Recently in lamb trade Category

The first market of the New Year at Bakewell saw 287 cattle and 1,652 sheep forward despite it being held on the Bank Holiday. Monday buyers were clearly happy to attend and demand outstripped supply resulting in a strong trade in all sections.

Those vendors who had chosen to consign stock were well rewarded especially in the store cattle section where purchasers were working very hard to restock yards.

Finished cattle and OTM's produced some very respectable figures and the sheep section put in a strong performance with hoggs grossing up to £110.97 and ewes topping at £150.

A good entry of 70 barren cows and OTM cattle saw top price of the day go to a superb Limousin heifer from Messrs Wright, Parwich which sold for 187p to gross £1,312. Other good Continentals sold over 150p with very few on offer. Feeding buyers back and operating well again looking to refill the yards.

Black and white cows sold on a fine trade with the best over 125p with fed Holsteins over 120p. Second rate sorts 105-120p with the leanest cows under 100p.

Two excellent Blue calves topped the youngstock trade with B D Hudson, Ipstones topped both the bulls and heifers at £348 and £288 respectively. A Simmental bull from David Gadsby and Son, Darley Bridge sold for £280 with a heifer from same farm selling at £245. Friesian Bulls saw very brisk bidding to top at £112.

SHEEP

A very good entry of nearly 500 saw a strong trade from start to finish with a top price of £150 for exceptional Texels from Frank Rushton at Fresh Fields. Yet again the horned ewes looked a strong trade with the last pen of the day some part meated Swales at £47/head.

Biggest Mules sold in the late £90 bracket with lesser frames and lighter goods £62-£69/head.

The top five pens of ewes averaged a massive £138.20. In the rams Wayne Smith topped the day at £125 with a Charollais, Suffolks up to £116.

(Auctioneers: Bagshaws)

A very brisk trade at Blackmoor Gate, Exmoor saw prices rising for lambs £3.17 since the last sale in December. Top price of the day was paid for lambs from Messrs M A and M Collins, Worth Farm achieving £96.

Other top prices included £90 for lambs from Messrs J R Richards and Son,

Yearnor Farm and £85 for lambs from Mr A Dunn, Valley View.

Grazing ewes were in short supply with a second quality offering selling well to achieve an average of £55.84 and a peak of £90 was achieved by a single stronger ewe from Mr A Dunn. A pen from Messrs S R Dallyn and Son also sold well to achieve £71.50. Rams sold to peak at £51.50 for J Nicholas, Girt Down Farm.

(Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auction)

Trade at Cutcombe 29^th Christmas Fat Stock show and sale benefited from additional buyers including local butchers looking to purchase the show winning animals.

 

Lambs sold very well with an overall average of 193p/kg with the prize winning lambs making prices between 250- p/kg.

 

Light lambs (59) sold to realise an average of 204.75p/kg and peaked at top price of the day 421p/kg, £160/head for a pair from Messrs F J Hayes and Son, Great Nurcott, with the next best prices achieved by Mr S Norman making 297p/kg for his lambs and Mr C Hayes selling his pair of show lambs for 282p/kg.

 

Medium weight lambs (145) averaged 193.65p/kg and peaked for Mr S Norman who sold a pair of 45kg lambs at 293p/kg (£132/head). Other strong prices were achieved by Mr R Takle who sold his lambs for 275p/kg (£121/head) and Messrs F J Hayes who made 268p/kg (£118/head).

 

Heavy lambs (82) sold to an average of 185p/kg and a maximum of 265p/kg (£130/head) for a pair of 49kg lambs from Chargot Estates. This was followed by Mr M Scott who sold his lambs for 212p/kg and a price a head of £106.

 

The extra-large lambs (9) made for an average of 175p/kg and a peak of 194p/kg converting into a per head price of £98.50.

 

Store lambs (114) averaged at £69 and peaked for Miss P Marke at £86.20. Other notable prices were achieved by lambs donated to the Minehead Harriers selling for £86 and lambs donated to Cutcombe Church which sold to £80.

 

Grazing ewes (310) sold strongly to average 76.50 and peaked at £114 for ewes from Messrs DW Jones, Higher North Radworthy. Other significant prices included Chargot Estates making £110 and Messrs RP Elston & Son making £108.

 

Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auction

United Auctions has reported a new centre record for a cast cow at it's Huntly mart, after a cow from Smallburn Farms topped £2,000 at the annual Christmas Show and Sale.

In fact, it is thought the cow (pictured below), which was bought by Phillip Simmers, Blackmuir, for 191p/kg, is the "dearest OTM animal sold in Scotland in recent times".

The sale saw a total of 25 prime cattle, 29 OTM cattle and some 2,029 prime sheep going under the hammer - this included 1,522 new season lambs selling to 319p/kg for 47kg Beltex x from Hilton of Culsh, New Deer, and 1,191 SQQ up to 45.5kg averaged at 194.36p/kg.

The auctioneers remarked:  "Outwith the show trade remained similar on the week for heavier types of lambs. And a tremendous show of powerful ewes were on offer selling at the dearest rates seen thus far."

The task of judging the prime lambs fell to Mr William Cameron, who awarded the champion title to a pen of five lambs from W&J Brown, Hilton of Culsh, New Deer.  This lot went under the hammer for £150, selling to Scott, Paisley.

The reserve title went to a pen of five Texels from Sheep Park Farms.  Weighing in at 47kg, this lot sold at £110.

Meanwhile, the sale of 25 prime cattle saw a top price of £1,701 (270p/kg) go to the overall champion on the day - a 630kg British Blue x heifer from Messrs Fettes, Brae of Enzie. 

The reserve title went to a 645kg  Limousin x bullock from Messrs Stephen, Meikle Geddes; this one sold to £1599.60 (248p/kg).  Both animals were bought by the judge, Mr Cameron, on behalf of Mathers (Inverurie) Ltd.

A total of 29 OTM cattle were sold, including the record priced £2,000 cast cow from Smallburn Farms.  The average was 132p/kg.

 

2011 has been a year of highs for Harrison and Hetherington. According to sales director, Scott Donaldson its accomplishments read almost like a Guinness MART of Records.

Mr Donaldson takes a look back at the livestock trading for the last six months and looks forward to 2012.

"It's been a year for records tumbling, as the sales have mounted up. Livestock has certainly kept our gavels busy," he says.

June began with the Holstein UK sale where prices peaked at 23,000gns. Later in the month saw the on-farm sale of 560 head of pedigree Holstein Friesian dairy cattle at Dolphenby Farm, Penrith.  The first of the world records was broken at Carlisle in July when an in-calf heifer belonging to Gordon Wilson, from the Bankdale Limousin herd dispersal, sold for 65,000gns.

September's annual Holstein and British Friesian Show and sale of bulls saw a record average of £3,100. Later in the month two further records were broken at the annual show and sale of suckled calves. The top price achieved was £3,500 from Thirlwall Castle.  Steers saw their highest ever average of £1,004 and heifers were also a highest ever average of £909. 

Further highlights include August's, Beltex sale where Beltex shearling ram 'Ardstewart Paparazzi'  sold for 10,000gns. The spring born suckled calves at Middleton in Teesdale was another record breaking sale with the highest prices ever seen. The sale average was up £134.50, resulting in an overall average of £750.

Throughout the last six months, three hugely successful on-farm pedigree cattle sales were conducted by Harrison & Hetherington. The Manor House herd of 96 Limousin cattle saw prices reaching 9,000gns.  The Grange Herd of 62 Limousin Cattle saw stock selling to 18,000gns and the final on farm sale of the Wesley Herd of 148 head of British Charolais cattle sold to 10,000gns.

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The lowest entry of cattle and sheep Ludlow Market have had in November for years drew some of the strongest trade ever- with price driven by supply and demand.

With 268 finished cattle forward auctioneers reported as many buyers around the ring as cattle in the yard. Prices were as followed:

Medium steers Best quality to 204.5p av. 200.2p; Standard quality to 185.0p av. 188.0p.

Heavy steers Best quality to 213.5p av. 200.6p; Standard quality to 194.0p av. 187.2p; Also rans to 179.0p; Overall average 192.0p.

Medium heifers Best quality to 222.5p av. 207.4p; Standard quality to 188.0p av. 182.1p; Also rans to 159.5p; Overall average 193.0p.

Heavy heifers Best quality to 238.5p av. 211.1p; Standard quality to 195.0p av. 187.7p; Also rans to 178.5p; Overall average 194.2p.

Light bulls To 192.5p average 181.0p.

Medium bulls To 206.0p average 191.0p.

Heavy bulls To 236.0p average 202.2p.

Sheep

On the sheep front there were no where near enough lambs forward for the buyers present, leading to a strong trade.

Light Lambs to 187.0p av. 178.1p

Standard Lambs to 207.0p av. 191.6p

Medium Lambs to 207.5p av. 192.6p

Heavy Lambs to 205.5p av. 186.2p

Overweight Lambs to 182.0p av. 173.1p

Export quality lambs sold up to 207.5p per kilo and averaged 195.7p per kilo and home trade lambs sold up to 191.5p per kilo and averaged 188.3p per kilo.

Another very strong trade on all of the killing ewes. A nice entry for November. Killing ewes sold up to £120.00 and an overall average of £65.10 to include some very lean sorts. Killing rams up to £119.00 and an overall average of £86.17. (McCartneys)

Welshpool Charollais

 

By Jeremy Hunt

 

Pedigree Charollais in-lamb females met a solid trade at Buttington Cross, Welshpool achieving 90% clearance and a new Charollais female record price for this venue.  The sale included 95 Charollais females and saw leading flock owner Percy Tait collect the championship and realise the top call of 2000gns for a yearling ewe claimed by J and J Corbett, Highleadon, Gloucestershire. Mr Tait sold also took the reserve championship with a ewe that later sold for 1350gns. Ewe lambs reached 700gns for an entry from Mr and Mrs J Davies, Old Hall Manafon and bought by breed stalwart Lionel Organ for his flock at Llandovery.

 

Averages: 52 yearlings £477; five two-year-olds £325 and 25 ewe lambs £355. (Welshpool Livestock Sales)

 

ends

 

 

McCartneys reported an excellent sale of prime lambs and cull ewes at Kington Market last week, but have warned against overfeeding lambs.

The auctioneers said:  "With the warm weather and the sprout of grass, be careful not to spoil your lambs.  Check them regularly and do not leave them to get too fat and be worth less money."

The sale on Thursday 3 November, saw 2,236 prime lambs sold to an average of 177.7p/kg.  The top price of £86.70 went to 60kg Texels from Williams Bros, Llanedw.

In addition, 650 cull ewes and rams sold to an average of £63.30 with the top price of £115 going to Texel x ewes from Vic Hardwick.

Stephen Kirkup, who procures stock for abattoirs, reported a strong sale of lambs last week in line with the religious festival Eid al Adha.

 

For the week ending 4 November 2011, a total of 5,478 prime lambs, 1,172 store and breeding sheep, and 80 cattle.

The best averages for lambs were £81, with standard lambs selling for £3.70-£3.90/kg to 22kg, and £3.80/£3.85/kg on the grid to 21kg.

Organic lamb prices were £3.85/£3.90/kg on grid with smalls up to 13.5kg at £4.00/kg.

Looking ahead to trade for the coming weeks, he said:  "There is a strong home trade demand for cutting lambs at the moment and processors are looking for small lambs for export leading up to Christmas.

 

"Processors are sourcing small amounts of organic lambs but there is no great demand for these at the present time.  With the favourable exchange rate and a good demand for lambs from UK processors, the lamb trade should become stronger towards Christmas.

 

"There is definitely a great deal of confidence in the lamb market from farmers who are prepared to invest in store lambs at the moment." 

An entry of 7,906 prime lambs and cast ewes at Bentham Auction Mart weekly sale was the largest since 2006 and sold to a complete clearance. All classes of lambs were in good demand ahead of the imminent Asian festival. Top price a head for lambs was £100 from R Hodgson and Son of High Peak, while Beltex lambs from Dan Towers of Wray secured top price a kg at 232p.

The Annual Prize Show of Mule Lambs was won by David Gardner of Brookhouse, whose pen of 10 went on to make £74 a head selling to Arthur Slack. (Bentham Auction Mart)

A strong entry of 5647 lambs were forward for last week's opening store lamb sale at Bakewell, a doubling of last year's entry which drew buyers from far and wide, including Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, as well as a strong contingent of Welsh buyers.

Prices for the stronger lambs mirrored current finished results with a top of £74 for a pen of Suffolk x Masham from Shirt Farms, Tideswell, with plenty in the £65 - £70 bracket.  Longer term lambs were keenly bid for and as is often the case, the smaller they were, the dearer they looked.  There were no fewer than 670 Mule wethers forward with the top price of £60.50 for a pen from P Hallam, Tintwhistle.  The majority of the mules sold in the £45 to £55 range.

Best price in the small show of ewe lambs on offer was an £80 bid for Suffolk x Mule lambs from M J Cooper, Bradbourne.

Averages; 2073 Texel crosses £61.29, 1455 Suffolk crosses £62.02, 860 Continental crosses £59.96, 670 Mule Wethers £47.55, 163 Charollais crosses £61.14 (Bagshaws).

A bumper entry of 5091 store lambs at Skipton last Wednesday sold to average a £63.53, some £11.36 up on the same fixture last year, with a top price of £83/head paid for Texel crosses from Johnny Metcalfe, Linton.

Taking the championship in the pre-sale show were Michael and Carol McKenzie, Arncliffe, with a pen of 50 Suffolk cross lambs which sold at £74/head to judge Michael Spensley, Elslack. The McKenzies' 185 Suffolk cross lambs levelled the day at £68.

Both the second and third prize pens from F Reeday and Son, Hetton, and D A and J M Robinson, Litton, were acquired at £68.80 and £71.20 respectively by John Errington, Penrith.

The fourth prize pen from Robert Metcalfe, of RD Metcalfe & Son, Brearton, sold for £72 to Joe Marrs, Carlisle,

(Craven Cattle Marts)

Today's season opening store lamb sale at Ashford got things off with a bang, with 4613 sheep penned and a tremendous demand through the whole sale.

The overall average of £63.90 compares very favourably with the £50.13 achieved at the same sale in 2010 and is way ahead of the trade in 2009 when the opening sale averaged £42.

Elwyn Davies of auctioneers Hobbs Parker said the trade was tremendous  from start to finish and many more could be sold with the best stores selling readily at around £70, medium sorts around £65 and only small, longer term stores below £60.

One the of the season opening store lamb sales saw trade leap by £12 on the year when 2546 lambs were sold at Skipton yesterday.

The strong entry of lambs levelled at a healthy £65.68/head up £12.13 on the 2010 opening store lamb sale, reflecting current confidence in the sheep sector.

Craven Cattle Mart's livestock sales manager and auctioneer Ted Ogden said the sale saw a great show of lambs for the seasonal opener, with a number of large annual consignments slightly stronger on the year, helped by recent good grass growth. "The strongest end were generally £65 to £74, with medium keep lambs £57 to £64 and several pens of smaller longer keep lambs £50 to £54."

Judge Tony England awarded the championship to a pen of 50 Beltex-cross lambs from Tom Heseltine, whose family trades as J G E Heseltine and Son at Hesketh Farm, Bolton Abbey.

The Heseltines farm about 1000 ewes on their 600 acres, the majority Beltex-cross and Texel-cross, and sell all their store lambs at Skipton. It was the first of their 2011 batches that secured the opening stores championship, selling for £68 a head to John Bowling, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan.

The second prize 50-strong Texel-cross pen from James Hall, Darnbrook in Malhamdale, sold at £71.50 each to Northamptonshire purchaser Robert Woodward, but it was the third prize pen of 50 Suffolk-cross lambs from last year's champion Michael Parker, of Winterburn, that headed the day's prices at £74.20 apiece when joining regular Skipton buyer Paul Watson, Hellifield, who also paid £69 a head for the fourth prize pen of Texel-cross lambs from Bear Park Farm, Carperby, Leyburn.

Suffolk-cross lambs averaged £68.52 (£53.40 in 2010), Texel-cross £64.78 (£53.72), Charollais-cross £65.07 (£50.12), Beltex-cross £65.57 and Mule lambs £59.50.

David Towell, Glusburn, exhibited the champion pen of prime lambs, at Skipton's monthly show and sale of primestock. Mr Towell's five-strong pen of 38kg Texel-cross lambs, first prize winners in the Continental-cross class, sold for £109/head and the top p/kg price at 286.8p/kg to judge Bobby Booth, Ramsbottom, buying on behalf of Worldwide Foods, Manchester.
 
The same exhibitor also headed the class prices at £114.50 with another pen that sold to Andrew Atkinson, Kettlesing, on behalf of A Traves Meat Wholesalers, Escrick, York.

Spring lambs trade was similar to the previous week, though with a much bigger turnout as numbers start to build. They included the first Mule wether lambs of the season, with prices headed at £88 (220.0p/kg) for a pen from Alan Throup, Silsden. The overall prime lamb average was £93.70 per head (236.9p/kg).
 

John and Judy Garnett, of Lane End Farm, Draughton, notched up a remarkable hat-trick when sending out the prime lamb champions for the third year in succession at the year's opening show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart.
 
Their pen of five pure-bred 50kg Beltex lambs sold for the day's top price of £100 per head - and for the second year running - to Yorkshire Halal Meat Supplies for their supermarket in Alice Street, Keighley.
 
Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, produced the first and second prize 53kg and 54kg pens of Suffolks, both selling at £84 per head to Andrew Atkinson, Kettlesing, who also purchased two other class-winning top price pens - the 57kg Mule and Masham lambs from Robert Crisp, Calton, at £79 each, and the horned lambs victors, a pen of 52kg Swaledales from Roy Nelson, Bordley, at £72.50 apiece.
 
The overall average for the 2,811 prime lambs forward was £69.14 per head (165.62p/kg)
 
The opening show for prime beef cattle fell to a Bazadaise -cross heifer from Red Rose showman, Jimmy Baines, who has farms in Gisburn and Trawden and is often among the prizes at Skipton. It sold to regular butcher buyer Richard Binns, of R & C Binns, Saltaire, for the top price of £1,229 (221.5p.kg). Prime heifers averaged 154.15p.
 

Averages for yesterday's sale of North Country Cheviot lambs at Lairg saw yet another rise on previous trades, with the overall average for the 8934 wether lambs traded levelling at £55.76, up £5.03 on last year.

The 4722 ewe lambs sold ended the day averaging a healthy £64.05, a £4.48 rise on the 2009 trade.

Topping the trade at £155 for a pen of ewe lambs from from Achentol Shepherds Pack, at a price which rose £55 on last year. a pen from Joyce Campbell made £150 each, while lambs from Badanloch Estates sold for £140.

Other breeds saw Beltex wethers hit a high of £69, while Texel cross wethers reached £67. (United Auctions).

It seems the recent rains in many parts of the country have given store lamb buyers the much needed confidence to bid well for lambs at the first sale of the season at Skipton.

An entry of 2421 lambs sold to an overall average of £53.53, some £3 up on the year, despite the auctioneers reporting lambs generally smaller than the same sale last year.

Top price was a pen of Suffolk crosses from J B Taylor, Diggle which sold at £64, while Texel crosses were led at £60 by a pen from J W Hall, Darnbrook. Charollais crosses hit a peak of £52.50 for J Whitton, Flookburgh and Beltex crosses sold to £52 for J Sugden, Laycock.