Kingscourt Mart, Co. Cavan, held its weekly cattle sale on Thursday (August 6), where the trade saw a large numbers of heavy cattle, particularly 75%-fleshed Charolais cattle.

Speaking to Agriland, Kingscourt's Nigel Gilmer confirmed that the sale was smaller than last week's with just under 300 cattle on offer.

The mart saw a number of bulls go on offer, with some strong prices for light store cattle, such as a 240kg Limousin bull that sold for €1,230 at €5.13/kg.

A 430kg Limousin bull sold for €1,500 at €3.49/kg. An Angus bull weighing 465kg sold for €1,540 at €3.58. A Belgian Blue weighing 405kg sold for €2,090 at €5.16/kg.

The bullock ring saw a lot of heavier cattle go through the ring.

Below are some sample prices from the bullock sale:

A 605kg Charolais bullock fetched €2,650 at €4.38/kg;
A 560kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,060 at €3.68/kg;

A 454kg Simmental bullock sold for €1,750 at €3.93/kg;
A 670kg Belgian Blue bullock sold for €2,700 at €4.03/kg.

Heifers and cull cows

The mart saw a smaller number of heifers than previous weeks go through the ring.

A Charolais heifer weighing 610kg sold for €2,290 at €3.75/kg.

One 580kg Limousin heifer sold for €2,350 at €4.05/kg, while nother Limousin weighing 430kg sold for €1,860, equivalent to €4.33/kg.

An Angus heifer weighing 790kg sold for €2,930 at €3.71/kg, while another 720kg Angus heifer sold for €2,760 at €3.83/kg.

The Cavan mart also saw 40 cull cows on offer, with great trade for well-fleshed Charolais cows in particular.

Some sample prices for cull cows include:

A Hereford cow weighing 720kg sold for €2,050 at €2.85/kg.
An 850kg Charolais cow sold for €3,250 at €3.82/kg.
A Charolais cow weighing 720kg sold for €2,680 at €3.72/kg.

The mart also saw a smaller number of stock bulls go through the ring.

One Limousin stock bull weighing 890kg sold for €3,250, equivalent to €3.65/kg.

Farmer sentiment

Some farms in Cavan are suffering from restricted growth rates due to soil moisture deficits, but Gilmer confirmed that farmers were still looking to sell and demand had not changed.

The news that factory quotes fell this week will not be welcomed by farmers.

However, according to Gilmer, the impact so far was limited as factory agents were still buying cattle and prices held or saw at most a 10c/kg reduction in the worst cases this week.

Kingscourt Mart hosts its weekly cattle sale every Thursday, and a sheep sale every Monday.