Two cows smash €5,000 price mark at Mayo mart

TWO cows with calves at foot smashed the €5,000 mark at Balla Mart on Saturday.

A March ’21 cow with a Limousin bull calf at foot made €5,800 for a Williamstown farmer, while an April ‘22 Belgian Blue cow with a heifer calf was bought online for €5,200 from a Claremorris farmer.

Dry cows 500kg plus this week were making €3.27/kg. One 2020 Charolais cow weighing 930kg made €3,290 for a Hollymount farmer.

Bullocks 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.72/kg - up 30 cent/kg on last week. Bullocks 400kg to 500kg were averaging €.48/kg - similar to last week, while those 500kg plus averaging €3.94/kg and bullocks 600kg plus making between €2,600 to €2,900.

Top prices in the bullocks included:

290kg LMX €1,600 (€5.52/kg)

365kg LM €2,300 (€6.30/kg)

405kg CHX €2,430 (€6.00/kg)

560kg CHX €2,600 (€4.64/kg)

685kg AUX €2,710 (€3.96/kg)

735kg CHX €2,900 (€3.95/kg)

This week there were more than 220 lots of heifers sold.

A farmer from Culleens in Sligo had a cracking heifer weighing 560kg that was bought for €3,250 by a northern buyer for breeding.

Another Belgian Blue heifer weighing 495kg made €3,420 for a farmer from Ballina.

Heifers 300kg to 400kg averaged €4.32/kg - up 9 cent/kg on last week. Heifers 400kg to 500kg averaged 4.07/kg, with heifers 500kg plus averaging €3.93/kg.

Top prices in the heifers included:

290kg BBX €1,720 (€5.93/kg)

395kg LMX €2,480 (€6.28/kg)

495kg BBX €3,420 (€6.91/kg)

560kg LMX €3,250 (€5.80/kg)

Saturday, May 23, will be the next sale, with booking this Wednesday on low call 0818 301 401.

LIVESTOCK MEETING

Mayo IFA and Balla Mart are holding a summer livestock meeting at the mart this Wednesday, May 20, at 8 p.m.

There will be discussions on markets, vaccines, live exports and breeding.

Speakers include Adam Woods, Irish Farmers Journal editor, Shane McConville, Balla Vets, Derek Maxwell, Maxwell Livestock, and Padraic Mulconroy, Progressive Genetics.

All are welcomed to attend.