Mayo mart reports 'probably best ever' sale
BALLA Mart saw a huge sale for the time of year with nearly 700 lots on offer on Saturday. What was described as a ‘serious’ trade saw a great clearance of cattle - ‘probably the best ever’.
Average prices for bullocks were: 300kg to 400kg €3.24/kg; 400kg to 500kg €3.14/kg; 500kg €2.95/kg; 600kg plus €1,100 to €1,550 with their weight.
A CHX bullock weighing 700kg made €2,150, sold by a farmer from Dunmore, and a heavier 750kg animal made €2,320. A lighter 395kg LMX made €1,690, sold by a Westport farmer.
Heifers were selling very well with all averages over €3/kg and any BBX breeding types got a good price.
Average heifer prices were: 300kg to 400kg €3.03/kg; 400kg to 500kg €3.14/kg; 500kg plus €3.09/kg.
A 485kg Belgian Blue born October '22 was sold for €2,400 (€4.95/kg) for the Northern trade, sold by farmer from Enniscrone, while another smashing LMX heifer born September '22, weighing 440kg, made €3,120, sold by a farmer from Tulrahan.
It was a good sale of dry cows with over 130 lots. A 770kg BBX dry cow made €2,430, sold by a Ballindine farmer.
It was also a great sale of springers with a Swinford farmer hosting a dispersal sale of 24 cows that sold very well and got great support.
Best was a January ’20 cow, due in February to a Limousin stock bull, that made €3,520 for another Swinford farmer.
Weanlings were sold after the bullocks and exporters as well as farmers did the buying.
Bull weanlings 200kg to 350kg averaged €3.23/kg, those 350kg to 450kg €3.12/kg, while bulls 450kg plus averaged €2.98/kg. Best was a BBX, 350kg, selling for €1,510 for the export trade.
There will be a special sale of 10 in-calf cows next Saturday which will include three first-calf heifers and six springing cows, calving February to March, from a Bohola farmer.
Booking as usual on 0818 301 401.
Upcoming sales include: special weanling sale, Saturday, February 3; breeding heifer sale, February 17; end of month Continental sale, February 24.
Tuesday weanling sales commence on February 27, with the spring show and sale on March 26.