Hexham and Northern Marts, at their weekly sale, offered a catalogue entry of 166 head of store cattle. A more mixed show of all classes were marginally easier on the week with the main focus of the day being the breeding sheep ring. The sale peaked at £1,480 for a big Angus bullock from Jeff Bennison, Warden Law, which was followed by the dearest female of the day; a heifer from John Kenyon, South Kirkheaton, which at 20 months, sold for £1,430.

A number of useful younger sorts were presented and these included a nice run of Angus steers at 10 months from Martin Johnson, High Fotherley, which topped at £1,110 and some smart Limmy crosses from the Reed Bros, Dyke Nook, that scaled to £1,070 for shapley steers and £975 for a heifer sister at the same age.

No sale of store cattle next week Friday 10, next sale Friday 17.

Cattle 23 – 30 Months

Angus x steers –£1100 Bankfoot.

Hereford x steers –£1170 & £1040 Warden Law.

Limousin x heifers -£1430, £1270 & £1200 South Farm.

Charolais x heifers –£1120 South Farm.

British Blue heifers –£1040 Wheelbirks, £990 Camp Hill.

Angus x heifers –£1370 & £1310 Sunniside.

Simmental x heifers –£1340 South Farm.

Cattle 17 – 22 Months

Limousin x steers –£1420 & £1300 Demesne, £1290 Close House, £1270 & £1245 Demesne.

Charolais x steers –£1150 Harewalls.

British Blue steers –£1000 (x2) Wheelbirks.

Angus steers –£1270 South Farm.

Angus x steers –£1480 Warden Law, £1400 South Farm, £1380 Church Farm & Warden Law, £1340 Church Farm, £1310 Demesne.

Limousin x heifers -£1260 & £1180 South Farm, £1170 Demesne.

Charolais x heifers –£1020 (x2) South Farm.

British Blue heifers –£980 & £880 Wheelbirks.

Angus x heifers –£1135 & £1040 Parkside.

Cattle 11 – 16 Months

Limousin x steers –£1350 Longlea, £1260 Camp Hill & Longlea, £1210 Longlea, £1205 Harewalls, £1190 Camp Hill & Low Huntwell, £1170 Longlea & Close House, £1165 & £1160 & £1140 Longlea.

Charolais x steers –£1080 Harewalls, £1060 & £1015 Harnham Hall.

Simmental x steers –£1050 & £925 Longlea.

Angus x steers –£1140 North Birks, £1080 High Fotherley, £1060 North Birks.

Hereford x steers –£1130 North Birks.

Stabiliser x steers –£1155 & £1060 The Ash.

Limousin x heifers -£1140 (x2) & £1040 East Newham.

Charolais x heifers –£1015 East Newham.

British Blue x heifers –£1140 Camp Hill, £1110 East Newham.

Angus heifers –£1150 & £1110 South Farm.

Angus x heifers –£1155 Parkside, £1050 North Birks.

Simmental x heifers –£980 7 £935 Butterknowes.

Cattle 10 months and under

Limousin x steers –£1070 Dyke Nook.

Angus x steers –£1110, £1040 & £1010 High Fotherley.

Simmental x steers –£1090, £1085 & £1010 High Fotherley.

Limousin x heifers -£975 Dyke Nook.

Store Sheep

Cast Ewes

Just shy of 1,000 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to a tremendous trade with everything dearer on the week.

Topping the sale was a trio of Texel Ewes at £178 from Mr RM Johnson, High Fotherley Farm.

Suffolk x Ewes sold to £146 for a pen of six from Messrs T W Telford & Son, Pasture Hill. Pasture Hill also sold a trio of Mules at £125.

A pen of 10 Blackface ewes sold at £107 sold from M/S H & C Morshead, Harsondale.

Texel x –£178 High Fotherley, £174 & £168 Middle Mown Meadows, £166 Round Meadows, £164 Pasture Hill, £162 & £160 Middle Mown Meadows, £156 & £154 Pasture Hill, £152 Low Houses, £150 Rothley Crag Farm, £148 Pasture Hill & West Wharmley, £147 Chesters, £144 West Shields, Low House, Pasture Hill, Chesters & Longhurst, £142 Middle Mown Meadows, £141 Low Houses, £140 Halfway House Farm & Low Houses.

Suffolk x –£146 Pasture Hill, £137 Delight Farm, £136 Newbiggin Farm, £120 Delight Farm, £118 Delight Farm.

Cheviot –£82 Highwood Farm & Errington Farm.

Mule – £125 Pasture Hill, £118 Delight Farm, £117 West Shields, Pasture Hill & Springwell Farm, £113 Round Meadows.

Blackface –£107 Harsondale, £100 North Cocklake.

Swaledale –£70 Lynnshield, £67 East Unthank.

Jacob–£70 Hall Hill Farm.

Store Lambs
Another fantastic show of store lambs were forward with 4,167 catalogued, with a fantastic trade to match.

Topping the sale was a tremendous Texel x lamb at £149 from R & P O’Kane, Closehead.
Messrs Younger & Stamp, Watch Hill, sold a Beltex x lamb at £146.

Not far behind at £140 was a superb pen of 10 Beltex x lambs from Messrs P & E B Robson, Middle Horsleyhope.

Twice at £139 were pens from Mr B Storey, Woodhead Farm (pens of 14 & 16). Also at £139 was a pen of seven from Middle Horsleyhope.

Mules sold to a very good trade, dearer on the week. Topping at £96 for a pen of 42 from Messrs JRP & JA Short, Ouston.

Cheviot lambs sold to £84.50 for a great run of lambs from Brian Urwin, Lynnshields.

Blackfaced lambs topped at £76 for a pen of 112 from Featherwood Partners.

More wanted for next week.

Texel x –£149 Closehead, £130 & £115 Chesterwood, £113 Matfen High House, £109 Rose Cottage Park, £108 Hepple Whitefield, £107.50 Matfen High House & The Uplands, £107 Monk Farm, £106 North Cocklake, £105 Tarefield, £104 Matfen High House & North Cocklake, £103 Rose Cottage Park, £102.50 Matfen High House.

Dutch Texel x -£139 (x2), £137, £134 & £122 Woodhead, £120 & £118 Agars Hill.

Suffolk x –£126, £118 & £112 Middle Horsleyhope.

Beltex x -£146 Watch Hill, £140 & £139 Middle Horsleyhope, £126 Hownsgill Farm, £124 Watch Hill, £123 Middle Horsleyhope, £115 & £114 Watch Hill.

Cheviot x –£84.50 & £83 Lynnshield.

Hampshire-£78 Broom House.

Mule –£96 Ouston Farm, £94 Hesleywell, £91 Low Chesterhope, £88 Brieredge Farm, £85 Carrycoats, £84 Ouston Farm, £83 Hesleywell, £82.50 Stobby Lea & Rattenraw, £81.50 Low Chesterhope, £80.50 Carrycoates & Brieredge Farm, £79.50 Pottsdurtrees & Gleedlee.

Blackface –£76 & £73 Featherwood, £72 Embley.

Swaledale -£66 Low Bleakhope.

At the special sale of Pedigree and Commercial Pigs at Dumfries on Saturday, September 4, C & D Auction Marts had 203 head forward with 191 sold.

The sale opened with a very well attended show and sale of 30 pedigree pigs judged by Alice Newth from Somerset and sponsored by Provita. Topping this at 600gns was Burry Tessa 10630, a fine in-pig September 2020 Welsh gilt by Burry James 8123 from the exceptional consignment from Ken and Sian Austin, all the way from Reynoldstown, Swansea.  She stood reserve champion and was purchased by Steven Wilson, Rusbyhill, Glasgow.

The Austin`s took 560gns for another of their Welsh in-pig gilts, Burry Sally 10654, again to Steven Wilson with others from the same pen to 480gns, this one going to Geoff Bemand from Leominster.

From Lymm in Cheshire, H. Booth and Son, of Broad Oak, brought their British Saddleback gilt, Chapel Fidra 4. From a rare Saddleback bloodline and in-pig, she went at 510gns. to J. and H. Buchanan, Cleish, Kinross. There was a total clearance in the Saddleback section. 

The champion, a Large Black gilt from S.J. Richardson & J.A. Wood, Sale, Cheshire, did not sell but the vendors were compensated by the 380gns paid for their well-bred Large Black boar, Finnington Defender.

A tremendous entry of commercial pigs again attracted a large crowd with Iron Age and Sandy Black boars at £220 and £200 respectively. A pen of organic Large Black baconers sold for £200 per head. Iron Age gilts sold for £180 and Saddleback gilts made to £160 with growers to £110 and Large Black growers at £100. A good trade was experienced for weaners which sold to £56, £51 and £50, some travelling to buyers as far afield as Orkney.