Some 500 cattle went under the hammer at Dowra Mart on Saturday. The sale has been operating over the past few weeks under strict health and safety regulations due to Covid-19. So far, the sales have been running well.
The demand was reported to be strong for younger cattle, with quality ‘grass’ types continuing to perform well. However, plainer, ‘out of spec’ cattle were a harder sell. Additionally, dry cows were also reported to be an easier trade on the day.
Starting with bulls, those falling into the 300-400kg sold for €2.50-2.60kg, with those on the lighter side making €2.70/kg. Two Charolais bulls, weighing 305kg, made €830 or €2.72/kg.
Bull weanlings weighing over 400kg sold for €2.00-2.30/kg, with some quality lots fetching higher prices. A Charolais bull – weighing 650kg – made €1,305 or €2.00/kg, while two Charolais bulls made €980 or €2.36/kg; they weighed 415kg.
Moving to heifers, lots weighing under 300kg were fetching up to and over €3.00/kg for quality lots. Some were bought for €2.70/kg; others lots were back further.
300-400kg heifers were reported to sell in the region of €2.50-2.60/kg. Five Charolais heifers, weighing 385kg, sold for €980 or €2.54/kg, while two Limousin heifers – weighing 345kg – made €900 or €2.61/kg.
Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see details of each lot, including the sale price.
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- These 355kg, Charolais and Limousin bulls made €950 or €2.67/kg
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- This 575kg, Charolais bullock made €1,250 or €2.17/kg
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- This 700kg, Aberdeen Angus bullock made €1,275 or €1.82/kg
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- This 650kg, Limousin bullock went under the hammer for €1,305 or €2.00/kg
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- These 415kg, Charolais bulls made €980 or €2.36/kg
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- This 770kg, Limousin cow sold at €1,320 or €1.71/kg
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- This 765kg, Limousin cow made €1,280 or €1.67kg
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- These 680kg, Charolais heifers sold for €1,340 or €1.97/kg
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- This 605kg, Limousin heifer went under the hammer for €1,200 or €1.98/kg
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- This 785kg, Charolais cow sold at€1,2701.61/kg
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- This 400kg, Charolais heifer made€1,020 or €2.55/kg
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- These 315kg, Limousin bulls sold for €815 or €2.58/kg
Store-type heifers (400kg to 500kg) sold at €2.25/kg at the lower end up to €2.40/kg or higher for top-quality lots. Three Charolais heifers, weighing 440kg made €1,020 or €2.31/kg, while three Aubrac heifers at 445kg sold for €1,025 or €2.30/kg.
Heifers weighing over 600kg went under the hammer in the region of €2.00/kg
A number of store bullocks were also presented for sale on the day and these lots weighing between 400kg and 500kg sold at approximately €2.00-2.20/kg. Two Charolais bullocks – weighing 440kg – made €950 or €2.16/kg, while four Limousin bullocks weighing 420kg sold for €920 or €2.19/kg.
Prices for dry cows under 600kg varied with better-quality types making north of €1.50/kg, while plainer-quality cows witnessed a lower demand. One Charolais cow weighing 565kg made €860 or €1.52/kg.
Cows weighing over 700kg made in the region of €1.60-1.70/kg.