Skipton weekly round-up: Cull cows meet better trade

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.

CALVES PEAK NEAR £400

The weekly sale of rearing calves averaged £211 per head, led at £398 by a British Blue bull calf from RL Wright & Sons, Airton.

Limousin bull calves peaked at £395 (overall av £393) from G Hayton & EC Stocks, Bolton Abbey, who also topped the heifer calf prices at £305 with another Limousin-cross. Best of the British Blue heifer calves at £348 (overall av £330) came from HJ & K Blackwell, Gargrave.

PRODUCTIVE PRODUCE

The best entry of produce this winter, with 11 loads on offer, saw wrapped bales sell to £23.50 per bale, unwrapped round bales to £29 per bale, round bale spring barley straw to £18 per bale and small bale wheat straw to £2.10 per bale.

Sales of produce take place every Monday at 11.45am, with vendors requested to contact the office on Friday by 12noon for pre-sale advertising.

SWALEDALE LAMBS STRONG

Store and gimmer hoggs took centre stage at the fortnightly sale (Wed, Jan 25), with a higher proportion of smaller lambs in evidence and noticeably strong trade for Swaledale lambs, which averaged £54.66 and peaked at £60.50 for a pen from James Hall, Darnbrook.

With 1,089 store and gimmer hoggs forward for sale, the following breed averages were achieved: Suffolk £70.93, Texel £67.32, Mules £61.39, Cheviot £65.86, Gritstone £68.50 and Lleyns £77.

Next Wednesday’s fortnightly fixture (Feb 8) incorporates the annual sale of 30 registered Blue Faced Leicester in-lamb ewes and geld gimmer hoggs, and 500 Mule, Texel and Swaledale in-lamb ewes.

WORKING DOGS OPENER

A 135-strong entry has been received for the opening sale of working sheep dogs on Friday, February 10. Fully and part-trained dogs and puppies will be on offer at the seasonal fixture, which continues to attract vendors and buyers from many parts of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

(CCM)