Some 12 pens of weanling bulls and nine pens of heifers went under the hammer at the weekly sale in Elphin Mart on Monday night.
The autumn weanling sale season is well under way and the uncertainty around the trade was palpable at Elphin Mart.
This April 2019-born Limousin-cross bull weighed 305kg and was bid to €690 (€2.26/kg) but went unsold.
In terms of the bulls, it took an exceptional calf to get above €2.30/kg, with little in the way of demand from ringside for anything other than a well-shaped Charolais.
Hitting €3/kg
The best-performing bulls were in the 280kg to 330kg weight range, with a small number of these types managing to cross the magic €3/kg barrier.
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 275kg and sold for €825 (€3/kg).
As has been the trend all autumn, the heavy bull saw little in the way of demand from buyers.
The recent heavy rain has forced the hand of many farmers to wean early and get calves to the mart.
The majority of calves on display were in the six- to eight-month range, with farmers present reporting the desire to get animals away rather than feed them on to stores over the winter.
Heifers
The main buyer for heifers was the farmer, where demand can only be described as hit and miss.
Similar to the bulls, anything other than a white or golden Charolais did not have too many hands left in the ring.
This March 2019-born Charolais-cross heifer weighed 250kg and sold for €730 (€2.92/kg).
An Angus heifer first-cross from the dairy herd opened at €400 and struggled to make it past €500.
There was reasonable demand for the heifer weighing between 250kg and 280kg though.
This March 2019-born Charolais-cross heifer weighed 260kg and sold for €680 (€2.60/kg).
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 270kg and made €600 (€2.22/kg).
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 330kg and sold for €935 (€2.83/kg).
Some 12 pens of weanling bulls and nine pens of heifers went under the hammer at the weekly sale in Elphin Mart on Monday night.
The autumn weanling sale season is well under way and the uncertainty around the trade was palpable at Elphin Mart.
This April 2019-born Limousin-cross bull weighed 305kg and was bid to €690 (€2.26/kg) but went unsold.
In terms of the bulls, it took an exceptional calf to get above €2.30/kg, with little in the way of demand from ringside for anything other than a well-shaped Charolais.
Hitting €3/kg
The best-performing bulls were in the 280kg to 330kg weight range, with a small number of these types managing to cross the magic €3/kg barrier.
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 275kg and sold for €825 (€3/kg).
As has been the trend all autumn, the heavy bull saw little in the way of demand from buyers.
The recent heavy rain has forced the hand of many farmers to wean early and get calves to the mart.
The majority of calves on display were in the six- to eight-month range, with farmers present reporting the desire to get animals away rather than feed them on to stores over the winter.
Heifers
The main buyer for heifers was the farmer, where demand can only be described as hit and miss.
Similar to the bulls, anything other than a white or golden Charolais did not have too many hands left in the ring.
This March 2019-born Charolais-cross heifer weighed 250kg and sold for €730 (€2.92/kg).
An Angus heifer first-cross from the dairy herd opened at €400 and struggled to make it past €500.
There was reasonable demand for the heifer weighing between 250kg and 280kg though.
This March 2019-born Charolais-cross heifer weighed 260kg and sold for €680 (€2.60/kg).
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 270kg and made €600 (€2.22/kg).
This April 2019-born Charolais-cross bull weighed 330kg and sold for €935 (€2.83/kg).
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