Kivells of Holsworthy saw a busy market with 1472 head of stock sold to a 100% clearance.

Top call of the day was £2000 for a pedigree Holstein heifer 'Lanwood June 2013' for Mr GCB Davis of Tiverton. Trade was on fire for the young stock with a smart run of dairy type yearling heifers from Berry Worth of West Down, Ilfracombe to £720 with a consignment average of £679. Trade in the dairy section was further strengthened by another superb cull cow trade with Messrs Chamberlain and Son in pole position at £996 with Messrs Martin of Wynfeild at £982 and Messrs Shadrick of Great Lakes at £978. Overall average stood at 121.6p/kg and £802.41.

Prime Cattle

Numbers were tight in the prime cattle pens pushing prices even higher with Mr J Britton at the top hitting £1,523 for the pick of OTM cattle. The best of the younger prime cattle saw Stan Hopper at £1368 with John & Will Prouse at £1364 and £1361. Premium was set at 189p/kg with a market average of 171.9p/kg and £1164.40.

Calves

90 Calves saw another immense trade with David Medland taking the top three prices with his wonderful line up of British Blues hitting £402 and his best trio averaging £391. Best heifer calves came in from Messrs FL Clark & Son at £342 with others at £300, £297 and £294. Overall average of all calves stood at £199.82.

Sheep

A superb entry of 1194 sheep sold to a superb trade with Mrs C Irwin of Kings Nympton at £137 with others at £119, John Heard at £115 and Messrs Balsdon at £111. A total of 413 ewes averaged £85.84 with six buyers present. The lamb trade also improved with a top call of £97 for lambs from James Melville of Trentworthy, Messrs George at £95.80 and Rod Evely at £94.80. Overall market average stood at 191.76p/kg and £86.49 with premium at 207p/kg for Ben Boundy of Bridgerule. Store lambs topped at £80 with 185 averaging £78.70.

Stores

Numbers were tight in the store cattle pens and were topped by a pair of Angus steers from Tony Lang of Parkham at £1155 with others at £1085. Overall average of all store cattle stood strong at £819.27.

Aberdeen-Angus breeders Messrs J and W Arnott of Haymount, Kelso, have sold one of their potential 2012 Perth stars, Haymount Wavestar K986, in a high price private deal to the Lucas family of Cheeklaw, Duns.

This March 2010-born bull is the first son from the 22,000gns stock bull Lorabar Blackstar G290. He is from the successful Witch family line at Haymount, which has produced bulls that have recently realised up to 16,000gns at Perth. Wavestar has a Terminal Index of +30 and a Self Replacing Index of +39.

David Lucas of Cheeklaw said: "This bull caught my eye as soon as I saw him...I knew straight away that he would complement the Cheeklaw herd. He has great breed characteristics, good locomotion and is naturally fleshed. Above all, he has a great temperament."

Bulls with good conformation and high components were in strong demand at Holstein NI's 22nd annual spring show and sale, held at the Pedigree Sales Arena, Moira.

Prices soared to a top of 6,000gns and 5,600gns, and following an almost complete clearance Taaffe Auctions reported that 28 bulls changed hands to level at 2,866gns per head - an increase of 430gns on the same period last year when 25 lots averaged 2,436gns each.

Attracting the day's top price of 6,000gns was the Milk Quality Award winner Relough Amethyst ET (PLI £207) brought out by Ronald McLean, and sons Malcolm and Barry, from Donaghmore, Dungannon, County Tyrone.

This fourteen-month-old entry was sired by the O-Bee Manfred Justice son, Morningview Legend ET, and is bred from five generations of EX dams. His dam is Relough Shottle Amy who gave over 12,000kgs at 4.83%BF and 3.15%P in her second 305-day lactation.

This bull is a full brother to Relough Amazon ET and Relough Agent ET - sold privately to a German AI stud. Earlier in the day he caught the eye of judge Trevor Lochart to secure the honourable mention ribbons. Bidding was brisk for this eye catching young bull with auctioneer Michael Taaffe taking the securing bid from Trevor McKinney, Maghera, County Londonderry.

Following close behind at 5,600gns was the second prize winning Ards Soloman ET (PLI £86) consigned by Harry Patton, and sons Wallace and Wilson, from Newtownards, County Down.

Also born in November 2010 he is by the Comestar Stormatic son, Golden Oaks Alexander, while is dam is the noted Ridgefield Sara Rampage Red ET (VG89 3yr) - champion heifer in Holstein NI Herds Inspection Competition in 2009, and reserve supreme champion at Balmoral Show in 2009. The dam produced almost 13,000kgs at 3.93%BF and 3.28%P in her second 305-day lactation, and her daughters have sold to a top of 6,600gns, realised by Ards Baxter Sara ET at the Causeway Classic in 2009. Backed by seven generations of VG and EX dams this bull was snapped up by Mr G Gilmore from Portaferry, County Down.

The Patton family also sold a December 2010 born England Ammon Million ET son bred from Ridgefield Sara Rampage Red ET. The third prize winning Ards Soloman (PLI £103) sold for 3,900gns to Mr C Caldwell from Castlederg, County Tyrone. Five lots from the Ards herd sold to average 3,520gns per head.

Two lots came under the hammer at 4,800gns. First into the salering at 4,800gns was the November 2010 born Relough Glorious (PLI £124) which sold to David Hadden from Mountnorris, County Armagh. This third prize winner was also sired by Morningview Legend ET, and is bred from the VG86 Relough Toystory Gloriette ET which produced over 9,500kgs at 4.21%BF and 3.22%P in her second 305-day lactation. He is backed by eight generations of VG and EX dams.

Castletru Reginald Red (PLI £108) attracted a bid of 4,800gns for Jim and Mark Truesdale from Newcastle, County Down. This thirteen-month-old entry was sired by Aggravation Lawn Boy P-Red, and is bred from Inch September Roxy 2 ET (VG88) which produced over 10,900kgs at 4.83%BF and 3.11%P in her second 305-day lactation. Backed by eight generations of VG and EX dams, he sold to Dessie and Jonathan Moore from Fintona, County Tyrone.

Sedgemoor market reported an increased entry at 153 cull stock, being of generally better quality and combined with keener bidding, resulting in an improved trade throughout.

Top was 160p/kg for a young Saler cow from Mr R F Rawlins. Native cows in the vanguard when a Devon from Messrs H and D Besley achieved 158p/kg, an Angus from Messrs M R and S K Westcott achieved 149p/kg and a South Devon from Messrs A Cotterrell achieved 147.5p/kg.

Other continental cows rose to 144.5p/kg twice for Limousins from both Messrs Church Farm Publow, who also sold a Blonde at 142.5p/kg and Mr B Vowles. A bid of 142.5p/kg was also realised for a Blue cross cow from Messrs JWO Marsh and Partners. Better suckler cows all made 130p/kg plus.

Sucklers sold to £1,138.47 for a strong 822kg, shapely Simmental from Mr GTJ Boundy. Other sucklers making over £1000 at £1096 was a Saler from Mr DF Rawlins; £1,083.92 for the South Devon from Messrs A Cotterrell, who sold another at £1,056.10; £1,070.18 for the Blue from Messrs JWO Marsh & Partners and £1,001.39 for the Limousin from Mr B Vowles.

Some better dairy cows forward encouraged bidding, which rose to a top of 144.5p/kg for a smart MRI from Messrs AJ Gay & Son Ltd. Holstein Friesians topped at 136p/kg from Messrs PW, MA & RJ Bell. Other best dairy types made 135.5p/kg, Swedish Red and White from Mr RJ Shere; 135p/kg.

A reduced entry of 451 prime hoggs forward, after Monday's large entry, sold to a trade similar to both last week and Monday reported auctioneers. The best handyweights sold to 216p/kg, 214p/kg, 211p/kg and 202p/kg from Rushmore Estate;

(Greenslade Taylor Hunt)

A slightly smaller entry of sheep on a snowy day at Blackmoor Gate market, Exmoor saw a strong trade with vendors rewarded for braving the weather. Cull ewes sold to an overall average of £77.13 for a mixed entry of animals with the best making £95 for Mr B Nicholls, Lower Middleton Farm selling a pen of 20. This was closely followed by a pen from Mr JD Dunn, Middle Beccott selling for £94.50.

Rams (3) achieved an average of 90.67 and peaked at £100.50 for Mr R J Burge, Haxton Down.

Store lambs steadied slightly with the average set at £68.20, still top prices reached £86.50 for Mr B

Nicholls, Lower Middleton with others making £82 and £79.50 respectively for Messrs J & CA Bray, South

Ley Farm and Stitchpool Farm Partnership

(Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auctions)

The weekly sale of store cattle at Lockerbie Auction Mart saw 221 store cattle sold with bullocks topping 300p/kg and £1,130 a head.

All classes met the dearest trade ever seen with a huge ringside of buyers from as far a field as Peterhead in attendance. Bullocks sold to 300p/kg for a Limousin cross from Messrs Spence of South Corrielaw and to a top of £1,130 for a Limousin from Messrs Graham of Carruthers. Heifers peaked at 267p/kg for a black Limousin from Mr G Bell of Haasgrove and to a top of £1,075 for a 492kg Limousin from Messrs Ewart of Belridding.

121 Bullocks averaged 214ppk and 100 Heifers averaged 201.4p/kg.

Leading price per head:

Steers -Limousin £1130 Carruthers, £1030 Belridding, £1000, £980 (x2) Haas Grove, Aberdeen Angus £1040 (x4), £990 (x2) Carruthers, Saler £970 (x5) Poldean.

Heifers - Limousin £1075, £955 (x2) Belridding, £1040 Elvanfoot, £980 Haas Grove, £910 Elvanfoot, Charolais £945 Milnholm.

Leading price per kilo:

Steers - Limousin 300p South Corrielaw, 259.5p (x3) Pielmuir, 258p, 253.1p, 252.5p, 250p Haas Grove, Simmental 277.5p (x6) Hallmeadow, Charolais 261p (x2), 255p (x4) South Corrielaw.

Heifers -Limousin 267.8p Haas Grove, Simmental 230.5p (x4) Hallmeadow, Charolais 230.3p (x6) South Corrielaw.

(Harrison and Hetherington)

Skipton Auction Mart Weekly round-up :

With 54 animals forward at the weekly prime cattle sale at Skipton Auction Mart, (Mon, Jan 30) a Limousin-cross heifer from John Huck, Hubberholme, topped the per head and by weight prices in the under 48-month classes at £1,185, or 175.5p/kg. The class average was 137.85p/kg.

Prices peaked at £967, 146.5p/kg, in the under 30-month class for a black and white heifer from JM Smith & Son, Carleton.

Cull cows met with better trade on the week, selling to an average of £829 or 121.52p/kg. A total of seven cast cows topped £1,000, headed at £1,212 by an Aberdeen Angus from G & MA Lawn, Skipton, along with a black and white cow at £1,177 from John Whittaker, Laneshawbridge.

Highest price per kilo at 157.5p/kg was a pure-bred Limousin cow from John Beckwith, Gargrave.

Also noteworthy was a 10-year-old Limousin stock bull from Roland Carr, Bolton Abbey, which made £1,518. 

As feeders and finishers began consigning hoggs to market, this was reflected in a near 3,000-strong increased entry of prime sheep, with most classes producing a similar trade on the week, although the smartest Texel/Beltex types were 12p to 15p/kg dearer on average.

However, a number of pens from Stephen Pepper, Oxenhope, and Ellis Bros, Addingham Moorside, made over 300p/kg, with Ian and Mary Lancaster, Clitheroe, not far off at 287p/kg.

Hill lambs also sold well, with solid average prices for the time of year, while cast sheep took another lift in prices as numbers tightened, especially for meaty 2nd quality types.

The overall average for prime hoggs was £84.17 per head or 200.74p/kg, with cull ewes averaging £87.76 and cast rams £98.79.

A smashing trade yesterday at Leek Cattle Market saw a top price of £2,180 and six to over £2,000 out of the 33 milkers forward.

Top call went to first time vendors Messrs Richardson of Audley for a tremendously stylish heifer by Painley Kayak, she was sold giving 30kg, realising £2,180 and went to Messrs Sherwin of Sproston. A second from the same home made £2,020 to the same purchaser.

A nice heifer by Durham Ross from Mark Jolliffe of Yarlet reached £2,100 she was sold giving 30kg and was purchased by Messrs Burton of Basford who also took a heifer from Messrs Brookes of Field at £2,080.

Cows peaked at £1,710 for a fourth calver from Henry Prince of Roston.

1st Quality Heifers to £2,180 average £2,008

2nd Quality Heifers to £1,680 average £1,579

2nd Quality Cows to £1,710 average £1,570

(Leek Auctions)

One of the world's leading professional sumo wrestlers is the latest recruit to the ranks of Aberdeen-Angus breeders.

Estonian, Kaido Hoovelson - who is currently the number two sumo wrestler in the world - has purchased 35 yearling heifers from Scotland as the foundation stock for an Aberdeen-Angus herd on his farm in Estonia.

The heifers have been purchased from the Rosemount herd of Alex and Wendy Sanger at Prettycur, Montrose, Angus, and are due to be shipped to Estonia later this month.

A group of 10 heifers and a bull are also going to Meelis and Piret Marmor of Aberdeen Top Genetics, whose 90-cow Marmorland herd, built up over the past six years on Scottish bloodlines, is now firmly established as the leading Aberdeen-Angus herd in Estonia.

Mr and Mrs Sanger's 200-cow Rosemount herd was last year named Bank of Scotland Aberdeen-Angus Suckler Herd of the Year. The herd has sold breeding stock to Estonia on three previous occasions and last year sold 37 heifers as part of a 120-strong consignment of heifers from three UK herds exported to Romania.

The Rosemount herd is run on strictly commercial lines selling finished cattle to Scotbeef and under the Glenbervie Aberdeen-Angus beef brand in conjunction with Glenbervie Home Farm, Drumlthie.

Mr and Mrs Marmor founded their Marmorland herd in 2006 with the purchase of 37 heifers and two bulls from Scotland followed by a further 35 heifers from the Rosemount herd in 2007.

The main stock bull, Tonley Black Dart E308, by Darlene Cruz 11F, bred by Neil Wattie, Mains of Tonley, Alford, Aberdeenshire, has recently been sold on at the age of six years, and has been followed by Wedderlie Elross F202, by Aynho Rossiter Eric D125, bred by John and Marion Tilson, Wedderlie, Gordon, Berwickshire, and purchased last year from Rosemount.

Cast sheep were in huge demand today at Gisburn Auction Marts with the top price of the day a £171 bid from Richard and Mark Ireland, Whalley with their Texel ewes selling for £171 and £170 a head.

Topping the cast tup trade was Alan Lodge, Malham Moor, Settle with a Texel ram at £131.

Jonathan Turner, auctioneer said "Fierce bidding for some top quality cast ewes from many different vendors resulted in £171 top price. Swale and horned ewes also received a top trade at £68 average. Hoggs are now starting to strengthen with numbers across the markets lessening. Many spec lambs averaging between 205p/kand 220p/k. Heavy lambs now seeing more interest and easier to sell. Best butchers hoggs still around the 240p/kg to 260p/kg."

Averages: Cast Tups £108; Lowland Ewes £91; Horned Ewes £68

Auctioneers: Richard Turner & Son

An entry of 1149 in lamb breeding sheep went under the hammer at Bentham Auction's first Winter Sale of In lamb Sheep. The sale included three dispersals, the first being from J Arthur of Carnwath, Lanarkshire selling due to ill health.

The stock comprised 400 commercial Beltex x and Texel x ewes and shearlings, 26 Pure Beltex and 11 Pure Texel. First ewe in the ring being a Pure Beltex Ewe due February carrying twins to the Beltex making £520 to M E Wannop and Son of Morecambe, who also snapped up the next top price of £390 for another pure Beltex scanned for a Single. A pen of six pure Texel shearlings from the same home made £310 selling to the same buyer. Texel x Ewes topped at £245 and shearlings topped at £190.

The second dispersal of the day was a consignment of 429 commercial ewes and shearlings from W A Ketley and Sons of Essex selling due to a change in farming policy. Mule three crop ewes due April topped at £162 to average £154.51 and 44 Romney ewes from the same home after much interest sold to a top of £160 to average £153. The ring side was full from start to finish and a competitive trade resulted in a complete clearance.

An entry of dairy cattle small on numbers but high on quality reflected by the overall average of £2052.86 at Bentham Auction Mart's weekly sale of Newly Calved Dairy Cattle last week. Plaudits for the day went to Peter and David Knowles of Cragg Farm, Kendal who made £2520 and £2300 respectively for their superb pedigree heifers. The 1st being 'Kendal Cragg Scooby-Duu Eve' giving seven gallons daily selling to Messrs W I Foster of Brampton, the 2nd being 'Drumtall Shotgun Sadie' giving six gallons daily selling to M E Wannop and Sons of Morecambe.

Kington Market reported a smaller entry of 1400 sheep at last week's sale with the hogget trade firming from the previous days trading by about 7p/kg due to less numbers being marketed and thereby creating a better demand from the buyers.

A smaller entry of 1000 hoggets sold to a good trade which would be some 7p/kg better than other markets previously in the week. The whole market averaged 208p/kg up to 225p/kg with all hoggets averaging £88 a head. Lambs sold to £100 a head for some 55kg lambs from Colin and Wendy Philips.

Hoggets between 38kg and 43kg which were of export spec were sort after and fetched premium prices with these hoggets averaging a good 2.10p/kg. Heavier hoggets between 44kg and 47kg were easier to sell than previous weeks and they averaged a good 197p/kg. Hoggets between over 48kg would again sell well they averaged 1.85p/kg and up to £100 a head.

Some 35kg hoggets from M H Gwilliam made £75, 38kg hoggets from Chris Holloway made £80.20, 40kg hoggets from P C Brigg made £90, 41kg hoggets from J C Meredith made £89, 42kg hoggets from JW Lloyd and Sons made £91, 43kg hoggets from J P and G L Davies made £91.50, 45kg hoggets from C J and H M Evans made £93, 49kg hoggets from M H Gwilliam made £96.50, 53kg hoggets from C M and W C Philips made £96.

There was a good entry of 400 cull ewes selling to another excellent trade which would be slightly better that last week. The ewes sold to a top of £134 some Texel ewes from N C and G M Lewis and all the ewes averaged an excellent £82 a head with many hill ewes forward. Tups sold to a good trade with a top of £97 and to average £84 a head, small store lambs sold to £72.50 and averaged £68 The cull ewes included a large proportion of thinner mule ewes and smaller hill ewes. (McCartneys)

Kivells of Holsworthy became the 1st firm of auctioneers to have a dedicated sale of TB restricted calves with a top call of £475 (x2) on behalf of Messrs Martyn of Whitestone, with best heifer calves from Les Heywood of Hartland topping the heifer pens at £300.

Speaking after the sale Kivells calf auctioneer Patrick Dennis said: "It was great to have the 1st sale here at Holsworthy with buyers and vendors present from farms from Somerset to Penzance. Trade was a little patchy in places but with a 93 % clearence the day was enjoyed by everyone.