There was a very different atmosphere at Kanturk Mart’s annual Christmas fatstock show and sale. The mood was boosted by buyers being back at the ringside and in a position to get a better view of cattle. Their return saw them compete with online bidders, with half of the 400 or so cattle on offer sold online.
While the fatstock side of the sale commanded the more eye-catching prices, at the bread and butter side of the Kanturk trade was the traditional beef-cross from the dairy herd.
There was a roaring trade for those Angus and Hereford weanlings. A good proportion of these sold in the range of €2/kg to €2.40/kg. As a staff member quipped, “we can’t keep enough of those type of cattle in front of buyers at the moment”.
An April 2018-born heifer that weighed 695kgs and made €1,360, €1.96/kg.
Forward stores were a solid trade and made from €1.85/kg to €2/kg for the traditional beef crosses, with a shade more on offer for continentals.
This March 2019-born bullock tipped the scales at 770kg and sold for €2,500, €3.25/kg.
There was a strong turnout of dry cows, with parlour cows making up a good chunk of the numbers. Prices ranged from €50 under the €/kg up to €150 with their weight.
Champion of the fatstock was an October 2018 heifer owned by Mervyn Busteed, Bandon.
She tipped the scales at 865kg and went under the hammer for €2,640 (€3.05/kg).
This 2014-born shorthorn stock bull weighed 830kg and sold for €1,130, €1.36/kg.
It’s been a year of adaptation for marts and it was no different in Kanturk, as mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe explains: “As well as the usual sales before COVID, we were pricing calves, tendering and online. We ended up having 30 sales in 10 weeks before going for the online option,” he said.
Putting a perspective on the challenges COVID-19 has presented the mart, Seamus added: “Agriculture, thanks be to God, hasn’t been the worst hit and people were able to sell their cattle thanks to online.
This heifer weighed 585kgs and sold for €1,300, €2.22/kg.
“People, including myself, didn’t realise the benefits of it.
“We ended up over the last four or five sales with no complaints from sellers and 95% to 98% clearances from 500 and 600 cattle per day.”
A January 2019-born Angus bullock, weighing 650kgs he sold for €1,250, €1.92/kg.
General sale
A small number of cattle went unsold in the general sale.
Maybe the recent run of high-profile in-calf heifer sales has created an unrealistic expectation, but a few cattle that went unsold in the general sale raised a few eyebrows.
While making prices at the top end of the sale, there remained a significant gap between the highest bid and the seller’s own price.
A throw-away comment made outside the ring summed it up: “Some people are looking for prices that just can’t be got.”
There was a very different atmosphere at Kanturk Mart’s annual Christmas fatstock show and sale. The mood was boosted by buyers being back at the ringside and in a position to get a better view of cattle. Their return saw them compete with online bidders, with half of the 400 or so cattle on offer sold online.
While the fatstock side of the sale commanded the more eye-catching prices, at the bread and butter side of the Kanturk trade was the traditional beef-cross from the dairy herd.
There was a roaring trade for those Angus and Hereford weanlings. A good proportion of these sold in the range of €2/kg to €2.40/kg. As a staff member quipped, “we can’t keep enough of those type of cattle in front of buyers at the moment”.
An April 2018-born heifer that weighed 695kgs and made €1,360, €1.96/kg.
Forward stores were a solid trade and made from €1.85/kg to €2/kg for the traditional beef crosses, with a shade more on offer for continentals.
This March 2019-born bullock tipped the scales at 770kg and sold for €2,500, €3.25/kg.
There was a strong turnout of dry cows, with parlour cows making up a good chunk of the numbers. Prices ranged from €50 under the €/kg up to €150 with their weight.
Champion of the fatstock was an October 2018 heifer owned by Mervyn Busteed, Bandon.
She tipped the scales at 865kg and went under the hammer for €2,640 (€3.05/kg).
This 2014-born shorthorn stock bull weighed 830kg and sold for €1,130, €1.36/kg.
It’s been a year of adaptation for marts and it was no different in Kanturk, as mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe explains: “As well as the usual sales before COVID, we were pricing calves, tendering and online. We ended up having 30 sales in 10 weeks before going for the online option,” he said.
Putting a perspective on the challenges COVID-19 has presented the mart, Seamus added: “Agriculture, thanks be to God, hasn’t been the worst hit and people were able to sell their cattle thanks to online.
This heifer weighed 585kgs and sold for €1,300, €2.22/kg.
“People, including myself, didn’t realise the benefits of it.
“We ended up over the last four or five sales with no complaints from sellers and 95% to 98% clearances from 500 and 600 cattle per day.”
A January 2019-born Angus bullock, weighing 650kgs he sold for €1,250, €1.92/kg.
General sale
A small number of cattle went unsold in the general sale.
Maybe the recent run of high-profile in-calf heifer sales has created an unrealistic expectation, but a few cattle that went unsold in the general sale raised a few eyebrows.
While making prices at the top end of the sale, there remained a significant gap between the highest bid and the seller’s own price.
A throw-away comment made outside the ring summed it up: “Some people are looking for prices that just can’t be got.”
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