Suckler pairs reach €8,700 at Drumshanbo Mart
Drumshanbo Mart in Co. Leitrim hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Friday evening, August 15, with approximately 260 head of cattle on offer.
The top price in the sale on Friday night was €8,700, paid for a seven-year-old pedigree Charolais cow with a heifer calf at foot.
The cow was sired by Pirate and the calf was sired by Fiston with Major, Juipter, Hermers in the breeding and on the dam-line, going back to Ballydownan Simone and Ballydownan Violet that bred two bulls in artificial insemination (AI).
The entry was purchased by a pedigree breeder from Co. Monaghan.
Another cow with two calves at foot made €4,950, and springers almost reached €4,000 with two in-calf suckler outfits making €3,700 and €3,900/head respectively.
Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Eoin Kane said numbers "are well up on last year and the amount of cattle in the weekly sales never really dropped off this summer with the strong trade seeing farmers selling cattle earlier than usual".
"The nice weanling last year was making €3.50/kg or maybe €4.00/kg. This year, them lighter weanling bulls and heifers are making €6:00-€6.50/kg - up €2.50-€3.00/kg on last year.
"In the Friday sale, we had a 234kg Limousin heifer that made €1,560 or €6.66/kg. The same farmer had bull calves in it that averaged over €6.00/kg."
"For the heavier cattle, there were lots of them making €5.00-€5.50/kg.
"A Belgian Blue-cross bull calf, 412kg, €2,340 or €5.68/kg. Exporters are active - to some extent - primarily for bull weanlings but the farmers are the buyers really coming to the fore."
The mart manager said farmers are buying the lighter weanlings and the factory feeders are "sculling at each-other" for the cattle over 500kg.
"This year, we've had 200-300 cattle every week, the sale numbers never really dropped off. Last week we had over 300 cattle, we had the three rings going which is unheard of at this time of year.
"It's hard to know; if the cattle are coming out earlier, sales mightn't just be as busy in the back end. Even farmers holding heifers off for bulling, they're letting them off now at the mart with the trade."
Kane said that the suckler farmers are buying the cows with calves at foot and in-calf cows, but "are finding it hard to take out the beef finishers for maiden heifers".
"Weanling bulls are at €5.00-€6.00/kg and exceptional ones are making €6.00/kg plus. The ones off Friesian cows are touching the €4.00/kg in cases."
The mart manager said: "There's a strong demand for all types of cattle but the quality is really, really selling.
"The lighter the better. I'm seeing farmers coming out with 250-260kg and they'd normally wait until they have 300kg cattle but I'm seeing them coming out earlier and getting as good of a price."
