The main Camera at the Mart this week was at last Monday’s general cattle sale at Birr Mart.

Mart manager Michael Harty said that numbers were smaller than recent weeks, with the good weather having a big influence on the flow of cattle.

This Hereford-cross cow, born 2007 and weighing 820kg, sold for €1,350 (€1.63/kg).

Michael said that with the good weather, silage-making is in full swing in the area, which affected the sale. Despite lower numbers on offer, Michael said that the number of buyers wasn’t affected, with almost 98% of all cattle selling.

This Friesian cow, born March 2016 and weighing 580kg, sold for €950 (€1.63/kg).

Last week’s sale saw about 350 cattle on offer, down from over 400 the previous week, while this week saw numbers fall to about 250 head. However, Michael said that he expect numbers to increase again slightly next week.

This June 2016-born Hereford cow weighing 500kg sold for €1,040 (€1.48/kg).

Demand was very strong, with a lot of farmers still buying cattle for grass. With grass growth well up in the last few weeks, Michael said that this has enticed farmers out to buy more stock where they are finding themselves under-stocked.

This Angus-cross cow, born June 2016 and weighing 455kg, sold for €590 (€1.30/kg).

Bullocks were a good trade, according to Michael. He said that prices topped out at €1,300, which was paid for a top-quality 565kg Limousin bullock, while a Belgian Blue weighing 525kg sold for €1,250. In recent weeks, there is much increased feedlot demand also which is helping the trade.

This Friesian cow, born April 2010 and weighing 625kg, sold for €970 (€1.55/kg).

He said that light store Hereford and Angus bullocks were met with very strong demand and several bundles around 340kg to 370kg sold from €880 to €890/head. Friesian light bullocks were an easier trade than Herefords, with a group of nine Friesians weighing 340kg selling for €550 each.

This cow with twin calves at foot sold for €830.

Heifers were a good trade also, with top-quality animals selling to €1,225/head for 575kg, while other forward heifers sold from €1,160/head upwards. Lighter stores from 400kg to 500kg were met with strong farmers demand also and Michael said that prices of the better-quality ones ranged from €800 to €1,000/head.

This pair of Hereford-cross heifers, born March 2017 and weighing 580kg on average, sold for €1,155 each (€1.99/kg).

A large proportion of the sale was cows, with numbers up in the last few weeks. Along with increased supply, Michael said that better-quality feeding cows have been met with increased demand also.

This Charolais-cross heifer, born July 2018 and weighing 295kg, sold for €700 (€2.37/kg).

The top price was €1,335, which was paid for €820kg Hereford, while a heavy 855kg Angus cow made the same price. Other good-quality cows sold mainly from €900 to €1,100/head.

Commission rates are €9 to the buyer and €10 to €15 to the seller.

This Charolais-cross heifer, born February 2018 and weighing 440kg, sold for €880 (€2.00/kg).

This Simmental-cross heifer, born August 2017 and weighing 305kg, sold for €675 (€2.21/kg).

This pair of Hereford heifers, born March to May 2018 and weighing 347kg on average, sold for €730 each (€2.10/kg).