Limousin heifer lands top prize at fat stock show as mart centre enjoys ‘best year ever’
LIMOUSIN, Charolais and Belgian Blues shared the top honours at a very successful Fat Stock Show and Sale at Kanturk Mart, where the top four beef animals sold for a combined €9,150 while a charity sale of an Angus bull raised €5,000 for palliative care in the area, writes Martin Ryan.
Supreme Champion of the Show, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, Kanturk, was awarded to a Limousin heifer which weighed 685kg.
She was exhibited by Robert McGivern, Carrigtwohill, bought by Gerald Ryan, Banteer for €2,600
The Reserve Champion, sponsored by North Cork CoOp Creamery, Kanturk went to a Charolais heifer, exhibited by James Lenihan, Mountcollins, Co Limerick.
Weighing 655kg, she was purchased by Jerry Murphy, Rossacon for €2,100.
The award for the Best Beef Heifer Born in Duhallow, sponsored by Twohig’s SuperValu, Kanturk went to a Charolais weighing 725kg, which sold for €2,050. Exhibited by Frank Hayes, Castlecor, Mallow, she was purchased by Tom Kelly, Ballyclough, Mallow.
The runner-up was a Belgian Blue heifer exhibited by Denis O’Sullivan, Gooseberry Hill, Meelin, Co Cork, weighing 665kg and bought by Daniel O’Keeffe, Ovens for €1,740.
There was an excellent showing of cattle with 120 entries in the fat stock classes at the show which was held in conjunction with the regular weekly sale entry of over 550 head which met with a full clearance.
Seamus O’Keeffe described 2017 as “the best year ever” for the North Cork centre where total throughput for the year is expected to reach 33,000 head.
“We had a throughput of 28,500 head last year and thought that it would be difficult to beat, but we are already over 31,000 head for 2017 and a few weeks left to the end of the year”, he said.
The final weanling show and sale for 2017 is being held today and the last cattle sale of the year takes place on Tuesday, December 19.
The sale centre is well located in a good store cattle rearing region of the country and particularly noted for the quality of replacement stock for the dairy herd produced on the farms in the region.
A 480kg Angus bull named ‘Seamus’, sponsored by Kanturk Mart, raised a total of €5,000 for Marymount palliative care in the memory of “one of the nicest people”, a friend and colleague of the office staff at the mart, the late Geraldine Burke whose untimely passing, following an illness, has left a void in the area where she had been greatly appreciated by the farmer clientele of the mart.
Mart customers, who were in- vited to guess the weight of the animal over the previous weeks, contributed €3,380 while the sale of the animal raised a further €1,620.
— Limousin Heifer, weighing 565kg owned by Jeremiah Twomey, Donoughmore, and bought by Thomas O’Callaghan, Burnfort for €1,470. exhibited by Liam Kelly, Ashford, bought by Jerry Murphy, Rossacon.