IN THE KNOW
1ROSCREA
“We had a good scatter of men around the ring and a few buying light stores for grass,” said Michael Harty who spotted some of his customers deciding to get into summer grazing stock early. Sample prices included a selection of outlying Friesian bullocks at 230-240kg who sold for €430-440/hd with a batch of 215kg Angus outliers selling for €430. “Those Angus were very light for what they were,” was Michael’s comment. Among the best on the heifer side were three 630kg Limousins who sold for €1,360/hd.
2DINGLE
The story here was of a very good turnout of stock being met with plenty of interest from an equally good show of farmers and shippers. Nelius McAuliffe commented that “small cattle were a great trade”. Sample prices for those lighter cattle included 330-420kg Hereford bulls who sold from €680-795/hd while among the bullocks, you had €425/hd paid for a tasty batch of 270kg Friesian weanlings. On the heifer side, a batch of 240kg Angus sold for €500/hd. Friesian calves suitable for shipping made from €70-90/hd with lighter calves seeing €60/hd.
3DOWRA
Trade here was also improved, especially for quality lots. Patsy Smith said there was a “great trade” for very good continental stores. Prices for weanling heifers under 300kg sold from €1.90-3.00/ kg, with 300-400kg heifers making from €2.00-2.80 and heavier heifers sold from €2.10-2.70/kg. Weanling bulls under 300kg sold from €1.80-3.20/kg.
4CARNEW
A show and sale always brings out the best, as was the case with Carnew’s special heifer sale last week. Leaving aside the champion heifer, a 724kg Belgian Blue that sold for €2,170, among the ribbons were 612 and 624kg Belgian Blues who sold from €2.84-2.86/kg, with a 504kg Blonde d’Aquitaine seeing €2.57/kg. Moving to the more traditional breeds, Des Tobin cleaned up, as he bagged all three top spots in the non-continental butchers’ heifer section, with three pairs of Angus heifers from 494555 kg selling from €1.98-2.11/kg.
5NEW ROSS
Numbers here were a little reduced. However, it seems to have not had a detrimental effect on prices, with Jim Bush reporting “all classes showing significant improvement”, especially among the beef bullocks. Looking at those beef steers first, prices ranged from €600-960/hd with the €/kg, while among the stores, the range was €470-770/hd with €/kg. Hereford and Angus stores sold from €320-545/hd over the weight, with Friesian stores ranging from €200-390/hd with the weight. Heavy Friesians made from €360-580/hd over the €/kg.
6BLESSINGTON
Trade here was described as steady, especially where better-quality continentals were involved. Bullocks over 500kg sold from 480-660/hd over the €/kg, with those from 400-500kg making from €420-620/hd over their weight. Lighter types made from €300-480/hd over the €/kg. On the heifer side, those over 400kg sold from a top of €540/hd over the €/kg back to €360/hd over the weight. Lighter heifers made from €300-490/hd over the €/kg. Friesian bull calves made from €55-115/hd with Angus and Hereford bulls making from €130-225/hd.
7MAAM CROSS
Numbers here were described as healthy, with demand insuring a complete clearance. Dry cows averaged from €1.47-1.93 /kg with that top call going to a 2014 in-calf Limousin. A 2011 Limousin with twin calves at foot maxed the in-calf section at €1,900 or €2.02/kg. Bullocks averaged €2.48/kg, with heifers averaging €2.09/kg.