Penrith
SOME 2510 prime lambs sold through Penrith and District Farmers’ Mart last week, where they cashed in to average 186p per kg.
They topped at 243p for two Beltex weighing 42kg from WH Brass, Low Row, and £107 for 64kg Texels from JG and RW Nevinson and Son, High House Farm.
The 824 cast ewes and rams were led by Texels from Elm House which made £111.

Huntly
PRIME lambs sold at comparable rates on the week at United Auctions’ sale of 873 lambs last week, where trade reached 182p per kg for 38kg Texels from Reaster, Lyth, and £92 for 65kg continentals from Wardhead, Strichen.
Cast ewes (1027) sold slightly easier on the week and to a top of £102 for Suffolks from Milton of Culloden.

Forfar
LAWRIE and Symington sold 17 prime cattle at Forfar last week, where bullocks averaged 233p per kg and heifers levelled at 244p.
Limousin crosses from Nethermyres topped at 258p for a heifer weighing 519kg and £1547.91 for a 637kg bullock.
Bullocks also peaked at 256p for a 579kg British Blue from Nethermyres with heifers to £1460 for a 584kg Limousin from West Bog.
In the sheep section, 1002 prime lambs averaged 174.6p and reached 222.7p for Beltex from Mains of Dalrulzion and £100 twice for more of the same from the same home.
Among the 222 cast ewes, Suffolks from Southdown topped at £110.50.


Cockermouth
A GOOD show of 72 prime cattle sold through Mitchell Auction Company last week, where trade reached 219.5p per kg for a Limousin heifer from Messrs Bowe, Hunday Farm.
Leading the gross section at £1519.70 was a Limousin bull from D and MA Wilson, Lamplugh Hall.
Among the sheep, 1839 prime lambs peaked at 232.5p for a pen of Beltex from A and L Gott, Prospect House Farm, and £110 twice for Texels from Messrs Richardson, Low Garth.

Thainstone
SELLING through Aberdeen and Northern Marts last week, were five bullocks which cashed in to average 227.9p per kg and seven heifers which levelled at 215.4p (-0.1p on the week).
Heifers topped the price per kg and gross sections when a 500kg Limousin from Waterside of Forbes, Alford, made 241p and a Limousin weighing 600kg from Mill of Fowlis, Muir of Fowlis, made £1350.
Waterside of Forbes also topped the bullock trade when a Limousin weighing 510kg sold for 236p and another weighing 600kg made £1320.
Averaging 126.1p (+1.2p on the week), 202 beef cast cows sold to 178.3p for a Limousin from South Crichie, St Katherines, and £1390 for another Limousin from Whiteside, Tullynessle.
Six dairy cows sold to 95p and £665 for a Friesian from Tarbothill, Bridge of Don, to average 80.7p, and the six bulls levelled at 95.4p (-17p) and sold to 107.4p for a Simmental from Skinnet, Halkirk, and £1190 for an Aberdeen-Angus from Glenernie, Dunphail.
On the same day the firm sold 1422 new season lambs which levelled at 171.8p (+4.9p) with the 774 SQQ lambs at 175.4p (+3.6p).
They peaked at 204.1p for 49kg Beltex from Hallhill, Kinneff, and £100 twice – firstly for 56kg continentals from Balmaleedie House, Grangehall, and secondly for 49kg Beltex from Hallhill.

Longtown
ANOTHER large entry of 5883 prime lambs sold at C and D Auction Marts, where all classes sold 5p-10p per kg dearer on the week, particularly light and export weights while heavy lambs remained a fast selling trade.
The sale peaked at 279p per kg for a pen of Beltex from Gelston Castle Farms, Castle Douglas, and £109 for another pen of Beltex from the same home. The run of 237 lambs from Gelston averaged £91.27 or 229.6p, compared to the sale average of 182.1p (SQQ 183.3p).
Cast ewes and rams (4277) saw light ewes up £2 on the week and heavies up by £5. A Texel ram from C Jackson, Langdyek Cottage, topped at £155, with ewes to £153 for heavy Texels from Chaseside and light ewes to £70 for Cheviots from Eastside.

Ayr
BELTEX from HS Watson, Laigh Tarbeg, Ochiltree, topped Craig Wilson’s sale of 2428 prime lambs at Ayr last week, when they sold for 214.6p per kg.
Averaging 178.8p (-2.1p), they also reached £92 for Beltex from Dalreoch.
The 476 cast ewes and tups saw heavy ewes reach a top of £123.50 for a pen of Texel ewes from G and M Wardrop, South Craigton, Newton Mearns, to level at £63.06.
Light ewes averaged £34.21 and reached £64 for a pen of Blackface ewes from W Kerr, Middleton, Newton Newton Mearns.
On Tuesday, the firm’s sale of prime cattle included 27 heifers which averaged 229.6p and to bullocks at 222.8p.
Leading the trade at 253p and £1530.65 was a Limousin cross heifer from Girvan Mains, while bullocks peaked at 243p and £1445.85 for a Limousin from Boreland.
The 55 cast beef cows averaged 126.8p and sold to £1460 for an Aberdeen-Angus from Girvan Mains and 167.3p for a British Blue from Back Rogerton.
The 84 dairy types peaked at £890 for a Friesian from Boreland and 107.5p for a Friesian from Perryston, to average 94.6p.

Dingwall
FORTY prime heifers sold through Dingwall and Highland Marts’ this week, where they averaged 219.2p (+7.2p on the week) and sold to 239p for a 565kg Limousin cross from Easter Strath, Killen, and £1404 for a 675kg Charolais cross from Mountrich, Dingwall.
A British Blue from Easter Sheep Park, Balblair, topped the bullocks at 233p (+18p) and £1328.10.
In the sheep section, 581 new season lambs levelled at 165.5p (-0.2p) with 430 SQQs at 167p (-3.1p). They sold to 195.9p and £95 for a pen of 48.5kg Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge.

St Boswells
SELLING through Harrison and Hetherington on Monday were 55 clean cattle, which peaked at 268p per kg for a heifer from Bee Edge and £1570.40 for another from the same home.
The sale saw 36 heifers average 226p (-5p on the week) with 17 bullocks at 220p (+2p).
The entry of 85 cast cows levelled at 131p, having hit tops of 191p from Woodhead and £1469 from Monteith House.
Prime lambs were led by entries from Crookston, at £120 for Texels and 230.1p for Beltex. The 2059 lambs levelled at 181.6p (-0.2p).
Averaging £61, the 663 cast ewes hit £117 for Texels from Messrs Stirling, The Bow, with rams to £145 for a Texel from Wedderlie. Heavy ewes averaged £81 with light ewes at £45.

Carlisle
A LARGER entry of 57 prime bullocks and heifers was forward at Harrison and Hetherington’s sale on Monday, where trade reached £1676.67 for a British Blue from Messrs Nicholson, Gill Farm, Blackford.
Top price per kg of 241.5p per kg was paid for a Charolais heifer from Messrs Byres, Ellen Bank, Wigton.
Among the 69 prime bulls, a Simmental from Messrs Goldie, Newbie Mains, Annan, topped at £1639.89, with a similar bull from Messrs Rogerson, Maison Gill, Great Absy, to 235.5p.
There was another large entry of 390 cast cows and bulls, an increase of 37% compared to the 2016 sale, which resulted in an average up 10p on the week.
The sale peaked at £1760 and 216.4p for a Limousin cow from Maulscastlew Farm, while a mixed show of dairy cows reached 156.6p for Friesians from Messrs Neill and Sons, Thornington, as well as £1052 for a Holstein cross from Messrs McMiken, Upper Barr.
A strong entry of 2827 prime lambs averaged 188.57p with SQQs at 192.3p, a rise of 4p on the week for 700 more sold.
They peaked at £109.80 and 252.4p for a pen of Beltex crosses from Messrs Sanderson, Swallowdene, selling to Paisleys Butchers, Wigton.
Cast ewes continued to make a good trade and reached £113.50 for Texels from EM Johnston, Springfield.


Castle Douglas
AVERAGES were slightly back on the week due to a larger a show of small and heavy lambs at Wallets Marts’ prime sale at Castle Douglas.
A total of 1798 lambs averaged 176.09p per kg with SQQs at 179.05p. They sold to a top of £104 or 260p for Beltex from Messrs Bunting, Bridgestone.
Among the cast sheep, Texels from Copelaw topped at £97.