The quality of weanlings at Balla Mart’s annual weanling show and sale was second to none, with just under 600 bulls and roughly 250 heifers passing through the two rings.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, mart manager Michael Nolan commented: “It was really exporters and feedlots that were the main buyers today, particularly in the bull ring.
“It’s a little early for farmers to be purchasing weanlings, but we still saw some good activity, especially in the heifer ring.
“We are up over €900/head on the same sale last year,” he added. A total of 30 cattle sold for over €3,000/head.
Bull weanlings
Bulls in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket averaged €6.79/kg, with the top and bottom third of cattle in this bracket selling for €7.72/kg and €5.97/kg on average.
The majority of bulls – close to 300 – were in the 300kg to 400kg bracket, with exporters the main purchasers here for high-end cattle for the continent.
Bulls of this weight averaged €6.10/kg, with the top third coming in at €6.81/kg, while the bottom third of more farmer-type stock averaged €5.47/kg.
Just under 100 bulls weighed in between 400kg and 450kg, and while average prices slipped as weight went up, quality did not and cattle still commanded a strong sale price.
Bulls in this bracket sold for an average of €5.82/kg.
Bulls above 450kg were some of the highest quality on show, with several prizewinners coming from this weight bracket.
These bulls averaged €5.95/kg, with the top and bottom third quality wise averaging €6.73/kg and €5.29/kg.
Champion of the sale was a 475kg Belgian Blue bull calf which later sold for €3,500 (€7.36/kg).
Heifers
Feedlots and farmers were most active for heifers, with some breeding quality stock also on offer.
Heifer weanlings between 200kg and 300kg sold to an average of €6.14/kg, with the top third of this class selling to an average of €6.85/kg.
The majority of heifers, like the bulls, were in the 300kg to 400kg bracket, with heifers of this weight averaging €5.85/kg, with the top third selling to an average of €6.94/kg and the bottom third averaging €5/kg, according to MartBids data.
A small number of heifers were above 400kg, with an average price of €6.17/kg being paid for these lots, with the top third selling for €8.22/kg, bolstered by some high prices for show-winning heifers.
Top call of the day was a super-quality Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 440kg which sold for €7,800 (€17.72/kg).
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