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There have been widespread reports of improved farmer and feedlot activity in many areas, with prices up by over €20/head in most cases.
Saturday’s sale at Balla Mart saw an improved trade for all good-quality cattle types, with plenty of buyers around the ringside.
A slightly larger entry was on offer and all three rings were back in full swing. The bullock trade was up on last week, with more farmers and feeder buyers active. Forward store bullocks over 600kg were not that plentiful, but good-quality short-keep types were sought after.
Average quality continental bullocks from 500kg to 600kg sold mainly from €2.20/kg to €2.40/kg for U grades.
Lighter stores were met with good demand also and sold mainly from €2.10/kg to €2.30/kg, up slightly on the week before. Plainer-quality cattle were a steady trade on the previous week.
Angus cattle made about 10-20c/kg more than what they would have made in December.
Heifers
The heifer trade was well up on the previous week for better-quality types. There were plenty of buyers active, especially for good-quality weanlings and forward stores.
One noticeable change in recent weeks was the fact that cattle that would finish overage were not getting penalised on price, with buyers extremely active for factory-fit types.
Forward heifers over 600kg were scarce but better-quality types made from €2.00/kg to €2.25/kg. Average-quality stores from 500kg to 600kg sold mainly from €2/kg to €2.20/kg, with U grades making over €2.30/kg.
This Charolais cross heifer, born March 2014 and weighing 690kg, sold for €1,550 (€2.25/kg).
Better-quality heifers from 400kg to 500kg were met with improved demand and sold from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg.
Golden Charolais weanling heifers were a good trade and noticeably better than last week also, with prices ranging from €2.40/kg to €2.60/kg for average-quality types.
Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to see cattle sold in Balla Mart on Saturday.
Saturday's sale at Headford Mart saw a slightly improved trade again also.
Good-quality bullocks sold from €500 to €600 over the weight, with plainer lots selling from €425 over the weight to €500 over. The quality of cattle on offer again was said to be high.
Feeder demand drover the price of some heavy Angus cross bullocks to almost €2/kg for 600kg. Heifers sold mainly from €550 to €650 over the weight, with top-quality types making up to €600 over.
Weanling heifers sold from €400 to €600 over, with good-quality types close to 400kg making close to €1,000. Weanling bulls sold from €400 to €560 over the weight mainly. Cull cows were again met with very strong demand and high prices.
They ranged mainly from €400 to €850 over the weight.
Sheep sale
The sheep sale was quite small again, but the trade was firm. Cull ewes made from €50/head for thin feeding types to €100/head for factory-fit types. Lambs sold from €60/head to €80/head for stores and from €95/head to €107/head for factory and butchers lambs.
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