A round up of sale at auction marts around the country

Midlock Bluefaced Leicester flock tops Lanark Limelights

A Bluefaced Leicester gimmer from J. Wight and Sons', Midlock flock, Crawford, topped the Lanark Limelights online sale at 4,000gns. By N2 Midlock Zeus and out of M90 Midlock, a K4 Marriforth daughter, and carrying triplets to R26 Midlock, it sold to James Nisbet, Ochiltree.

Next at 1,500gns from the same home was a Bluefaced Leicester ewe hogg by M1 Riddings which was knocked down to Messrs Forbes, Pitlochry.

The sole Texel entry came from A. J. Clark, Blackhill, with a gimmer by Teiglum Entertainer out of a Procters Chumba Wumba daughter. Due twins to Mullan Governor, it sold at 800gns to C. Buchan,  Larkhall.

Dutch Spotted topped at 650gns for Mountain Mist Freya, a 2022-born ewe from A.H.B. Murray's Glensee flock,  Canonbie. By the imported sire, Highlander, and carrying twins to Diamond Ferocious, it sold to Andrea Hunt, Threapland.

Beltexs topped at 550gns for J. Y. Barclay and Co, Maybole, with Beachy Early Exit, a three-crop ewe by Beachy Dennis the Menace. Due with twins to Beachy Gypsy King, it sold to David Gilliland, Strathaven.

Anna Smith, West Calder, sold a Four Cross sired Kerry Hill gimmer carrying a single to Kingswater Arizona to Lindsay Stewart, Lennoxtown, for 450gns.

Blue Texels sold 350gns for the Glenshee flock with Isaac's Fabulous, a one-crop ewe by Hackney Dakota. In-lamb with twins to Knockmult Geoff,  it sold to Alan and Shona Stevenson, Cumnock.

Averages: 31 head, £688.60; 7 Dutch Spotted ewes, £510; 2 Beltex ewes, £498.75; 2 Beltex ewe hoggs, £273; 3 Bluefaced Leicester ewes,  £647.50; 4 Bluefaced Leicester gimmers, £1,771.88; 4 Bluefaced Leicester ewe hoggs, £908.25; 6 Blue Texel ewes, £262.50; 1 Kerryhill ewe, £420; 1 Kerryhill gimmer, £472.50; 1 Texel gimmer, £840.

Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.

Champion tops Pateley Bridge stores

At the show and sale of store cattle at Pateley Bridge the judge, Robert Barker, Lincolnshire, awarded the championship to the winning heifer, a Limousin from J.H. and S.M. Mason, Keasden Head, Clapham. It went on to sell for the day's top price of £2,050  to S. Wakefield, Thirsk.
The top priced steer at £1,985 was a British Blue from J.A.S. Church, Lofthouse, which sold to Andrew Atkinson, Harrogate.

Averages - 90 steers, £1,376.50; 96 heifers, £1,250.

Auctioneers: Barnard Castle and Teesdale Farmers Auction Co.

Beltex top Skipton store hogg trade

There was a strong trade for store lambs at Skipton with the entry of 1,312 averaging £101.44.

Beltex lambs from T.A. and N. Whitfield and Son, Morton Banks, sold to joint top £130, matched by Beltex-cross entries from Hunters Oak, Burnley. The strongest Texel-cross lambs made £116-£125, with mid-keep lambs all £105-£115.

Plenty of long keep cross-bred lambs sold at £85-£95, among them a large pen of 110 late May-born Blue Texel-cross Herdwick from John Stephenson, Bordley, which sold to £90.50.
Mule lambs topped at £106 for W.J. and E. Harker and Son, Pateley Bridge, mid keep Mules were £95-£105 and long keep lambs £65-£85.

The best horned lambs made £65-£79 and long keep types £43-£55. Scottish Blackface lambs sold at £80 for Beeston Hall Farms, Ripponden. Individual breed averages included: Beltex £123.90, Suffolk £110.42, Texel £106.24, Charollais £105.65, Mule £96.62, Swaledale £57.47, Dalesbred £56.31.

The breeding ewe sale included a flock dispersal for J.A. Crocker, Silsden. The 55 in-lamb sheep averaged £143.36. The 27 Mule ewes of flock ages, including broken-mouthed, averaged £149 to a top of £172.23. Masham ewes, again flock aged, averaged £136.09, peaking at £140. Five shearlings made £155.

 Averages - Store lambs - Beltex, £123.90; Suffolk £110.42; Texel £106.24; Charollais, £105.65; Mule £96.62; Swaledale, £57.47; Dalesbred £56.31.

 Auctioneers: CCM.

Store hoggs in demand at Bentham

With strong finished hogg prices and plenty of keep available, store hoggs were a flying trade in Bentham averaging £101.35.
Beltex hoggs were in very strong demand, with the section averaging £118.94. Strongest pens were £130-£150, with I. and G. Sedgwick, Burton in Lonsdale, topping the sale at £157.50.
A consignment from T.J. Hall and Son, Hawick, averaged £122.05 topping at £155.
The best Texel and Suffolk cross lambs were £110-£120, with the next in the £90s.
Smaller long keep hoggs sold in the £70s.
The 400 Mule and Masham hoggs sold to £117 for a pen of 20 from Messrs Foster, Cartmel Fell. The better pens were £105-£115, including a pen of 130 from D.I. Holliday, Clapham at £107.

Swale and other horned hoggs saw prices generally between £60-£70, with smallest in the £40s.

Auctioneers: Richard Turner and Sons. 

Flying trade for fresh milk at Holsworthy

Topping the dairy sale at Holsworthy at £2,750 was the third calver, Janeck Aladdin Baby VG87 from the Mott Family, Ranches, Bridestowe. The same vendors also sold two second calvers at £2,600 and another second calver at £2,300, with their consignment averaging £2,442 overall.
Freshly-calved heifers peaked at £2,300 for Bocaddon Hotspot P S Polcornelia from S.R. Gilbert and Son, Sheepwash, who also sold Bocaddon Magnitude Aa Annette at £2,000 and other heifers at £1,950 and £1,850 three times.
SFB Agriculture, Bideford, sold a first calving heifer at £1,800, with the Murch family, Umberleigh, also selling fresh heifer, Littleweir Maui Unice 2, at £1,800.
Cows and heifers calved October-November topped at £2,300 for the third calver, Brocks Cracker SP from J.L.G. Pitts and Son, Crediton.

Auctioneers: Kivells.

North Country Cheviots at Monmouth

There was a 92 per cent clearance at the sale of North Country Cheviots at Monmouthshire Livestock Centre which topped at 800gns. This was for the pre-sale show champion, a yearling ewe scanned with twins from Ben Baker, Penpergwn. Others from the same home sold to 750gns, 700gns and 600gns twice.
Messrs Muirhead, Taunton, and Messrs Sloyan, Whitemill, sold yearling ewes to 700gns and the best of the run of ewes from A.D. Jones, Llangollen, made 650gns.
Park ewe hoggs again sold to 480gns for D.S.G. Davies, Llandewi Brefi.

A.K. Tudor, Mongomery, sold his firs prize winning hogg for 410gns, with a black ewe hogg from Annie and Elizabeth Muirhead making 380gns.

Mr Baker sold two-year-old Hill ewes to 380gns and 350gns with P. Hulburd, Aymestry, selling to 320gns and G. Price, Llanddeussant, to 300gns. G.L. Ellis, Corwen, sold a four-year-old Hill ewe at 280gns.

 Hill ewe hoggs topped at 250gns for Messrs Hulburd with others from the same home at 220gns three times, with hoggs from Messrs Price and Messrs Ellis to 220gns.

Averages - 44 Park ewes, £453; 37 Park ewe hoggs, £305; 11 Hill ewes, £275; 13 Hill ewe hoggs, £212.

Auctioneers: Monmouthshire Livestock Auctioneers.

Strong store cattle trade at Penrith

The sale of store cattle at Penrith topped at £1,835 twice. Firstly, for a 22-month-old Limousin bullock from Messrs Robinson, Gateghyll, and then for a Simmental bullock from J. C. Thwaites and Co, Thorneycroft.