Mart prices: hit-and-miss trade at breeding heifer sale in Tuam

Tuam mart, Teagasc Galway and ICBF held a special breeding sale on Friday night with an entry of about 10 in-calf heifers and 50 maiden heifers.

All heifers on offer possessed a replacement Index of four or five stars and were genotyped meaning they were eligible for the BDGP.

This heavy-muscled Limousin cross heifer weighing 715kg and born 12 July 2015 had a Replacement Index of €83. She was bid to €1,600 (€2.24/kg) but not sold.

This 405kg Simmental heifer with a Replacement Index of €109 and born 24 April 2016 sold for €900 (€2.22/kg).

This lovely-quality Belgian Blue cross heifer weighing 505kg and born 5 October 2016 had a Replacement Index of €111 and sold for €1,450 (€2.87/kg).

This great-quality 550kg black Limousin heifer, born 3 March 2016, with a high Replacement Index of €164 attracted strong bidding and sold for €1,420 (€2.56/kg).

The trade can be best described as mixed with a very brisk trade for good quality heifers that possessed good shape or colour with some plainer-quality or beefy Limousin heifers a more challenging trade.

This was irrespective of the €uro-Star value of animals on offer. This was the case for both in-calf and maiden heifers.

An entry of seven in-calf heifers due to calve next March at the start of the sale met a mixed trade with five out of the seven selling.

The best price of €1,450 was paid for the Simmental cross heifer pictured with the remaining lots selling from €1,300 to €1,440. A few in-calf heifers on the point of calving and offered at the end of the sale met a similar trade with one sold for €1,300 and one unsold at the same price.

This 515kg Limousin heifer had a very high Replacement Index of €140. She was born 13 January 2016 and sold for €1,200 (€2.33/kg).

This 510kg Limousin heifer, born 27 April 2015, had a Replacement Index of €119 and is due to calve March 2018. She was bid to €1,340 but not sold.

This 460kg Limousin heifer was born 17 May 2016 and had a Replacement Index of €85. She was bid to €1,120 (€2.43/kg) but not sold.

This 485kg Limousin heifer, born 13 May 2016, had a Replacement Index of €111. She was bid to €1,120 (€2.31/kg) but not sold.

The best prices for maiden heifers were achieved for heifers with good shape and colour with two standout prices of €1,580 and €1,450 paid for a top-quality Limousin heifer with a roan coat and a blue-grey Belgian Blue cross heifer. Another top-quality black Limousin heifer weighing 550kg sold for €1,420.

Outside of this, prices were variable with plainer quality Limousin heifers selling from €2.10/kg to €2.20/kg with some going unsold. Better quality heifers sold on average to €2.30/kg to €2.40/kg.

This 445kg Limousin heifer had a high Replacement Index value of €126. She was born 20 April 2016 and weighed 455kg and sold for €1,120 (€2.46/kg).

This nice quality 380kg Limousin heifer with a white blaze on her head was born 6 September 2016. She had a Replacement Index value of €103 and sold for €1,120 (€2.95/kg).

This 440kg Limousin heifer, born March 2016, had a high Replacement Index value of €145. She sold for €1,100 (€2.50/kg).

This 485kg Limousin heifer, born 4 May 2016, had a Replacement Index value of €90. She was bid to €1,040 (€2.14/kg) but not sold.

This 485kg Charolais sired by the AI bull Fiston possessed a €uro-Star value of €96. She was born 21 September 2016 and sold for €1,080 (€2.23/kg).

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