Ballybay Mart in Co. Monaghan hosted its weekly sale of weanling bulls and heifers on Friday, April 21.
Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Ballybay mart manager Jimmy O’Reilly said: “Cattle are a great a trade presently and the younger, lighter stock are a particularly strong trade.”
The Friday sale of weanling bulls and heifers featured approximately 300 head of cattle and the Saturday sale of heifers, bullocks, cull cows and calves saw over 800 head of cattle on offer.
Sample weanling heifer prices:
In the weanling heifer sale, the best price per kg went to a 300kg Charolais heifer selling for €1,190 or €3.96/kg. A heavier 445kg Charolais-cross heifer made €1,690 or €3.89/kg. A Simmental-cross heifer weighing 245kg sold for €900.
“The better-type weanling heifers are all clearing the €3.50/kg mark regardless of weight. The prices above €3.50/kg were being secured by heifers weighing anything from 270kg to 445kg. These tend to be suckler-bred Limousin, Charolais or Simmental breeding,” the mart manager explained.
The Angus-cross and Hereford-cross heifers are making up to €2.90/kg and above in cases.
Sample weanling bull prices:
Commenting on this year’s grass cattle trade compared to last year, the mart manager said: “Trade has been picking up on a gradual basis; last year €3.00/kg was fairly common but this year €3.50/kg and above is being hit quite frequently for weanling heifers.
“Silage is not plentiful and there are still lots of cattle in sheds so it’s great to see the mart trade as strong as it is.”
Commenting on the Saturday sale, the mart manager said: “There are still huge shows of cull cows. We had 220 cull cows on offer last Saturday and we have 250 cull cows on offer this Saturday.
“The continental cows are commanding the top prices in the cull cow ring with a 710kg Limousin-cross cow selling at €2,290 or €3.22/kg. The continental cows are ranging from €2.50-3.30/kg, depending on the type.”
Other prices from the Saturday cow sale included €1,520 or €2.45/kg for a 620kg Hereford-cross cow and €1,140 for a 475kg Friesian cow.
Ballybay Mart is set to host a sale of breeding heifers this evening, Friday, April 28, during the regular sale of breeding heifers with a number of top-quality spring heifers on offer also.
The mart will also host a sale of pedigree breeding bulls on Friday, May 5.
