9:00am Sunday 5th July 2009
Prime lambs (2,202): A very good entry of quality lambs met a better trade than expected.
Weight is now needed to realise the best return but lightweights sold very well to 164.3p (average 157.0p/kg). Best quality lambs: 39kg - £75 (192.3p), 40kg - £76.50, 38.5kg - £73 (189.6p).
Quality sheep are always in demand with all weights needed but lambs must have meat for every weight range. Overall average 150.7p/kg, top price/head £79.50 for lambs grading 50kg.
Cull ewes (679): Much reduced entry due to harvesting, but an excellent trade to £87 with all the best ewes over £70 and many more needed every week to supply. Overall average £52.60, Suffolks to £84, continentals, North Country mules £75, Welsh mules £72.50, speckles £50, Welsh £45.80, cull rams £65.50, cull wethers £52.20.
Store Cattle (102): Very good quality entry of 102 store cattle, beef-type cows/heifers with calves and over 30 month stock attracted strong interest with trade for everything on offer.
Home bred charollais cross steers at 25 months sold to £1,035 with other stronger steers from £880 to £965 (154-168p/kg). Nine-15 month old steers sold to a ready trade from £480 to £728 (160-196p/kg). Heifers topped at £798, with demand for bulling as well as feeding heifers with most from 146-165p/kg. A very smart limousine cross weighing 236kg sold at £528 (224p/kg).
A major attraction of the day was the excellent selection of 34 beef-type cows and heifers with calves, the largest entry being an annual consignment of Belgian Blue cross heifers with their very well bred limousine cross steer and heifer calves at about eight weeks. They topped at £1,720, with many from £1,500 to £1,700. The highest price in the section was £1,910 for a fifth calver strong charollais cow with her charollais cross eight month heifer calf. Other strong third to sixth calvers with their well bred eight month old calves ranged from £1,580 to £1,880. A total clearance.
The plainer sorts ranged from £800 to £1,320, with an overall average of £1,450, which included two in-calf cows which sold from £980 to £1,080.
Four Hereford cross bullocks aged from 31 to 52 months sold from £360 to £740.
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