Farming

Round-up

By Alec Ross

Well-fleshed hoggs were scarcer at Dumfries yesterday. Lighter types averaged 263p/kg and sold to 287p/kg for Rigghead, with heavier sorts averaging 270p/kg and selling to 288p/kg for Auchenfad. All classes of cast sheep proved easy to cash and sold to £172 for a Texel from Hayfield.

While trade was always unlikely to match last week’s spectacular prices, prime bulls still met with good demand at Carlisle on Tuesday and peaked at £2,432 for a Limousin from Setmabanning and at the same price for a Simmental from Red House.

Anguses peaked at £2,065 for South Farm, while a dairy bred bull from Peel Flatt sold to £2,051. Yesterday’s calf sale topped at £645 for a Stabiliser cross bull from Stockbridge Hall, with British Bulls peaking at £640 for Hill Green.

Store bullocks achieved a superb average of £1,487/head and sold to £2,200 for Stonehouse, while heifers sold to £1,930 for Denton Mains. And weaned cattle prices started the year promisingly by selling at £1,720 for a British Blue bull from Northfield Park.

A large, mixed show of store hoggs at Longtown on Tuesday met with excellent demand, with prices up an impressive £10/head on pre-December trade.

The sale peaked at £140/head for Texels from High House, with others selling to £133/head for Kelsocleugh and Backburn. Feeding ewes were also healthily sought after and peaked at £135 for Suffolks from Backburn, who also sold Texels to £125/head. And cast tups also met with strong enquiry, peaking at £132 for Texels from Low Stokoe with Blackies selling to £70 for Ronachan Farms.

Dairy Heifers at the first Ayr sale of 2024 were a strong trade and sold to £2,400 and £2,000 for Perryston, while bull calves peaked at £570 for Anguses from Meikle Kilchatten and heifer calves sold to £540 for Anguses from the same home.

Bullock stirks sold to £1,100 on three occasions for Hillend, with heifer stirks peaking at £980 for East St Colmac. Cast bulls continued to meet with demand and sold to £1,900 for Claughlands, while cast females peaked at £1480 for an Aberdeen Angus heifer from Little Busbie.