Averages up at Mayo marts
Bullocks reached a high of €5.34/kg, heifers peaked at €5.19/kg, cows topped at €4.31/kg, and weanling bulls hit €4.88/kg at last Wednesday's cattle sale at Ballinrobe Mart.
Bullocks fetched prices from €950 to €2,960 per head or €3.52 to €5.34 per kg, with stock 500kg plus averaging €4.22/kg or €2,400/head, bullocks 400kg to 500kg €3.96/kg or €1,770/head, and while bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.63/kg or €1,645/head.
Top bullock prices: CHX, 685kg, €2,960; CHX, 570kg, €2,590; CHX, 540kg, €2,450; LMX, 435kg, €1940; CH, 410kg, €1,870; LMX, 380kg, €1,960; LMX, 318kg, €1,700.
Heifers achieved prices from €910 to €2,260 per head or €3.27 to €5.19 per kg. Heifers 500kg plus averaged €3.84/kg or €2,130/head, 400kg to 500kg heifers averaged €3.83/kg or €1,686/head, and 300kg to 400kg heifers averaged €4.02/kg or €1,385/head.
Top heifer prices: LMX, 575kg, €2,260; HEX, 475kg, €1,840; AAX, 450kg, €1,760; CHX, 410kg, €1,600; CHX, 385kg, €1,650; LMX, 300kg, €1,540; CHX, 235kg, €1,540.
Dry cows ranged from €1,400 to €3,660 per head, with an average of €2,537/head or €3.52/kg.
Top dry cow prices: LM, 850kg, €3,660; LM, 835kg, €3,360; AAX, 760kg, €2,990; AU, 755kg, €2,960; HEX, 650kg, €2,260.
Thursday's sheep sale saw spring lamb prices ranging from €188 to €205, with an average €197 or €3.74 to €4.32/kg or average €4.13/kg.
Hoggets ranged from €85 to €207, or €2.83 to €4.32/kg, averaging €3.63/kg.
Cull ewes prices ranged from €64 to €284, averaging €175/head, and price per kg ranging from €1.25 to €3.53, with an average of €2.52/kg.
There was a good turnout of ewes with lambs at foot, sold from €120 to €365 for a CH ewe with a CH bred lamb at foot. The average for ewes with lambs was €226.
Upcoming sales at Ballinrobe Mart includes the Continental heifer sale this Wednesday, May 14.
BALLA MART
All averages for bullocks and heifers were up again this week at Balla Mart.
Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.67/kg, stores 400kg to 500kg averaged €4.51/kg, while heavier bullocks 500kg plus averaged €4.52/kg, but this was mostly cattle in the 650kg range, though one AAX bullock weighing 755kg made €3,560 (€4.72/kg) for a farmer from Brize.
Bullock prices included: 225kg LMX €1,230; 360kg LMX €1,990; 405kg LMX €2,540; 575kg LMX €2,970; 755kg AAX €3,560.
All averages were up again in the heifers, by .15 to .20 cent on last week. Lighter store heifers 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.56/kg, heifers 400kg to 500kg averaged €4.37/kg, and those 500kg plus averaged €4.35/kg.
Heifer prices included: 290kg LMX €1,560; 395kg LMX €2,250; 440kg BBX €2,420; 520kg BBX €2,950; 640kg CHX €3,160; 845kg CHX €3,820.
A CHX heifer weighing 845kg made €3,820 for a Balla farmer who also had another heifer which made €3,800.
Best in the dry cows was a six-year-old Limousin weighing 775kg that was sold for €3,600 by a Manulla farmer.
In the springers, a seven-year-old Charolais with its bull calf at foot got €3,620 for a Westport farmer.
This Saturday weanlings were also sold as the Tuesday evening sales have ended. There were about 50 lots of bulls and they averaged from €4.21 to €4.55/kg.
The next sale will be Saturday, May 17, with booking on Wednesday on 0818 301 401, and booking on Thursday for the weanlings next Saturday.