Taking Stock

Poor returns for finished sheep in the first half of the year, together with the wettest summer on record, contributed to a more than disappointing trade at the first sale of store lambs at Maidstone market last week, with prices back £3 on last year.

With 1953 lambs forward, the sale also incorporated the Horsmonden lamb sale with an overall lamb average of £29.41, even lower than the 1982 average some 25 years ago!

Stronger lambs sold from £33 to £37, medium stores £28-£32 and smaller stores less than £28. Texel cross lambs sold to £41.50 from Mrs S Bartlett, Laddingford and Suffolk cross lambs sold to £36.80 from M and K L Studd, Eastchurch.

The award for the best pen of lambs went to J and C Kellett, Benenden, whose pen of 50 Suffolk x Mule lambs sold for £35.50.

Entries were strong at Newark Market's Primestock Show today with the champion lambs selling for £160 a head and the champion beef exhibit selling for 440p/kg.

The lamb title was taken by David Wadland, Northamptonshire whose 50kg Beltex crosses sold to the judge R Bowring for £160 a head.

The beef title was taken by Frank Page and his Belgian Blue cross heifer which sold to David Wright of Boston.

The reserve ticket went to Andrew Dickinson's Limousin cross steer and sold to the judge Richard Taylor for 180p/kg.

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Bentham Auction held its annual Super Two Challenge last Wednesday where prizes were given for the best pair of Continental prime hoggetts.

Some 29 pairs were presented for show and judged by Stephen and Antony Swales of Knavesmire Butchers, York who awarded the champion prize to Robert Towers of Farleton, Nr Lancaster for his 38kg hoggs sired by the Beltex ram our of Charollais x Berrichon Ewes.

The champion hoggs were purchased by Paul Watson of Hellifield for £170 or 447p/kg.

Second and third prizes were awarded to Messrs Taylor Bros of Rathmell realising £94 (or 229p/kg) and £76 (194p/kg) selling to J Hadwin of Kirkby Lonsdale and the judges Messrs Swales.

The Annual Easter Show and Sale of Spring Lambs at Chelford usually heralds the start of the new lamb trading season and, despite the very early Easter this year, yesterday's show and sale was no exception, with vendors from Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire putting together an entry of some 60 newly reared lambs.

In addition, the market’s usual weekly entry of in excess of 1000 old season lambs attracted the usual quota of wholesale and butcher buyers from far and wide.

Local breeder, John Gate chose a strong 34kg Texel Cross Lamb from Robin Smith, who farms at Basford, Nr. Leek as his champion.

Taking top honours at last night's Bentham and District Farmers' Auction Mart's Easter Show and Sale of spring lambs, J D and V Towers from Farleton sold their 44kg champion exhibits for £126 a head to Bowland Foods.

The Towers' family also took the reserve ticket with their 40kg exhibits going to the same buyer, this time for £92 a head, as well as selling their first prize winners from the under 36kg class for £64 a head to A Shan.

Good, strong trade was witnessed at the Easter show and sale of prime lambs at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday.

The championship went to Robert Towers, of Camp House Farm, Farleton, Lancaster, with a pair of January-born Beltex x Charollais twin lambs that weighed in at 36kg.

They sold for the show-topping price of £102 each to show judge Ross Greenwood, who is selling them over the Easter period at his farm shop at Carleton, near Skipton.

The first batch of spring lambs sold well at Hexham this week, topping at £74.50 for a 42kg Suffolk cross from Lunns House.

A limited selection of hoggs saw trade top at £77 ahead for a Suffolk cross weighing 53kg. One run of 70 well fleshed Suffolk and Charollais cross hoggs averaged £70.80 a head.

In the cattle rings, the 65 prime cattle averaged 152.1p/kg with a top price of 167.5p/kg paid for a pen of Blonde cross heifers. Limousin cross heifers met a top trade of 163.5p/kg, while British Blue cross steers sold to a top of 158.5p/kg.

Young Farmers shined at Skipton Auction Mart, with the opening show of mule hoggs with lambs at foot.

First winner was 28 year old Robert Johnson, Summerfield farm, Harrogate, with runner-up slot being awarded to Claire Gratton, 25, of Warshill Hall Farm, Ripon. Third place was local man Sam Berry, 26, New Hall farm, Bradley.

Regular Skipton sheep buyer Les Thackray bought all three prize-winning pens, paying £150 a outfit and top price for champions, £130 for the runners up and £114 for third place.

A pen of three 45kg Charollais lambs took Skipton Auction marts prime lamb title as well as making a top price of £102 a head.

The lambs exhibited by Martin Preston, Bingley based Robston partnership, sold to Mick Etherington on behalf of Dan Woodend, Woodened Butchers, Leeds.

Mr Etherington also bought reserve champions for £100 a head, the first prize pens of 42kg Suffolk lambs, shown by Graham Fort, Steeton, for West Yorkshire butchers Mark and Darren Spauls.

Graham Fort was also third in the Suffolk class for his 38kg charges selling for £84 a head to show judge Richard Binns, RC and B Binns Butchers, Saltaire. The 43kg runners up from Mark Evan, Steeton, sold for £90 each to Stuart Price Butchers, Keighley.

United Auctions, Stirling, saw breed record prices paid for a pen of Blackface ewe hoggs from Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Muthill, selling for £425 a head.

The pen of 30 sold to John McIrvine surpassing Dalchirla's previous record of £405 a head paid last year. Overall Mr Hunter sold 150 Blackface ewe hoggs to an average £163.80.

Dry Scotch Mule ewe hoggs were also in demand with a new centre record of £88 a head made for a pen of 24 from David Henderson, Banton, purchased by Messrs Hunter, Luckenburn.

St Bowells summer show and sale of prime stock saw some quality animals, with the top price for the day going to reserve champion at £2.60/kg £1534. The homebred bullock consigned by S J Withers, Wester Ulston sold to M/s W T S Forsyth and Sons, Peebles.

The champion, a Belgian Blue cross heifer from M/s W Fleming, Mosstower also realising a good price, sold at £2.50/kg £1375 to the shows judge, Mr G Moor.

High prices were also seen on the cow front, with £1433.70 being made for Over Whitlaw and £1201.5 for Wester Ulster. On the show side Wester Ulston scaled 590kg and made 2.60 selling to W T S Forsyth and Sons. Second place was Ramrig which scaled 555kg and made 2.00 selling to M/s Cropper.

Lambs also saw a good sale with Suffolk crosses topping at £80 for Smailholm Mains. Texels topped at £79 from Birkenside and Beltex's at £65.50.

Charollais x Texel lambs took first prize in the continental class at Skipton Auction Mart for father and son duo Richard and Robert Greenwood.

The Greenwoods of Marton Scar Farm took home the prime lambs title for the first time. Their 37kg charges sold for £56 a head to John Penny, Leeds.

The best of Suffolk's came from Andrew Taylor, Broughton. His 45kg pen of five lambs went to show judge, James Dewhirst, of Skipton based Stanforths Butchers for £61 each. Mr Dewhirst also bought second prize a 48kg pen from Bobby Turner, Draughton for £65 each.

There was plenty of choice for lamb buyers at Hexham and Northern Marts this week, with 1854 lambs forward.

Competition was hot as another buyer was forward to compete for the best lambs. And paying top price in the end was Messrs A Wright and Son, Meat Wholesalers from Lincolnshire.  163.9p/kg was paid for a pen of Charollais cross Texel lambs with superb conformation from Middle Horsleyhope.

Heavy lambs were slightly easier on the week selling to £68 for Texel cross from Prospect Hill. Suffolk crosses also topped above the £60 barrier at £61.50 from Thornton Tower.

A good entry of lambs for Ashford Market's first Friday sale of the season saw several pens of prime lambs on offer as well as strong store prices. The best stores went at about £38 a head, while medium sorts went to £34 to £36. A pen of smart Texel lambs topped store trade at £41.50 from Hugh and Pauline Skinner while Suffolk x Mules made £40.90 from I T Henshaw and Suffolk x Romney's were up to £38.80 a head from M J Ashworth. Texel crosses topped at £38 from A A Palmar and Son.

Finished lambs topped at £49.90 from A A Palmar and Son, £49.50 from J M and H J Stuart-Smith, £47.20 from M J Ashworth, £46.80 from Peter Wickham and £46.50 from J E C Farrant (Hobbs Parker).

A quality show of well fleshed lambs were forward at Scots Gap Auction Mart with lambs averaging 44kg, 124.3p/kg and £54.69 a head.

Top price paid a kilo was for a pen of 43kg Texel cross lambs which realised 136.7p and top price a head was £62.60 for a pen of 52kg Suffolk cross lambs from East White Hill.

Suffolk's topped at £62.60 for East White Hill, with Texel's reaching £62.20 from Dene House. Charollais topped at £58.80 for Holling Hill.