A weanling heifer took the top price at the special sale of Elite Haltered Cattle at Balleybofey and Stranorlar Co-operative Livestock Mart on Saturday (November 12).
The sale featured over 150 lots of weanling bulls, heifers and breeding heifers.
The top price on the day went to Pearse McNamee and his family who are suckler farmers from Convoy, Co. Donegal, for their Belgian Blue crossbred heifer.
This heifer was born in late-March 2022 and weighed 390kg. It sold for an impressive price of €10,100 or just short of €25.90/kg.
The heifer was bought by Sam Matchett and finds a new home residing in the Birches Herd in Northern Ireland.
All eyes will now be on this heifer’s full sister, which will be sold at the Winter Fair in Carrick on Shannon later this month.
Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Pearse said the heifer was second in her class to the Reserve Champion at the Tullamore Show.
Her grand-dam was bought by Pearse 18 years ago in Carrick on Shannon, from David Kenny from Ballindine, Co. Mayo at €4,100, which was the highest-priced calf that year.
The calf was sired by the Belgian Blue bull Sultan (STQ).
“What drove the trade for this heifer ultimately was the line of breeding and the consistency her dam and grand-dam has been breeding,” Pearse said.
“For a Belgian Blue heifer, she had a lot of bone and power and great colour with four good legs. Exactly what I would want myself in a breeding female.”
Pearse plans on reinvesting the sale price of the heifer back into breeding and further improving the genetics in his commercial suckler herd.
The sale
While the McNamee’s heifer was the main talking points of the sale, there were also plenty of other good prices with the top-priced bull calf, belonging to Micheal Boyle, selling for €2,650.
This Belgian Blue crossbred bull (pictured above) was born in late-January this year and weighing 470kg, was bought by Co. Monaghan man Jonny Doogan.
It was a heifer belonging to the well-known scanning technician, Kieran McGee’s herd Corela Livestock, based in Pettigo, Co. Donegal, that took the top price in the breeding heifer category.
The April 2021 born Charolais heifer was a CF-52 daughter and her dam was a Simmental X Belgian Blue cow. This special lot was the All Ireland Maiden Heifer Champion at Finnvalley Show 2022 and the Champion Breeding Heifer and Overall Female Champion at Ballyshannon Show 2022.
Weighing in at 730kg, the heifer sold at €5,400 or just under €7.40/kg.
McGee’s success didn’t stop there on the day as he secured €4,000 for another breeding heifer and also sold a Limousin weanling heifer calf at €3,600.
Selling at €4,000, lot 136 was an April 2021 born heifer sired by the Charolais bull Hideal and her dam was a Simmental X Limousin cow.
The gallery below is a sample of the highlight heifer prices achieved by the sellers on the day. Photos were taken by Glenalla Photography:
Securing €4,200 was Lot 65, also belonging to Pearse. This February 2022-born heifer won the Supreme Calf Champion and Calf of the Future at the FBD National Livestock Show in Tullamore this year.
Buncrana breeder Michael Gill secured €4,400 for his April 2020-born Charolais-cross heifer.
Lot 69 was a roan-blue type Limousin-cross heifer belonging to Padraig Teague from Balleybofey. This April 2022-born heifer weanling sold for €3,800.
Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan breeder Sean Hughes secured €3,300 on the day for his April 2022-born heifer calf. This heifer weighed 364kg and sold for the equivalent of €9.07/kg.
Breeders Amanda and Nicola McLaughlan from Trentagh, Co. Donegal, secured €3,750 for an April 2022-born Limousin-cross heifer. Weighing 354kg, this heifer sold for an equivalent price of €10.59/kg.
The sale was described by mart management as a success, and management thanked all buyers, sellers, underbidders and sponsors who supported the sale.