Mart prices - June 26

Prime cattle prices. Heifers per head: Limousin to £1,368.08, £1,334.44, £1,263.99 and £1,149.29 Broomhall. Heifers per kilo: Limousin to 231.5p, 228.5p and 217.5p Broomhall. Charolais to 217.5p Fellside.

A similar show of over-30-month cattle was forward, in terms of numbers and quality, which returned a very healthy average of £846.38 per head and 130.0p per kilo.

More over-30-months required to satisfy buyers demand; many more could have been sold to current rates.

Over-30-month prices per head: British Blue to £1,203.36 and £1,094.63 Agars Hill and £937.37 and £929.16 Trewhitt Steads. Simmental to £1,113 Middle White Hill. Blonde to £1,042.97 Agars Hill. Limousin to £994.16 Parkside and £902.79 Middle White Hill. Prices per kilo: British Blue to 163.5 and 157.5p Agars Hill and 133.5p Trewhitt Steads. Blonde to 150.5p Agars Hill. Limousin to 144.5p Parkside, 134.5p Middle White Hill, 132.5p Blakelaw and 131.5p The Steel. Simmental to 132.5p Middle White Hill.

Prime lambs were considerably cheaper on the week as the national trend.

Top prices, £85 for Texel x from Watch Currock, 190.9p from East Matfen.

Prime lamb prices. Texel x per head to £85 Watch Currock, £84 East Matfen, £82 Grindon Hill, £80 West Heddon and Fell Lane, £79.50 Grange House, £79.20 Eland Hall, £78 and £76.20 Longshaws, £78 Nunwick, £77.80 and £76 Aydonshields, £77.50 and £77 Waterford and £76.50 White House Matfen. Per kilo to 190.9p and 180.5p East Matfen, 178.1p White House Matfen, 176.2p and 173.9p Fell Lane, 176p Eland Hall, 173.3p and 172p Nunwick, 173.2p Pasture House and Longshaws, 173p Stone Hall and 170.7p Sherburn Tower. Suffolk x per head to £84 and £73 Thornton Tower, £81 and £72.20 Grindon Hill, £75 and £70 Lunns House and £73.50 and £71.80 Salmonfield. Per kilo to 165.3p and 164.1p Grindon Hill, 163.4p Nunwick, 163.3p and 163.2p Salmonfield, 162.8p Lunns House and 162.2p Thornton Tower. Charollais x per head to £80, £73.80 and £68.50 Grange House. Per kilo to 173.9p and 163.1p Grange House. Beltex x per head to £79.20, £73 and £66 Grange House. Per kilo to 172.2p, 169.8p and 165p Grange House.

Prime hogg prices: Texel x per head to £74 and £65 South Gunnerton. Per kilo to 114.3p Short Thorns. Suffolk x to £65 and 116.1p South Gunnerton.

Cast ewes and rams per head: Texel x to £94 and £79 Crescent Farm, £90 and £89 Waterford, £87 and £76 Salmonfield, £85 Short Thorns and Willimoteswick and £77 Grange House. Suffolk x to £89 and £86 Crescent Farm and £77 South Gunnerton. Leicester to £82 Short Thorns. Blackface to £72 and £57 Townfoot Woodburn. Mule to £64 South Gunnerton, £62 Grange House and £61 Rye Hill. Swaledale to £50 Short Thorns.

FOR its weekly sale on Friday, Hexham and Northern Marts had a catalogues entry of 307 head of store cattle and suckled calves.

With a similar number and a nice entry of quality cattle to last week, it attracted another full ring of purchasers.

All classes meeting a much faster and dearer trade than seen at this centre for some time from start to finish.

Top price of the day was an exceptional Charolais x steer from the Eggleston family, of Thornham Hill, which sold at £1,480 purchased by Paul Foley, with the next top prices of £1,475 and £1,460, from the same home. Eight great steers from this home averaging a thumping £1,421.

Also topping the sale was an Angus x steer with pedigree sire also at £1,480 from G.S. Dodds and Son, East Cocklaw also selling to Paul Foley with seven from this home averaging £1,363.

Dearest heifer of the day was a great Blonde x at £1,280 from regular consignors David Robson and Sons, Merryshields, and purchased by Paul Foley.

The younger sorts also met a very fast trade and, short of requirements, sold at high rates. Demand for cattle at the Hexham centre ringside of buyers is strong.

Cattle 30-plus-months. Heifers per head: Charolais x to £1,155 Merryshields. Limousin x to £1,090 Middle Heads. Blonde x to £1,280 Merryshields.

Cattle 23-30 months: Angus x steers to £1,465, £1,400 and £1,160 East Cocklaw. Charolais x steers to £1,445 Satley and £1,420 Thornham Hill. Blonde x: Steers to £1,445 and £1,280 Merryshields. Heifers to £1,100 Merryshields. Simmental x steers to £1,405 and £1,305 Satley and £1,300 and £1,215 Foulmartlaw. Limousin x: Steers to £1,335 Thornham Hill, £1,300 Satley and £1,230 Aydonshields. Heifers to £1,075 and £1,040 Settlingstones. British Blue x: Steers to £1,310 and £1,120 Aydonshields. Heifers to £900 Aydonshields. British White steers to £800 Forcett Barns. Galloway steers to £770 and £760 Rowhope.

Cattle 17-22 months: Charolais x steers to £1,480, £1,475, £1,460 and £1,420 Thornham Hill, £1,310 Satley. Angus x steers to £1,480, £1,415 and £1,205 East Cocklaw. Limousin x: Steers to £1,370, £1,320, £1,260, £1,255, £1,200, £1,190 and £1,125 Brokenheugh, £1,250 and £1,110 Highfield and £1,155 Foulmartlaw. Heifers to £1,090 and £1,000 Settlingstones and £1,010(2) Middle Heads. Blonde x heifers to £1,230 Merryshields. Belted Galloway steers to £975 Foulmartlaw.

Cattle 11-16 months. Limousin x: Steers to £1,440 Thornham Hill, £1,245 Low Acton, £1,120, £1,090(2) and £1,075 Greyside, £1,115, £1,110 and £1,100 Low Eshells, £1,105 £1,080 Garretlea, £1,090 Parkside and £1,080(2) and £1,075 Silloans. Heifers to £1,120, £1,060, £965 and £950 Hedley Park, £1,090 and £1,060 Silloans, £1,080, £1,030 and £970 Low Eshells, £1,050, £950 and £945 Piatroon, £965 Garretlea, £955 Greyside and £945 Low Acton. Charolais x heifers to £1,080(4) Woodhead. British Blue x: Steers to £1,070 Greyside and £1,025 Cooper House. Heifers to £885 Cooper House. Angus x: Steers to £1,020, £990 and £950 Parkside and £1,000 and £950 Hedley Park. Heifers to £1,055 Hedley Park and £890 Parkside.

Cattle 10 months and under. Limousin x: Steers to £1,080 and £1,020 Edges Green, £970 Parkside and Allenshields and £950 Horseholme. Heifers to £900 Allenshields and £780 Dyke Nook. Charolais x: Steers to £850 Belsay Barns and £810 Low Bishopton. Heifers to £750 Belsay Barns.

Store sheep feeding. Ewes: Texel x to £92 Middleton Hall, £82 and £78 Willimoteswick and £76 Agars Hill.

Mule to £76 and £67 Middleton Hall, £69 Agars Hill and £66 Satley. Suffolk x to £66 Satley. Swaledale to £53 Middleton Hall and £50 Agars Hill. Blackface to £48 Gairshield.

LAST Wednesday, at the re-opening sale of the new season at its Scots Gap centre Hexham and Northern Marts had forward an encouraging entry of 249 prime lambs, over year hoggs and cast sheep.

A super show of prime lambs were presented and were a credit to the vendors, which saw the small sale return an average of 43.9kg and £79.60 per head with an SQQ figure of 184.8ppkg.

Leading the sale was a huge early born Texel x lamb from Messrs Mitchell, of Howlett Hall, which at 61 kilos sold for £95 to Jamie Curle, of Bowsden, Berwick.

A lighter weighted pen of four similar sorts at 50kg from the same home sold at £86 to Ben Gray, for Messrs Traves, of York. Messrs Dodds, of West Grange, Milbourne, brought out a super pen of 16 tight lambs at 40kg, which realised 200ppkg also to Mr Curle.

Cast sheep sold to a fast trade and were topped at £139 for a Texel ram from Messrs Walton, of Troughend, with another at £137 from Philip Dickinson, of Rugley Walls, both selling to Jeff Dunn.

Ewes peaked at £98 for Texel crosses and £96 for Suffolks, both from David Robson and Sons, of Merryshields and both lots selling to Ben Gray.

All consignors enjoyed a brisk trade for the opening sale and more numbers of all classes are required immediately.

Leading prices. Ewes per head: Texel x per head to £95 and £86 Howlett Hall, £86 Broom House and £85 Ewesley and Old Deanham. Price per kilo: 200pWest Grange, 198.8p Ewesley, 197.4p Chesters and 195.0p Broom House. Suffolk x to £85 Broom House 181.8ppkg Chesters, 179.6ppkg West Grange.

Cast sheep per head: Texel: Rams to £139 Troughend and £137 Rugley Walls. Ewes to £98 Merryshields and £93 Cartington. Suffolk ewes to £96 Merryshields and £90 Broom House. Zwartbles ewes to £90 Merryshields and £89 Broom House. Mule ewes to £77 Angerton Broom House and Dunns Houses, £76 Merryshields and £75 Coldwell, Cartington and Rugley Walls. Blackface ewes to £76, £67 and £62 Cartington, £73.50 Coldwell, £66 Dunns Houses and £64 Closehead.

FOR its weekly Longtown prime stock sale last Thursday, the Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers’ Mart had forward 15 prime cattle and 19 over-30-month cattle, along with 2,227 prime lambs, 705 prime hoggs and 3,915 cast ewes and rams.

Prime cattle sold to a sharper trade as numbers tighten and are short of buyers‘ requirements.

The 2,227 prime lambs were a larger show on the week. Following national trend all lambs were easier on the week, due to many Muslim firms not operating due to Ramadam. Overall average was 180.7p (SQQ 181.3p). Top price of £102 per head for Texels from Four O Boot and to 230p per kilo for Texels from Demesne.

A much smaller show of 705 hoggs, very mixed in quality and sold to recent rates. Overall sale average of 148.8p per kilo (SQQ 151p). The sale was topped at £76 for Texels, from Heatherglen, and to 179p per kilo for Suffolks, from Kirkwood Mains.

A much larger show of 3,915 cast ewes and rams were forward to the usual ring of buyers. Trade very similar on the week with fat ewes still hard to cash. Rams continue to be very dear.

Cattle averages. Steers: light, 196.5p (196.5p); medium, 219.5p (194.6p). Heifers: medium, 204.5p (201.9p); heavy, 194.5p (190.6p).

Sheep averages. Hoggs: light to 169.0p (152.1p); standard to 179.0p (149.8p); medium to 168.0p (151.5p); heavy to 148.0p (126.4p). Shearlings: 158.0p (142.0p).

Lambs: light, 230.0p (195.4p); standard, 208.0p (185.2p); medium, 212.0p (177.7p); heavy, 191.5p (176.4p); o/weight, 181.0p (168.4p). Ewes: light, £84.00 (£57.59); heavy, to £143.00 (£83.48). Cast rams: £200.00 (£115.34).