Ballyjamesduff Mart, Co. Cavan, hosted a heifer sale on Tuesday (March 7) with the number of cattle on offer easing slightly on the weeks before.
However, speaking to Agriland after the sale, Ballyjamesduff Mart manager John Tevlin said that the trade for store heifers remains lively.
“A lot of cattle moved earlier this year at marts and numbers did ease a bit this week with bad weather and some sellers waiting out until the grass comes,” he said.
Sample prices from the heifer sale at Ballyjamesduff Mart:
“The demand from buyers in Northern Ireland has definitely picked up in recent weeks with strong store cattle prices in Northern Ireland,” he added.
He said that Northern Ireland-based factory agents are particularly active for finished cows and heavy bulls.
Commenting on the prices being achieved, Telvin explained that a number of the better-type store heifers, regardless of weight, are coming into €3.50/kg, while the better-type weanling heifers in the lighter categories are making €4.00/kg and above in some cases.
“Many farmers have started buying grass cattle but I’d say you’re going to see the trade for grass cattle pick up over the coming weeks,” he said.
“There’s a certain amount of farmers that traditionally would buy their cattle early and are now waiting a few weeks to buy them and citing nitrates stocking rates as the reason for delaying their purchases.”
He said that while this trend is not affecting all cattle buyers, there are “a few bigger beef finishers delaying buying their grass cattle for this reason”.
In the suckler cow sale on Wednesday, Telvin said the better-type in-calf cows were making up to €2,200.
Commenting on the calf trade, Telvin explained that there was a large number of calves on offer this week.
“The trade is from one extreme to the other really. The good calves are a good trade and the bad calves are hard moved,” he said.
“Exporters were less active this week as there was no shipping so it was only the farmer that was buying them.
“A nice Friesian bull calf was making €150-160 and the young, light calves were making back as low as €1. Calves need to be fed and over 50kg if they’re coming out for sale.
“No one wants to buy these young, light calves. The Jersey-cross calves are hard sold too, but there seems to be less of them coming with the sexed semen.”
Ballyjamesduff Mart is set to host a machinery auction at the end of this month and a clearance auction of the contents from B&F hardware stores in Ballinagh, Co. Cavan, is also set to take place in the coming weeks.