Because farmers are busy at silage and field work, the entry at Saturday’s sale at Balla Mart was seasonally low.
Cull cows were a fairly steady trade with prices similar to the previous week.
The average feeding cow sold mainly from €1.60/kg to €1.75/kg, while short-keep and slaughter-fit cows sold from €1.75/kg to €1.90/kg, with some top-quality young cows making over €2.00/kg. Old and plain feeding cows are a little easier with prices ranging from €1.20/kg to €1.40/kg.
Bullocks
The bullock trade was quite steady also, but some plainer types were a little slower to sell. Those over 550kg sold mainly from €2.00/kg to €2.20/kg for R grades, while better-quality types sold for over €2.30/kg. Bullocks from 500kg to 550kg were a little stronger, but this depended on quality.
Average-quality types sold mainly from €2.10/kg to €2.20/kg, with the top third selling from €2.30/kg to €2.40/kg. Lighter store bullocks from 400kg to 500kg sold mainly from €2.10/kg to €2.30/kg for R grades, with better-quality types making over €2.60/kg at times.
Weanling bulls were a good firm trade, with good prices paid for good-quality Limousin and Charolais types. Those from 300kg to 400kg sold mainly from €2.20/kg to €2.40/kg and to over €2.70/kg for top-quality types.
Heifers
Forward store heifers from 500kg to 600kg sold mainly from €2.10/kg to €2.30/kg for R grades, which was a little stronger than last week. Plainer types sold from €1.95/kg to €2.05/kg. Stores from 400kg to 500kg sold mainly from €2.20/kg to €2.35/kg with, U grades making over €2.55/kg.
Weanling heifers from 300kg to 400kg sold mainly from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg and to over €2.60/kg for better types. Plainer heifer weanlings were a little slower to sell than in previous weeks.