STORE Cattle - 415: A lovely entry of store cattle for our autumn show and sale. The steers topped at a fantastic £1390/head for a 680kg Limousin from D J Watkins, Highfield with several other lots close behind, with the first prize pair from J M Hanson and Son, Home Farm weighing 580kg and soaring to £1340/head. The top 20 prices were all in excess of £1140/head.

Cattle with weight, frame, scale and meat were the easiest sold especially those over 500kg steers and the overall average of £960/head for everything sold was a clear indication of the trade we had. Those smart rangy steers, 320-400kg were a good trade in p/kg terms getting up to 260p/kg. The hardest selling types were the second quality farming types. These were as difficult as we have seen lately which seems to be the story countrywide, the time of year just being a factor, but once planting/harvesting operations are over we hope to see this improve again.

Very much a similar story on the heifers topping at £1180/head for a Blue cross heifer (530kg) from F J and R C Probert, Rylstone. The top 20 prices all over £980/head and a 360kg Limousin from Mr Pritchard, Olchon Mill flew to 242p/kg.

The overall quality of the heifers would not be as good as the steers on balance but again the right sorts were keenly contested. We require a good entry of cattle for two weeks' time, please let us have your entries early so we can inform our buyers in readiness.

Autumn Show and Sale of Store Cattle;

Best Pen of Steers 1) J M Hanson and Son, Home Farm 580kg £1340 2) L J Watkins, New Buildings 505kg £1110 3) J M Hanson and Son, Home Farm 610kg £1290.

Best Pen of Heifers 1) M J and D L Price, Drewern 420kg £950 2) L J Watkins, New Buildings 465kg £1000 3) M J and D L Price, Drewern 410kg £920.

Beef type cows/heifers in or with calves - 28/23: The dispersal of 15 Angus and Hereford cross cows with their chiefly Charolais cross calves from Mr B H James sold to £1460 on two occasions with others from £1060 to £1400. Sale topper was £1900 for a strong well-shaped Limousin cross heifer with her Limousin cross heifer calf. Two other heifers from the same farm both sold at £1820. Other sweeter heifers sold from £1120 to £1320. Older cows and calves to £1160. In-calf cows from £840 to £980.

Stock/feeding bulls - 10: 10 stock and feeding bulls sold to £1240 for an 8 year old Charolais, with an 11 year old Limousin at £1160. Hereford bulls sold at £970 and £1000. South Devon feeding bulls £605 and £545.

Barren/feeding cows - 7: 7 barren cows, all plainer sorts this sale sold well with prices from £340 to £740 and 68p-114p/kg. Meat is wanted all the time.