Prime Cattle (under 30 mos)

Clean cattle a very good trade with no sign that the beef trade is slacking in good retail shops. Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton was on good form purchasing the leading gross priced steer and heifer both consigned by Mesrs CD&RF Kitching of Threshfield. The steer weighed 575kg and made £1417 or 246.5p/kg and the heifer made £1447 or 259.5p/kg with both Limousin crosses. Countrystyle Meats of Lancaster secured the top selling p/kg animal a 535kg Limousin cross heifer sold by Simon Bennett of Silsden Moor for 259.5p/kg or £1388.

Steers

560kg+                                                   to 246.5p/kg

Heifers

485kg+                                                   to259.5p/kg                         av.234.48p/kg

Top Prices £ per head and p/kg

Steers

£ per head: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1417,

p/kg: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 246.5

Heifers

£ per head: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1447, (BBx) 1424, RT&J Critchley&Sons (Limx) 1410, SD Bennett (Limx) 1388

p/kg: SD Bennett (Limx) 259.5, SD Bennett (Limx) 252.5, RT&J Critchley&Sons (Limx) 249.5, CD&RF Kitching (BBx) 248.5

Cull cattle scarce and a good trade with the dairies carrying flesh now well into the teens and a top of 118.5p/kg. Lean cattle dear as ever with just one cow below 90p and two super heavy mature bulls which got away even with the limited number of processor options for cattle of this size. The dearest was a Charolais Bull which grossed up to £1385 for Mesrs R&K Gemmell.

Overall Average                                   104.79p/kg           £633.61

Black & White                      to 118.5p/kg                        av. 105.50p/kg

Dairy Shorthorn                   to 104.5p/kg                        av. 100.17p/kg

Top Prices (£ per head or p/kg)

B&W:

£ per head: JP&KE Hartley 955, CM&EM Gratton 871,729, G Pickersgill&Sons 733,653, JC&DJ Marshall&Sons 688,646

p/kg: CM&EM Gratton 118.5, 110.5,JP&KE Hartley 116.5, G Pickersgill&Sons 114.5,113.5, RM Spence 111.5, JC&DJ Marshall 108.5,107.5.

Other Dairy

£ per head: IRG Collins&Ptns (Dairy Sh) 560,542,460

p/kg: IRG Collins&Ptns (Dairy Sh) 104.5,99.5,96.5

MATURE BULL

Overall Average                                   92.33p/kg             £1234.89

Top Prices £ per head and p/kg

£ per head: R&K Gemmell (Char) 1385, JC Marshall (AA) 1085

p/kg: R&K Gemmell (Char) 96.5, JC Marshall (AA) 87.5

3,378 Prime Sheep comprising 3065 Prime Hoggs & 313 Cast Ewes & Rams

Another large show of lambs with over 3000 penned for sale and an increase in breed averages and overall average on the week to level at 198.1p overall (SQQ 210.6p), despite a more commercial entry.
Trade for smart lambs topped at £126 per head for a pen of 6 Beltex weighing 44kg from RJ Bailes, Aldborough, with HB Atkinson Kettlesing making £120 twice, J Baines Gisburn £118, JE Burrow Hanlith £118 £117 £115 £114, DN&D Capstick Bolton by Bowland £117 £116, AR Sutcliffe Carlton in Cleveland £116.
Per kilo, trade topped at 324p for 37kg at £120 From HB Atkinson, and 300p from JE Burrow with 38kg at £114. There were 14 other pens at 280p plus, and 25 more at 250p plus.
The next grade of nice skinned export lambs 235p-250p, and a commercial export lamb 215p to 230p, this grade taking a nice lift in price on the week.
Heavy lambs (46kg-52kg) were a great trade all day, Continental bred lambs could make 220p to 240p for small batches of butchers types with DN Capstick making 254p (46kg £117) RJ Bailes making 241p (46kg @£111) and 230p (49kg @ £113), the nice sorts could make 200p to 210p, commercials 180p to 195p. PC Longdin Doncaster made £117 for 52kg Texels, EP&JM Hutchinson £114 for 51kg, £112 for 51kg, SP Woolhouse & Son £112 for 52kg.
The over 52kg weight bracket had over 300 head averaging 172p/kg or £95.30 per head.
Hill Bred lambs were a super trade, with best sorts just getting £2 per kilo. Bob Stubbs, Northwich made 204.7p (43kg £88) of Mule Wethers, SP Woolhouse & Son Rotherham 202.3p (44kg £89) and NJS Taylor Derbyshire 200p twice. Horned lambs sold well with J&E Slater Goosnargh having Scotch Blackfaced at 202p (45kg £91) and others at 199p (45kg £89.50). Jeff Pickles had top Swales at 191p (44kg £84 and 43kg £82.50) with Bryan Dibb making 191p 44kg £84 of Lonk wethers, whilst W Holden Oswaldtwistle make 197p of Gritstone wethers. Cheviots wethers topped 203.5p from JM&JV Howard Ltd Holmfirth.

A good show of 313 cast sheep levelled up well at £78.12 per head, with several pens of good heavy lowland ewes £110 to £125, and best Mule ewes in the mid £80’s.

Prime Hoggs – Overall Average £90.32 per head or 198.1p/kg              

32.1kg to 35.9kg to 224.3p/kg         av 179.4p/kg         or £52.38 per head

36.0kg to 45.5kg to 324.3p/kg         av 211.4p/kg         or £88.92 per head

45.6kg to 52.0kg to 254.3p/kg         av 185.9p/kg         or £90.83 per head

52.1kg and over   to 207.5p/kg         av 171.3p/kg         or £95.30 per head

Beltex average £100.85 per head or 249.4p/kg

£ per head: £126 RJ Bailes; £120  HB Atkinson; £118, £117 JE Burrow; £118 J Baines; £117 DN&D Capstick; £116 AR Sutcliffe;

p/kg:324.3p, 292.1p HB Atkinson; 300p 292.5p JE Burrow; 290p, 289.5p AR Sutcliffe; 290p DN&D Capstick 286.4p RJ Bailes;

Suffolk average £89.19 per head or 187.92p/kg

£ per head: £100 HL Kitching; £99 TH Mellin; £97.5, £96.5 Lythwood; £92 J&D Barritt; £91 JM&VJ Howard; £90.5 CR Brittain

p/kg:213.4p  JA Mellin; 211.9p, 207.3p CR Brittain; 207.1p J Beckwith; 204.5p SP Woolhouse & Son; 202.3p RG Church Ltd 

Texel average £91.41 per head or 201.12p/kg

£ per head: £120 HB Atkinson; £117 PC Longdin; £114 EP&JM Hutchinson; £112  EP&JM Hutchinson; £112x2 HB Atkinson;

p/kg: 294.7p, 289.2p, 282.1p, 280p, 272.7p, 261.9p, 257.1p, 256.4p 253.5p HB Atkinson; 250p JE Burrow; 248.8p HB Atkinson

Mule average £84.74 per head or 184.12p/kg

£ per head: £92 RJ Capstick; £91.5 H Harvey & Son; £90  TH Mellin; £89 SP Woolhouse & Son; £89 J Pickles; £89 H Harvey & Son;

p/kg:204.7p Bob Stubbs; 202.3p SP Woolhouse & Son; 201.2p, 200p N&J&S Taylor; 197.6p Bob Stubbs; 195.6p J Pickles;

Charollais average £85.17 per head or 199.15p/kg

£ per head: £96 HB Atkinson; £92 TA Harrison; £92 DN&D Capstick; £91.5 H Harvey & Son; £90 PC Longdin;

p/kg:223.3p H Atkinson; 209.1p TA Harrison; 203.3p E&S Baines; 200.0p DN&D Capstick; 197.5p T Priestley; 

Blue average £80.50 per head or 217.5p/kg

£ per head: £104 RG Church; £57 D Asquith;

p/kg: 241.9p RG Church; 183.9p D Asquith;

Swaledale average £70.88 per head or 176.5 p/kg

£ per head: £84 £82.50 £78 J Pickles; £83.50 N&J&S Taylor; £81 PL Metcalfe; £78 AG Horn; £74 Fair Place;

p/kg: 191.9p 190.9p 177.3p J Pickles; 178.3p W Rathmell; 176.3p J Cheetham; 176.2p Fair Place Farm;

Dalesbred average £59.58 per head or 165.2 p/kg

£ per head: £63 £62 JG&B Brown; £61 JK Wilson; £57 G Greenwood;

p/kg: 169.4p JK Wilson; 165.8p JG&B Brown; 163.6p W Rathmell; 162.9p G Greenwood;

SBF average £89.83 per head or 196.7p/kg

£ per head: £91, £89.5, £89 J&E Slater;

p/kg: 202.2p ,198.9p, 189.4p J&E Slater;

Cheviot average £87.35 per head or 192.2p/kg

£ per head:£89 J Lord; £89 W Holden; £87.5 JM&VJ Howard; £86.5 B Dibb; £86.5 BF Blezard;

p/kg:203.5p JM&VJ Howard; 201.2p BF Blezard; 200p J Drinkall; 193.5p W Holden; 180.2p B Dibb;

Lonk average £80.53 per head or 180.2p/kg

£ per head: £87 J Lord; £84.50 C Crowther; £84 B Dibb; £81 L Broster;

p/kg: 190.9 B Dibb; 180.5p 176.0p  C Crowther; 177.6p J Lord;

Suffolk to £100.5, Texel to £127.5, BFL to £84.5, Mule to £86.5, Swaledale to £59.5, Dalesbred to £58.5, Beltex to £102.5, Lonk to £65.5.

Top prices:

Lowland: £127.5 L Simpson & Son; £113.5 H Harvey & Son;

Mule/Masham: £86.5 H Harvey & Son; £85.5 N&M Hugill;  

Horned: £59.5 Ashfield Farms; £51.5 H Harvey & Son;

Hill: £84.5 H Harvey & Son  

Cast Rams average £72.54

Suffolk to £, Texel to £99.5, Swaledale to £64.5, Bfl to £90.5.

Rearing Calves to £390 x5 (52)

B&W av £72 Cont av £335 Native av £305

Another handy turnout of calves considering show week last week. Calves saw a healthy ringside of buyers with some good prices throughout the sale. Despite not breaking £400 this morning there was a rake of 12 calves £370 to £390 from the likes of Joss Lancaster, Mike Longster, John Marshall and Hartley’s of Bolton Abbey.  Blue heifers were in a higher gear too this morning with an improved average of £313 and topping at £360 again from Joss Lancaster.

A decent run of black and white calves would meet a similar trade to last fortnight with Alf Townsend rising above the rest with a strong Friesian bull at £220, more regular calves were in the £65- £85. Where were the natives today? The single Angus bull from Wellock’s of Eshton met a fierce trade selling for £305.    

Bull Calves

Limousin x (Av £235) to £360 Hayton & Stocks                           

Brit Blue x (Av £354.44) to £390x3 J&SA Lancaster; £390 JF Longster & Son                                                       

Aberdeen Angus (Av £305) to £305 J Wellock

Dairy Shorthorn (Av £80) to £90 IRG Collins                

Black & White (Av £72) to £220 AP Townsend                            

Heifer Calves       

British Blue (Av £313) to £360 x2 J&SA Lancaster

Lim (Av £257) to £330 Hayton & Stocks

Prize Awards:       Newly Calven Heifers: 1^st & 2^nd J Wellock      

                                Newly Calven Cows: 1^st & 2^nd J Midgeley         

                                Champion – J Wellock                        Reserve – J Wellock

Newly Calven Heifers (av £1550): to £1600 J Wellock

Newly Calven Cows (av £1475): to £1500 A&G Midgeley