Calved heifers are making very good prices at dairy sales all around the country at the moment, with prices up between €100 and €200 per head on equivalent sales in 2017.

Gortatlea

In Gortatlea, near Tralee, Co Kerry, on Friday last, there was a strong trade for nice-quality freshly calved heifers, with some calved heifers making up to €1,600 each, ranging from €1,300 to €1,640.

Corrin

Further up the country in Fermoy, Co Cork, on Friday last, mart manager Sean Leahy reported an excellent trade for quality stock in a clearance sale at Corrin Mart.

He said: “We had an excellent sale for quality black and white stock that had plenty of paperwork behind them to back up the stock on offer. Calved heifers with all good figures behind easily made €1,500-plus and well over €2,000 for choice lots.”

Carnew

Carnew Mart held a commercial dairy sale on Thursday last week and a special pedigree clearance sale on Friday last. In the commercial sale on Thursday last, freshly calved heifers made between €1,250 and €1,950 each. Freshly calved cows made slightly less, in the range of €900 to €1,450 each. In-calf heifers made €1,050 to €1,540.

In the clearance sale of the pedigree herd on Friday, there was a mix of autumn and spring calvers and also some young stock. The herd selling was very much focused on breeding for yield, but there was still plenty of demand for calved stock. The pedigree herd was averaging 1,700 gals (7,900kg/cow), AI-bred for the last 20 years and sires included TWIST, KOZ & DGY.

David Quinn said: “Spring-calved second, third and fourth calvers made between €1,650 and €2,300. The equivalent autumn calvers made between €1,500 and €1,800 each.”

Older cows made slightly less, with spring calvers selling for €1,100 to €1,500, while older autumn-calving cows made €1,000 to €1,300 each.

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