Numbers going through marts rose by nearly 20% on last week’s levels Martbids data shows.

October is a pivotal month with regards to weanling sales and the increasing numbers have certainly come to light. This, coupled with a break in the weather and farmers trying to offload extra stock before housing, means that mart throughput continues to grow week on week.

The extra weanling stock on offer is being met with buoyant trade. Mart mangers are reporting prices to be significantly up on the year, a trend we highlighted in our analysis last week. This is particularly evident for the better-quality lots.

Many buyers are looking to the heavy weanling as a short-keep solution to kill out of the shed next year

On examination of this week’s data, we see that the weanling bull trade is particularly hot, especially for that heavier animal.

Many buyers are looking to the heavy weanling as a short-keep solution to kill out of the shed next year given the current strong beef prices.

If we look at the better-quality bull weanlings of 450kg-plus, we can see that prices are up 11c/kg on the week. Average for this type of animal now stands at an impressive €2.79/kg.

Looking back to overall average for this weight, we still see a strong price of €2.50/kg, a rise of 7c/kg.

Lower-quality lots average also rise on the week, but by only 4c/kg, showing that the better-quality animal is boosting this somewhat.

Better-quality bulls of 400kg to 450kg saw a rise of 11c/kg on the week, resulting in the average price hitting a very high €2.92/kg.

If we look at the most common weight category for weanling bulls, 300kg to 400kg, we see that average rose by 5c/kg on the week to settle at €2.73/kg. This average is up 26c/kg on the same week in 2020.

The top third of bulls in this weight category sold for a massive €3.11/kg. Difference on the year is even higher here at 30c/kg.

Large amounts of spring weanlings are now on stream, with many not meeting the 300kg mark

Heifers of the same weight now stand at 6c/kg behind their male comrades. That said, at €2.66/kg, this average is 36c higher than last year. Better-quality weanling heifers saw a strong week, with prices rising by 9c/kg, leaving them just 2c behind that of the males.

Large amounts of spring weanlings are now on stream, with many not meeting the 300kg mark. These are being met with a strong demand, but the strong prices witnessed for heavier stock means that it may be worthwhile feeding them on for a while before selling.

Heifers sub-300kg this week averaged €2.77/kg, a rise of 3c on the week. Better-quality lots in this weight division actually saw no change on the week and remain at €3.17/kg.

Bulls of the same weight are proving in much higher demand than the heifers. Better-quality bull weanlings sub-300kg this week rose by a massive 15c/kg to see average settle at an impressive €3.31/kg.

This weight category for bulls would also incorporate a large amount of dairy beef lots born in the spring.

For this reason, it is particularly impressive to see that the bottom third of lots, generally dairy beef animals, rose by 11c/kg on the week.

Mart managers are reporting exceptional demand for this type of stock, particularly if it has Angus on the card.