Market Prices

At their annual ‘Wooler Fair’ last Tuesday John Swan Ltd offered 156 gimmers, 20 ewe lambs, 166 store lambs and 28 draft ewes.

All stock sold to returns in keeping with national trends, a full ring of buyers present, with the capability of more stock sold to an advantage.

Thanks to everyone who supports Wooler and is helping to bring back ‘The Wooler Fair’.

Gimmers:- Suff:- £185 Treaty Park. Zwa:- £168 Marshall Meadows. Mule:- £140, £138 Fawdon Farms, £128 Lilburn Estates. Suff.x:- £140, £135 Fawdon Farms, £122 North Sharperton.

Draft ewes:- £57, £50 Lilburn Estates.

Store lambs:- £57.50 Marshall Meadows (2) and Moorlaws (3), £55 Cheviot View.

At their sale of primestock held at Wooler last Wednesday John Swan Ltd had forward and sold 718 lambs and 62 ewes.

Lamb numbers again tighter due to standstill restrictions, more could have been sold to advantage.

Leading prices per head:- Tex.x:- £80.50 Greenhead, Reston, £80 (2) Lilburn Estates, £75.50 Elwick, £74.50 Newstead, £73.50 Mindrum, £73 Low Middleton, £72 Lilburn Estates, £71.50 Shipley Lane.

Suff.x:- £77 Mindrum, £73 Newstead, £71 Treaty Park. Bel:- £76, £75 Ladykirk.

Leading prices per kilo:- Tex.x:- 190.5p, 186.5p, 180p Lilburn Estates, 167.5p Elwick, 163.2p, 160p (2) Lilburn Estates. Bel:- 174.4p Ladykirk.

Ewe numbers also tighter, trade held its own nicely.

Leading prices:- Suff.x:- £89, £79.50 Shipley Lane, £79 Kettleburn, £78 Lilburn Estates. Mule:- £78 West Longridge, £74 Kettleburn, £70 Goswick. Tex.x:- £75 Hoppen Hall. Chev.x:- £73.50 Shipley Lane.

ST BOSWELLS

At their second Special Sale of breeding ewes, ewe lambs and feeding lambs last Thursday John Swan Ltd sold 7512 head.

All classes, especially ewes met a strong demand from a large and well travelled ringside of buyers.

Suffolk Gimmers £175 St Dunstain; Texel.x Gimmers £150 Whitsome West; Mule Gimmers £148 Mains of Auchleuchries, £145 Drinkstone; Beltex.x Gimmers £145 Threeburnford; Mule Ewes (1 crop) £142 and £140 Whitfield, Hawick; Half Bred (3 crop) £130 Mains of Auchleuchries; Chev Mule (1 crop) £128 Piperpool; Tex.x (2 crop) £130 Hamildean; Chev (2 crop) £118 Piperpool; Mule (3 crop) £130 Hamildean and Crailing Nook; Tex.x (4 crop) £108 Threeburnford; Suff.x (4 crop) £102 Venchen; Mule (4 crop) £92 Venchen, Bridgelands, Strichen Mains; Suff.x Ewe Lambs (ex Half Bred) £130 and £125 Haltree, £120 Marvingston; Suff.x Ewe Lambs (ex Mule) £108 Branton Eastside, £94 Tone Hall; Suff.x Ewe Lambs (ex Chev Mule) £102 and £98 Blegbie

The 1,134 Suff.x ewe lambs averaged £110.37. Half Bred Ewe Lambs £118 Stobshiel Mains; Chev Ewe Lambs £100 Humbleheugh; Tex.x Ewe Lambs £78 Upper Samieston; Scotch Mule Ewe Lambs £102; Edston, £98 Boozebeck, £95 Burncastle, £92 Tinnis and Lyne.

The 1,023 Mule Ewe Lambs averaged £85.97.

The 3,249 Feeding Lambs bucked the recent trend and sold to levels in keeping with earlier sales. Belt.x £67 Lower Ashtrees; Tex.x £64 and £63 Lustruther, £63.50 Hawthornside; Suff.x £61 Lustruther, £60 Monklaw;

1379 Cheviot Lambs averaged £56.01; Chev Lambs £64 Philphaugh, £63.50 Buchtrig, £60.50 Brockhouse, £60 Attonburn and Middlesknowes; Blackface Wedder Lambs £51 Dryhope, £50 Mervinslaw to average £48.96; Mule Wedder Lambs £48.50 Rawburn.

LONGTOWN

The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart plc had forward 28 prime cattle, four young bulls, 15 over 30 month cattle, 4,794 prime lambs and 5,971 cast ewes and rams at their weekly sale at Longtown last Thursday.

An ever improving show of quality prime cattle saw a flying trade with 8 active buyers bidding for a small show of cattle, resulting in buyers being left short of requirements and more numbers required on a weekly basis. The sale was topped at 225.5p for a Limousin heifer shown by A. and W.J. Taylor and Son, Dashwellgreen, and Limousin bullocks sold to 221.5p also from Messrs Taylor.

Prime bulls sold very well with all of them being over 16 months. Top price to 188.5p, 187.5p both from M.P. Tattersall, Enzieholm.

A small show of OTM cattle were forward but some great quality on offer and sold dearer on the week. Top price to 165.5p (£1,357.10) for a Limousin cow sold by J.P. Lee, Morley Hill.

The 4,794 prime lambs forward saw an overall average of 152.5p per kilo, this was in line with most other centres this week up until today, but ahead of most Thursday markets, best export weight lambs short of requirements, more heavy lambs forward resulting in lower prices.

Top was £91 for Suffolks from Mosshead and to 222p per kilo for Texels from Wallend.

Another large show of 5,971 cast ewes and rams were forward to our usual ring of buyers, with trade being £2-£3 easier on the week, all classes still remaining easily sold.

Top price of £142 for a Texel ram from Kirkton.

The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart plc held its inaugural Show and Sale of Bluefaced Leicester rams, ram lambs and females on behalf of the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Society.

The sale was topped at £3,500 for a ram lamb from J. Wight and Sons, Midlock. This outstanding lamb was by the homebred F27 Midlock Mustang and after some fierce bidding, was eventually knocked down to G.E. Carter and Son, Forget Me Not, Blackford. The second top price of £1,100 also went to Midlock and also went home with Mr Carter.

The presale show, which was sponsored by Wm. Armtrong and Son, Longtown and Natural Stockcare was ably judge by Mr James Raine, Fog Close, Penrith.

He awarded the Overall Championship to the ram lamb from Mosser Mains Farm, Mosser Mains, which went on to realise £900 to Lilburn Farming Partnership, Roseden.