Prime Cattle (under 30 mos)

The edge was just off the clean cattle today with Keelham Farm Shop buying 10 including the leading gross priced animal a 580kg British Blue cross heifer  purchased from Mesrs AA&E Critchley&Son of Hutton for £1395 or 251.5p/kg. Leading price by weight was 256.5p/kg (£1283) paid by George Cropper of Baxenden for a 500kg Blonde cross heifer from Malcolm Metcalfe of Baldersby.

Steers

465-555kg                                             to 237.5p/kg

Heifers

400-480kg                                             to 226.5p/kg                        av.194.51p/kg

485kg+                                                   to 256.5p/kg                        av. 228.5p/kg

Top Prices £ per head and p/kg

Steers

£ per head: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1318

p/kg: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 237.5

Heifers

£ per head: AA&E Critchley & Son (BB) 1395, (Limx) 1371, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1338,

p/kg: JR Metcalfe (Blondex) 256.5, AA&E Critchley (Limx) 251.5,248.5, (BBx) 240.5, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 245.5  

Signs that farms are moving lean cows on because of weather conditions both locally and nationally. Meat although scarce was a shade easier with the odd dairy with finish 110-115p. Plain cows remain surprisingly good to sell despite the numbers.

Overall Average                                   101.09p/kg           £645.19

Black & White                      to 115.5p/kg                        av. 94.44p/kg

Danish Red                           to 98.50p/kg

Char                                        to 147.5p/kg                       

BBx                                         to 178.5p/kg

AAx                                         to 163.5p/kg                        av. 143.37p/kg

Top Prices (£ per head or p/kg)

B&W:

£ per head: H Downs&Son 846, H Shaw&Sons 820, CN&SA Harrison 783, EJ Fort 781, RD Metcalfe&Son 768.

p/kg: N Shaw&Sons 115.5, 113.5, CN&SA Harrison 113.5, 111.5, H Downs&Son 113.5, RD Metcalfe&Son 110.5

Other Dairy

£ per head: JSS Verity (Dan Red) 576

p/kg: JSS Verity (Dan Red) 98.5

Brit Blue:

£ per head: S Jowett 1410

p/kg: S Jowett 178.5

Charx:

£ per head: JA Stoney&Son 944

p/kg: JA Stoney&Son 147.5

Native

£ per head: TM Harrison (AA) 1009, DA&S Fort (AAx) 948

p/kg: DA&S Fort (AAx) 163.5, TM Harrison (AA) 128.5

Prime Sheep

A small increase in trade this week, caused by tighter supply, as producers just hold on to the lighter goods to farm on, probably also buoyed on by the better than expected store lamb trade last Wednesday. The entry did not have as many of the smart sorts as last week, and the commercial first cross types would be 5p to 8p dearer, this balanced out to see a rise in overall average of 1p/kg to sit at 188p. Top end prices were for 2 pens of Texel Beltex crosses, both from Mick Hewitt of Giggleswick. First pen weighing 41kg making £111 or 270.7p/kg to Vivers Scotlamb, and another pen weighing 42kg at £110 or 261.9p/kg selling to Messrs Kitson Ltd, retail butchers based in Yarm. Andy Lambert from Hellifield sold Texel crosses at £109 each to Keelham Farmshop, who also had lambs at £106 from Tim Robinson of Longridge. Vivers Scotlambs secured a pen of 11 Texel Beltex at £108.50 or 252p from Messrs Hill & Wright of Doncaster. D&A Livestock of Haverah Park had a good run of lambs topping at £107 to Hartshead Meats of Mossley, and a second pen at £106 to Swaledale Foods from Skipton. Two Lancashire farmers got into the top end prices, Peter Fox of Clitheroe made £105 (244p) to Vivers Scotlamb, whilst Richard and Mark Ireland of Whalley made £104 to the same buyers.
The better end of Suffolk and Texel cross Mule Lambs with a bit of extra weight on board were generally 180p to 190p, a few better pens could make more, whilst a plainer sort was in the mid 170’s. A few Mule Wethers also beginning to get about, generally in the 170’s. Very heavy lambs depending on quality and breed from 170p up to 225p.

Not many of the very best ewes about today, a stronger Texel cross £80-£100, Best Mules in the £70, up to £80 from TH Mellin. Average Sale price for cast sheep still managing a strong looking £64.37

Prime Lambs  – Overall Average £80.42 per head or 188.8p/kg             

36.0kg to 45.5kg to 270.7p/kg         av 188.63p/kg      or £78.78 per head

45.6kg to 52.0kg to 225.5p/kg         av 191.64p/kg      or £90.95 per head

52.1kg and over   to 186.8p/kg         av 172.5p/kg         or £92 per head

Beltex average £97.76 per head or 234.46p/kg

£ per head: £111, £110 GA Hewitt & Son; £105, £94.5 Fox Farms; £89 D&A Livestock; £86 JJ Beckwith & Sons; £85 J WIlson

p/kg: 270.7p, 261.9p GA Hewitt; 244.2p Fox Farm; 232.4p JJ Beckwith & Sons; 219.8p Fox Farm; 207.3p J Wilson

Suffolk average £ per head or p/kg

£ per head: £95 K Barker; £93 K Huck; £92 TH Mellin; £91 RA&M Earnshaw; £90 x2 JR Taylor & Sons; £90 A&ED Booth;

p/kg:197.7p D&A Livestock; 195.7p TH Mellin; 193.9p K Barker; 191.3p TH Mellin; 190p D&A Livestock; 189.6p RA&M Earnshaw

Texel average £79.9 per head or 189.26p/kg

£ per head: £108.5 Hill & Wright; £107 D&A Livestock; £106 TA Robinson; £106 D&A Livestock; £104 RH&MR Ireland;

p/kg: 257.5p LJ Penter; 252.3p, 250p, 248.8p Hill & Wright; 237.8p D&A Livestock; 236.4p RH&MR Ireland; 235p Hill & Wright

Mule average £74.06 per head or 168.32p/kg

£ per head: £77.50 CD&RF Kitching; £77 JA Stoney & Son; £76, £66.50 JC&N Throup

p/kg:172.2p CD&RF Kitching; 170.5p, 168.9p JC&N Throup; 163.8p JA Stoney & Son

Charollais average £75.02 per head or 180.68p/kg

£ per head: £109 A Lambert; £85.50 D&A Livestock; £74.5 GW Houseman & Partners; £74 R&E Pollard; £74 S&T Gardner;

p/kg:222.4p A Lambert 190p D&A Livestock; 186.3p GW Houseman& Partners; 185p ST Gardner; 191.3p T&G Mcgarrell

Suffolk to £86.5, Texel to £99.5, Mule to £79.5, Swaledale to £52.5, Masham to £62.5, Gritstone to £52.5, Cheviot to £75.5, Beltex  to £64.5.

Top prices:

Lowland: £99.5 PN Dalby; £94.5 J Sugden;

Mule/Masham: £79.5 TH Mellin; £74.5 A Butler;  

Horned: £55.5 M Hutchinson; £52.5 M Hutchinson; £40.5 JI&MP Greenwood

Hill: £75.5, £73.5 LJ Penter; £52.5 JH&SM Mason

Cast Rams average £61.33

Rearing Calves to £430 (62)

B&W av £79.64 Cont av £306.33 Native av £188.40

Stirks (16) av £478 to £600

A much stronger show of calves on offer today with some heady prices throughout the sale. Black and White calves were out in stronger numbers this morning averaging £80.64 and topping at £140 for a strong bull from AP Townsend, Soutfield, Burnley. British Blue bulls from Church Farm Enterprises topped at £400, however it was stronger heifers which were good to sell today with Church Farm again taking top honours s at £430 and £420 however younger heifers were harder to place between £330 and £250. A lot of native calves about with some very tasty Aberdeen Angus bulls not over priced averaging £258.75 with heifers a straight trade at £170 average.

Stirks: First sale of Stirks in the Stirton ring this Monday and a straight trade was had for the 16 head on offer. Top price came in the form of a cracking 4 month old BB x Stirk which sold for £600 with Heifer stirks topping at £500 twice with all stirks averaging £478. A large on looking crowd were there to witness the sale. Watch this space another sale coming soon, in the mean time next Stirk sale is Saturday the 28^th July with entries closing Monday next week.    

Bull Calves

Limousin x (Av £230) to £275 G&PS Fleetwood                          

Brit Blue x (Av £355) to £400 Church Farm Enteprises                                                              

Aberdeen Angus (Av £258.75) to £265 PJ&JE Bolland

Hereford X (Av £215) to £215 ID&JC Briggs

Longhorn (Av £160) to £160 AP Townsend

Black & White (Av £80.64) to £140 AP Townsend                      

Heifer Calves                                                                                       

Aberdeen Angus (Av £170) to £210 JP&KE Hartley                                                    

British Blue (Av £305.57) to £430 Church Farm Enterprises

Lim (Av £226) to £280 D Clarke

Longhorn (Av £137.5) to £160 AP Townsend

Hereford (Av 150) to £150 x2 ID&JC Briggs

Steers Stirks

Limousin (av £482.5) to £500 A Twell & Co

British Blue (av £523.3) to £600 A Twell & Co

Heifer Stirks

Limousin (av £466.67) to £500 A Twell & Co

British Blue (av £458.33) to £500 A Twell & Co

Prize Awards:       Newly Calven Heifers:        1^st J Wellock 2^nd WR Stewart 3^rd J Wellock

                                Newly Calven Cows:            1^st J Wellock

                                Champion – J Wellock        Reserve – WR Stewart

Newly Calven Heifers (av £1502): to £1650 J Wellock; £1650 WR Stewart

Newly Calven Cows: to 1100 J Wellock