Weekly sale reports from Hexham and Northern Marts

All classes were noticeably dearer on the week with renewed interest from the usual good company at the ringside prompting significant lifts for all 18 of the breeds represented on the day.

Older forward continental sorts took a step up on recent levels albeit for a great show of quality with many more bullocks exceeding £1300 than seen of late. The sale was topped at £1425 for an exceptional three-quarter bred black Limousin cross bullock at 19 months of age from weekly consignor Geoff Ogle, Blackburn, Slaley who sold six very similar types to average a worthy £1360 throughout.

Another highlight of the continental classes were the smart pen from John Davison, Lough Green who scaled to £1390 for his best Limmy cross steer with a Blue cross from the same Langley parish home hitting £1350 contributing to a tidy average of £1328 for 6 sold.

The first beast sold on the day topped the heifer class and this one was a huge black and white Angus cross lady from noted County Durham producers; father and son Simon and Andrew Hall, East Butsfield. With great weight and cover the home bred heifer was one of very few sold over thirty months of age and yet travelled to a noteworthy £1390 being purchased by Tony Green for his Penshaw Farm Shop bespoke butchery counter which sells only top quality Aberdeen Angus Beef.

All classes of native breeds saw a marked lift on the sale held in October and it was the heifer that topped the Angus section however a super bullock at 20 months from The Holystone Estate of Chris & Janet Watmore that was presented by stockman Thomas Hammond followed close behind at £1370 with their nine best bollocks all at the same age by the same top quality pedigree black bull returning at £1286 per head. No fewer than 117 Angus and Angus cross cattle were sold on the day from across Northumberland, County Durham & Cumbria to average a highly respectable £1017 throughout.

A great many native breeds were represented from the popular to the less frequently seen however all were in good demand.

Leading Prices;

Cattle 30+ Months

Lincoln Red x steers – £1020 Alndyke

Angus x heifers – £1390 East Butsfield

Cattle 23 – 30 Months

British Blue x steers – £1030 High Warden

Lincoln Red x steers - £990 Alndyke

Limousin x heifers - £1120 Greencarts

Charolais x heifers – £1080 Blakelaw

British Blue x heifers – £910 East Newham

Angus x heifers – £1100 Aydonshields

Simmental x heifers – £1135 & £1080 Greencarts

Hereford x heifers – £1045 Gallowhill

Cattle 17 – 22 Months

Limousin x steers – £1425 & £1405 Blackburn, £1390 Lough Green, £1350 Blackburn & Shitlington Hall, £1340 Blackburn, £1330 & £1305 Shitlington Hall, £1300 Lough Green & Shitlington Hall, £1280 Blackburn, £1240 Lough Green, £1185 Armond Carr, £1120 Woodhouse, £1020 South Farm, £940 High Warden

Charolais x steers – £1310, £1230 & £1200 Rare Dean, £1135 Gallowhill, £1025 Hartburn Grange

British Blue x steers – £1350 Lough Green, £1040 Bank Top

Angus x steers – £1370, £1350 & £1275 Holystone, £1250 Rare Dean, £1230 Holystone, £1225 East Uppertown, £1220 Holystone, The Stobbs & Snape Farm, £1210 & £1190 Chesterwood, £1170 Broadlea, £1160 Broadlea, Chesterwood & Snape Farm, £1145 The Stobbs, £1130 High Barns, £1115 Peddar Hill, £1090 Chesterwood, £1070 Catcherside & Wingates Wholme, £1050 East Uppertown (x2), £1045 Peddar Hill, £1030 East Uppertown & Peddar Hill, £1020 The Stobbs & Peddar Hill, £990 High Barns & Greystone House, £980 Collierley, £970 Bank Top, £960 Peddar Hill & Greystone House, £950 Wallish Walls & Bank Top, £930 & £890 Middle White Hill

Beef Shorthorn steers - £1055 Sillywrea, £1040 Woodlands Hall, £1035 Sillywrea, £1000 Sillywrea & Woodlands Hall

South Devon x steers - £1120, £1090 & £990 Wingates Wholme

Hereford x steers - £1000 Gallowhill

Lincoln Red steers - £900 & £890 Alndyke

Stabiliser x steers – £890 Greystone House

Whitebred Shorthorn x steers - £945 Snitter, £900 Fallowlees

Limousin x heifers - £1170 Armond Carr, £1150 Armond Carr & Grange House, £1090 Armond Carr, £1010 Millfield Demesne, £990 Middle Heads, £980 East Newham, £970 South Farm, £920 & £915 West Moorhouses, £910 South Farm & Middle Heads

Charolais x heifers – £1070 Rare Dean, £1000 & £975 Gallowhill, £970 East Fourstones, £930 Hartburn Grange, £875 Hedley West

Angus x heifers – £1200 Aydonshields, £1140 & £1135 Stoup Hill, £1120 Rare Dean, £1115 Aydonshields, £1085 High Barns, £1080 & £1060 (x2) Stoup Hill, £980 Partridge Nest

Simmental x heifers – £1040 (x2), £1035 (x2), £1010, £1000, £990 & £980 Newton Greens, £890 East Newham

South Devon x heifers – £1040, £980 & £915 Wingates Wholme

Hereford x heifers - £1055, £925, £900 (x3) & £850 East Fourstones

Beef Shorthorn heifers - £940 Sillywrea

Murray Grey heifers - £930, £900, £880, £865 & £860 West Hepple

Cattle 11 – 16 Months

Limousin x steers – £1195 Little Bavington, £1090 & £1085 Woodhouse, £1030 Little Bavington, £950 & £870 Dukesfield Hall

Charolais x steers – £1270 & £1105 Gallowhill, £1045, £1010, £980, £975 & £940 Blakelaw, £925 Hartburn Grange

British Blue x steers – £1035 Woodhouse

Angus x steers – £1145 High Barns, £1005 Highfield, £1000 Snape Farm & Greystone House, £970 Highfield & Ravensworth Grange, £950 Ravensworth Grange, £920 Bank Top, £905 New Rift, £890 Lough House, £870 Middle White Hill.

Simmental x steers – £890 Burdonside

Beef Shorthorn steers – £950 Woodlands Hall

Hereford x steers - £1040 Gallowhill

Belted Galloway steers - £950 Milkup Bank

Limousin x heifers - £1060 Middle Heads, £1040 Grange House, £1020 Middle Heads, £1000 & £990 Grange House, £980 East Newham, £945 West Moorhouses, £940, £935, £900, £895 & £885 Dukesfield Hall, £880 Windy Hill, £865 Dukesfield Hall

Charolais x heifers – £1010, £1000, £900 & £890 Blakelaw, £885 Tosson Glebe, £875 Harewalls, £870 Blakelaw, £850 Gallowhill & Hartburn Grange, £835 Hartburn Grange

British Blue x heifers – £1000 West Moorhouses

Angus x heifers – £905 High Barns, £890 East Newham, £870 Bank Top, £845 New Rift, £805 Bank Top

Simmental x heifers – £900 Newton Greens

Hereford x heifers – £1135 Grange House

Cattle 10 months and under

Charolais x steers – £915 Blakelaw

Angus x steers – £800 Cleughside

South Devon x steers – £770 Cleughside

Beef Shorthorn steers - £720 (x3) Springhill

Charolais x heifers – £730 Tosson Glebe

Store Sheep

Cast Ewes

Another large show (1051) of Cast Ewes and Rams met increased demand with all buyers keen for all classes of stock. Topping the sale at £146 was a tremendous Texel ewe from Mr JA Sowerby, Amos Hill.

Texel – £146 Amos Hill, £134 Errington Red House, £124 Milfield, £114 Palm Strothers, £106 Stotsfold, £97 & £92 Bellingham Demesne, £90 Whitelees

Texel x – £134 Holling Hill, £124 Mill House & Brokenheugh, £122 Capheaton New Houses, £120 Capheaton New Houses & Dukesfield Hall, £116 Hallington New Houses, Stotsfold & Hownsgill, £112 Mill House, Little Swinburne & Peel Flatt, £110 Milfield, £108 New Dotland & Milfield, £106 Palm Strothers, £98 Amos Hill, Crook Dene, Bellingham Demesne & China Hall, £97 Catreen & Bellingham Demesne, £96 East Butsfield, Hedley Park, Redesmouth, Little Swinburne & Stone Hall, £95 Catreen, £94 Hallington New Houses, Milfield & Haggwood, £93 The Chesters, £92 Amos Hill