Lanark Ladies top at 5,800gns
The first Lanark Ladies show and sale of pedigree in-lamb gimmers and empty ewe hoggs at Lanark topped at 5,800gns for Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk. This was for a 100,000gns Auldhouseburn Expression daughter out of a Deveronvale dam by Mullan Armani. It sold, carrying twins to 130,000gns Haymount Fan Dabi Dozi, to A.M. Howie, Exeter.
Next, at 2,500gns, was the pre-sale show champion from J. and H. Clark's Garngour flock, Lesmahagow. This daughter of Ettrick Earthquake out of a Procters Chumba Wumba-sired dam, in-lamb with a single to 20,000gns Sportsmans Grand Slam, sold to the judge, Jack Austin, Dumfries.
Graham Morrison, Banff, then paid 2,000gns for a gimmer by Rhaeadr Entrepreneur, in-lamb to Strathbogie Gladiator from Jack Arnott's Haymount flock, Kelso.
Another gimmer in-lamb to Sportsmans Grand Slam, but this time by Cambwell Duke II from the Garngour flock made 1,600gns to Mark Collins, York. Blue Texels topped at 450gns for an in-lamb gimmer from Andrew Struthers and Moray Young's Glenhill flock, New Cumnock. Carrying twins by Cairnrock Gyspy King and by Matt's Ee By Gum, it went to Charlottee Nicolson, Duns.
Averages - 44 Texel gimmers, £803.97; 6 Texel ewe hoggs, £985.25; 1 un-registered Texel gimmer, £262.50; 3 Blue Texel gimmers, £437.50; 1 Blue Texel ewe hogg, £420.
Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.
Trilogy sale tops at 4,000gns for Badger Face Texel
The second part of the Trilogy production sale of the Cleenagh flock at Ballymena on behalf of the Richardson family, Lisnaska, saw a top price of 4,000gns. The sale topper was Badger Face Texel gimmer Cleenagh Dribbler, out of Cleenagh Big Bird and a daughter of the imported Cleenagh Makavelli. It was knocked down to Messrs Jessop, Leicestershire.
Next, at 3,800gns, was a three-year-old Blue Texel ewe, Cleenagh Ewe Darling which has bred £14,000-worth of progeny. The daughter of Whatmore Chizel carrying twins to Johnstown Hercules sold to Messrs Jones, Llangadog. A single embryo from the ewe by Johnstown Hurcules sold to Messrs Hogan, Bennekerry, Co Carlow, for 1,600gns.
Rhys Cooke, Monmouthshire, paid 3,500gns for a Badger Face Texel ewe lamb, Cleenagh Eye Catcher, another daughter of Cleenagh Makavelli. Messrs Walsh, Co Donegal, went to 3,000gns for Badger Face Texel gimmer Cleenagh Diva, by Cleenagh Bodybuilder.
Top price Dutch Spotted at 2,300gns wa Kilroot Dawn, a four-year-old ewe bred by W.E. Adamson, Co Antrim, which sold to Messrs Girvan, Orkney. A Dutch Spotted gimmer out of Dawn, Cleenagh Flipping Fantastic, sold for 2,200gns to Messrs Workman, Co Monaghan.
Also selling for 2,200gns was three-year-old Dutch Spotted ewe Sunnybank Emotionless, bred by H. Jewitt, which went to Messrs Irvine, Co Antrim.
Averages - 71 females, £1,537.28.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Champion tops Leyburn stores
There was a strong trade for store cattle at Leyburn's New Year show and sale where Keith Metcalf, Piercebridge, awarded the championship to a pure home-bred 22-month-old Limousin heifer from David Amsden, of A. and J.A. Iveson, Hawes.
It went on to sell for the top price of £1,890 to Robert Atkinson, of R. and J. Catering, Kirkby Malzeard. Reserve champion went to Rob and Jack Fawcett, Woodhall, with a British Blue heifer which sold for £1,670 to Stephen Chapman, Bedale.
Steven Hills, Bardsey, judged the feeding bulls, awarding the first prize rosette to a pedigree Limousin, also from Mr Amsden, which made £1,820 to Neil Challis and his daughter Heather, Nidderdale.
Auctioneers: Leyburn Auction Mart.
Strong cattle trade at J36
The New Year show and sale of store cattle at J36 topped at £2,020 for a Limousin heifer from M.A. and J.A .Winn, Burneside, who took the championship with a British Blue heifer which sold for £1,900. Other British Blue heifers sold to £1,820 for S.J. and A. Hargreaves, Middleton.
The bullock trade saw British Blues sell twice to £1,800 for R.T. Gorst, Killington, and the reserve champion from Messrs Winn, with Limousins selling to £1,780 from R.G. and L. Holmes, Warton.
Stronger, well-meated cattle, regularly sold at £1,650 to £1,700. A run of 14-month-old British Blonde heifers from P.J. and E.S. Rogerson, Great Asby, sold to £1,680, with Limousins selling to £1,680 at the same age from Messrs Hodgson, Rydal.
Yearling bullocks topped at £1,560 for a pair of Limousins from D. and A. Nicholson, Ulverston, with yearling heifers to £1,520 for M. and L. Preece, Kirkby Lonsdale. A run of eight- to 10-month-old Limousin bulls from M. Allen, Yealand Conyers, peaked at £1,140.
Averages - 220 bullocks, £1,250; 165 heifers, £1,220; 15 bulls, £920.
Auctioneers: North West Auctions.
Averages up at Darlington
At Darlington's New Year sale of store cattle young bulls averaged £1,116, steers £1,197 and heifers £1,152, with some vendors seeing a £150-£180 rise on the same sale last year.
Young bulls topped at £1,850 for a Limousin from D. Dixon, Rowley. Steers topped at £2,300 for a 28-month-old British Blue from M. Robinson and Sons, Staindrop. Top native breed steer was a 26-month-old Aberdeen-Angus from G.L. and M. Steel, Consett, at £1,600.
The leading 2023-born steers were the first prize winner from K.O. Stones, Marrick, at £1,500 and the second prize winner, a British Blue cross from Jack Sewell, of BJS Farms, Hamsterley, which sold at £1,510.
Messrs Robinson also topped the heifer trade with 22-month-old Limousin at £1,920. Top of the yearling heifers at £1,470 was from F. Ward, Frosterley.
A run of cows and calves from D. and J. Gawthorpe, Denby Dale, topped at £3,050 for an eight-year-old Limousin cow with a strong calf at foot. Others from the same run sold between £2,000 and £3,000.
Auctioneers: Darlington Farmers Auction Mart.
Exeter dairy sale peaks at £3,000 twice
The first dairy sale of the year at Exeter saw fresh milk in strong demand, with a top price of £3,000 seen twice for cows from John and Phil Bird, Axminster, who averaged £2,314 for seven animals.
First to make £3,000 was Bartonwood Royal Nellie 104, a second calver by Blondin J Crown Royal, with other Bartonwood second calvers reaching £2,500, £2,150 and £1,950.
Second to reach the top price was the heifer Bartonwood System Nellie by Mirabell Sound System. A Wilsey-bred heifer from Les and Heather French, Launceston, sold for £1,820, while Gorwyn Pitts, Crediton, sold heifers to £1,780.
Cross-bred Fleckvieh heifers sold to £1,650 for Martin, Kim and Ed Harvey, Totnes, and a run of New Zealand-bred Friesians from A.R. Hooper, Spreyton, sold to £1,900 for a third calver, with a fifth calver at £1,780.
Ayrshire cows topped at £1,650 for a fifth calver from Simon Bray, Barnstaple, while a Dairy Shorthorn sixth calver reached £1,420 for Tom and Helen Garland, Budleigh Salterton.
A consignment of British Friesian cows topped at £1,700 for Tom and Sam Blaber, Newton Abbot.
In-calf heifers peaked at £1,320 from David and Sherrie Tuner, Torrington, and a consignment of dry organic Jersey cows from Cholmondeley Farms, Norfolk, sold to £1,020.
Weaned heifer calves from F.A.W Baker, Somerset, sold to £330 four times.
Auctioneers: Kivells.
Lakeview Texels sell to £2,200 online
The Lakeview online Texel sale on behalf of Gary Beacom, Fivemiletown, Northern Ireland, topped at £2,200 for a recipient carrying embryos from Hexel Fan Club and a home-bred ewe. The buyer was Messrs Cubitt, Ballymena, who also paid the next top price of £1,900 for another recipient carrying embryos from the same flush.
Making £1,700 was a recipient carrying embryos from Okehall Golden Balls, and a Plasucha-bred dam which sold to Messrs Wilkinson, Cookstown.
At the same money was a recipient carrying a Hexel Fan Club/Garngour-bred dam embryo, which went to Messrs Glendinning, Tobermore.
Average - 71 lots, £989.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
High of £3,000 for Hexham store cattle
The store cattle show and sale at Hexham topped at £3,000 for the champion, a Limousin cross heifer from John Guiry, Alnwick, with heifers averaging £1,333.
Bullocks peaked at £2,000 for a home-bred Limousin cross from Alan Ogle, Comb Hill, with steers averaging £1,452. Ken Sisterson, Newlands Haugh, sold Charolais steers to £1,960, with £1,900 for an Aberdeen-Angus, and averaged £1,878 for six bullocks.
The Moralee family, Hard Riding, topped at £1,860 for a British Blue heifer and £1,840 for a Limousin, levelling at £1,790 for five heifers.Robert and John English, Brownsleazes, sold two British Blonde cross heifers, both at £1,880, and their third prize bullock at £1,710.
Steven Graham, Gilsland, sold seven Limousin bullocks peaking at £1,840 and three heifers to £1,700, averaging £1,714 for 10 sales. Younger cattle were also in demand, with David Teasdale, Grindon Hill, selling 14-month-old steers to £1,750 twice and heifers to £1,570.
The weanling portion of the sale averaged £1,270 for bullocks and £1,175 for heifers, all of which were 10 months old or younger.
Auctioneers: Hexham and Northern Marts.
