Smashing Continental cattle at Mayo mart

SATURDAY saw a big sale at Balla Mart with some smashing Continental cattle and a great clearance.

Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €5.24/kg, with stores 400kg to 500kg averaging €5.19/kg up, and heavier bullocks 500kg plus averaging €4.64/kg.

A Charolais bullock weighing 385kg was sold for €2,580 (€6.70/kg) by a Ballaghaderreen farmer who had some lovely Charolais stores.

A farmer from Breaffy, Castlebar, had a 690kg LMX that made €3,360 (€4.87/kg) and another heavy bullock that sold for €3,620.

The best of the heavy bullocks were all bought by northern factory buyers.

Heifers were slightly up on last week and selling well. Two smashing heifers shown by a Claremorris seller saw the the first - a 555kg BBX - sold for €3,920 (€7.06/kg) while the second made €3,800, with both bought online by a Donegal buyer for breeding.

Lighter store heifers 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.84/kg, stock 400kg to 500kg averaged €5.05/kg, and heifers 500kg plus averaged €4.64/kg.

Dry cows 500kg plus averaged €3.87/kg and were similar to last week. Tops was a five-year-old Charolais weighing 910kg that made €3,760 for a farmer from Turlough, Castlebar.

There was a pen of stock bulls and they got great buying by a factory buyer from the North. One six-year-old Angus bull was bought online for €4,740, sold by a Claremorris farmer.

The best price this week in the springers was a May 2019 Limousin, with its time up, bought for €4,020 from a farmer from Castlebar.

Booking for next Saturday's sale goes ahead on Wednesday (10th) and on Thursday (11th) there will be booking for the special breeding heifer sale that will be on Friday evening, September 19. Booking is on lowcall 0818 301 401.