STORE Cattle - 542: The fifth anniversary sale attracted a superb entry of cattle being sold to many parts of the United Kingdom and a total clearance effected.

What a bonanza! An unbelievable trade for June, nothing short of fantastic with the steers averaging 216p/kg and the heifers averaging the same to include everything sold.

We haven't seen a trade like this since the fall in the fat trade months ago. The steers averaged £850/head topping at an incredible £1315/head which was the 'best beast in the market' sold by M/s T R James and Son, judged by Mr G Morgan, The Bridge.

Any amount of steers in excess of £1000/head with a run of those 550kg steers £1100 to £1285/head. Steers soared to 305p/kg with pen after pen in excess of 250p/kg. Those 250kg to 350kg steers were phenomenal with plenty of men bidding fiercely.

The heifers were a similar story topping at £1150/head, averaging £800/head and topping at 284p/kg. The cattle just kept getting dearer and dearer and dearer as the sale went on. More cattle could have been sold on the trade without a shadow of a doubt.

Feeding bulls - 19: 19 feeding bulls sold from £590 to £840, most were 6-8 months and continental cross.

Stock bulls - 8: The entry of 8 stock bulls all sold with highest price of £3100 for a 32 month Limousin. Two other pedigree Limousins together with a pedigree Blue bull all sold at £2000, with other Limousins at £1850. A strong Hereford at £1680 and a Longhorn 6 year old at £890.

Cows and calves/in-calf cows - 81: The entry of 81 beef type cows/heifers with calves commenced with an annual draft of strong British Blue cross, Limousin and Simmental cross heifers with their well bred, smart spring born calves consigned by M/s R M and G L Watkins.

They topped the sale at £2500 for a British Blue cross heifer with her British Blue cross bull calf. The others sold from £1920 to £2450, with the draft of 23 averaging £2240. Several vendors showed great conformation sorts with sharp calves with a further 19 lots of young cows/heifers ranging from £1700 to £2400, this being for a ¾ bred Limousin heifer with her Limousin bull calf. Consignments of black Hereford cross heifers sold to good interest - prices from £1420 to £1900.

A draft of red Hereford cows with their autumn calves and sold PD back in calf caught the eye from £1250 to £1400.

Older cows and some poorer sorts all found interest and sold from £710 to £1200. A few in-calf cows and heifers ranged from £390 to £1000 depending on age and strength. Bulling heifers met demand with the draft of pedigree Herefords from £880 to £1150.

Both black Hereford cross and British Blue cross were all in demand with many from £800 to £1050.

Barren/feeding cows - 13: The 15 barren cows topped at £1100 for a well shaped British Blue at 740kg, all beef types they sold to 144.7p/kg to average 127p throughout.