Camera at the Mart: Monaghan day exceeds expectations in Mohill

Aurivo Marts Mohill held its famous annual Monaghan day heifer sale last Saturday.

The series of Monaghan day sales herald back to fair days of old, where farmers from Monaghan would head for the small Leitrim town to buy their annual compliment of livestock.

The special Monaghan day sales of bullocks, heifers, weanlings and dry cows are known in the locality to attract the best animals, with many local farmers targeting these sales every year.

This in turn attracts customers from far and wide to purchase some of the best continental cattle that Leitrim and the surrounding area has to offer.

Saturday’s sale had over 600 heifers through the ring, with heifers being an exceptional trade right through the sale.

Resident auctioneer PJ Reynolds was singing from the rostrum, selling heifers in record time such was the appetite from both ringside and online bidders.

Top call

Top call of the day went to a Belgian Blue heifer weighing 390kg selling for €1,820 and bought for breeding.

Another 425kg Limousin heifer hit €1,700, with a lot of the top-end heifers selling from €3.70/kg to €4.00/kg.

Heavy heifers were also in demand, with a number of factory agents competing for both forward store and finished heifers.

A number of heavy heifers crossed the €3.30/kg barrier, including a Charolais-cross heifer weighing 710kg and selling for €2,350.

Breeding types were in demand, with close to €4/kg being paid for a few heifers bought as replacement heifers.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Mohill Mart manager Daragh Barden said: “We saw great demand on the day for heifers, but we always do on the Monaghan sale days.

“We had a lot of farmer buyers for the top-end heifers, while the factory agents were very active for the heavy slaughter-fit heifers.

“We have over 500 bullocks booked in for Saturday’s sale and we have some very good forward store bullocks coming to the sale.

“Leitirm is the home of continental cattle. We have a lot of the same customers coming back every year, as they know the stock will perform when they get them,” he said.

Commenting on the general trade, Daragh said: “We’ve seen a big improvement in the price of weanlings over the last few weeks.

“Numbers of weanlings coming out are small, so we would expect the trade to hold well until we hit the grass cattle, which always gives the trade another boost.”