Red and white Belgian Blue heifer calf sells for €19,000

Commercial cattle breeders made their way to Stranorlar Mart in Co Donegal last weekend for the elite commercial cattle show and sale.

Some of the finest show cattle in the country were catalogued for the two-day event, which has established itself as one of Ireland’s main attractions for commercial cattle enthusiasts.

Auctioneer Raymond O’Kane was at his best to keep track of the bids, as they came thick and fast for the 209 cattle that went through the ring.

When all was settled, he reported a 94% clearance rate, with 36 cattle exported to Northern Ireland.

Red and white heifer calf

Hitting the headlines and selling for the highest price of €19,000 was the six-month-old red and white Belgian Blue heifer Corrandulla Shania, exhibited by Derrick Forde from Co Galway.

This outstanding heifer calf is one of the first of her kind here in Ireland and is a daughter of Red Lions De La Rouge Cense. She was purchased by James Johnston from Co Antrim.

Not far behind her at €18,000 was the fantastic breeding heifer exhibited by Michael Lynch from Co Donegal.

This Limousin-cross heifer went to auction with a string of titles to her name, including the senior commercial championship from the National Livestock Show in Tullamore this year.

Born in January 2023, she is a daughter of Mereside Godolphin.

Overall champion

Trading at €14,000 was the overall champion from Friday’s show, a breeding heifer exhibited by John Harkin from Gleneely in Co Donegal.

Born in February 2023, this flashy daughter of Ballinloan Jaegerbomb fought off some stiff competition to claim the overall crown. She was knocked down to a local Donegal farmer.

Johnnie McCloskey from Carndonagh in Co Donegal parted company with another breeding heifer for €12,000. This 14-month-old heifer is a daughter of Dovea’s top Limousin sire Claddagh McCabe.

Selling at €9,700 was a seven-month-old Belgian Blue-cross heifer calf brought out by Pearse McNamee from Co Donegal.

This classy heifer calf is sired by Negrita Du Lac and out of the same cow that bred the highest-priced calf at the same venue in 2022.

She was also snapped up by Lucky Day Competitions, who secured three high-priced lots on the day.

Reserve overall champion in Friday’s show went to Sam Ramsbottom and family for their Trueman Idol-bred heifer calf. Just nine months old, this classy young heifer went on to sell for €6,600.

For a full report from the show and sale, pick up a copy of this week's Irish Farmers Journal.