Bandon Mart held the last of its Wednesday evening calf sales on April 30, with over 100 calves on offer at the west Cork mart.
Although the number of calves on offer was smaller compared to previous weeks, the trade remained positive – with a top price of over €300 achieved.
After the sale on Wednesday evening, Agriland spoke with Bandon Mart manager Sean Dennehy to obtain some insight into the trade.
Bandon Mart
Starting with the Friesian bull calves on offer, Dennehy said these sold to a top price of €80 for a strong bull calf.
The majority of the Friesian bull calves on offer sold from €70, down to €50.
Coloured bulls
The beef-sired bull calves sold to a top call of €300 for an Aberdeen Angus-cross bull.
Following closely behind this price was a Belgian Blue-cross bull calf, which sold for €295, while another Belgian Blue-cross bull calf sold for €260.
The majority of the coloured bull calves consisted of Angus, Belgian Blue, Hereford and Saler crosses, with most selling for between €130 and €200.
Heifers
The heifer calves on offer were made up of Charolais, Belgian Blue, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus-cross calves.
Top price for the heifer calves went to a Charolais cross which sold for €275, following closely behind was Belgian Blue cross at €245 and another Charolais cross at €235.
The majority of heifer calves on offer sold for between €100 and €225.
Bull sale
On Wednesday, April 6, Bandon Mart will host a sale of Aberdeen Angus and pedigree Friesian bulls suitable for breeding.
The mart will host the Munster Aberdeen Augus Club sale with 25 bulls on offer on the day.
The sale is noted as being a high health-status sale, with all the bulls being vaccinated against Leptospirosis (Lepto) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR).
There will also be 25 pedigree Holstein Friesian bulls from the Cork Holstein Friesian Club for sale on the day.
This will be an excellent opportunity to purchase a stockbull or two ahead of the breeding season kicking off on farms in the coming weeks.