Farming
By Alec Ross
Prime bullocks at Dingwall on Tuesday averaged 265p/kg and sold to 282p/kg or £1,750/head gross, while heifers averaged 268p/kg and peaked at 270p/kg or £1,775/head/gross.
Lambs once again met a two-tiered trade with only the best fleshed types meeting last week’s prices. The sale averaged 215p/kg and peaked at 261p/kg for Beltex crosses from Easter Suddie. Ewe trade remained strong, however, with feeding sheep selling to £168/head gross for Texels from Meddat, Kildary.
Calves at Ayr on Tuesday peaked at £500 for an Aberdeen Angus cross bull from Dykehead while heifers sold to £410 for a British Blue cross from the same home.
Prime cattle proved firmer on the week, averaging 293p/kg or £1627/head for heifers, and peaking at £1,908/head for Messrs Nisbet, while bullocks sold to a peak of 319p/kg for a Limousin cross from North Boig. Meanwhile, cast bulls sold to £1,900/head for Charolais from Martnaham Mains with cows selling to the same price for a Simmental from Barscarrow.
Tuesday also saw top end breeding sheep at Longtown easily sold, with regular vendors Messrs Hope from Mouldy Hills peaking at £210 for a run of outstanding mule lambs. They also topped the flock average at an impressive £157/head.
Overall averages, however, dropped £5/head from 2022 to finish the day at £113. Other breeds met a familiar two-tiered trade with quality, like the pure Texels from Raefield that sold to £330/head, commanding a premium with lighter types harder to cash. Raefield, incidentally, also topped the ewe trade at £270 for Texels.
1,292 lambs at Newton Stewart yesterday sold to an average of 248p/kg or £112/head. Head. Weight and meat were key with 504 Lambs weighing 46kg or over averaging 253p/ kg and selling to £149 for South Balfern, or to 276p/kg for Beltexes from Borland Farms. Cast ewes and tups dipped slightly on the week, but High Ersock topped the Mules at £99 while Blackies from Larg sold to £73/head.
Well-fleshed prime lambs at Dumfries yesterday sold well with leaner types meeting resistance. Lighter types averaged 221p/kg and sold to 244p/kg for Little Fenwick, while 147 heavier types averaged 256p/kg and sold to 268p/kg for Texels from Shambellie Grange. Cast Texel tups sold to £188 for Beltonhill with Suffolks selling to £170 for Rathigwhaite. Cast Suffolk ewes from Druidhall sold to £98/head with crosses from Kilbrook House peaking at £96.
Store cattle at Carlisle yesterday met with great demand, with Limousin cross heifers from Newtown peaking at £1,980/head, and with cross bullocks of the same breed from Ratlinggate selling to £1,940/head. And dairy bred bulls from Broathill made an impressive £1,770/head.
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