Castlerea Co-Operative Livestock Mart, Co. Roscommon, held its weekly sale on Thursday (July 2), where over 180 lots went through the ring with demand up from previous weeks.

According to the mart report, the trade was described as having a "sharper tone" and the increased demand put down to good grass growth and raised beef prices.

PastureBase Ireland data from last week shows growth rates of 65kg dry matter/ha for Co. Roscommon, the second highest rate in Connaught.

At Castlerea, bullocks saw a good trade with the highest price on the day going to a forward store Limousin bullock weighing 845kg that made €2,580 or €3.05/kg.

A 363kg Angus bullock made €1,620 or €4.42/kg, while another Angus weighing 370kg made €1,470 or €3.97/kg. A 305kg Angus made €1,280 or €4.20/kg.

These prices highlight that demand remains strong for lighter store cattle.

The top payout for a heifer was the €2,690 that an Angus heifer weighing 765kg made, equivalent to €3.52/kg.

More sample heifer prices from the sale are listed below:

A 425kg Limousin heifer made €2,050 or €4.82/kg;
A 300kg Hereford-cross heifer made €1,250 or €4.17/kg;
A 550kg Belgian Blue heifer made €2,530 or €4.60/kg;
A 675kg Limousin heifer made €2,660 or €3.94/kg.

Dry cows saw a lively trade with the top price on the day going to a Charolais cow weighing 770kg, who made €2,780 or €3.61/kg.

Young stock continue to see a strong trade, a trend seen in marts across the country.

Young calves made from €300-€790 while runners saw a lively trade with good continentals making up to €1,370.

Weanlings continue to see a very good trade, with trade described as being a "flier".

The top weanling price went to a Charolais heifer weighing 298kg who made €1,540 or €5.16/kg.

Below are some further sample prices from the weanling sale:

A 335kg Belgian Blue cross weanling bull made €1,710 or €5.10/kg;
A 280kg Charolais weanling bull made €1,330 or €4.75/kg;
A 310kg Limousin weanling heifer made €1,490 or €4.81/kg;
A 400kg Charolais weanling heifer made €1,930 or €4.83/kg;

Cows with calves at foot saw another good sale this week, with the top price of €3,900 for a 9-year-old Charolais cow and her two-week-old bull calf.

Kilrush

Clare Co-operative Marts held its fortnightly sale in Kilrush, on Wednesday (June 24), with a smaller sale of cattle through the ring as farmers took advantage of the good weather for harvesting.

According to a report seen by Agriland, continental cull cows fetched good prices due to their impressive quality.

One Limousin-cross cow weighing 790kg made €3,260 or €4.12/kg. Another quality Limousin-cross weighing 775kg made €3,090 or €3.98/kg.

The heifer and bullock trade saw significant fluctuations between continental and dairy cross breeds as can be seen in the sample prices listed below.

A 505kg Limousin-cross heifer made €2,300 or €4.55/kg;
A 345kg Limousin-cross heifer made €1,560 or €4.52/kg;
Two Friesian heifers weighing 425kg on average made €1,220/head or €2.87/kg;
A pen of three Angus-cross bullocks weighing on average 418kg made €1,500/head or €3.59/kg;
Two Belgian Blue-cross bullocks weighing on average 677kg made €2,500/head or €3.69/kg;
A pen of five Friesian-cross bullocks weighing on average 550kg made €1,820/head or €3.31/kg.

Kilrush will host its next sale on Wednesday, July 8 while Castlerea's next general cattle sale will be on Thursday, July 9.