Weekly sales reports from Hexham and Northern Marts

Those who were able to get cattle forward to market were well rewarded with a number of buyers that were unable to attend last week, due to snow, returning to the Hexham ring after an absence of almost a month keen for cattle of all classes.

The sale began, as always, with older, forward sorts which largely exceeded pre-Christmas rates and topped at £1,450 for a big red Limousin cross bullock at 20 months from Messrs Herdman, Lunns House, Consett, County Durham. Heifers in the older age bracket peaked at £1,380 for an Angus cross from Dennis Burn, Aydonshield, with another by the Limmy sire selling to £1,370 also from Messrs Herdman.

A super run of Angus and Hereford cross cattle were brought to Hexham by first-time consignors Messrs Holliday, Woodland House, Bishop Auckland, and the short trip north to Hexham proved very worthwhile. Their Angus steers at 20 months peaked at £1,400, heifers at £1,280 with Hereford steers to £1,135 and females selling to £1,110, all by registered pedigree sires that returned an average of £1,194 for three steers and seven heifers by native bulls, completing a highly satisfactory day for the Witton Park-based family farming operation.

The bulk of the catalogue, albeit depleted in places, was made up of cattle in the younger age brackets and a quality show of both steers and heifers were presented from consignors across Northumberland, County Durham and Cumbria. The undoubted highlight of the day was the simply outstanding run of cattle from Messrs Athey, High Lovelady Shield, Cumbria, who brought 23 fantastic Limousin cross cattle to Hexham from the snow-capped hills of The Alston Moors. Their run began with a very well-bred black bullock that scaled to £1,400, followed by another at £1,380 and when their lead heifer hit the ring, trade lifted a gear and saw the sublime sort sell to the top price of the day at £1,505. Demand was evident for the entire pen full and Messrs Athey were well rewarded, averaging £1,199 for 11 steers and 12 heifers sold in total.

Equally well-bred were a tremendous trio of heifers from The Roman Wall-based Ballantyne family, Cowburn Rigg, who courted great attention to peak at £1,460 with their exceptional heifers averaging £1,333, selling to regular buyers from Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

A nice entry of cattle at 10 months and under were forward and these peaked at £1,270 for a cracking Limmy cross heifer from brothers George and John Browell, Quarry House, whilst steer honours fell to another pair of siblings; William and Ian Huddleston, Round Meadows, who sold a square bullock, also by the Limousin sire to £1175. Also braving the straight but icy Roman Wall road were father and son Willie and Stewart Weatherson, Edges Green, who took home just reward for their journey, peaking at £1,080 for steers and £1,120 for heifers to average a pleasing £1,016 for ten and six sold respectively.

Of the cattle forward, ten percent sold in excess of £1,300 per head with a further twenty percent of the sale changing hands at £1,200 or more, the entire sale averaging £1,069 per head for steers and £1,078 for heifers. With a number of entries carried forward to next week in hope of improved weather and road conditions, the auctioneers expect another considerable catalogue and invite further entries to take advantage of the great rates available at this centre.

Leading prices;

Cattle 23 – 30 Months

Limousin x steers - £1235 Duddo Hill.

Simmental x steers - £1240 Broomfield & Peddar Hill, £1170 Broomfield, £1100, £1090 & £1080 Peddar Hill.

Cattle 17 – 22 Months

Limousin x steers – £1450 Lunns House, £1400 Comb Hills & High Lovelady Shield, £1380 Lunns House & High Lovelady Shield, £1335 Lunns House, £1330 Low Horton, £1290 Duddo Hill, £1270 Lunns House & Duddo Hill, £1260 Berry Edge & High Lovelady Shield, £150 & £1235 Berry Edge, £1220 Duddo Hill & High Trewhitt, £1200 Berry Edge & Duddo Hill, £1160 Duddo Hill, £1080 China Hall & West Nubbock.

Limousin x heifers - £1505 High Lovelady Shield, £1370 Lunns House & High Lovelady Shield, £1360 Comb Hills, £1350 High Lovelady Shield, £1310 & £1270 Little Swinburne, £1250 & £1245 Lunns House, £1225 & £1220 West Nubbock, £1190 Little Swinburne, £1180 Cowburn Rigg, £1150 High Lovelady Shield, £1130 Little Swinburne, £1125 High Trewhitt, £1090, £1060, £1050, £1030 Little Swinburne.

British Blue x steers - £1100 Slealands.

British Blue x heifers - £1095 Slealands.

Charolais x steers – £1335 High Trewhitt, £1245 Tenter House, £1070 High Trewhitt.

Charolais x heifers - £1085 Tenter House.

Simmental x steers - £1310 & £1110 Broomfield, £1100 & £1020 Peddar Hill.

Simmental x heifers - £1070 High Trewhitt, £1000 Peddar Hill.

Saler x steers - £1300 Duddo Hill.

Angus steers - £1030 Woodwell House.

Angus x steers – £1400 & £1370 Woodland House, £1230 Peddar Hill, £1110 Comb Hills.

Angus x heifers – £1380 Aydonshields £1280 & £1240 Woodland House, £1230 & £1220 Aydonshields, £1180 Woodland House, £1120 Partridge Nest, £1070 Woodland House.

Hereford x steers - £1135 Woodland House, £1070 Partridge Nest.

Hereford x heifers - £1110, £1100 & £1060 Woodland House, £1030 Taylor Burn.

Cattle 11 – 16 Months

Limousin x steers – £1300 High Lovelady Shield, £1270 The Knarr, £1265 & £1235 High Lovelady Shield, £1220 Holly Hill West & The Knarr, £1215 Quarry House, £1200 West Nubbock, £1190, £1180 & £1175 Quarry house, £1170 High Lovelady Shield, £1165 Low Horton, £1150 The Knarr, £1140 & £1130 High Lovelady Shield, £1120 Woodhead, £1100 High Trewhitt, Quarry House & Woodhead, £1090 & £1050 High Lovelady Shield, £1030 Holly Hill West, £1020 Prospect Grange, £1010 Round Meadows, £1000 Tenter House & Edges Green.

Limousin x heifers – £1460 & £1360 Cowburn Rigg, £1330 Quarry House, £1310 Holly Hill West, £1300 Comb Hills, £1255 West Nubbock, £1200, £1170, £1150 & £1130 High Lovelady Shield, £1120 Edges Green, £1105 Quarry House, £1100 Holly Hill West, £1090 Quarry House £1080 West Nubbock & The Knarr, £1070 Prospect Grange (x2), £1060 West Nubbock & High Lovelady Shield, £1050 & £1035 High Lovelady Shield, £1010 Edges Green, £1000 West Nubbock & High Lovelady Shield.

British Blue x steers - £1340 Quarry House, £1000 Prospect Grange.

British Blue x heifers - £1230 Quarry House.

Charolais x steers - £1120 Tenter House.

Charolais x heifers - £1230 & £1160 High Trewhitt, £1105 Tenter House.

Angus heifers - £850 Woodwell House.

Angus x steers - £960 Bullions, £910 Cooper House.

Angus x heifers - £910 Cooper House.

Hereford x heifers - £1105 Brackenthwaite.

Cattle 10 months and under

Limousin x steers – £1175 Round Meadows, £1140 Woodhead, £1080, £1075 & £1055 Edges Green, £1045 Woodhead, £1030 Round Meadows, £1020 Quarry House & Nilston Rigg, £995 Prospect Grange, £990 Woodhead, £980 Round Meadows.

Limousin x heifers -£1270, £1165 & £1160 Quarry House, £1020 & £970 Baal Hill, £950 Round Meadows & Baal Hill.

Angus steers - £840 Kirkley Hall.

British Blue x steers - £920 Slealands.

Shorthorn steers - £860 New Park.

Another sizeable entry of cast ewes & rams met strong demand with all classes similar on the week, Hill ewes saw the biggest jump.

Pure Texel ewes sold to £195 from both Mr JO Clark, Brinkburn Newhouses, and Messrs A & D Proctor, Swarland Old Hall.

Brinkburn Newhouses also sold Suffolk Ewes to £140.

Mules still sold well with a pen of six from Mr M Fenwick, Angerton Steads, selling for £108.

Blackface ewes sold to £88 from Messrs J Hunter & Sons, The Steel.

Swaledale ewes topped at £84 from Mr JW Smith-Jackson, High Town.

More wanted for next week, please contact Jack

07739 440457.

Texel - £195 Brinkburn Newhouses & Swarland Old Hall, £172 Brinkburn Newhouses, £165 Morven Hillside, £150 & £144 Brinkburn Newhouses, £142 Swarland Old Hall.

Texel x – £150 Rawfoot, £148 Grange House, £142 & £140 Hard Riding, £140 Tedcastle, £138 Morven Hillside, £132 Swarland Old Hall, £130 Hard Riding & West Wharmley, £128 Townfoot & Hallington South Farm £126 Brinkburn Newhouses & Grange House, £124 Angerton Steads, Swarland Old Hall & Prospect Grange, £122 Halfway House & Hownsgill, £120 Halfway House, West Wharmley & Normans Riding, £119 Grange House, £118 Lodge Farm & Palm Strothers, £116 Hard Riding, Little Swinburne (x2) & Whitechapel, £115 Rawfoot, £114 Angerton Steads, Hard Riding & Grange House, £113 Lodge Farm, £112 Beveridge & Salmonswell.

Suffolk x – £140 Brinkburn Newhouses, £127 Grange House, £126 Brinkburn Newhouses (x2) & Grange House, £120 Brinkburn Newhouses.

Dutch Texel x - £120 High Town.

Beltex x - £126 Lees Hall, £120 Little Swinburne.

Leicester - £118 Carry House, £116 Morven, £112 The Steel.

Jacob - £75 Wadley

Cheviot – £94 Morven Hillside.

Cheviot x - £88 & £76 The Chesters.

Mule – £108 Angerton Steads, £106 Grange House & The Snape, £104 Rare Dean, £98 Rawfoot, £96 Tedcastle, £95 The Steel & Morven Hillside, £94 Stone Hall, £92 Salmonswell, Yatesfield & Low Brunton, £91 Buckshaw.

Blackface – £88 & £82 The Steel, £80 Penpeugh, £79 Morven Hillside (x2), £78 Carry House & Whitechapel, £76 Tedcastle.

Swaledale – £84 High Town, £76 Rawfoot.

It may have been cold outside, however the cast tup trade was on fire!

Texel tups from C & C Farming sold to £185, a pair of Bluefaced Leicester tups selling to £175 from Messrs J Hunter & Sons, The Steel.

Cheviot Tups topped at £135 from Mr FT Walton, Flotterton.

More wanted for next week, please contact Jack 07739 440457.

Texel - £185 Flotterton (C & C Farming), £150 Stone Hall & Townfoot, £135 Yatesfield, £128 Tedcastle, £120 Yatesfield.

Suffolk - £120 Flotterton.

Beltex - £100 Palm Strothers.

Leicester - £175 & £135 The Steel, £132 Yatesfield, £118 High Town.

Charollais - £104 Flotterton.

Kerry Hill - £95 Tedcastle.

Cheviot - £135 Flotterton.

Blackface - £100 The Steel.

A catalogued entry of 2,381 Store Hoggs met another extreme trade for a lesser show on display.

Topping the sale at £170 was a tremendous Beltex Ewe Hogg from Mr A Walker, Newbiggen Hill, with a pair from the same home selling to £145.

Alan Lawson & Son, South Farm, sold Texel x hoggs to £142.

Suffolk x store hoggs sold to £123 for a pen from Messrs W Carpenter & Sons, Rare Dean.

An outstanding pen of 47 Mule hoggs from Mr I Potts, Redburn, sold to £119.50.

Blackface lambs sold to a high of £100 for a pen of 5 from Messrs H & H Robson, Townshields.

More wanted to meet buyer demand.

Contact Jack on 07739 440457 or office (01434) 605444 for entries and enquiries.

Texel - £142 Hallington South Farm.

Texel x – £126 Halfway House, £124 Normans Riding & Thrunton, £120 Palm Strothers, £118.50 Brinkburn Newhouses, £118 Eslington Hill, Felton Demesne & High Yarridge (x2), £117 Halfway House & Mount Pleasant, £116 Halfway House, £114 Ravensworth Grange, Wadley, Whitechapel, Willimoteswick, Yetlington Lane, Hareshaw Allotment, Rare Dean & Palm Strothers, £113 Normans Riding & Hallington South Farm, £112 The Bridges, £111 Riding Farm & Normans Riding, £110 Riding Farm , Eslington Hill, Haggwood, Fairspring & High Yarridge, £109 Lea Well, £108.50 Riding Farm, £108 Hownsgill.

Dutch Texel x - £126.50, £116, £114 & £108 Willimoteswick.

Suffolk x –£123 Rare Dean, £121 Felton Demesne & Thrunton, £118 Eslington Hill (x2) & Halfway House, £115 Whitechapel, £110 Thockrington, £109 Yetlington Lane, £108 Thockrington, £106 Rare Dean, £105 Eslington Hill, £104 Moorlaws & Nackshivan, £103 Bankfoot & Steel Hall, £101 The Bridges & Chipchase, £100 Causey Burn.

Beltex - £170 & £145 Newbiggen Hill.

Beltex x - £134 Hownsgill, £127 & £112 Woodland House, £110 Hownsgill, £109 High Knitsley.

Leicester - £119 Woodcroft, £105 Penpeugh.

Dorset x – £106, £95 & £92.50 High Barns.

Cheviot - £106 & £94 Flotterton.

Cheviot x- £98 Riding Farm.

Cheviot Mule - £117 Halfway House.

Mule – £119.50 Redburn, £119 & £109 Farneyshield, £104 Woodcroft, £100 Cawfields, £97 Farneyshield, £95 Beveridge, Parkside, Townfoot, Farneyshield & Ravensworth Grange, £94 Farneyshield, £93 Whitechapel.

Blackface – £100 Townshields, £89 Penpeugh, £86 Moorlaws.

Swaledale - £95 Woodcroft, £91 & £87 Farneyshield, £85.50 Woodcroft.

Crossbred – £98 & £84 Steel Hall.