Market Prices

wooler
At John Swan Ltds Show and Sale last week the Charolias champion was a steer from Fawdon Farms. Left to right are Ann Bennett (Barclays), James Gay (Fawdon Farms), judge Alistair Patterson and Nick Sheffer (Barclays).At John Swan Ltds Show and Sale last week the Charolias champion was a steer from Fawdon Farms. Left to right are Ann Bennett (Barclays), James Gay (Fawdon Farms), judge Alistair Patterson and Nick Sheffer (Barclays).
At John Swan Ltds Show and Sale last week the Charolias champion was a steer from Fawdon Farms. Left to right are Ann Bennett (Barclays), James Gay (Fawdon Farms), judge Alistair Patterson and Nick Sheffer (Barclays).

At their annual Show and Sale of Suckled Calves and Store Cattle last week, John Swan Ltd, for the final time, had forward and sold 780 head.

The Show was again kindly sponsored by Barclays Bank and expertly judged by Alistair Patterson, Wallhouses, who awarded the Charolais Championship and Reserve Champion to Messrs Fawdon Farms. The Champion Steer weighed in at 440kg and sold at £1120 to Messrs Reay and Comber, Elwick. Champion Any Other Breed for the third year running was awarded to Messrs Howard, Chillingham Home Farm, for a Lim.x Steer weighing 555kg and selling to Messrs S. and J. Allen, Longnewton.

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Cattle a quality show with trade remaining buoyant, buyers arriving from the south coast kept all classes in keen demand.

At their weekly sale of Primestock last Wednesday, 553 lambs and 190 ewes were forward and sold.

Numbers tight due to calf sale week but all classes sought after to increase returns on the week.

Leading prices per head: Tex.x:- £71, £68, £67, £66.50, £65 Elwick, £71 Lorbottle, £67 Bewick Folly and Cockhall, £66.50, £66, £65.50 West Longridge, £66 Lorbottle, £65.50 Cockhall. Suff.x:- £65 Biddlestone Home Farm, £64.50, £64 (3), £62 (2) Brockley Hall. C.M:- £65 Bewick Folly. Mule:- £61 Horseupcleugh.

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Leading prices per kilo: Tex.x:- 169.1p, 158.3p, 158.1p Elwick, 166.7p Village Farm, Seahouses and Shipley Smallburn, 163.4p, 159.8p Cockhall, 159p Ladykirk, 157.1p West Longridge and Lorbottle Farm. C.M:- 160.5p Bewick Folly.

Ewe numbers also less, but dearer.

Leading prices per head: C.M:- £85, £75 Bewick Folly. Tex.x:- £83 Shipley Smallburn, £81 Cockhall, £79 Shepherds Cottage, £75 Lilburn Estates and Cockhall, £73 Shipley Smallburn and Hoppen Hall. Suff.x:- £83 Great Ryle, £80 Goswick, £79 Lilburn Estates, £77 Cheswick Buildings, £75 Springhill. Chev:- £67 Great Ryle. Mule:-£65 Brockley Hall, £63 Hoppen Hall.

Rams: Tex.x:- £105 Bewick Folly.

longtown

Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Auction Marts Limited had forward 6,520 store lambs at their weekly sale at Longtown on Tuesday, October, 6.

Another large show and an abundance of distant buyers attending for the first time this season, trade was sharper all round. Top of £63 for Masham from Powcrofts and Greyfaces from Crindledykes, other Greyface £59 Powcroft, £55 Meinbank and Gibbs Hill, £54.50 High Lovelady Shield; Texel £61.50 Crindledykes, £60.50 High Lovelady Shield, £60 Whitstone Hill; Suffolk £57.50 Whitstone Hill, £57 Barbuie; Lleyn £54.50 Espland; Charollais £52.50 Espland; Kerry Hill £47.50 Kilncroft; Swaledale £34 Ouston, £31.50 Parkhouse.

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Feeding ewes to £64 East Foreshield. Cast rams to £67.50 Auchenfad. Hill Cheviots (2,091) a smaller entry and much dearer on the week. Top £56 Castle Crawford, Toftholm and Parkhill, £55 Glendinning. Blackfaces (2,140) a larger entry with all classes sharper.Top £51.50 East Fortissat, £49.50 Albie Rigg and Tweedshaws.

The annual Longtown Ram Fair on Wednesday, October 7, saw 938 head forward. The Ram Sale of 150 Suffolk, 113 Charollais & Charollais x, 137 Beltex and other Crossbred, and 351 Texels saw a full ring of local and distant buyers present, ensuring a good trade throughout with a healthy clearance rate. Best quality rams were keenly sought after and realised premium prices with five Texel shearlings realising over the £1,000 mark.

Other rams met a realistic demand with only the bottom end hard to cash. Also included were the annual shows for both Texel and Suffolk rams, sponsored by Trojan 4 x 4.

The sale topped at £1,800 by regular sale topper Mr A. Bell, Kirkton, Hawick to D. & D. Aitken, Uppercleuch, followed at £1,250 from the same home to J. Baty, Broomhills.

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Mr Bell’s pen of 14 shearlings averaged an impressive £782.86.

The Texel judging was ably carried out by Mr J. Warnock MBE, Sandilands, Lanark, who awarded the championship to a shearling from Messrs Douglas, Catslackburn, from a massive class of 23 sheep, which realised £450 to J.N. Hall, Harelawhill, Canonbie. The reserve champion was awarded to the ram lamb from the marts own auctioneer Archie Hamilton’s Smyllum Flock, which went on to realise £400 to Mr Hird, Westend, Dovenby.

C & D Auction Marts Limited had forward 12 prime cattle, two young bulls, 28 OTM cattle, 4,261 prime lambs and 4,462 cast ewes & rams at their weekly sale at Longtown on Thursday, October 8.

This was another good entry – just short of 30 head were offered to a full company of buyers with two new faces present.

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Quality and breed were extremely variable, but all cattle were keenly bid for with competition strong throughout. The sale was topped at 146p for an Angus from Peter Dayson who sold others to 137p, Galloways from Keith Laurie sold to 108p with Whitebred Shorthorns from Mr Watkin selling to 104p. Continentals sold to 135p from John Pitttendrigh with BB/Friesian cows to 128p from Messrs Grieve.

Dairy cows were scarce, selling to a top of 110p (twice) from market regular Messrs Beard, with Jerseys to 49p from Mr Armstrong. Top prices per head were £1,017.60 from The Snab for a Continental suckler cow.

Limousin x sold to £931.50 from Horncastle Farm. Native breeds sold to £849.40 for an Angus from Whamtown, Whitebred Shorthorn to £655.20 from Ladybank Farm. Dairy cows to £775.50 and £748 Dormansteads for pure British Friesians.

Less cattle are on offer due to standstill restrictions, but the trade was dear for a mixed show and many more could have been sold.

The sale topped at 213.5p for a grass fed Charolais heifer from regular supporters E. & A. Graham, Upper Mains.