Balla Livestock Mart in Co. Mayo hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Saturday, May 11, with what was described by mart management as “a flying trade” seen on the day.
A sale report from the Saturday sale noted that store cattle prices increased by €50-60/head on the previous week’s sale.
Balla Mart’s Anthony Murphy said: “It was a great trade with farmers and additional bidders around the ring looking for cattle for the grass now that the weather has improved.”
Bullocks in the 300kg to 400kg weight category averaged €3.27/kg. Store bullocks 400kg to 500kg weight category averaged €3.35/kg.
Meanwhile, heavier bullocks weighing over the 500kg mark averaged €3.15/kg. Murphy said: “The quality, heavy bullocks were making up to €1,600 with their weight due to the presence of Northern buyers.”
One Limousin bullock born in May 2022 weighed 675kg and sold for €2,270 for a farmer from Foxford. Another lighter Charolais bullock born in February 2023 weighed 405kg and sold for €1,590 or €3.93/kg for a Claremorris-based farmer.
Heifers at Balla
Commenting on the heifers on offer in the Saturday sale, Murphy said: “The heifers were more mixed this week and the quality wasn’t as good as last week but despite this, prices were still better than last week.
Lighter store heifers in the 300-400kg weight category averaged €3.27/kg. Heifers in the 400kg to 500kg weight category averaged €3.19/kg. Heifers weighing over 500kg averaged €3.14/kg.
One Limousin breeding heifer born in April 2022, weighed 545kg and made €2,800or €5.14/kg, sold by a farmer from Dromore West in Co. Sligo.
A lighter Belgian Blue heifer heifer born in November 2022 weighed 425kg and sold for €1,980 or 4.66/kg from a Claremorris farmer.
Dry cows and sucklers
There were approximately 100 cows on offer in the dry cow ring and the top price in this sale went to an impressive six-year-old 980kg pedigree Belgian Blue dry cow that made €3,620 for a from a farmer from Kilkelly, Co. Mayo.
There was a dispersal sale of 16 dairy stock on behalf of a farmer from Irishtown, Co. Mayo, with a full clearance.
In the normal suckler sale, a farmer from Castlebar, Co. Mayo had an eight year old Charolais-cross with a Belgian Blue heifer calf at foot in the sale. This lot sold for an impressive €3,700.
There was also a sale of bull weanlings following the bullocks in ring one.
Bulls in the 200kg to 350kg weight category averaged €3.37/kg, while 350kg-450kg weanling bulls averaged €3.34/kg, and bulls over 450kg made €3.19/kg.