Farming
By Alec Ross
In line with other marts, prime lamb prices dropped at Newton Stewart yesterday, averaging 345p/kg or £149/head and peaking at £175/head for Texels from Barnean Farming Co or 371p/kg for Beltexes from Kildarroch. In contrast, cast ewes met a flying trade and sold to £159/head for Texel crosses from Millenderale, who also topped the tup trade at £147/head for Cheviots, and hoggs sold to £127/head for Texels.
Not surprisingly, the fall in fat lamb prices was replicated at Dumfries yesterday but lambs still sold to £180/head for Texels from Rigghead while others peaked at 386p/kg. Lighter types, again from Rigghead, peaked at £146/head while cast ewes sold to £198 for a Bluefaced Leicester with tups selling to £170 for a Suffolk.
Yesterday’s weekly store cattle sale at Carlisle saw a flying trade with prices peaking at £1,900 for a Limousin cross from Gelt Hall against an average of £1,406/head. Beef shorthorn crosses sold to £1,860/head, British Blues peaked at £1,780/head for Cockleybank, and Simmentals sold to £1,750/head for Bartondale.
Heifers peaked at £1,840 on three occasions for Stubbsgill, while Simmentals sold to £1,700/head for Waterloo and Charolais peaked at £1,650/head for Sunlawhill, Kelso. Breeding cattle also met with great demand, the highlight being a run of ten Limousin and Angus cross cows with cows at foot from Highlaws selling to an average of £3,245 and peaking at £5,200 for a Limousin cross with a heifer calf. And bulling heifers peaked at £1,750 for a Simmental from Gerrard House, with Simmental cross heifers from Church House going for £1,720 and £1,700 respectively. Meanwhile, a pair of Limousin bulls from Dorryfield sold for £2,400 each.
Calves also met with demand at Carlisle, selling to £710 for an outstanding three month old Belgian Blue from Rosewain who also sold a similar aged British Blue heifer for £570. Simmental bulls sold to £630/head for Boreland of Colvend who also sold Simmental heifers to £370/head, and Limousin bull calves peaked at £630/head for Kirklevale.
Heifer calves sold to £590 for a Limousin from Nether Place, while British Blue heifers peaked at £560 for Burton House. But perhaps the best trade yesterday was in young calves, as seen in a pair of month old British Blue bulls from Evening Hill making an impressive £380/head.
C&D Auction Marts Ltd of Dumfries held its fortnightly sale of rearing calves and stirks on Monday. Trade was firm with 27 forward and a total clearance effected, the sale peaking at £480 for an Angus steer from Mossknowe, who also sold another to £450 against an average of £265/head.
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