Looking at prices from the cull cow and heifer rings in marts this week, it is little wonder that a weanling heifer is trading comfortably at over €100/head more than last year’s prices.
Ballyjamesduff Mart’s cull cow ring this week saw a top price of €2,120 for a Charolais cull-cow.
Suckler farmers selling their cull cows this year are finding themselves in a situation where they have strong buying power when backed with their cheque for cull cows, and are making their presence felt on the weanling heifer trade, buying suitable stock to replenish their suckler herds.
Along with this trend, farmers selling forward store cattle and factory cattle are finding their stock coming into better money than would ever have anticipated earlier this year, and are in a good position to buy weanlings also.
The video below is a sample of some of the prices in the weanling heifer ring at Ballyjamesduff Mart this week.
The past few weeks have seen numbers of Autumn 2020-born weanlings in marts around the country starting to increase.
With almost 40,000 head of Irish forward store and factory fit cattle having gone north on cattle lorries so far this year, the northern interest is finding its way into the weanling trade also.
Speaking to Agriland, Ballyjamesduff Mart’s manager John Tevlin outlined that Northern buyers are now showing strong interest in quality weanling bulls and heifers across all breeds.
He noted that the home market is also strong for all types of weanlings, as farmers returning to buy replacement stock are in a good position this year, having secured good money for their cattle in both factories and marts.