FARMING & RURAL LIVING

Good numbers of stock presented for sale again this week as we hit mid-July. The bullock ring witnessed lots making up to €1,930 while the heifer ring topped out at €2,200, and the dry cows made up to €2,240.

The weanling rings witnessed the bulls making €3.53 a kilo while the heifers topped out at €3.90 a kilo. The calf ring witnessed a good clearance while the cows with calves at foot made up to €2,260.

Springers made from €800 to €1,210. There were 40 lots of calves on offer making from €120 to €450. Runner lots made from €480 to €780.

OF BULLOCKS, HEIFERS, COWS, CALVES, RUNNERS AND WEANLINGS

TUESDAY 25TH JULY:

IN ASSOCIATION WITH TAAFFE AUCTIONS AT 11.30 A.M, THE FAMILY OF THE LATE TOMMY COONEY, (BALLINTUBBER) SELLING ENTIRE MILKING HERD - 65 CALVED HEIFERS AND COWS.

1 PEDIGREE ABERDEEN ANGUS STOCK BULL (3 YEAR OLD).

2022 HERD AVERAGE 6,750 KG, 4.38% BF, 3.58% PROT VERY LOW SCC.

SELLING VERY IMPRESSIVE MILKING HERD WITH POWER AND VERY GOOD UDDERS AND SIRED BY TOP AI BULLS.

YOUNG HERD, LARGE NUMBERS OF COWS SELLING MILKING 1ST/2ND/3RD LACTATIONS.

COWS AI’d TO HIGH EBI AI BULLS AND RAN WITH PEDIGREE ANGUS BULL. COWS WILL BE PREGNANCY SCANNED BEFORE SALE DAY. ONLINE BIDDING will be with TAAFFE AUCTIONS (LSL)

See photos of cows selling on Taaffe Auctions facebook page.

There was a good entry of stock on offer at last Friday’s special bullock sale with a strong trade for all classes.

Bullocks fetched an average of €2.75 per kilo up to €3.57 per kilo. There was a smaller entry of dry cows and they made an average of €2.27 per kilo up to €2.73 per kilo. There was a good attendance of customers at the ringside with online bidders also active.

We had a similar number of sheep on offer at our weekly sale of lambs and cast ewes. Prices for spring lambs made up to €151.

The tops for stag ewes fetched €170. Please note all sheep must be tagged with a full yellow EID Tag set. Next sale of lambs and cast ewes is Wednesday, July 26th at 11 am.

Yard opens at 8 am and all stock must be penned by 10 am. Sale can be viewed live on www.livestock-live.com.

Sample prices for dry cows: Lim X 695kgs €1,900, Lim X 780kgs €2,080, Lim X 775kgs

ICMSA: Dairy year ‘not shaping up well’

€1,700, SIX 775kgs €1,700, SIX 735kgs €1,560, AA 610kgs €1,270, BBX 450kgs €1,600, AA 570kgs €1,200, AAX 570kgs €1,200.

Bullocks: Char X 605kgs €2,160, Lim X 610kgs €2,080, Char X 625kgs €2,060, Char X 590kgs €2,060, Char X 565kgs €2,000, Char X 630kg €1,960, Char X 590kgs €1,920, Char X 575kgs €1,900, Lim X 555kgs €1,860, Char X 730kgs €2,160, Char X 610kgs €1,800, Char X 640kgs €1,860, Char X 665kgs €1,960, Char X 430kgs €1,450, Char X 445kgs €1,290. Finished lambs: 50kgs €151, 48.8kgs €150, 48.8kgs €150, 49.5kgs €150, 48.4kgs €149, 49.9kgs €148, 48.8kgs €147, 48.3kgs €144, 45.7kgs €143, 46.2kgs €140, 45.6kgs €139, 44.2kgs €138. Store lambs: 40.1kgs €122, 41.5kgs €121, 40.4kgs €119, 40.3kgs €118, 38.5kgs €118, 37.2kgs €111, 37.3kgs €110, 36.5kgs €106, 35.1kgs €105, 34.8kgs €97, 35.4kgs €92, 31.8kgs €86.

The Chairperson of the ICMSA Dairy Committee, Noel Murphy, was blunt this week in his assessment 2023 prospects for the dairy sector, claiming the year “was not shaping up well” for farmers.

“From high inputs to poor weather conditions, 2023 has been very hard for dairy farmers from a financial and farm management perspective. Add in the changes to the nitrate’s regulation and the potential changes to come and it is hard to be optimistic as to where milk volumes will be produced in the coming years,” he said.

Mr Murphy also called on Kerry and other co-ops to consider mid-year top-up payments to suppliers and was quick to dismiss any prospect of further price cuts.

Cullinan welcomes emissions vote result

IFA President Tim Cullinan welcomed the outcome of the vote on the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) at the European Parliament, describing it as a “victory for common sense”. The Parliament voted not to include cattle within the scope of the IED, and also not to bring in more pig and poultry farms.

Tim Cullinan said including livestock farming within the IED was the completely wrong approach in the first place.

“Farms are already heavily regulated and they are not ‘industrial’ units. We have a pasturebased system in this country. This was driven by ideology, not science, and it’s the ‘thin end of the wedge’ to force a costly licensing regime on farming,” he said.

Sales continue at Castlerea Mart today (Thursday) with our weekly sale of bullocks, heifers, cows, calves, runners, and weanlings.

All sales commence at 11 am.

Sample prices for bullocks: Ch 455kgs €1550, Lm 445kgs €1440, AAx 480kgs €1420, Bax 435kgs €1400, AAx 515kgs €1520, AA 502kgs €1400, Lm 595kgs €1570, Hex 560kgs €1550, Ch 640kgs €1810, Lm 660kgs €1930, AA 670kgs €1900.

Heifers: BBx 425kgs €1370, Sh 390kgs €1210, Lm 300kgs €1170, Ch 495kgs €1630, Lm 445kgs €1440, Lm 645kgs €2200, Ch 670kgs €1930, Ch 675kgs €1750, Lm 575kgs €1640.

Dry cows: Ch 845kgs €2240, Ch 760kgs €2030, Ch 725kgs €1930, Shx 610kgs €1670, Lm 665kgs €1660, Fr 630kgs €1150, Hex 510kgs €930, Fr 720kgs €1290, Fr 720kgs €1400, AA 575kgs €1270.

Weanling bulls: Lm 275kgs €950, Lm 245kgs €860, Ch 375kgs €1260, Lm 310kgs €1050, Lm 305kgs €1100, Lm 400kgs €1350, Lm 430kgs €1520, Lm 415kgs €1300. Weanling heifers: Lm 290kgs €950, Lm 255kgs €810, Lmx 305kgs €1190, Ch 320kgs €1090, Lm 305kgs €960, Lm 255kgs €810, Lm 285kgs €860.