Mart Price Tracker

limo_100 · 24-03-2026 04:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124337487#Comment_124337487

where they continental cattle ? Or dairy beef

Anto_Meath · 24-03-2026 06:24PM

These would be hex off dairy cows. 24/5 months old. He averaged €2,440 for their comrades last October, he thinks the October ones averaged 570kgs.

In fairness these ones were the smaller ones and would have been a few hundred € behind the ones sold in October. But I still don't think they would have covered their cost for feeding.

He has 28 (another 32 to source yet) replacement calves bought at €485 averaged which is €125 up on last year & he tells me he doesn't think this years calves are as good as last years..

patsy_mccabe · 24-03-2026 07:19PM

Mid Kerry Mart (Milltown) held it's first ever horse mart last Saturday. Might be of interest to someone.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bb8s2Ikps9M

Albert Johnson · 24-03-2026 07:37PM

There's a few regular horse sales locally, Drumshanbo, Granard and Gort are on monthly. There used to a be lot of sales in the celtic tiger years when the horse trade was booming. Manorhamilton, Ballina, Carrigallen, Mohill, Enniskillen, Castlerea and there's probably more I've forgotten used to run horse sales.

epfff · 24-03-2026 09:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124337983#Comment_124337983

Ballinasloe mountbellew had them as well.

Most stopped in the end because unsold horses were left in the yard and mart had to try and find homes for them.

Albert Johnson · 24-03-2026 09:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124338189#Comment_124338189

Yes selling horses would be an education and although there's lots of characters trading sheep and cattle the horsey crowd are out on there own. The slaughter trade mopped up a lot of those horses at that time which would have been otherwise worthless and a welfare issue.

Horses are a reasonably good trade atm but running a mart selling them would be an eye opening experience all the same. There's so many issues and potential vices with a horse some of which aren't always immediately apparent that you aren't sure of having them successfully sold at the fall of the hammer. I know one local sale doesn't issue payment for horses until a month after selling and you can't contra the money from selling and buying on the one day to avoid the mart being stung if a horse is thrown up after the sale for whatever reason.

tractorporn · 25-03-2026 07:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124337816#Comment_124337816

I have a batch of similar cattle but not just as strong as those cattle I didn't think they were running to that money tho. I normally would have sold in Ballymahon but from having looked online I'm thinking I could be better off heading to Tullamore with them? Any of the Midlands lads fair out any better in Tullamore?

suckler2025 · 25-03-2026 10:23PM

132 pens of bullocks booked in to Kilkenny mart for tomorrows sale. A lot of grass cattle starting to appear.

Anto_Meath · 25-03-2026 10:27PM

@tractorporn yes from looking on line any of the marts over West direction like Roscommon & Ballymahon wouldn't have as strong a demand for dairy cross cattle. @Albert Johnson would be the best person to tell you which mart suits that type of cattle best...

limo_100 · 25-03-2026 10:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124340550#Comment_124340550

thought Ballyjamesduff was good yesterday for them cattle. I was watching myself as I have a batch of he bullocks to go but mine prob gone too heavy. 570-700kg. But balladuff was about 3.50-4 a kg

Albert Johnson · 25-03-2026 11:50PM

IIt's hard to know atm with any sort of stock the trade is easing by the hour in a lot of cases. If the weather settled and it started to resemble springtime it would definitely lift the trade for grass cattle. We're after a horrendous couple of days here in the northwest. Last night and today especially there was biblical rain, wind and hailstones.

I'm further north than you but a lot of the marts about here are much of a muchness for those sort of traditional breed type cattle. I was never in Tullamore mart but it could be an option. I'd associate the likes of Ballymahon and Roscommon mart as a better place to show good continental type cattle as there'd be more customers for the higher quality stock in comparison to the more traditional breeds.

It's probably as far in the opposite direction but Castlerea of a Thursday used to have a good mix of those more middle of the road cattle and could be worth a try but I wasn't about it this last 2 years to know exactly. There's a lot of uncertainty about the beef job atm and I'd try and hold out for another week to see if the weather would settle and more grazer customers in attendance. Having said that it depends on you're type of cattle and they might not be ones for grazing and more for the feedlot/short keep customers.

kk.man · 26-03-2026 12:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341051#Comment_124341051

Its too cold in the se to buy cattle of whom you don't know their background to put to grass.

tractorporn · 26-03-2026 12:59AM

Cheers lads thanks for all that advice. I might throw an eye on Castlerea online and see what the trade is like, it's a nice spin from here over an hour in the jeep. I have it in my mind to wait till April to sell, I've booked in weanling heifers in Tullamore for the bank holiday sale, Chx, Bbx and Speckled Parks if that goes well I might chance the whiteheads on the Thursday.

Albert Johnson · 26-03-2026 01:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341168#Comment_124341168

Its the same here in the northwest hence why I mentioned that if there came a bit of weather and a favourable longer term forecast it would put a bit more life in the grazing job if you could go straight to grass.

Dozer1 · 26-03-2026 08:55AM

In castleisland yesterday 20mth or older heifers were good value. If I wasn't full I'd have thought them a far safer option than weanlings the price they were making.

Hershall · 26-03-2026 09:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124340550#Comment_124340550

Tullamore is not that far from myself but I dont go to it as I find its too expensive for the type of cattle that are in it.

tractorporn · 26-03-2026 09:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341382#Comment_124341382

Not great for you buying, but great news for the likes of me selling!

suckler2025 · 26-03-2026 01:26PM

Who ever is buying these must be on a promise. You'd have to be clearing €8/kg to get a twist out of them.

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limo_100 · 26-03-2026 05:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341993#Comment_124341993

Kilkenny I always find is a great mart to test the coming week ahead.

kk.man · 27-03-2026 12:24AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341993#Comment_124341993

Agree but there's an independent not far that fill at least two loads of fleshy continentals every Thursday and kills them on Friday morning. Just goes to show the profit margin in beef factories, money no object just bid on line and cut to the bone and mince where required.

But they will be poor payers to the locals. These boys would frame a shilling.

Actually its probably not them as they are not heavy enough, those are probably gone to a quarry man in the se with serious acreage whos on a promise with the least paying factory in the region (that's to you and me).

suckler2025 · 27-03-2026 11:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344331#Comment_124344331

If your a winter finisher that's very hard to stomach. There will be no appetite to buy stores in the autumn with the burning the winter feeders have gotten. The factories will be whinging that there's not enough cattle in the country when the reality is there the biggest reason why lads are getting out. It's a joke what's going on at the minute. Price fixing by all factories plain and simple. Deliberately killing low numbers to artificialy keep the price down. Regulator asleep at the wheel.

ginger22 · 27-03-2026 12:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344921#Comment_124344921

But shure isnt that their strategy. They have so many cattle of their own now with their own feedlots and contracted feedlots. They want to bring the price of stores down so they can restock for handy money.

Dunedin · 27-03-2026 01:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124341993#Comment_124341993

If they put on an average of 1kg day for say next 6 months that’d bring them to circa 480 dw and at even €7kg they be close to €3400.

Less room in the second lad as he’s a March calf as opposed to the first lad who’s May.

limo_100 · 27-03-2026 07:04PM

Kilkenny mart that’s a great way to do a mart report. Cattle seem to be slowly creeping in the right direction regardless of what the factories are saying.

morphy87 · 27-03-2026 07:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124345952#Comment_124345952

Mid Tipp mart in Thurles gives the best report, a spread sheet of every animal sold , weight, price, age , breed, moves and if the animal is quality assured, you can’t get any better than that

suckler2025 · 27-03-2026 09:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124345219#Comment_124345219

There would want to be some thrive for them cattle to kill out at that weight. I don't think anyone is buying them working off €7/kg and give that money for them. Too much risk and speculation on the price in the autumn. Surely a feed lot getting a guaranteed price. That's just my opinion. Great cattle though the seller would want every bit of it.

davidk1394 · 31-03-2026 02:28PM

Sold 3 cull cows in Kilkenny today. Prices are probably up €100 a head on last week:

FR 795 €2310

MO 670kg €2110

FR 630 kg €1940

I have more to go over the next few weeks.

Anyone sell in Thurles ? Thinking of going up there with a few as it's not much more of a distance as Kilkenny.

davidk1394 · 02-04-2026 12:34PM

Sold 2 fat FR heifers in Cahir yesterday. Both 24 montsh old

630kg €2160

640kg €2170

Cull cows looked to be cheaper in Cahir compared to Kilkenny and I thought the running order in Cahir was a disaster compared to other marts too.

Bass Reeves · 02-04-2026 01:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124358215#Comment_124358215

Probable around 6.75/kg for lighter kne and 6.7/ kg for heavier one. Being Nosy had a look at them.on LSL, two fine big heifers would carry more but probably on meal as long as they could be. At a fair grading they would be O- probably. About a 6.85 base, great orice in present circumstznces unless the scales was wrong

davidk1394 · 02-04-2026 04:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124358318#Comment_124358318

I was looking at them and they were starting to go stale. The father was bringing 4 animals in the box for a friend so I decided to fill the load.

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