Recently in cattle trade Category

As the headline says the store cattle trade is flying along at the moment, with John Swan's sale at St Boswells today reported as a good show of cattle sold at extreme rates with plenty of yearlings making more than 200p/kg and more cattle needed to satisfy buyers.

Topping the steer trade were Limousin crosses from Top Boon at £1045, £1000 and £900, while British Blues from the same home made £1080, £985 and £825. Angus crosses peaked at £1060 for Swinside andTownfoot.

In the heifers on offer Limousins led the trade again at £885 for Burnfoot and Oxton, while Angus crosses sold to £930 for Kingside and Charolais hit £890 form Restonhill.

Other marts are reporting similarly strong trades and it seems the lack of grass growth across the country due to the continuing cold weather isn't putting buyers off paying top price for stores.

Wednesday's virtual dispersal of the Peak herd of Limousins for Bob and Mary Furness at Newark saw a top price of 4200gns paid for Peak Abyra an April 2005-born Wintles Othello daughter sold in calf to Peak Clover.

This one sold to Peter Hunt, Ashford in the Water, Bakewell, who took a total haul of 24 head, including the top six priced lots, with others at 2700gns, 2400gns, 2200gns and 2100gns.

Overall the 37 in-calf heifers offered averaged £1750.95, two in-calf heifers levelled at £1968.75, eight maiden heifers averaged £1207.50.

Meanwhile, in the maket's prime cattle section a total of 512 head were traded, with the best prime steers reaching 212.5p/kg for a Limousin cross from T Steadman and Sons, Bucknall with 120 sold to average 160.01p/kg. Top grossing steer was a 795kg Limousin from P and J Needham which sold for £1371.38.

In the prime heifers the top call was a 217.5p/kg sale (a shade back on last week's market record of 243.5p/kg) for a Limousin from Bob and John Ingamells, Grantham, with another at 209.5p/kg. Top gross here was the same beast which grossed £1137.53.

And the 130 prime bulls sold to a top of 200.5p/kg for a Limousin from Roger Hazard and family. This made it five weeks out of five that the family have led the bull trade at Newark, but the top grossing bull spot this went to Paul Dawes with one at £1345.03.

Once again Newark mart has had a massive throughput this week, with 706 cattle sold in its prime ring yesterday and 855 sold in total.

Top spot in the OTMS cow section went to Messrs R Harness and Sons, Tattersall, with a British Blue cross cow at 185.5p/kg (£1411.66).

Clean overage cattle topped at 181.5p/kg (£1174.31) for blue heifers from Paul Barwood, Norfolk. Top grossing was a Limousin steer from Tommy and Anthony Holmes at £1254.49 (165.5p/kg).

Stock bulls, meanwhile, sold to 156.5p/kg (£1366.24) for a Blonde from Billy Barker.

In the under age cattle young bulls hit a top spot of 212.5p/kg for Limousins from the Hazard family and averaged 151.75p/kg, while steers sold to a peak of 191.5p/kg for Limousins from Bob anf John Ingamells. These levelled at 156.31p/kg

And the 182 heifers on offer hit a high of 193.5p/kg and averaged 154.58p/kg. Top heifer was a Limousin from C E Hardcastle and Son.

Top call at Friday's sale of store cattle at Leyburn was a £1030 bid for a Limousin steer from R W Wallis and Sons, who also sold similar at £910.

Making £970 were more Limousin cross steers from W M Iveson and Armstrong Partners. British Blue heifers, meanwhile, topped at 3960, again from Messrs Wallis, with more from the same home making £960 and £955.

In the show the championship was awarded to a British Blue steer from Ken Whitehead, Muker, Swaledale, which went on to sell for £890 to Brian Phillips, Northallerton.

Top call in the heifers was a £970 bid for a Limousin cross from G H and J Wallis and Son, with one from Robson House Farms making the same money. And at £925 was one from Keirey Limousins.

Selling for £900 was a British Blue heifer from J K and C H Wilkinson, with one from Ken Whitehead making £900 as well, as did another from R W Wallis and Sons.

Much like the sheep trade the prime cattle trade has been sharper since the turn of the year too, in part due to weather conditions making it harder for some vendors to reach their mart.

At St Boswells on Monday trade was strong with steers avearging 176p/kg and topping at 196p/kg. Heifers at the same centre reached a peak of 207p/kg for one from Robert Neil and Partners and levelled at 177.8p/kg.

Newark on Wednesday saw prices reach a top of 218.5p/kg for young bulls, with steers hitting 228.5p/kg and heifers making up to 222.5p/kg. The three sections levelled at 162.37 for young bulls, 170.28p/kg for steers and 175.97p/kg for heifers.

Weanling trade at Carlisle maintained recent high prices with a Limousin steer from Closehead selling for a top call of £740 .

Close behind was a British Blue heifer from Low Plains selling for £730.

A Limousin heifers from High Wood Nook took the next best money of £708.

Two entries then sold for £690. The first of which was a Gelbvieh steer put forward by Closehead. The second was a Limousin bull from Hill Top Farm.

Also from Closehead was a Limousin heifer which sold for £680.

Two British Blue steers from Garriestown Farm went on to sell for £668 with two Limousin Steers going for £650 a head.

Five British Blue heifers put forward by Low Plains went for £648.

Among the bulls two entries from Campingholm sold for £632. The first of which was a Limousin bull, the second a Blonde d'Aquitaine.

Topping the cattle entries at Louth's annual Christmas Show, the last of its kind in Lincolnshire, was Louise Todd with a British Blue cross steer weighing 632kg. This one sold at 405p/kg to L Brown and Son, Meridian Meats.

Reserve champion went to Michael Read, Hemingby, with a British Blue cross Lincoln Red which weighed 555kg and sold at 350p/kg.

Leading the lamb entries was George Allison with Continental cross lambs which sold at £160 each to C R Laking and Sons. Reserve champion here was another pen from Mr Allison which sold at £185 each to Andrew Vernon.

Taking the championship in yesterday's Christmas primestock show was M V Fleming, Mosstower, with a homebred Aberdeen-Angus steer which weighed 550kg and sold at 405p/kg.

Reserve overall were Robert and Jac Neil, Upper Nisbet, with a Limousin cross heifer which weighed 540kg and sold at 290p/kg.

Full class results

CLASS 1 SINGLE BULLOCK NATIVE BREED
1st       M/s Fleming, Mosstower, 550kg made 405p to Lees Butchers
2nd      M/s S&J Allen, Longnewton, 685kg made 186p to Martin Baird Butcher
3rd       M/s RR Braes, Burnshot,  555kg made 177p to  James Cockburn, Dalkeith

CLASS 2 SINGLE BULLOCK CONTINENTAL BREED
1st       M/s Campbell, Glenrath, 565kg made 208p to  Colin Peat, Haddington
2nd      M/s Cuthbertson, Jedderfield, 690kg made 186p to  M/s JP Mason
3rd       Robert Neil & Ptrs, Upper Nisbet, 197kg made 197p to   Denholm Meats, Hawick

CLASS 3 SINGLE HEIFER NATIVE BREED
1st      M/s Ross Farms, Wester Middleton, 505kg made 189p to Harry Emslie, Peterhead
2nd     M/s Osborne & Sons, Outerston, 475kg made 178p  to Alex Smith, Edinburgh
3rd     J Connell Esq, Wantonwalls, 500kg made 179p to John Anderson Butchers

CLASS 4 SINGLE HEIFER CONTINENTAL BREED
1st      M/s Campbell, Easter Harprew, 575kg made 199p to Ramsay Butcher, Edinburgh
2nd     Bain Farming Co, Coxydene, 580kg made 195p to Halliwells Butcher, Selkirk
3rd      W B Hamilton & Sons, Bee Edge, 620kg made 193p to Harry Emslie, Peterhead

CLASS 5 BEST BULLOCK or HEIFER BRED BY EXHIBITOR
1st     Robert Neil & Ptrs, Upper Nisbet, 540kg made 290p to Craig Douglas, St Boswells
2nd    Swarland Old Hall, 565kg made 204p to WTS Forsyth & Sons, Peebles
3rd     M/s J Logan, 605kg made 186p to Worsley Wholesale Butchers

CLASS 6 PAIR BULLOCKS
1st    W  B Hamilton & Sons, Bee Edge, 580kg /592kg made 195p(twice) to Ramsay Butchers & WTS Forsyth & Sons, Peebles
2nd  G&A Hamilton, Ramrig, 575kg/535kg made 195/193p to Malone of Edinburgh 
3rd   Robert Neil & Ptrs, Upper Nisbet, 565kg/575Kg made 196p to Tulloch of Paisley & 200p to WTS Forsyth & Sons, Peebles

CLASS 7 PAIR HEIFERS
1st  Robert Neil & Ptnrs, Upper Nisbet, 530kg/550kg made 208p to Gosford Bothy Shop & 209P 191p to Harry Emslie, Peterhead. 
2nd   W B Hamilton & Sons, Bee Edge, 570kg/615kg made 199/195p to Harry Emslie, Peterhead.  
3rd  Bain Farming Co, Coxydene  weight 590kg/570kg made 187p to M/s T Kerr & Son ,Selkirk, & 195p to Worsley Wholesale Butchers

Lifting the silverware at Gisburn's Christmas Show and Sale were A A and E Critchley and Son, Hutton, with their Brritish Blue heifer which tipped the scales at 460kg. It later sold at 420p/kg to Jimmy Wood, Bowland Foods.

Reserve champion was Willie Timm, Goole, with a British Blue steer. This weighed in at 480kg and sold for 310p/kg to Accrington butcher George Cropper.

Taking the young bull class was another Blue cross, this time from J C Walker and Son, Clitheroe. This weighed 488kg and sold at 240p/kg to Knavesmire Butchers, York.

And taking the young handlers class was Steven Walker with a British Blue cross heifer which sold at 324p/kg.

Prime cattle champion at Bentham's Christmas show last week was a British Blue heifer from Chris Hewitt. This sold for £1120 to Frank Towers, Wray.

Reserve champion was Sheila Lors, Roeburndale, with her British Blue cross steer which sold for £895 to Geoff Burrows.

Sheep championship honours went to a pen of 10 Beltex cross lambs from Messrs Coates, Stainforth. These weighed in at 39kg and sold for £130/apiece to Sam Howarth Butchers, Dingle.

Reserve champion were Beltex crosses from George Parker, Slaidburn, which weighed 42kg and sold for £120 each to Frank Towers.

Thanks to a spy in the north east for the pictures and results from Acklington.

Leading the show was a British Blue cross steer from C Manners, Chevington Moor, it sold at 250p/kg to Martins Butchers of Morpeth.

This week's prime cattle sale at Newark once again attracted one of the strongest trades seen in the UK and what is possibly the biggest entry too, with 722 cattle offered on Wednesday.

Topping the prime cattle was a Blue cross steer from John and Debbie Madeley from Ross on Wye at 214.5p/kg, wiht the overall offering of 193 steers levelling the day at 161.88p/kg.

In the heifers trade was led by Sam and Jane Pilkington, Buxton with a Blue cross heifer at 213.5p/kg. the 156 offered averaged 161.25p.

And the 242 young bulls on show were led at 199.5p/kg by a Bazadaise cross from John Holmes, Plumtree. Average from this section was 150.1p/kg.

Across in the OTM cattle John Mower led the OTM steers at 161.5p/kg for a Limousin cross, while the OTM heifers peaked at 165.5p/kg for a Blonde heifer from A T Turner, Derby.

Top OTM cow was a Blue cow from John and Debbie Madeley, Ross on Wye. Overall average in the OTM offering was 113.88 for 131 sold.

It's certainly a storming trade in all sections and the numbers forward were clearly rewarded by a strong company of buyers willing to dig deep for the cattle they wanted, long may it continue.

And on the subject of prime cattle, don't forget to have a go at the AgriLIVE Smithfield judging competition...

It seems that no matter which market report I pick up at the moment the demand for store and beef breeding cattle is unsatiable. Quite simply there don't seem to be enough to go around and confidence in the future of the sector is riding high.

Following on from my brief report from Thainestone on Tuesday, a more detailed look at the sale figures show trade for in-calf heifers peaking at £3400 for a British Blue cross heifer due to calve in the spring from Harry Emslie. This was then backed up by a call of £2700 for a purebred Limousin, while Limousin crosses were topped at £2250 for another from the Emslie team.

Heifers with calves at foot were equally sought after, selling to a top of £1950 for a Simmental cross with a heifer calf at foot.

Moving to the recent suckled calf sales, St Boswells on Wednesday saw trade average197.1p/kg for the steers on offer, while heifers levelled the day at 176.5p/kg. The most notable thing about these prices being the rise in prices seen in 12 months, steers were 48.3p/kg up on last year, while heifers returned an average up by some 46p on 2008. Top price of the sale was a £1200 bid for the show champion, a Limousin cross steer from J Anderson and Son, Lauder, which weighed in at 340kg.

And, unsurprisingly to anyone with any knowledge of the beef sector and its recent fortunes, EBLEX has today issued figures which show a 5% drop in calf registrations by beef breed sires. Overall the proportion of beef sired calves fell to less than 70% of the annual calf crop.

The sharpest drop in numbers was seen in the main beef breeds used for AI in dairy herds  -Limousin and British Blue - with these breeds accounting for nearly two thirds of the annual beef-sired calf decline.

Indeed, of the majorr breeds the only one not showing a fall in popularity was the Aberdeen-Angus. But the Continental breeds still dominate the overall rankings, with 22% of all calves being by Limousin sires and 10% by Charolais.

It is though only telling us what we already knew and merely helps to explain the superb trade being seen for quality cattle across the UK at the moment.

Breeding cattle were in demand again at Carlisle on Friday with the entry of heifers with calves at foot peaking at £2200 for a Limousin cross from Messrs Dickinson, High Knipe. Others from the same vendor sold at £1950, £1900 and £1880.

Meanwhile, Mark Towers run of heifers and calves averaged a respectable £1500. Cows and calves peaked at £2000 for a Limosin from Messrs Dodd, West View.

There are those who bemoan the lack of true competition at livestock markets as a reason not to support them, that, however, certainly isn't the case at Newark with a reported 23 buyers ringside this week to fight it out for the cattle on offer.

Topping the trade this week in £/head were Pip and Jim Hallam in the steers with an 856kg Charolais which made £1408.12, while top p/kg steer went to A L Ablewhite with a 503kg Limousin at 204.5p/kg.

In the heifers on offer the trade was led at £1300.18/head for a British Blue from Frank Page, with top p/kg going to David and Louise Todd with a 489kg Limousin at 215.5p/kg.

Newark's regular offering of young bulls also met a good trade, with a British Blue from J C Dring and Son netting a 204.5p/kg bid.

I don't anyone could argue about the level of competition which generates these sort of prices!

Store cattle trade hit a high of £1070 at yesterday's show and sale of store cattle at Kirkby Stephen, when the pre-sale champion a British Blue cross steer from W Hughes and Sons, Warcop. This one sold to J E and G Burrow, Skipton.

At £955 was a blue cross heifer from F and A Atkinson which sold to the same buyer and at £950 was the reserve champion from the pre-sale show, a Blonde cross heifer from J C and E Pedley and Son, Lunds. This was snapped up by D Barker.

And selling for £905 was a Limousin cross steer from G D and A R Barningham, Hillside, which sold to R Jackson and Son.

Demand for young, fresh calved and correct young cows and heifers was seen at one of the largest dairy herd sales o the year, when the entire Dardenburn Holsteins herd and followers went under the hammer at Borderway last Friday.

Not surprisingly many in the milking portion made more than 2000gns and several maidens over 1000gns.

Topping trade at 2250gns was a June calved second lactation cow, classified VG85 and by the popular Comestar Outside. Her dam was a VG87 Comestar Leader daughter. She now joins John Duckworth's herd at Floors Farm, Kilmarnock.

Just missing the top spot at 2200gns was a non pedigree July calved cow, giving a daily yield of 32kg, by Roylane Jordan. This one was headed up the road with T Forsyth, Newton Stewart.

Mr Forsyth took home the next two top priced animals paying 2150gns for an August calved cow, Dardenburn Westminster Potsy 5. This one is by Avenham Westminster PI and out of Dardenburn Tugolo Potsy.

2100gns secured him another Roylane Jordan daughter, Dardenburn Jordan Mary 35. By Roylane Jordan she is also an August calved cow out of Dardenburn Mtoto Mary 30. 

Yesterday's anniversary show and sale of store cattle at Carlisle yesterday saw the ringside packed with buyers eager to fill their yards.

Top price on a strong trade was to be found in the steers where Charolais crosses from T A Jefferson, Aspatria Hall, made £1260. More of the same breed from the same home made £1165, £1135 and £1030. Limousin crosses were led by a consignment from Hollywood at £1140, while British Blues topped at £1180 for the same vendor.

Heifers hit a top of £1190 for British Blue crosses from Alistair Vance, Bridgehouse Farm, with more of the same breed from Hollywood making £1160. Charolais topped at £1075 for J H Baty and Son, Broomhills.

The show was led by a Limousin cross from A and M J Trafford Bassenthwaite Hall Farm, Keswick which went on to sell for £1060.

Taking top honours in this month's show of prime cattle at Skipton was Jimmy Baines with a Bazadaise cross heifer. This one tipped the scales at 525kg at 12 months old and later sold for 212.5p/kg (£1115) to Kendall's Farm Butchers, Harrogate.

Reserve spot also went to Mr Baines, this time for a 475kg Limousin cross. This one made 187.5p/kg (£890) and also sold to the same purchasers.

Leading the way in the prime lambs was Robert Fielden, Todmorten, with a pen of five 42kg Texel x Beltex. These were sold at £79 apiece, also to Kendall's Farm Butchers. Reserve champion was Frankland Farms, Rathmell, with their 41kg entries which were sold for £68/head.

Across in the dairy ring the championship went to David Lawson, Arthington, Otley, with his fresh calved Holstein cow. This sold for £1900 to Frank Wrathall, Gisburn.  But top price here was reserved for the second prize fresh calved heifer from R A and H E Simpson, Oulston, York. At £1960 was the reserve champion, a fresh calved heifer from R and C R Mitchell and Son, Oakworth, which sold to Wick Williams, Nantwich.

Primestock prices saw rises across the board at St Boswells yesterday with the 54 steers on offer levelling the day at 174p/kg, up 5.8p/kg on the week and 28 heifers averaging 174.4p/kg up 7.7p/kg on a week ago.

Topping the steers was one from Chapelhill, Peebles, which made 194p/kg, while heifers hit a top of 201p/kg for an entry from Bee Edge.

Across in the lambs the top price/head was a healthy £80/head for Texels from A R Bell, Kirkton, Hawick, while the top price/kg was a 165p/kg bid for Beltex from A and P Glennie, Threeburnford.

Cull ewes remained strong, selling to a top of £103/head for Suffolks from R g Laing and Sons, Oxmuir.