Tullow Livestock Sales in Co. Carlow hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Friday (September 11), with the return of the grass after the prolonged dry spell in July and August proving to be a help to the trade.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Eric Driver said: "Certainly, the return of the grass is a positive but also, the shed trade is starting.

"The feeders are starting to move out now, we're moving into that time of the year.

"The pressure is off the is off the seller, there is a little bit of grass cover coming now. It's not going to be a big bulk of grass but there is some coming."

Store bullocks weighing over 250kg to under 500kg sold for prices ranging from €1,180 to €1,780.

Sample bullock prices from the sale:

Two Hereford bullocks weighing 475kg made €1,920 or €4.04/kg;
A Limousin bullock weighing 545kg made €2,360 or €4.33/kg;
A Limousin bullock weighing 630kg made €2,920 or €4.63/kg.

Beef bullocks weighing over 500kg and under 750kg made from €1,820 to €2,600.

Store heifers from 340-490kg made from €1,280-€2,200/head and the beef heifers weighing from 500-750kg made from €2,180-€2,800.

Sample prices from the heifer sale:

Two Limousin heifers weighing 490kg made €2,200/head or €4.49/kg;
A Limousin heifer weighing 750kg made €2,760 or €3.68/kg;
A 740kg Angus heifer made €2,450 or €3.31/kg.

Continuing, the Tullow Mart manager said: "We have also seen a little bit more confidence in beef prices, which is a help to the trade also."

In the cull cow sale on the day, a 785kg Friesian cull cow made €2,300 or €2.93/kg.

Another 615kg Belgian Blue cull cow made €2,250 or €3.66/kg while a 625kg Charolais cull cow made €1,850 or €2.96/kg.

He said that more of the stronger-type store cattle are coming out to the weekly sale, which "would be more seasonal to us at this time of year".

"Through the middle of August, we had a lot of lighter cattle, farmers having to move them off the farm because they hadn't the grass for them, selling them a bit out of season.

"But certainly we're back to normal here now and we're seeing the 18-22-month-old cattle coming out now," Driver said.