Farming

Round-up

Light lambs at Dumfries yesterday averaged 308p/kg and sold to 356p/kg or to £131/head for a cross from Kirkbride, while the heaviest types averaged 306p/kg and sold to 311p/kg or £170 for a Texel from Tinwald Shaws.

Cast ewes averaged £123/head and sold to £180 for a Cross from Longbeoch, while tups averaged £172/head and sold to £218 for a Beltex from Mollyford.

Weaned cattle at Carlisle yesterday sold to £1,380/head for both The Laythes and Stubbsgill, who sold Charolais and Limousin bullocks respectively, while heifers sold to £1,080 for Limousins from The Faulds. Bull calves sold to £780 for a British Blue, with Limousins also in demand, selling to £650 for Harbarrow.

Heifers also met with demand and peaked at £605 for a British Blue from Harbarrow, while store bullocks averaged £1,370/head and sold to £2000 on two occasions, for Ashview and then Lairdlaugh, and heifers peaked at £1,980 for a Limousin from Newtown.

Cast cows and OTM cattle were a positive trade at Carlisle on Monday, with Drumdraw selling an outstanding Limousin cow for 228p/kg or £2077 gross and Kirtlevale selling a British Blue cross for 280p/kg or £1973 gross.

Dairy cows were plainer in quality, but not without their highlights including the Holstein cross heifer from Brackenhill that sold to £1671 or 246p/kg, or the run of Holstein cross cows from Trailflat that topped at 180p/kg or £1,613 gross. Friesians peaked at 200p/kg or £1,514/head for Fauldie, while a Holstein cow from Woodend sold to 186p/kg or £1,539 gross, and Bluestone Farming led the Fleckviehs at £1,524 or 186p/kg.

Prime bulls met with demand and sold to £3,047 for a Limousin from Sarkshields or to 325p/kg for Limousin cross heifers for first time vendors Knockshinnoch, who also topped the steer section, while Simmentals peaked at £2,670 for Kirkleton House.

A higher quality offering saw dairy types rise on the week and they sold to £1,582 for a Friesian from Aulby Farm or to 242p/kg for a Fleckvieh from Haythwaite Lane. Prime cattle were in big demand and sold to £2,383 for a Limousin cross from Studholme while British Blue crosses peaked at £1,973 for Kirtlevale.

A phenomental entry of prime sheep saw 1700 ewes sold to a peak of £300/head for pure Texels from Crookholm wjhile Beltexes sold to £265/head for Logie Durno who completed an excellent day by selling Texels to £245/head and Suffolks to £210/head. Mules peaked at £185 for Drumshangan Hill, and prime lambs topped at £220/head or 500p/kg for Bassenthwaite with heavier types peaking at £198/head for Messrs Coulter of Ballymena or at 414p/kg for Texels from Thethwaite.