ON Tuesday Hexham & Northern Marts held a sale of 46 cast cows, bulls and clean cattle. A small show forward maintained recent high rates. Topping at 219.5ppkg or £1239 per head, both heifers being consigned by Messrs F.T. Walton, Flotterton.

Charolais heifers: £1238.78, £1225.58, £1099.70 Flotterton, 219.5p, 209.5p, 207.5p Flotterton. British Blue heifers: £1186.41Beaumont House, 203.5p Beaumont House. Limousin: £985.88 East Farm, £975.14 Low Ardley, £945.35 Halton Red House, £918.54 East Farm, £913.90 Grindon Hill, 131.5p Whiteside, 129.5p Halton Red House & Low Ardley, 125.5p Netherwhitton, 124.5p East Farm, 123.5p Grindon Hill, Great Bavington & Black Callerton, 121.5p East Farm, & Hardriding, 120.5p Hardriding. Charolais: £1059.51 & £1039.76 Flotterton, 158.5p & 156.5p Flotterton. Aberdeen Angus: £990.25 High Fotherley, £909.15 The Tofts, 120.5p Codlaw Farms.

Cast bulls. Limousin: £1283.33 Cowburn Rigg, £1265.48 Halton Red House, 120.5p Cowburn Rigg. Aberdeen Angus: £1078.29 New Houses, 156.5p New Houses. Charolais: £1151.41.

More lambs forward but as the national trade considerably easier on the week. With half of the entry of lambs being Not Farmed Assured this did effect the overall average. Top price was £108 for Texel x lambs from Keith Wilson, Blue Gabbles purchased by Cranston’s Butchers, Hexham. Top price per kilo 227.3p, also for Texel x from SD White, Steel Hall.

Texel x: £108 & £100 Blue Gables, £100 Steel Hall, & £98.50 Aydonshields, 227.3p Blue Gables, 223.9p & 219.1p Aydonshields, 217.4p & 216.0p Blue Gables. Suffolk x: £95.50 & £89 Steel Hall, 197.8p & 191.0p Steel Hall. Zwartbles: £82.50 & £80 165.0p & 163.3p.

Prime hoggs. Texel x: £90 Hill Head & Hackford, £89, £86, £84, £82 High House, £82 Hackford, £80 East Farm, 200.0p & 163.6p Hackford, 155.1p & 150.0p Hill Head. Suffolk x: £95 Hackford, 182.7p Hackford. Mule: £91 High Town, £60 Great Chesters, 128.2p High Town, 126.3p Great Chesters. Blackface: £66 Greenleas, £65 Penpeugh, £61.50 Great Chesters, 130.0p & 125.5p Great Chesters, Charollais x: £49 Hill Head, 125.6p Hill Head.

Cast ewes and rams. Texel x: £91 & £87 East Farm Matfen, £81 West Farm Kirkheaton, £80 East Farm Matfen. Mule: £46 & £40 West Farm Kirkheaton. Swaledale: £46 & £33 High Town. Suffolk: £103 & £90 Woodhall, £77 Sillywrea, £76 Woodhall, £72 West Farm Kirkheaton. Blackface: £51 Penpeugh.

ON Friday, Hexham & Northern Marts held their special annual ‘May Term’ sale of store cattle which included the special monthly sale of native breed cattle and offered for sale a catalogued entry of 1109 head. With a super entry of cattle drawn from across Northumberland, County Durham, Cumbria and The Scottish Borders a good crowd of buyers gathered at the ringside spurred on by warmer temperatures and eventual spring growth. With finished markets largely static at present the customary entry of older, forward sorts sold at the start of the day reflected this trend and the best cattle sold before lunch peaked at £1290 for a big Limousin cross steer from weekly consignors Messrs Herdman, Lunns House, Consett, Co. Durham. The dearest of the native breeds was a strong and well wintered Angus steer from Dennis Burn, Aydonshields, Hexhamshire which sold for £1260 and was closely followed at £1240 by the dearest heifer sold on the day; an Angus from Messrs Metcalf, Fairley Farm, also near Consett.

With grass now a-plenty in many regions of the UK buyers turned out intent on utilising such pastures and an extensive catalogue did not disappoint, filled with plentiful entries of both steers and heifers; continental and native, ideal for the summer at grass. Mid-age range cattle saw the dearest trade on the day with buyers keen to compete for better, shapely sorts whilst plainer types were not so readily sought after. Three major breeds featured at the top of this age class with Limousin, Charolais and Blue cross steers at 15 months selling for £1260, £1230 and £1230 respectively from Messrs Burn, Grange Houses; Lewis Forster, West Nubbuck; and Andrew Reay, West Moorhouses. These and others like them sold well as great examples of their type and displaying desirable shape and potential whilst not threatening to exceed weight targets before finishing. Co-incidentally the same three vendors topped the heifer rankings on the day and in the same order realising £1180, £1155 and £1155 for the sisters to their steers at the same ages.

Some of the furthest travelled cattle on the day were the Dumfriesshire bred consignment of top quality Beef Shorthorn steers from Brian Goddard, The Gall, Lockerbie which peaked at £1030 for a great pen of five and saw twelve average a mighty £1011 at 12 months of age proving that cattle can easily withstand a lengthy travel south over the border and yet still sell well through the Hexham ring.

Younger cattle also sold well but customers were similarly discerning when selecting quality, well-bred sorts over anything marginally ‘second draw’. Leading this trade on the day was a smart Blue cross bullock from Ken & Hillary Ridley, Allenshields, Blanchland at 10 months of age which reached the handsome figure of £1150 and was followed up by a heifer from the same home at £1040.

Cattle 23-30 months. Charolais x steers: £1260 Satley, £1170 & £1140 Capheaton New Houses, £1100 Hay A Park, £1090 Capheaton New Houses. Limousin x steers: £1290, £1250 & £1235 Lunns House, £1230 & £1170 Corneyside, £1120 Hay A Park, £1100 Braeside, £1085 & £1070 Hay A Park, £1040 Midgeholme, £1010 Hay A Park Limousin x heifers: £1170 Corneyside, £1120 West Grange, £1065 Little Swinburne, £1000 Corneyside. Blonde x steers: £1040 Hay A Park. British Blue x heifers: £1180 Little Swinburne. Simmental x steers: £1250 Satley, £1215 Stoop Rigg, £1210 Satley, £1200 & £1190 Stoop Rigg. Angus x steers: £1140 High Barns, £1080 Hedley West, £1020 Hepple Whitefield, Angus x heifers - £1180 Yatesfield, £970 High Barns, £950 Fairley & East Cocklaw (x2). South Devon heifers: £1070, £1060, £1030 & £940 The Heigh. Hereford x steers: £1160 & £1150 Braeside, £1030 Bunker Hill. British Friesian x steers: £970 West Butsfield.

Cattle 17-22 months. Charolais x steers: £1235 Lowfield, £1230 Ogle Dene, £1200 Ogle Dene, Rare Dean & Satley, £1185 Grange Farm, £1170 Hackford, £1160 Ogle Dene, £1080 Grange Farm. Charolais x heifers: £1120 Hackford, £1090 Capheaton New Houses, £1040 Woodhead, £1030 Rare Dean, £1015 Lowfield, £995 Hackford. Limousin x steers: £1270 Ogle Dene, £1245 Satley, £1230 Lunns House, £1185 Midgeholme, £1160 & £1155 Fairley, £1130 Hay A Park, £1120 Errington, Corneyside & Heugh Farm, £1100 Fairley & Hay A Park, £1095 Midgeholme, £1090 Aydonshields, £1080 Midgeholme, £1040 Hay A Park, £1000 Ridley Stokoe. Limousin x heifers: £1210 Midgeholme, £1170 Corneyside, £1060 Hard Riding, £1050 Midgeholme, £1040 Kirkley Dam House, £1010 Ridley Stokoe & Hard Riding, £1005 Hedley Park, £1000 Woodhead, £990 Bothal Park. Blonde x steers: £960 Hay A Park. British Blue x steers: £1195 & £1180 Errington, £1160 Errington & Kirkley Dam House (x3), £1070 Kirkley Dam House. British Blue x heifers: £1205, £1100 & £1090 Kirkley Dam House, £1080 & £1060 Ceri Cottage, £1050 Hard Riding, £1040 & £920 Kirkley Dam House, £910 Ceri Cottage. Simmental x steers: £1260 Rare Dean, £1210, £1200 & £1170 Stoop Rigg, £1130 Satley, £1050 & £940 Langley West. Angus x steers: £1260 & £1200 Aydonshields, £1105 Fairley. Angus x heifers: £1240 Fairley, £1190, £1140 & £1050 East Cocklaw, £1020 Wolf Hills, £880 Ceri Cottage. Beef Shorthorn steers:£940 Yatesfield.

Cattle 11-16 months. Charolais x steers: £1230, £1170, £1165 & £1160 West Nubbock, £1130 Grange Farm, £1095 Risehead, £1090 Lowfield, £1060 Risehead, £1040 Lowfield, £1030 Grange Farm (x2), £1020 West Nubbock, £1010 & £995 Lowfield, £990 Lowfield & West Nubbock (x2). Charolais x heifers: £1155 & £1080 West Nubbock, £1050 Woodhead, £1045 Woodhall, £1025 West Nubbock, £1115 Cooper House, £995 West Nubbock, £955 Woodhead. Limousin x steers: £1250 Grange House, £1210 Langley West, £1195 Bog Hall, £1190 Bothal Park, £1185 Allergill, £1180 Grange House, £1150 Bog Hall, £1120 West Foreshield, £1115 West Biggens, West Foreshield & Thornton Tower, £1110 Thornton Tower, £1095 West Nubbock & West Biggens, £1090 Hedley Park & Grindon Hill (x2), £1085 Thornton Tower, £1080 West Nubbock. Limousin x heifers: £1185 The Park, £1180 Grange House, £1155 West Moorhouses, £1080 Bothal Park, Grange House, The Park & Chirdon, £1075 & £1070 West Foreshield, £1050 Bog Hall, Thornton Tower & Grange Farm, £1040 Heugh Farm & Chirdon, £1035 Chirdon, £1025 East Unthank, £1000 Hackford & Chirdon. British Blue x steers: £1230 West Moorhouses, £1155 Errington Farm, £1090 Blakelaw, £1070 & £1035 Coldshield, £1005 Cooper House. British Blue x heifers: £1080 Bog Hall, £1010 Chirdon, £990 West Moorhouses, £900 Lee Hall, £875 Coldshield. Simmental x steers: £1020 & £930 West Nubbock. Angus x steers – £1165 & £1135 Monkridge Hill, £1090 Grange Farm, £1080 Hedley Park, £1060 Hepple Whitefield & Redesmouth, £1055 Hepple Whitefield, £1030 Old Town, £1020 Hepple Whitefield & Old Town, £970 Bollihope Shield, £965 Fallowfield, £960, £955 & £950 Old Town. Angus x heifers: £1050 & £905 Hedley Park, £900 Lowfield & Old Town. Beef Shorthorn steers: £1030, £1000 (x2) & £995 The Gall.

Cattle 10 months and under. Charolais x steers: £945, £900 & £895 West Nubbock, £890 Wydon. Charolais x heifers: £1085 West Nubbock, £935 Cooper House, £880 West Nubbock, £870 Wydon. Limousin x steers: £1050 Lingey Field, £1005 & £1000 East Unthank, £990 Allenshields, £980 Reaygarth & Lingey Field, £970 Bog Hall & Willimoteswick, £965 Bog Hall, £960 Lingey Field, £950 Willimoteswick, £940 Reaygarth & Batey Shield, £930 Batey Shield, £915 Allenshields, £910 Hole Farm, £900 Reaygarth. Limousin x heifers: £1080 Bog Hall, £1040 Allenshields, £985 Bog Hall, £980 Lingey Field, £945 Allenshields, £850 Hole Farm. British Blue x steers: £1150 Allenshields. British Blue x heifers: £935 Lingey Field. Simmental x steers: £800 Wydon. Angus x steers:£950 Willimoteswick, £920 & £850 Old Town, £845 Bollihope Shield.

Hexham and Northern Marts held their weekly sale of 890 ewes and hoggs with lambs at foot, cast ewes and store hoggs. Incorporated into the weekly sale was the annual prize show and sale of hoggs with lambs at foot, sponsored by Mole Valley Farms. An absolutely fantastic show of all classes of sheep was testament to all vendors’ hard work and dedication to present such a show to our judge, Mr C Siswick. Receiving top honours was regular vendor, Mr FS Vickers, Rennington South, Alnwick for a pen of outstanding Mule hoggs with Suffolk x single lambs, They also went on to top the sale at £228 or £114 per life.

Mule hoggs: £228 & £188 Rennington South, £180 Rennington South (x3) & Highwood, £178 Rennington South & Highwood, £175 & £155 Tedcastle. Texel x hoggs: £196 & £182 Homilton, £165 & £148 Brandon Hall. Suffolk x hoggs: £182 Broomhall, £170 Tedcastle.

A stronger show of ewes with lambs sold to a packed ring of busy purchasers ensuring a fantastic trade for all classes of ewes and lambs. More required to fulfill demand. Mule gimmers: £192 Rennington South, £150 Middle White Hill (x3).

Texel x gimmers: £162 Brandon Hall, £158 Brandon Hall & Dale House.