Adam Woods

Cavan, Dublin

Deputy Editor and Beef Editor at Irish Farmers Journal

Deputy Editor and Beef Editor with @farmersjournal. Mad about all things beef. Suckler and sheep farming in Co. Cavan. Views expressed my own.

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Articles

Beef Managment: dehorning calves, grass supplies and BPS applications

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Dehorning calves: Once calves pass the two-week-old mark, it is a legal requirement to use anaesthetic before you dehorn calves. Most farmers are using an anaesthetic, regardless of age. Many farmers are now also using a pain killer to reduce the stress on the calves at dehorning time. Removing horns at a younger age is less stressful on calves but there will be calves that do not show horn buds until they are one month old.
Martbids Database: mart trade levels off this week

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

The mart trade has levelled off a little this week, with prices back in some of the quality and weight categories. After months of green arrows depicting a rise in prices since the start of 2025, this week’s Martbids table is dominated by red arrows, which indicates a reduction in prices this week. Mart prices are still a lot higher compared with where they were this time last year and even just six months ago.
Store cattle prices up €1,000/head in five years

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

The mart trade has eased off a little this week especially for heavier cattle on the back of a levelling off of beef quotes by factories in the last few days. Marts have seen a remarkable start to the 2025 cattle trade with factory agents and exporters driving the trade for the first 12 weeks of 2025. April is always a big month for grass cattle sales and there have been some very big yards of cattle sold in marts over the last few weeks.
Beef Trends: factories make move to steady trade

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Factories have moved to apply some pressure to the trade this week, with quotes levelling off in a lot of factories. Factories are rolling out the three- or four-day shortened week kill for the next two weeks, when in reality a lot of them are only killing three or four days anyway. The general run of this week’s quotes is €7.60/kg to €7.70/kg base price for bullocks and €7.70/kg to €7.80/kg base price for heifers.
Lowering feed cost: picking the low hanging ‘FCE’ fruit

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

One of the four pillars of sustainability is financial sustainability and a key component of financial stability is cost competitiveness. Pigmeat exports are a key element of the Irish pig sector giving it a strong foundation of cost competitiveness and scale. Feed is the largest single cost in pig production (~75%) and, therefore, has the biggest impact on competitiveness.
Watch: cull cows hit €4.52/kg in Kilkenny

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Kilkenny Mart had a big sale of cattle at its weekly sale of dry cows and calves, with almost 900 cattle moving through the ring on the day, broken down into 250 cows and about 630 calves. This September 2016-born Limousin stock bull weighed 1,170kg and sold for €4,040. Trade was described as solid, with factory agents still anxious for stock, despite the negative commentary from some of the processors over the last few days.
Beef prices: factories try to apply pressure to trade

1 week ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Factories have moved to apply some pressure to the trade this week, with quotes levelling off in a lot of factories. The general run of Monday’s quotes was €7.60/kg to €7.70/kg base price for bullocks and €7.70/kg to €7.80/kg base price for heifers. There are still heifers being sold this week at an €8/kg base price on the back of deals done last week.
Over 1,300 SCEP farmers yet to receive 2024 payment

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Over 8% of farmer participants in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) have yet to be paid for their participation for the 2024 scheme year. Figures obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal from the Department of Agriculture show that there are 1,385 farmers waiting to be paid their SCEP payment on 7 April 2025. Some 14,943 SCEP participants were paid their 2024 payment in early December 2024.
Armageddon lands top price in awesome Carrick sale

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Auctioneer Francis McGowan barely got a chance to take breath at the showgrounds in Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday, as he oversaw a roaring trade for Angus cattle from the rostrum. A bustling ringside witnessed 53 Angus bulls sell for an average of €4,295, with a 92% clearance rate, and the first 35 bulls through the ring finding new homes. Selling for the top price on the day at €10,700 was the 13-month-old Drumcrow Armageddon, from the herd of Margaret McKiernan in Co Cavan.
Factories try to pour cold water on the beef trade

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Adam Woods

Beef quotes remain relatively unchanged this week on the back of tight supply and big demand. Some factories have tried to pour cold water on the trade, with a few dropping bullock quotes to a €7.60/kg base price, but farmers are resisting any drop in quotes and factories are finding themselves with very little cattle at the lower quotes.