Beef price wasn’t mentioned once, nobody talked about the protests and everybody was positive. For two hours on Friday night in Elphin Mart, everything was OK again. Everyone was high on a good cattle trade

Martin O’Connor’s 2019 sale didn’t disappoint. There were 49 super heifers on offer, most in calf to AI and ready to calve in the next few weeks. It was high-end stuff, lots of muscle and power, with most of them calving down at three years of age.

This 2016-born heifer by Wilodge Joskins and in calf to EBY, time up on 2/12/2019, sold for the top price of the sale at €5,000.

A September 2016-born heifer in calf to EBY, time up 30/12/2019, sold for €2,850

This April 2017-born heifer inseminated to EBY, time up 11/11/2019, sold for €2,520.

This May 2016-born heifer in calf to the pedigree Simmental bull, time up 11/01/20, sold for €3,800

A November 2016-born heifer in calf to Lodge Hamlet, time up 5/12/2019, sold for €3,150.

This Jan 2017-born black Limousin heifer inseminated to Lodge Hamlet, time up 21/11/2019, sold for €2,120.

This April 2017-born heifer inseminated to EBY, time up 11/11/2019, sold for €4,750.

This November 2016-born heifer inseminated to Lodge Hamlet, time up on 11/11/19, sold for €4,050.

It’s not everybody’s cup of tea and it’s hard to see the figures stacking up but there is a market out there for this type of stock. Part-time farmers with a few cows willing to invest big to get that prize winner would be interested, along with specialist fatstock producers looking for cows that will produce show calves.

The average price for the 49 heifers was €2,459, with a 100% clearance. Five heifers headed north of the border. It was down on last year’s average of €2,781 but that sale included a few exceptional lots. For a full sale report see this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.

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