Saturday’s special Monaghan day sale at Mohill Mart saw a large entry of store and factory heifers on offer.

Mart manager Stephen Hannon said that the trade was very strong, with plenty of buyers present for all types of stock.

He added that prices held right up to the end of the sale. In total, there were about 610 heifers on offer, with the majority being U grades.

This Limousin cross heifer, born July 2018 and weighing 490kg sold for €1,100 (€2.25/kg).

With factories running reasonably tight on finished cattle, this added a bit of bite to the trade. The ringside was packed with farmers and they were actively buying all types.

Stephen said that while age helped a little in terms of price, the gap between heavy aged heifers and in-spec heifers has closed dramatically in the past few weeks.

This Limousin cross heifer, weighing 535kg and born March 2018 sold for €1,305 (€2.44/kg).

The quality of heifers overall was very strong, with almost all being R and U grades. The best heifers sold mainly from €750 to €850 along with the weight, with the tops of heavy heifers selling to €1,000 with the weight.

Those over 600kg sold mainly from €2.20/kg to €2.35/kg. There were some plainer lots in that weight range that sold from €1.80/kg to €2.00/kg.

This Charolais cross heifer, born May 2018 and weighing 580kg sold for €1,305 (€2.25/kg).

Heifers from 550kg to 600kg were a strong trade and sold mainly from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg for U grades. Lighter heifers from 500kg to 550kg sold for about €2.35/kg on average, with top-quality heifers making €2.40/kg to €2.60/kg.

Lighter heifers from 450kg to 500kg were available but in smaller numbers than heavy heifers. Prices in the main ranged from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg, with better heifers making north of €2.60/kg. Lighter types from 400kg to 450kg were a very strong trade and sold for €2.40/kg on average, with top-quality heifers selling mainly from €2.55/kg to €2.70/kg.

This Charolais cross heifer, born May 2018 and weighing 580kg sold for €1,305 (€2.25/kg).

Stephen said that Wednesday’s Monaghan day weanling heifer sale saw an even stronger trade than Saturday last. He said that heifers from 300kg to 350kg were easily selling from €900 to €950/head, with some making more than this. Top-quality heifers over 400kg sold from €1,180 to €1,370/head. Like Saturday’s trade, Stephen said that the majority of the demand was farmer driven and they were very anxious for good-quality stock. The Monaghan day sales continue with a special bullock sale on Saturday next.

This Charolais cross heifer, born May 2018 and weighing 500kg sold for €1,270 (€2.54/kg).

Commission rates are 2% to the seller and €9 to the buyer with an entry fee of €2/head.

This Charolais cross heifer, born August 2017 and weighing 665kg sold for €1,490 (€2.24/kg).

This Charolais cross heifer, born September 2017 and weighing 510kg sold for €1,440 (€2.82/kg).

This Charolais cross heifer, born March 2018 and weighing 520kg sold for €1,370 (€2.63/kg).

This Charolais cross heifer, born April 2017 and weighing 640kg sold for €1,350 (€2.11/kg).

This Limousin cross heifer, born September 2017 and weighing 530kg sold for €1,230 (€2.32/kg).