There was over 140 dry cows booked in for sale in Athenry Mart on Tuesday. According to mart manager Alan Barry, this number is "unusually" high for the time of year. There was a very large number of well-fleshed, young continental cows in the ring and prices regularly hit between €1.70/kg and €1.80/kg for these.

Barry said the trade was firm for bullocks and heifers. “The lighter bullocks are making very high prices, up on €2.70/kg,” he said. “Heavier bullocks are around €2/kg.” He added: “Good store heifers are comfortably making €2.15/kg to €2.20/kg too.”

On quality, Barry highlighted that there is a notable increase in quality at the moment coming as a direct result of cattle getting to grass almost one month earlier this spring.

Around the ring, he said that “the farmers buying for the grass are much more active than they would usually be”. He added that “the feedlots seem to have slowed up a good bit over the last few weeks.”

Bullocks and bulls

It was nearly all continental cattle in the lighter 350kg to 400kg category today. The average was €2.18/kg but anything showing quality was easily making €2.20/kg up to a top price of €2.71/kg, which was paid for a 397kg Charolais yearling.

Just over €1.90/kg was the average price for those between 400kg and 500kg. A pen of Friesians put a floor under the price at €1.15/kg. Angus, Shorthorn and Hereford crosses sold for between €1.75/kg and €1.95/kg by-and-large, while continentals ranged from just over the €2/kg mark up to €2.55/kg.

A larger than usual number of dairy crosses made up the numbers in the 500kg to 600kg weight band. The average was €1.88/kg. Dairy-cross lots made between €1.50/kg and €1.75/kg and the continental kicked in at €1.80/kg up to a top price of €2.18/kg. It took the good-quality animal to cross the €2/kg mark here.

Over 600kg, the average was €1.79/kg. A large number of Hereford and Angus cattle sold for between €1.82/kg and €1.94/kg. A few continentals hovered around €2/kg.

Alan Barry, Athenry Mart.

Heifers

Heifers weighing 350kg to 400kg averaged €2.19/kg. Dairy-crosses and continentals split the €2/kg point with the dairy stock ranging from €1.75/kg to €1.99/kg while the continental animal started at €2.03kg up to a top price of €2.53/kg.

Moving up the weights, 400kg to 500kg heifers averaged €2.02/kg. The nice quality continental heifer was making from €2.10/kg to €2.50/kg with Angus heifers following closing behind at €1.90/kg to €2.10/kg.

Heifers between 500kg and 600kg averaged €1.80/kg. A higher number of dairy-cross animals were evident in this weight band. Friesians went from €1.20/kg to €1.35/kg. There was very little separating the plainer continental and the Angus crosses which went from €1.30/kg up to €1.95/kg. The best-quality continentals then made from €2/kg up to €2.25/kg.

Athenry Mart

Commission is 1.75% to the seller and €9.25/head to the buyer.

Analysis for this report was generated from the MartBids app. MartBids is a collaboration between the Irish Farmers Journal and livestock marts. The app is available for download on iPhone or Android on the App Store or Google Play. With this app, all of the information that is displayed on the mart board is now available on your smartphone, long before the animal enters the sales ring.