Normality is returning, says David Holliday.
It is great to see that we are getting back to normality again after a challenging couple of years.
Here at Carlisle, we have a great market for dairy cattle; from cast cows to in-calf cows, to cows in-milk and young calves right up to store cattle from dairy herds.
More people are back in the market which is fantastic to see and has resulted in the cow trade setting off well in 2022 and continuing to strengthen.
Carlisle is an excellent platform for trading all types of stock and two weeks ago we saw a new record price set for a Limousin cast cow tipping the scales at 1,041kg and selling for 2,430, which is incredible. At 233.5p/kg it is well above the current average for continental cast cows which last week sat at 174.1p/kg (up 20.7p on the previous week).
The average for dairy cast cows was also up by 11.3p/kg on the previous week at 136.7p/kg and looking ahead I would anticipate trade to continue to increase as numbers are tightening. Milk is a good price and dairy farmers are keeping cows in production longer, if feasible, and I see no change to this short-term.
Compared to the same time last year we are currently seeing a rise of about 15 per cent in prices achieved, which is very good news for dairy farmers. Demand for this market is both local outlets as well as export trades and we regularly have in the region of 24 buyers every week.
On average, we are seeing in the region of 300-350 animals going through the sale rings here at Borderway which is 15 per cent up on the year. This partly due to people travelling from a wider geographic area to sell stock, with customers coming from as far as Aberdeen, Wooler, Darlington and Cheshire.
As with the cast cow trade, trade for dairy calves, store cattle and stirks has also started off really strong this year and it looks like this will continue into spring and summer. Again, we are also seeing increasing numbers coming through the rings.
Quality
There is a strong demand from farmers who want to produce beef from dairy animals as it makes excellent quality beef for an important sector of the market.
Additionally, we have also recently held some very good dispersal sales and have several in the diary in the coming weeks.
Aside from cattle, I also look after the second-hand machinery sales and good quality secondhand equipment, especially tractors and implements, are meeting with high demand from domestic and overseas markets.
Last year we made the decision to hold these sales online and this has really opened up the market for vendors
and purchasers, broadened our reach and enabled us to cater for the international markets. Last week we realised one of highest ever value sales of this type.
Viewing takes place virtually which means people do not need to travel and as a result we are seeing more machinery exported across to Europe. Again, like the dairy sector, I do not see an immediate diminish in these sales any time soon.
Here at Carlisle, our focus now turns to Borderway UK Dairy Expo on Saturday, March 12. This event not only showcases the best of dairy stock from across the UK, but it also provides a platform for dairy farmers to see the latest industry trends and innovations, whether that be genetics, nutrition, equipment or machinery.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the event and we have added a number of new elements to the programme which we look forward to sharing with you.
David Holliday
David Holliday is an auctioneer and regional manager for Harrison and Hetherington. Call 07710 189 804, or email [email protected]
