Upward trends continue at Mayo mart
ANOTHER big sale at Balla Mart on Saturday saw numbers remaining strong while the upward trend continues, with prices up €20 to €50 for all cattle despite the fact there were more plainer cattle than usual.
This week there was a sale of organic heifers and they made over €2,000 - and not even a year old.
Numbers out were high - up by 200 lots on this sale last year.
Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.51/kg, stores 400kg to 500kg averaged €4.35/kg, while heavier bullocks 500kg plus averaged €4.44/kg.
A light BBX bullock born May ’24 and weighing just 290kg made €1,570 for a farmer from Gurteen, Co. Sligo, while another CHX weighing 380kg made €2,260. Another Sligo farmer, from Drumcliff, had a lovely bunch of cattle with one 700kg CHX making €3,320.
A heavier AAX bullock weighing 770kg made €3,500 - that's €2,730 with the weight - for a farmer from Claremorris.
There was a fine yard of heifers and nice light stock was dearer again this week, with strong demand from farmers.
Lighter stores for feeding were up €1.50/100kg on last year while heavier heifers could be up by €750 a head...all in all there were some great prices paid for heifers.
Lighter store heifers 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.29/kg, heifers 400kg to 500kg averaged €4.36/kg, while heifers 500kg plus averaged €4.47/kg.
A smashing CHX store heifer weighing 390kg made €2,090 (€5.36/kg) for a farmer from Ballyvary. Another LMX weighing 695kg made €3,480 (€5.01/kg) for a farmer from Belmullet.
The cows and breeding bulls, as usual, outperformed the rest. Though slightly less numbers with just over 140 lots on offer this week, there was a fine trade with 500kg stock averaging €3.81/kg and the tops getting around €4.80/kg.
A Charolais dry cow weighing 905kg made €4,400 (€4.86/kg) for a local farmer from Mayo Abbey, going to a buyer from Co. Derry.
Then there followed a ‘tonner’ five-year-old Charolais bull weighing 1,050kg that made €4,280 for a farmer from Knock.
Booking again this Wednesday for next Saturday's sale on 0818 301 401.