AT Hexham and Northern Marts’ weekly sale on Tuesday there was another small show of prime cattle though the quality ensured all heifers sold to fast rates, achieving a sale average of 214.8ppk and £1201 per head.

Topping the sale was a smart red Angus x heifer at 229.5ppk consigned by Mr FT Walton, Flotterton and topping per head was a Limousin x heifer realising £1316 consigned by M/s G Cairns & Ptns, Broom Hall.

Angus heifers – 229.5p Flotterton; Limousin heifers – 223.5p, 218.5 p & 217.5p Broomhall. Charolais heifers – 209.5p Flotterton. Limousin heifers – £1315.88 & £1186.16 Broomhall. Angus heifers - £1264.55 Flotterton. Charolais heifers – £1194.15 Flotterton.

Over 30 months: Another fine show of cows sold to increased rates with all classes in big demand, topping at 143.5ppk and £1107 respectively. Limousin – 143.5p Square House; 137.5p Great Chesters; 136.5p Longlea; 129.5p Great Chesters (x2); 125.5p Lee Hall & Barker House; 124.5p Colepike; 123.5p Lee Hall; 121.5p Longlea; 120.5p Lee Hall.

British Blue – 128.5p Little Swinburne. Angus – 121.5p Gallowhill. Charolais – £1176.17 Cooper House, £1002.64 Gallowhill.

Limousin – £1107.02 Longlea; £1097.78 Square House; £1039.62 Colepike; £923.34 & £903.91 Great Chesters; £896.25 Little Swinburne; £875.99 Barker House; £858.42 Lee Hall; £858.01 Brownchesters; £854.39 Little Swinburne; £851.13 Great Chesters; £848.45 Lee Hall. Angus – £937.34 Barker House.

The Prime Lambs average was easier in line with the national trend. The good export type lambs were still easily sold but at less rates on the week. Top price per head - £88 for Texel x from WN & JC Gilhespy, Tedcastle. Top price per kilo 229p also for Texel x lambs from J & E Walby & Sons, East House Farm. Texel x – £88 Tedcastle, £87 East House (x2), Tedcastle (x2) & Aydonshields £86.50 Aydonshields, £86 Hackford, £84.50 Fell Lane & Nilston Rigg, £84 Grindon Hill, Linacres & Tedcastle, £82.50 West Wharmley, £82.20 Aydonshields, £81.50 Tedcastle, £81 Fell Lane 229p Eats House, 206.1p Fell Lane, 206p Aydonshields, 204.8p Steel, 202.5p Fell Lane, 200p East House, Tedcastle (x2), Nilston Rigg & West Wharmley, 196.5p & 196.2p Nilston Rigg, 195p East House, 193.3p Tedcastle, 192.3p Beaumont House, 191.5p Rusheylaw, 190.2p Nilston Rigg.

Suffolk – £84 & £81.50 Flotterton; Suffolk x – £82.80 West Wharmley, £79.50 Hackford, £77 South Clarewood, £76.80 Comb Hills, 192.6p & 180p West Wharmley, 178.6p Comb Hills, 175p Rusheylaw.

Charollais x – £79.20 Rusheylaw, £78.50 Beaumont House, 201.3p Beaumont House, 188.6p Rusheylaw, 177.9p Beaumont House.

Mule – £72 Tedcastle. Cast Ewes and Rams: Suffolk - £78.50 & £72 Flotterton; Suffolk x – £68 Wallhouses; Leicester - £60 (x2) Hotbank; Mule –£52 Bingfield Combe; Blackface – £43.50 Hotbank; Swaledale - £41.50 Brownchesters.

Friday June 10 saw a good catalogued entry of 409 head of predominantly beef bred store cattle brought forward - an increase of 28% on the corresponding sale held in 2015.

With numbers of older, stronger, housed cattle now showing signs of easing, the bulk of the entry was made up of yearling types. However the forward types sold well too. Yet another good consignment of steers and heifers were brought out by Willie Woodman, Great Chesters and peaked at £1370, the leading price on the day for a well grown Limousin cross steer at 18 months which sold to Andrew Turnbull of Waterloo Farms, Richmond. The next of his were a super pen of four light sandy Charolais crosses at a similar age which attracted swift bidding to settle at £1330 in favour of Mark Wilkinson, Derbyshire. Between these two prices came George Herdman, Lunns House, Consett with a steer, part of his weekly consignment which at 22 months was one of the largest in the market on the day and fittingly sold for £1360 to John Otterburn, Helmsley and saw his four average a remarkable £1317 per head.

Leading the field of females on the day was a super smart Limousin heifer from occasional vendors and well-known purchasers of geld cows at Hexham, Messrs Grix, Hill Head, Whalton who saw this outstanding model peak at £1280 at only 16 months of age, to Mr Wilkinson of Chesterfield. This was closely followed by a slightly older Charolais cross at 18 months from Willie Woodman at £1240 to the same buyer. Brian Goddard, The Gall, Lockerbie brought out some smart and hefty Beef Shorthorn cross-bred heifers by a registered bull that would have suited either a breeding or feeding route and these peaked at £1140, twice at 24 months of age selling to Declan Foley & Fraser Scott. A more mixed show was presented amongst the younger cattle with the best of sorts still commanding a premium. One such consignment was from Messrs Carruthers, The Silloans who came forward with trademark shapely Limousin cross cattle bred by their own bulls at altitude on the Otterburn Army Ranges. The family sold well-bred steers to £1175 for a pair of smart types, heifers to £1060 and a surplus of nine pure bred young bulls which peaked at £1200 and sold well to average £1147 at 10-14 months.

Leading prices: Cattle 23 – 30 Months: Charolais x heifers - £1240 Great Chesters; £1070 West Deanraw. Limousin x steers – £1370 Great Chesters, £1360, £1315, £1310 & £1285 Lunns House. Angus x steers - £1000 Bankfoot; Beef Shorthorn x heifers - £1140 (x2) The Gall.

Cattle 17-22 months: Charolais x steers – £1330, £1310, £1300 & £1280 Great Chesters; Charolais x heifers – £1205 & £1100 Great Chesters; £1070 & £1060 West Deanraw; Limousin x steers – £1305, £1300, £1255 & £1200 Great Chesters; £1175 Silloans; £1115 Whalton Hill Head; £1050 Low Stokoe; Limousin x heifers – £1280 Whalton Hill Head; £1190 Great Chesters; £1160 China Hall; £1150 & £1085 Whalton Hill Head,; £1070 Great Chesters; £1035 Whalton Hill Head; £1030 Silloans; Simmental x heifers – £980 & £930 Studdon Dene.

Cattle 11-16 months: Charolais x heifers – £1065 & £1020 Woodhead; Limousin x steers – £1205 Old Ravensworth; £1200 Silloans; £1190 Old Ravensworth; £1180 Silloans & Low Middleton, £1170, £1160 (x2), £1140, £1120 & £1105 Silloans; £1100 Silloans (x2) & Greyside, £1095 Comb Hills, £1080 Reaygarth (x2); £1070 Silloans & Low Middleton. Limousin x heifers – £1190 Grange House & Square House, £1130 & £1100 Square House; £1090 Grange House; £1060 Silloans & Square House; £1050 Woodhead & High Shipley; £1040 Greyside & China Hall; £1010 China Hall; £1005 Comb Hills; £1000 Grange House; £995 High Shipley; £980 Greyside (x2). Blonde x steers - £1075 & £970 High Wooley; Blonde x heifers – £940 High Wooley; British Blue x steers – £940 Linacres; £925 Cornsay House (x2). British Blue x heifers – £970 Light Birks; £965 Cooper House & Tedcastle; £920 Errington & Cornsay House; £910 Errington. Simmental x steers – £1075 Whalton Hill Head; £1030 & £990 High Wooley; £940 Grange Farm; £935 Low Bishopton & High Wooley. Angus x steers – £1100 Hedley Park; £1095 South Hallington; £1070 & £960 Hedley Park.

Cattle 10 months and under: Charolais x steers – £920 Townfoot; Charolais x heifers – £900 Cooper House; Limousin x steers – £970 & £950 Reaygarth; £900 Reaygarth & Cornsay House; £890 East Plenmeller. Limousin x heifers – £985 & £905 Longlea. British Blue x steers – £1000 Light Birks. British Blue x heifers – £1035 & £990 Light Birks.

Breeding & Store Sheep Ewes with Lambs at Foot:

A small show of Ewes with Lambs selling to the dearest trade of the season. More are required to fulfill the returning weekly demand. Topping at £200 per outfit for a pen of 10 Mule, 2 shear, ewes with twin lambs consigned by M/s Rochester & Murray, Glebe Farm. Texel x - £145 Heatheridge Mule - £200 & £192 Glebe Farm Jacob - £130 & £128 Pens Close Feeding Ewes Texel – £78 Fern Dene Texel x – £73 Agars Hill, £70 Agars Hill & Fern Dene Suffolk – £68 Glebe Farm Suffolk x – £63 Satley Leicester – £70 Paradise Mule - £62 Normans Riding, £60 West Deanraw Blackface - £50 Liberty Hill Swaledale - £50 Grindon Hill Crossbred - £76 Duddo Hill.

Also on Friday June 10th the mart held its monthly sale of beef breeding cattle. It was a fine show for the time of year with a busy ring of potential purchasers all keen for outfits which ensured all classes were sold to vendor advantage.

Topping at £2750 was an outstanding British Blue Heifer with a smart Limousin x calf at foot consigned by M/s LB & J Tipling, Sleights House, Co Durham. Leading prices for Heifers with calves at foot were as follows: Limousin – £2400 Sleights House; £2350 Mirlaw House & Sleights House; £2250 Mirlaw House; £2200 West Wharmley; £2150 Mirlaw House; £2120 West Wharmley; £2100 Mirlaw House. Angus - £2000 & £1550 Mirlaw House; British Blue - £2750 Sleights House. Hereford - £2450 Mirlaw House. Cows with calves at foot: Limousin – £2300 & £2180 Old Hall; Blue Grey - £1400 & £1050 Humbleheugh. Bulling Heifers - British Blue £1180 (x2), £1150 Nunwick, £1120 Nunwick & Studdon Dene, £1100 Nunwick. Angus - £900 Studdon Dene. Limousin - £960 & £900 Studdon Dene.