The cattle trade continues to tick along at a steady pace. Mart managers are reporting good numbers for the time of year, with weanling numbers especially strong. Portumna Mart had a good entry of stores at last Wednesday’s sale, with good appetite from both factory agents and feedlot buyers.
The cattle trade continues to tick along at a steady pace. Mart managers are reporting good numbers for the time of year, with weanling numbers especially strong.
Portumna Mart had a good entry of stores at last Wednesday’s sale, with good appetite from both factory agents and feedlot buyers.
Almost 250 cattle made their way through the rings last Wednesday.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Portumna Mart’s Craig Lovett said: “We had a good entry of stock, with a few great lots of Aberdeen Angus cattle which were met with good demand.
“Factory agents were especially active for these types, with fleshed types meeting great demand.
“Good continental cattle are in short supply and buyers seem to be willing to go that extra mile when bidding for the top-quality lots.
“A lot of these real good heifers are selling for over €3/kg, no matter what the weight.”
Heavy continental heifers also saw a big lift in price on the previous week, with some big money being paid for top-quality heifers weighing over 600kg.
The top 33% of heifers in the 600kg-plus weight bracket came in at €3.20/kg last week, a lift of 29c/kg on the previous week.
Top price in the sale went to an October 2022-born Charolais heifer weighing 615kg and selling for €1,970 (€3.20/kg). Another May 2022-born Charolais heifer weighing 615kg sold for €1,930 (€3.14/kg).
Heifers in the 500kg to 600kg weight bracket also met good demand from farmers buying cattle for further finishing.
Top-quality heifers in this weight bracket came in at €2.91/kg, a similar trade to the previous week.
Entries in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket were dominated by Aberdeen Angus and Hereford heifers from the dairy herd, with the top end of these heifers coming in at €2.55/kg.
Dry cows also met good demand, with good-quality fleshed cows in short supply. Prices for dry cows ranged from €1.30/kg for store Friesian cows lacking flesh to over €2/kg for better-quality cows with flesh.
In the bullock ring, the lighter store was the highlight of the trade, with top-quality bullocks in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket coming in at €2.78/kg.
Plainer types were selling at €2.45/kg, while Friesian bullocks were being bought around the €2/kg mark.
Portumna Mart holds its general cattle sale every Wednesday.
This pair of March 2023-born Aubrac heifers weighed 345kg and sold for €800 (€2.32/kg).
This December 2022-born Charolais heifer weighed 525kg and sold for €1,410 (€2.69/kg).
This March 2023-born Charolais heifer weighed 395kg and sold for €1,100 (€2.78/kg).
This pair of January 2023-born Aberdeen Angus heifers weighed 353kg and sold for €790 (€2.24/kg).
This March 2023-born Belgian Blue heifer weighed 345kg and sold for €870 (€2.52/kg).
These six February 2022-born Aberdeen Angus heifers weighed 490kg and sold for €1,200 (€2.45/kg).
This February 2023-born Charolais heifer weighed 405kg and sold for €1,120 (€2.77/kg).
This pair of March 2023-born Aberdeen Angus heifers weighed 343kg and sold for €830 (€2.42/kg).
This January 2023-born Limousin heifer weighed 550kg and sold for €1,470 (€2.67/kg).
This November 2022-born Limousin heifer weighed 515kg and sold for €1,510 (€2.93/kg).
These six February 2022-born Aberdeen Angus cross heifers weighed 528kg and sold for €1,390 (€2.63/kg).
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