In the calf ring runners sold for up to €585 (paid for a March born Aberdeen Angus bull calf) and young calves hit €390 a head (paid for a 4-week-old Hereford heifer calf).

Kilmallock
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
6	Hr	steers	398kg	960
4	AA	steers	318kg	820
2	Lm	steers	713kg	1720
1	Hr	heifer	340kg	700
1	Fr	cow	410kg	660
1	Hr	cow	565kg	1380

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

"We had another good number of cattle on offer with trade remaining firm for beef and forward store type bullocks and heifers.

"Some plain animals were more difficult to sell due mainly to the lack of grass.

"Cows met a good solid trade."

Kilkenny mart had 850 cattle in offer.

In Kilkenny on Thursday bullocks sold from €1.60 to €3.25 per kilo.

Heifers at Kilkenny mart sold from €1.70/kg to €3.24/kg.

Looking at the cull cow trade at Kilkenny mart, 1st Rate Friesian cows sold from €1.40/kg to €2.40/kg. 2nd rate Friesian cull cows made from €1.03/kg to €1.25/kg

Continental cull cows sold from €1.50/kg to €2.70/kg.

Kilkenny
Thursday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
2	Ch	steers	790kg	2310
3	Fr	steers	585kg	1350
3	AA	steers	370kg	870
4	Fr	steers	470kg	980
6	Ch	heifers	525kg	1420
1	BB	heifer	500kg	1620
3	Ch	heifers	395kg	1040