There was solid demand for in-calf cows and heifers at the dairy sale at Listowel Mart on Wednesday last.

A top price of €2,220 was paid for a March 2020-born Friesian cow and the bulk of younger cows sold for between €1,780 and €1,960.

For the most part, older cows or lighter in-calf heifers were making anywhere from €1,000 to €1,400.

A good share of the in-calf animals on offer were part of a clearance sale with the balance made up of cows and heifers from other farmers.

Speaking after the sale, mart manager PJ Mulvihill said: “Anything of quality was a good trade, especially the young cows - that’s what the buyers want.

"We had first, second and third calves averaging over €1,800. It was all farmer activity buying replacement stocks.”

When it came to in-calf heifers, he added: "Farmers are willing to go that bit extra for an in-calf heifer if they have power, quality and weigh around 500kg. At this stage, you’re looking at €1,500 to €1,600 for the likes of those.

"The lighter heifer then is generally making between €1,100 and €1,400. The current beef price is helping the trade for cows to calve down next spring too.

Replacements

"You’re seeing some Friesian dry cows sell for between €1,000 and €1,200 - that’s going a long way when purchasing replacements. Three culls can nearly buy two in-calf cows at the moment."

He also noted that there appears to be a lot more Friesian heifer weanlings available this year.

“There’s a pile of young heifers around. Sexed semen means there’s a lot of them in the country. Every year, they’re a harder one to predict on prices, as buyers are more willing to pay for them when they’re closer to parlour.

"[There is] much more risk in buying a weanling heifer now. What we see around here is good demand for them as yearlings from late February to the middle of May.

"Some farmers bought those heifers for around €600 in spring and averaged €1,280 as in-calf heifers last month.”

Confidence

There is confidence in the dairy sector now after a turbulent spell and trade this year is in stark contrast to a year ago. It's set up for a positive start to 2025, according to the north Kerry marts manager.

“The mood and outlook are positive. Farmers are after a good back end to the year with a lot of milk supplied in October and November. With good solids, some farmers have been pulling in over 60c/l at the moment.

"Even meeting farmers now over the last six weeks, the mood has improved, certainly since August through to now. It was extremely low in March and April when nothing seemed to be going right.

"There was a lot of fodder made around here in September and people who were in trouble seem to have enough now, so that’s positive.”