148 STORE cattle (January 14): Store cattle met a soaring trade, selling to a top of £1,295 for a consignment of British Blue cross steers (12 months) from Mesr HW White and Son. Continental cross weaned and yearling cattle again met fierce demand with stronger sorts meeting an easier trade, which is to be expected with falling fat cattle prices.

Steers sold to £1,295, £1,155, £1,080 and £1,050 (twice) for continental cross 12-18 months. Yearling steers sold to 267p/kg for a consignment of Charolais cross (7-9 months) from Mr TE Margrett. Weaned and yearling steers sold between 215 - 267 pence.

Heifers met a very pleasing trade selling to a top of £1,100 for a run of Limousin cross from Mr DT Parry. Weaned and yearling heifers sold from 180p to a top of 233p/kg for a run of Charolais cross from Mr TE Margrett. Native bred heifers met active demand selling to £935 for 15 month old Hereford cross from Mesr Boultbee-Brooks Ltd.

Overall Sale Averages:

Steers: top price/head £1,295; average/head £886; top price/kilo 267p average/kilo 198p.

Heifers: top price/head £1,100; average/head £794; top price/kilo 233p; average/kilo 179.5p.

January 18, Red Market

90 finished cattle (65 clean cattle, 30 over 36 month cattle and cull cows): A shorter entry as normal for the Red Market. As expected the trade was generally easier and we were missing two buyers who cannot buy on a Red. Better cattle sold to 200 pence. Next week - a Green Market - all buyers will be in attendance.

Top price per kilo: 200 pence for two entries from Mesr C Simcock and Sons, Hereford.

Top price per head: £1,349.22 for an entry from Mesr MA Hardy Ltd, Barry.

30 cull cows, over 36 month clean: A larger entry of cull cattle for the Red Market sold to a better trade. Best continentals sold to 155 pence with Friesians to 120 pence. More cattle could readily have been sold.

1020 hoggets: Hoggets met strong demand selling to a top of £88 and 187p/kg. Strong demand was shown on all classes of hogs with medium weight export lambs selling to a top of 187p/kg and achieving a very pleasing SQQ of 179.6. Heavy weight hogs sold from £80 and achieved an average of 168p/kg. The overall average price of hoggets was £78.20 per head (average weight 44.3kg).

Top price of hoggets per kilo: 187.00p for an entry from Mrs M Mitchell, Corse Lawn.

Top price of hoggets per head: £88.00 for an entry from Mr D Box, Evesham.

404 cull ewes and rams: A similar entry met another good trade except for fat ewes which found slightly less demand. No top quality ewes forward but considering the general standard present the overall average was an acceptable £68.20. Second quality ewes sold from £60, small and plain ewes sold to this figure. A large entry of Rams sold to a good trade with an average of £77.90.