McCARTNEYS report a good entry of store cattle and trade at Kington for their February sale.

We had a successful sale of quality store cattle at Kington with 100% clearance.

The store cattle trade remains remarkably firm despite the difficult finished cattle trade at present.

Many of our older and stronger store cattle would sell equal or better than what could be made of them if sold finished for slaughter.

The younger farming cattle sold well with buyers willing to pay good money for these animals to grow on with cheaper feed stocks and the expectation of a better finished cattle trade later in the year.

The cattle on offer were mainly strong sorts ranging from 400kg to 625kg and ranging from 10 to 28 months of age.

February cattle prices were as follows,

Steers averaged £2.00ppk up to £2.22ppk for some Limousin cross steers from SO and JO Alman.

Heifers averaged £1.92ppk up to £2.02ppk for some Charolais heifers from RT Sankey and Co.

All cattle forward at the sale averaged a very credible £1000 per head.

Steers averaged £1070 per head up to £1200 per head for some Charolais cross Steers from Chris Holloway.

Heifers averaged £921 per head up to £1090 per head for some Charolais cross heifers from RT Sankey and Co.

Farm assurance is very important on store cattle and premiums were also being paid for those cattle which would meet the super market specs when finished.

In our March sale of store cattle, feeding bulls, cull cows and cows and calves we expect a good trade and guaranteed support from buyers. Please note, all cattle over 42 days of age will need to be pre-movement tested for TB purposes within 60 days prior to their movement.

The March sale will be held on March 1 at 11am and entries for the catalogue close on February 23 at 5pm.

For further information on all forthcoming sales please contact Gareth Wall on 01544230316 or 07974 143336.