Confidence strong for the heavy cattle at the ringside
THIS week’s ringside tables shows that buyers continued to turn the screw on bullock prices; with one notable exception the 600kg+ animal.
Mart price averages for the 600kg+bullock remained static last week because of the upward movement in factory prices.
Factory prices last week moved onto a general run of €3.85-3.90/kg and it is those prices which helped maintain confidence in the trade for heavy cattle at the marts last week.
The emphasis among mart managers is on the strength of the prices being paid for the better store animal.
The reality is that the numbers of stock going through the marts are easing as are the number of better quality bullocks. Part of the reason for the fall off in numbers of better bullocks is seasonal but part of it is down to the mushrooming of milk production which has taken good numbers of, particularly younger suckler farmers, out of the system.
The heifer trade at marts has not yet seen any appreciable over spill from the dairy side as expanding milk production continues to absorb their extra numbers which is another way of saying that the prices on the heifer table are more reflective of pure beef breed pricing than the bullock side of the house.
Hence last week the average price of the 600kg+ bullock was unchanged not because there was no incentive to push on but simply because the numbers of dairy type stock presented took the edge off the market. Average prices for Friesians at this weight fell by 9c/kg to €1.61/kg, that’s a €54/hd reduction from the previous week while the average price of your continental bullock remained unchanged at €2.07/kg.
Helping balance out the effect on prices of those extra poorer dairy stock numbers were the Herefords and Aberdeen Angus stock who gained 4c/kg or €24/hd, thus negating along with the continentals the effect of those bigger Friesian numbers.
Heifer
Looking at the heifer table and in particular the 600kg+ section we see that those recent factory price rises, about 15c/ kg in three weeks led to prices overall increasing by 3c/kg or €18/hd last week.
It had appeared the 600kg+ heifer was under priced which the market last week began to acknowledge with those improved averages.
In relation to the bullock trade the increased numbers of dairy type stock are undermining overall averages and hiding the fact that the good bullock is a serious trade.
On the weanling tables overall average prices for bulls tended to be stable despite the 100-299kg bull dropping 3c/kg.
That 3c/kg drop has come about as a result of a 10c/kg or €10-29/hd fall in the price of the top quarter animal not being fully balanced by an 8c/ kg gain the bottom quarter of that same 100-299kg section.