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Agriland
10 hours ago
- Business
- Agriland
Weanling bull sales start strong with prices near €7/kg
With the autumn weanling sales just around the corner, prices are running at record highs with the top prices for weanling bulls nearing €7/kg at one sale in Co. Leitrim over the weekend. At GVM Carrigallen Mart, Co. Leitrim, on Saturday, July 19, prices reached €6.98/kg for a 364kg weanling bull that totalled €2,540, bought by a local farmer. This 364kg weanling bull sold for €2,540 Mart manager Helen Kells told Agriland there have been small numbers of weanling bulls coming out to sales all summer and these have met a good trade throughout. The mart is hosting its first special sale of weanlings on Saturday, August 9, which is expected to see a big entry of suckler-bred weanlings. In Balla Mart, Co. Mayo, on Saturday, weanlings prices were described as "strong due the strong demand from export buyers" by mart manager Michael Nolan. The price of cattle at Balla Mart averaged out at €2,240/head this week. Bull weanlings weighing from 200-350kg averaged €4.96/kg, and bulls weighing from 350-450kg averaged €5.04/kg. Top bull prices from Balla Mart: 255kg Charolais-cross bull calf sold for €1,540 or €6.04/kg; 350kg Limousin-cross bull sold for €2,090 or €5.97/kg; 435kg Belgian Blue bull sold for €2,380 or €5.47/kg. The mart manager said: "What good quality heifers around 450kg was making was unreal - they were up by approximately €900/head on this time last year." Some of the top heifer prices from Balla Mart: 295kg Charolais-cross heifer sold for €1,780 or €6.03/kg; 375kg Salers-cross heifer sold for €2,400 or €6.40/kg; 485kg Charolais-cross heifer sold for €2,660 or €5.48/kg; 600kg Parthenaise-cross heifer sold for €3,430 or €5.72/kg. Lighter store heifers weighing from 300-400kg averaged €4.93/kg. Heifers weighing from 400-500kg averaged €4.67/kg and heifers weighing over 500kg averaged €4.65/kg.A farmer from Co. Longford sold a 510kg Limousin heifer for €3,080 or €6.04/kg. Store bullocks up to 500kg were up on last week the best making over €5.00/kg and up by €200/head on last week, according to the mart manager. Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged 4.71/kg. Store bullocks 400-500kg averaged 4.65p/kg. While heavier bullocks over 500kg averaged 4.23/kg. A Charolais bullock weighing 715kg sold for €3,300 to a northern factory buyer. The cows saw a good trade, with prices for dry cows over 500kg averaging €3.93/kg and the tops of the dry cows making €3,460/head. A six-year old Limousin cow with a bull calf at foot sold for €6,250 in the sale.
Agriland
02-08-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Is there a case for breeding store heifers this year?
Breeding additional store heifers is being considered on several farms this year. With current cattle prices at record highs and and calf prices also reaching never-before-seen peaks, there may be a case for breeding additional heifers on some farms this year. In light of the strong cattle trade, the initial instinct with many farmers will be to push forward with selling as many forward and fit cattle as possible, but some farmers are opting to 'take a punt' on the longer-term cattle market and breed some of their later 2024-born heifers. All signals currently point to a reduced cattle herd in Ireland, across Europe and even the US for the foreseeable future. The Irish cattle herd has fallen by 3.8% in the past year and if the trend of falling suckler and dairy cow numbers continues as well as the strong export numbers, this could fall further in the coming year. In a time when many farmers are turning their backs on suckler farming due to factors including their age profile and time limitations, those farmers who are not restricted by these limitations may well have a profitable case to ramp up their breeding-cow numbers. Better-type store cattle are making €5/kg (liveweight) and above in cases and well-bred calves are making over €1,000/head at calf sales the length and breadth of the country. At Balla Mart, Co. Mayo, on Saturday, July 26, a Simmental-cross recipient cow with a Belgian Blue bull calf at foot bred off Corrandulla Princess (dam) and DouDou as the sire sold for €6,650. While this is an exceptional example, the trend nationally is more and more farmers are moving away from breeding suckler-bred stock to buying-in cattle for drystock farming. R-grade cows are being quoted at €7.20-€7.40/kg this week, a price farmers would have only dreamed possible for prime beef cattle this time last year, let alone for cows. Assuming calf prices stayed at least at current levels and cull cow values remained steady, there could well be a case for breeding additional heifers this year. This could reduce some of the need to buy in expensive replacement cattle later this year, and farms that recently exited suckler or dairy farming may still have the safety equipment and infrastructure for calving cows (calving gate, etc.). There will be some limitations to this including cashflow restrictions. While an in-calf heifer or a cow-calf pair is generally always a good seller, many farmers may need to sell stock sooner and may not be able to afford to wait until the cow has reared and weaned a calf to sell them. Other limitations may include infrastructure and time. As well as this, a cow served today (Friday, August 1) will not be calving until the second week of May, which is late-on in the season. Despite these limitations, there is surely some level of opportunity in breeding additional stock and while the risk is high, the reward may well be higher 12-15 months down the road with a good cow-calf pair or weanling to sell.
Agriland
31-07-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Heavy Cattle Breach the E5 Kg Price Mark at Carnew Mart
There were over 800 head of cattle on offer at Carnew Mart, Co. Wicklow, on Saturday, July 19. Speaking to Agriland after the sale, yard manager Eugene Clune said that the trade remains "exceptional with prices for quality beef cattle pushing forward again as several cattle passed the €3,000 mark and upwards of €5.00kg". Separately, Clune also confirmed to Agriland that Carnew Mart is hosting sales of cattle from TB restricted herds with cattle sold from the host farm. These cattle do not travel to the mart and are sold subject to district veterinary office (DVO) approval. Commenting on the general cattle sale last Saturday, Clune said: "There was a large entry of store cattle meeting a super trade with a great price of €2,220 paid for three Charolais-cross bullocks weighing 358kg equating to €6.20/kg. Some of the top bullock prices from the sale: 290kg Limousin bullock sold for €1,820 or €6.28/kg; Three 358kg Charolais bullocks sold for €2,220 or €6.20/kg; 766kg Charolais bullock sold for €3,700 or €4.83/kg. Clune said: "Heifers were also in high demand with prices passing €5.00/kg. We had two Limousin heifers weighing 684kg that made €3,500 or €5.12/kg." Some of the top heifer prices from the sale: Two 684kg Limousin heifers sold for €3,500 or €5.12/kg; 442kg Charolais heifer sold for €2,200 or €4.98/kg; 670kg Belgian Blue heifer sold for €3,330 or €4.92/kg. "Bulls remain a fantastic trade with quality continentals consistently making over €5.00/kg and up to €5.82/kg for quality lots," the yard manager said. Sample bull prices from the sale: Three 372kg Limousin bulls sold for €2,170 or €5.82/kg; 390kg Charolais bull sold for €2,200 or €5.64/kg; 410kg Limousin bull sold for €2,300 or €5.61/kg. Three Limousin-cross bulls with an average weight of 372kg sold for €2,170 or €5.82/kg. Some of the top cow prices from the sale: 738kg Aubrac cow sold for €3,340 or €4.53/kg; 662kg Limousin cow sold for €3,000 or €4.53/kg; 802kg Belgian Blue cow sold for €3,500 or €4.36/kg; 656kg Angus cow sold for €2,600 or €3.96/kg. Clune said: "Cows were in great demand also with Friesians making up to €3.50/kg and over, while beef cows sold from €4.00-4.50/kg. "Prices in general were up €40-60/head on previous weeks leading to a full clearance."
Agriland
17-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Mart trade: Record calf prices continue as heavier cattle ease
The mart trade over the past few days has seen record calf prices continue as heavier forward-type cattle prices have eased at some mart sales as a result of recent declines in factory beef price offers. At GVM Carrigallen Mart, Co. Leitrim on Saturday, June 14, calves made up to €1,050 for a Shorthorn heifer calf off a Friesian cow with a registered birth date of May 12, 2025. May-born Friesian bull calves made up to €700 and speaking to Agriland after the sale, Carrigallen Mart manager Helen Kells said there was strong activity from both farmers and export customers for calves at the most recent sale, with exporters managing to secure the majority of these calves. This Shorthorn-cross heifer calf made €1,050 In Balla Mart, Co. Mayo on Saturday, June 14, 400-500kg heifers 'were showing the knock-on effect of the factory cuts' with average prices below the €4/kg, according to mart manager Michael Nolan. Average bullock prices remained strong with 300-400kg bullocks averaging €4.23/kg. Store bullocks weighing from 400-500kg averaged €4.29/kg while heavier bullocks weighing over 500kg averaged €4.19/kg. One of the top prices in the bullock sale went to a Charolais bullock weighing 925kg that made €3,930 or €4.25/kg for a farmer from Cloonmore – Tuam. Some of the top bullock prices from the weekend sale at Balla Mart: 360kg Charolais bullock sold for €1,940 or €5.39/kg; 490kg Charolais bullock sold for €2,580 or €5.27/kg; 670kg Charolais bullock sold for €3,290 or €4.25/kg; 795kg Simmental bullock sold for €3,300 or €4.15/kg; 895kg Charolais bullock sold for €3,730 or €4.17/kg. While the average price for 400-500kg store heifers dropped below €4/kg, lighter store heifers weighing from 300-400kg averaged €4.26/kg. Heifers weighing from 400-500kg averaged €3.92/kg, while heavy heifers weighing over 500kg averaged €3.86/kg. A 330kg Belgian Blue-cross breeding heifer sold for an impressive €4,150 or €12.58/kg. The cows were described as 'a good trade with a surprising amount of dry cows still coming out', and cows weighing over 500kg averaging €3.59/kg. An eight-year-old Charolais cow with a bull calf at foot sold for €3,720. Commenting on the weanling trade, the mart manager said: 'There are great numbers of weanlings coming out – way more than normal for this time of year – and this week they were slightly up due the demand from export buyers.' The best price was paid for a 485kg March-2024-born Belgian Blue bull that made €3,600 or €7.52/kg. Another March 2024 weanling bull weighing 335kg sold for €9.13/kg or €3,060. Bull weanlings 200–350kg averaged 5.59/kg and bulls from 350-450kg averaged €5.08/kg with bulls weighing over 450kg averaging €5.10/kg.
Agriland
10-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
10-week old heifer calf makes €13,000 at sale in Donegal
While the calf trade has seen a significant uplift across the board this year, prices reached a new high at a special sale in Co. Donegal at the weekend. Ballybofey and Stranorlar Co-operative Livestock Mart in Co. Donegal hosted the 'Stranorlar Show Stars' sale on Saturday, June 7, with 'outstanding prices achieved' according to mart manager Brian Crawford. Taking the top price in this sale at an impressive €13,000 was 10-week-old Belgian Blue heifer calf Boherard Tiger lilly. Bred by Dave Pearson, this calf was bred from the pedigree Belgian Blue cow Rabeaux Beaudoin and sired by artificial Insemination (AI) bull IZ Priceless. She sold with her recipient cow. The pedigree red Belgian Blue heifer calf's dam Rabeaux Beaudoin has bred progeny selling to £18,000 at sales in Northern Ireland and another of this cow's progeny Boherard Rambo has recently become available via AI. This calf was bought by Nigil Allen from Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The pre-sale Show Champion was exhibited by Shane Mc Ginley from Milford, Co. Donegal, and sold for €10,000. This February-born pedigree Belgian Blue heifer calf was sired by Boherard Overdose and her dam was Sultan Stq. The Reserve Champion title went to a February 2024 born heifer owned by Michael Hanlon from Dring, Co. Longford. Sired by AI Belgian Blue bull Top Side Out and bred off a a Charolais-cross-Shorthorn cow, the entry fetched €4,200 under the hammer. The Breeding Heifer Champion title was claimed by an April-2024-born Belgian Blue heifer, bred by Adrian McCabe from Co. Cavan. Bred off a Limousin-Angus hybrid dam, this entry sold for €6,200 at the sale in Co. Donegal. In GVM Carrigallen Mart, Co. Leitrim, on Saturday, June 7, calf prices reached €1,410 for a suckler-bred Charolais heifer calf with a registered birth date of May 20. A further two suckler-bred Charolais calves sold for €1,100 each at the sale. These calves were all purchased by farmers. Another March-born beef-sired dairy-bred calf made €910 in the sale. In Balla Mart, Co. Mayo on Saturday, June 7, weanling bull prices reached €4,700 or €10.44/kg for a 450kg Belgian Blue-cross bull. Mart manager Michael Nolan said: 'It was amazing how good some weanling bulls were for the time of year. All the best were making over the €5/kg. Bullocks weighing from 300-400kg averaged 5.08/kg. Store bullocks weighing from 400-500kg averaged €4.68/kg while heavier bullocks over 500kg averaged €4.43/kg. The mart manager said: 'There was great numbers of weanlings in the sale – way more than normal for this time of year. 'Prices were way up for the heavier bulls with great demand from exporters both buying around the ring and online causing a serious trade.' Other sample prices for weanling bulls from Balla Mart: 320kg Belgian Blue-cross weanling bull sold for €2,000 or €6.25/kg; 435kg Limousin-cross bull sold for €2,500 or €5.75/kg; 465kg Belgian Blue-cross bull sold for €3,480 or €7.48/kg; 450kg Belgian Blue-cross bull sold for €4,700 or €10.44/kg. The tops were making from €3,000-€4,000, with 450kg weanling bulls averaging over €6.00/kg for the first time. Bull weanlings weighing from 200-350kg averaged €5.08/kg. Bulls weighing from 350-450kg averaged €5.05/kg, with 450kg weanling bulls averaging an impressive €6.10/kg.
