The Tateetra and Rathmore Farms timed online auction of 12 hybrid bulls drew to a close on Monday evening (August 7).

The timed auction took place in association with Ballyjamesfuff Co-op Mart in Co. Cavan, with bidding available on the MartEye platform.

The sale was described as “hugely successful” by Ballyjamesduff mart manager John Tevlin, with a top price of €5,300 and an average sale price of €2,800.

Seven of the 12 bulls on offer in the sale were sold for export with the remaining bulls being purchased by customers from across Ireland.

There was a significant interest in the sale from specialist suckler farms and farmers involved in producing top-end weanlings grading E and U.

Top price

Taking the top price in the sale was Lot 12, a hybrid bull sired by ET Willodge cerburus. Its dam was Kilcombe Orla.

The July-2022 born bull weighed 638kg as of July 31, 2023 and was described as “a serious hybrid bull”.

Taking the second top price in the sale was Lot 7, an Ampertaine elgin-sired bull with BYU,TVR and CF-52 in its dam’s back breeding.

This October 2022-born bull weighed 430kg on July 31, and was a full blood brother to Sean Ramsbottom’s heifer which sold for €18,000 at the Carrick Winter Fair last year.

The bull was described as being a “serious bull for any herd or show bullock potential” and sold for €4,700.

Tateetra heifer sale

The farm is set to host a special sale of 100 breeding heifers at Carnaross Mart, Kells, Co. Meath on Friday, October 6.

The sale is set to also feature approximately 25 heifers which have been halter trained.

Kingham said: “Over the years, our last heifers into the ring were about 300kg so I’m going to keep them on and get another 100kg on them and they will be stronger for the farmers buying them.”

Tateetra and Rathmore Farms has approximately 500 suckler cows with approximately 100 replacements coming in this year. The farm is transitioning to autumn calving and aims to have approximately 400 cows calving from September to November next year with the remainder calving in December and January.