Mart prices, January 13

Prime cattle. Another smart show of heifers forward to an increased enquiry of potential purchasers. Topping the sale at 237.5ppk on two separate occasions firstly for a fantastic Limousin x heifer consigned by M/s WJ Scott, Low Leam, and secondly for a super British Blue x heifer consigned by M/s GA & JM Maw, Beaumont House. Best quality heifers receiving a premium and more could have been sold to vendor advantage.

Limousin heifers: 237.5p Low Leam, 225.5p Nunwick.British Blue heifers: 237.5p & 222.5p Beaumont House. Blonde heifers: 236.5p Low Leam. Blonde heifers: £1468.67 Low Leam. Limousin heifers: £1432.13 Low Leam, £1269.57, £1265.63 & £1237.11p Nunwick.British Blue heifers: £1406.00 & £1346.13 Beaumont House

OTM. Fleshed cows in big demand with plain sorts harder to cash. More fleshed cows required by customer demand.

Charolais: 175.5p Loadman. Limousin: 157.5p, 145.5p & 144.5p Low Leam, 122.5p Bulls Hill. Angus: 131.5p Pottsdurtrees. Charolais: £1454.90 Loadman, £897.79 Lunns House. Limousin: £1303.68, £1293.08 & £1049.07 Low Leam. Angus: £899.46 Pottsdurtrees.

Prime sheep. Prime hoggs. More Hoggs forward but trade easier on the week in line with the national trend. Top price was £92 per head and 224.4ppk for Dutch Texel x from M/s Teasdale, Kellah.

Texel x: £87 Watch Currock, £86 East Matfen (x2), West Shields & Low Ardley, £85 Watch Currock & Low Ardley, £84.80 South Dissington, £83.50 Bingfield Farm, £83 Watch Currock & Warksfield Head, £82.50 Sunniside, £81 Nilston Rigg & Low Ardley, £80.50 High Eshells, £80 Tosson Tower (x2), Nilston Rigg (x2), Comb Hills, Milbourne High House, East Matfen & Great Chesters, 195.1p Tosson Tower, 194.6p Aydonshields, 193.6p Comb Hills, 191.3p Burntongues, 190.8 East Greenridge, 190.5p Tosson Tower & Great Chesters, 189.7p Longlea, Coatlith Hill & Channel Well, 189.2p East Matfen, 187.8p Nunwick & Low Ardley, 186.1p Nilston Rigg, 185p Palm Strothers, 184.9p Longlea, 184.1p Palm Strothers, 183.3p Low Ardley, Aydonshields, Nunwick, East Knitsley & High Eshells, 182.5p East Uppertown, 181.7p West Heddon, 181p Thornton Tower, 180.5p Low Ardley, 180p Channel Well. Dutch Texel x: £92 & £73.50 Kellah, 224.4p & 203.7p Kellah. Suffolk x: £83 Sunniside, £81.50 Bingfield Farm, £81.20 & £80.80 Morrowfield, £80.50 & £79 Sunniside, £78.50 Nilston Rigg, £78 Sunniside, £77 Black Hedley & Low Eshells, £76.80 West Shields, £75.50 Nilston Rigg, 156p Sunniside, 155.8p Baal Hill, 154.9p & 154.8p Sunniside, 154.3p Bingfield Farm, 153.3p Fairley, 153.2p Middle Heads, 152p Morrowfield. Charollais x: £80.50, £79 & £78.50 Sunniside, 176.2p, 174.4p & 170.7p Sunniside. Beltex x: £77 & £76.80 Morrowfield, £71.80 West Heddon, 184.1p West Heddon. Mule: £84.50 Camphill, £76.50 Nilston Rigg & Warksfield Head, £73.50 Nilston Rigg, £73 Warksfield Head, £71 Camphill, £68 Old Town, £67 Embley, £66.50 Great Chesters, £63.80 Baal Hill, 151.1p Great Chesters & Camp Hill, 148.4p Baal Hill, 147.1p Warksfield Head, 147p Nilston Rigg, 146p Warksfield Head. Cheviot x: £74 Sillywrea, £72 Flotterton, £70 Sillywrea, £69.50 Sillywrea & Flotterton, £68.50 Flotterton, 171.4p, 171.1p & 169.5p Flotterton, 168.2p Sillywrea, 167.1p Flotterton. Blackface: £72.50 & £66.80 Warksfield Head, £57.50 Camphill, 148.4p & 142.2p Warksfield Head, 133.7p Camphill. Herdwick: £66 & 150p Comb Hills.

Cast ewes and rams. Texel x: £80 & £72 Old Town, £69 Bingfield Farm, £64 Crowhall, £59 Ridley Farm. Suffolk x: £64 Bingfield Farm, £52 East Matfen. Mule: £69 Morrowfield, £65 East Matfen, £61 Morrowfield. Blackface: £44 & £39 Crowhall, £36 Ridley Farm.

ON Friday, at their opening sale of 2017, Hexham & Northern Marts offered a catalogued entry of 201 head of store cattle and suckled calves with all classes considerably dearer than seen prior to the festive season. With a full ringside of keen buyers assembled at start time trade set off at a pace and did not relent until the conclusion of the sale. The first beast of the new year to be sold at Hexham was an upstanding Charolais cross bullock at 20 months from John Carpenter, Rare Dene, County Durham, which sold for £1340 to Declan Foley. The same vendor sold three more to average a noteable £1258 for the four sold. It was another Durham based family and regular consignors to the Hexham store ring that topped the trade on the day with an outstanding Charolais cross steer at 22 months. Nichol, David and Nick Walker of Satley Farm kept their best till last of their six forward steers and sold their bell-ringer for £1380, also to Declan Foley. The well-known Walker family sold five in excess of £1300 per head and one at £1290 to average £1340 per head, a figure unlikely to be rivalled at any store ring in the region, perhaps the country this week again highlighting Hexham as the primary centre at which to market store cattle.

Also reaching these heights with younger cattle were Messrs Reed, The Knarr, Slaggyford, Cumbria with a super, well-bred Limousin cross steer which courted a great deal of buyer attention to settle at £1370. Selling three more steers at 13-15 months Messrs Reed had one of the trades of the day to average £1220 per head. Whilst bullocks throughout were a great trade heifers looked superior in comparison, particularly the younger classes. Leading the ladies section was John Carpenter, Rare Dene who sold a trademark hefty Charolais cross for £1245 to Nick Hetherington, Stockton on Tees. Father & Son George Herdman and George Jnr of Lunns House, Consett sold a similar sort, this one a Limousin for £1200 to Ian Forsyth, Gloster Hill, Amble. A weighty draw of mid-aged Charolais cross cattle were brought down from Edlingham Newtown by James Herdman and his two best heifers sold at 14 months for £1195 and £1180 to Robert Gray, Amble, and Gerrard Quinn, Cornsay, respectively. Johnny Marr, Old Ravensworth, was well rewarded

on the day for a smart run of six Limousin cross heifers which sold from

£1050 to £830 to average a pleasing £980 at 12 months of age, many

selling to the same Boroughbridge based purchaser.

As the cattle ‘got younger’ the trade ‘got dearer’ and a small but quality show of calves under one year of age were presented towards the end of the sale with buyers a-plenty to vie for these types. Leading this trade was a super run of 11 well-bred and shapely calves at 10-11 months of age from Dennis and Stuart Charlton, Whiteside, on the Roman Wall, which saw steers peak at £1180 and heifers to £1010 twice.

Younger sorts sold to £925 and £820 for steers and heifers at 8 months from Messrs Walton, Burnbank in the North Tyne whilst Weardale was wellrepresented with five smart heifer calves from Bruce Watson, Baal Hill, topping at £855 to average £819 and steers from John & Mark Emmerson, Haggate selling to £885.

More numbers of all classes could easily have been sold to advantage and the auctioneers would like to draw the attention of potential vendors from across the North of England and Scottish Borders to the values attainable.

Cattle 23-30 months. Charolais x steers: £1360 Satley. Limousin x steers: £1370 Satley, £1290 Springwell, £1100 Middle Dukesfield. Angus x steers: £1170 & £920 Grange Farm Newburn. Hereford x steers: £1300 Satley.

Cattle 17-22 months. Charolais x steers: £1380 Satley, £1350 Middle Dukesfield, £1340 Rare Dean, £1330, £1320 & £1305 Newlands Haugh, £1300 Rare Dean, £1275 Middle Dukesfield, £1250 Newlands Haugh & Middle Dukesfield, £1230 & £1220 Middle Dukesfield, £1205 Edlingham Newtown, £1190, £1170 & £1150 (x2) Middle Dukesfield, £1110 & £1100 Edlingham Newtown. Charolais x heifers: £1245 Rare Dean, £1195 & £1180 Edlingham Newtown, £1150 Rare Dean, £1040 Edges Green. Limousin x steers: £1370 The Knarr, £1350 Lu8nns House, £1340 Lunns House & Airy Holm, £1330 Lunns House, £1320 Airy Holm, £1310 Lunns House, £1300 Lunns House & Airy Holm (x2), £1275 Lunns House, £1260 Airy Holm, £1245 Shitlington Hall, £1230 Springwell, £1210 Linacres, £1190 Springwell, Airy Holm & Lee Hall, £1180 Lee Hall. Limousin x heifers: £1200 & £1150 Lunns House, £1110 Wingates Wholme, £1095 Shitlington Hall, £1090 Lunns House & Shitlington Hall, £1080 Lunns House, £1040 Wingates Wholme. British Blue x steers: £1350 Middle Dukesfield, £1200 Lee Hall. Angus x steers: £1120 Lee Hall. Stabiliser x steers: £1070 Wingates Wholme.

Cattle 11-16 months. Charolais x steers: £1200 Middle Dukesfield, £1050 Haggwood. Charolais x heifers: £1035, £990 & £970 Haggwood, £920 Linacres, £900 Greyside. Limousin x steers: £1260 The Knarr, £1180 Whiteside Haltwhistle, £1170 Lee Hall, £1140 & £1110 The Knarr, £1040 Whiteside Haltwhistle, £1030 Greyside, £1020 Whiteside Haltwhistle, £980 & £960 Greyside. Limousin x heifers: £1050 Old Ravensworth, £1010 Old Ravensworth & Whiteside Haltwhistle (x2), £1005 Old Ravensworth, £1000 Whiteside Haltwhistle (x2), £995 Old Ravensworth (x2), £980 Greyside & Whiteside Haltwhistle, £960 Whiteside Haltwhistle, £950 & £930 (x2) Greyside. Angus x steers: £1050 Lee Hall.

Cattle 10 months and under. Limousin x steers: £925 Burnbank, £885 Haggate, £870 Burnbank, £865 Haggate. Limousin x heifers: £855 & £825 Baal Hill, £820 Burnbank.

ALSO on Friday, Hexham and Northern Marts held their weekly sale of 2350 cast ewes and store hoggs. All classes of cast ewes and tups maintained recent rates with more required on a weekly basis. Heavy ewes in big demand with light, horned ewes still hard to cash.

Texel: £92 Thornton Tower, £78 Bankfoot, £70 Willimoteswick. Texel x: £89 Black Heddon, £87 Low Eshells & Wydon, £84 Willimoteswick, £80 East House. Suffolk: £50 East Highridge. Suffolk x: £94 Grange House, £86 Black Heddon, £85 Low Eshells, £84 East House, £80 Black Heddon & White House Matfen. Leicester: £75 Gleedlee & Chirdon. Zwartbles: £66 Watch Hill. Cheviot: £60 Biddlestone Home Farm, £59 Bavington Hill Head, £56 Biddlestone Home Farm. Mule: £71 Black Heddon, £68 Low Eshells & Cooper House, £65 Wydon, £64 Willimoteswick, £63 Colepike, £62 Halfway House. Blackface: £55 Gleedlee, £44 Thornton Tower. Swaledale: £36 Colwell Hill. Crossbred: £70 Thornton Tower.

An increased entry of hoggs forward sold to an increased enquiry of purchasers ensuring all classes sold to the dearest trade of the season. With all classes in big demand many more could have been sold to vendor advantage. Topping the sale was a pen of Texel x hoggs consigned by M/s Richardson, Cornsay House, realising £86.

Texel x (Av £64.37): £86 Cornsay House, £83 Halfway House, £81 Cornsay House (x2), £80 Breckon Hill, £79.50 Bensons Fell & Cornsay House, £79 Blackburn, £78.50 Woodview, £78 The Boat & Butterknowes, £77.50 Haggwood & Cornsay House, £77 Breckon Hill & Sherburn Tower, £75 Grange House & Blackburn, £74.50 Halfway House, £74 Wallhouses, Watch Hill & Cornsay House. Dutch Texel x (Av £71.65): £82.50 Chirdon, £76 & £74 Willimoteswick. Suffolk x (Av £66.59): £84 Wallhouses, £76.50 Thockrington, £75 Piatroon, £72.50 Thockrington, £72 Settlingstones, £71.50 Duddo Hill, £69.50 Wallhouses & Rugley Walls, £69 Thockrington, £68.50 West Park, Duddo Hill, Halfway House & Settlingstones. Beltex x (Av £74.17): £84 Westburnhope (FS), £80 Bavington Hill Head, £79.50 Linacres, £79 (x2) Westburnhope (FS). Leicester: £69 Chirdon. Cheviot x (Av £58.99): £66 Barrasford Green, £63.50 Steel Hall. Mule: £66 Farneyshield, £64.50 Chirdon, £64 Farneyshield, £62 Woodhouse, £61 Farneyshield, £60 Westernhopeburn. Blackface: £67 Brieredge, West Moor £55, £50 Featherwood. Swaledale: £52 Pinfold House4, £43.50 Hetherington, £40 Pinfold. Jacob: £49 Grange House. Crossbred: £60 Farneyshield.

LAST Wednesday, Scots Gap Mart, at the first sale of 2017, sold prime hoggs to £95 from Daniel Thompson, The Fawns, and 204.8ppkg from Jonta Walton, Grangemoor. Cast sheep sold to £90 per kg for Suffolk cross ewes from Messrs Mitchell, Howlett Hall. With all classes selling well more of everything could have been sold to advantage.

Other prices. Prime hoggs. Texel x: £95 The Fawns, £92, £88, £87, £86 (x2) Grangemoor, £85 The Chesters, £84 Grangemoor, £84 Colwell Hill, £83 Daniel Thompson, The Fawns, £83 (x2), £82 (x2) Grangemoor, £82 The Chesters, £80 Grangemoor, 204.8p Grangemoor, 192.7p Tosson Tower, 189.7p & 185.7p The Fawns, 183.3p Grangemoor, 181.8p The Chesters, 181.4p The Fawns, 181.4p The Chesters, 180.5p Angerton Broom House, 177.8p Grangemoor, 177.3p The Fawns. Suffolk x: £84 & £80 (x2) The Chesters, £79 & £75 Colwell Hill, £73 Angerton Broom House.

Cast ewes and rams. Texel x: £86 Howlett Hall. Suffolk x: £90 & £86 Howlett Hall, £78 East White Hill, £74 Gunnerton Demesne. Mule: £73 (x2) & £68 Howlett Hall.