A combination of increased numbers, damper conditions and factories pulling quotes over the last two weeks has started to affect the mart trade, with a different feel to this week’s trade, especially around the store rings.
Marts have gotten a lot busier this week, with some having to stagger sale dates such is the numbers that are being booked in at the moment.
Speaking to mart managers around the country, they described the trade as a little easier for store cattle and cows.
It’s a double-edged sword. Winter and factory-aligned finishers have been grappling with the trade for the last six weeks, with some opting to stand down until more numbers come out and prices ease.
The current easing should help encourage more of these fence-sitters back into the market in the coming weeks and by doing so create some demand, which may help to stabilise the trade.
On the other side of that sword are the farmers who purchased store cattle at high prices last spring. They need cattle to stay where they are to get out and leave a margin over the purchase price.
Some marts saw dairy-beef animals in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket back €100 to €200/head.
Forward store cattle also took a dip, with bullocks over 600kg now not that far ahead of 400kg to 450kg weanlings in some marts.
Bull weanlings are pretty much the only exception to this week’s blip in the trade, with exporters still very active for top-quality calves.
Balla Mart had a big sale of bull weanlings and mart manager Michael Nolan told the Irish Farmers Journal that there was a big clearance rate, with exporters and large finishers driving the trade all day.
Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that it’s dominated by red arrows, a sign that the trade has eased in the last week.
Starting with the bullock rings, the majority of weight categories saw a dip in price this week, with the poorer-quality dairy-bred stock being hit hardest.
Light 350kg to 400kg dairy-cross bullocks were back by 18c/kg this week to €3.80/kg.
Top-quality store bullocks didn’t escape the price dip either, with those in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket back 11c/kg this week to €5.06/kg.
The only weight category that saw an improvement this week was the top-quality 500kg to 600kg store, which were up 15c/kg to €5.17/kg.
In the heifer rings, it was a similar story, with the poorer, lighter heifers hit hardest.
Moving to the weanling rings and those in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket were generally unchanged from last week, with top-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket coming in at €6.79/kg.
Lighter bulls in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket met an easier trade. That being said, top-quality bull weanlings in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket still came in at €7.01/kg this week.
Heifer weanlings took the biggest hit this week, with top-quality heifer weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket back a massive 60c/kg in a week, selling at an average price of €6.07/kg this week.
A combination of increased numbers, damper conditions and factories pulling quotes over the last two weeks has started to affect the mart trade, with a different feel to this week’s trade, especially around the store rings.
Marts have gotten a lot busier this week, with some having to stagger sale dates such is the numbers that are being booked in at the moment.
Speaking to mart managers around the country, they described the trade as a little easier for store cattle and cows.
It’s a double-edged sword. Winter and factory-aligned finishers have been grappling with the trade for the last six weeks, with some opting to stand down until more numbers come out and prices ease.
The current easing should help encourage more of these fence-sitters back into the market in the coming weeks and by doing so create some demand, which may help to stabilise the trade.
On the other side of that sword are the farmers who purchased store cattle at high prices last spring. They need cattle to stay where they are to get out and leave a margin over the purchase price.
Some marts saw dairy-beef animals in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket back €100 to €200/head.
Forward store cattle also took a dip, with bullocks over 600kg now not that far ahead of 400kg to 450kg weanlings in some marts.
Bull weanlings are pretty much the only exception to this week’s blip in the trade, with exporters still very active for top-quality calves.
Balla Mart had a big sale of bull weanlings and mart manager Michael Nolan told the Irish Farmers Journal that there was a big clearance rate, with exporters and large finishers driving the trade all day.
Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that it’s dominated by red arrows, a sign that the trade has eased in the last week.
Starting with the bullock rings, the majority of weight categories saw a dip in price this week, with the poorer-quality dairy-bred stock being hit hardest.
Light 350kg to 400kg dairy-cross bullocks were back by 18c/kg this week to €3.80/kg.
Top-quality store bullocks didn’t escape the price dip either, with those in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket back 11c/kg this week to €5.06/kg.
The only weight category that saw an improvement this week was the top-quality 500kg to 600kg store, which were up 15c/kg to €5.17/kg.
In the heifer rings, it was a similar story, with the poorer, lighter heifers hit hardest.
Moving to the weanling rings and those in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket were generally unchanged from last week, with top-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket coming in at €6.79/kg.
Lighter bulls in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket met an easier trade. That being said, top-quality bull weanlings in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket still came in at €7.01/kg this week.
Heifer weanlings took the biggest hit this week, with top-quality heifer weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket back a massive 60c/kg in a week, selling at an average price of €6.07/kg this week.
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