Averages: 59 cows £1621.33; 129 pedigree milking heifers £1752.56; 38 unregistered milking heifers £1420.79; 59 maiden heifers, £801.82; 28 heifer calves £420.48.

Limited availability of milking females coupled with the continued rise in farm gate milk prices ensured a cracking trade for Holstein cattle at the Mid Month dairy sale at Beeston, where more than half the entry sold for in excess of £1800.

The sale, which attracted an entry of 347 head, of which 320 were forward on the day saw 63 active purchasers. Such was the demand for the 226 milking females that no fewer than 28 sold for more than £2000; 91 at £1800 or above and just nine selling for less than £1000.

Heifers met fierce competition from start to finish, selling to a top of £2350 for Lachstone Felix

Joyfull from J and TJN Platt, Lach Dennis. A daughter of Sahara Felix that had calved just three weeks previously and giving 37litres, she sold to DE and MR Davies, Powys.

Gavin Struthers' Balcurvie herd from Fife, was again in the money, selling the second top priced heifer at £2320 to WE Blockley, Tarvin. His Kampman daughter giving 35litres, calved a month previous.

Mr Struthers also received £2300 for a Pesky heifer giving 33kg from Messrs Davies, Powys with other top sales from the herd including heifers at £2280, £2250, £2220 and £2200.

Matching the £2300 sale was a heifer from Richard Pilkington's Aintree herd, by Revamp giving 35kg daily having calved three weeks. The buyers were JE, DM and JE Moss.

Unregistered heifers also made the grade, selling to £2120 for local producer, A and K Thompson, Winsford.

Topping the cow section at £2150 was a second calver from D and AC Shakeshaft, Colemere, which had calved a month ago and is giving 44.9litres. She sold to JG and CA Bayley.

Bishop Auckland producers, G Thompson and Sons, also went to £2150 for a daughter of

Michelob, calved a week and giving 38 litres from BA and AM Charlesworth, Minshull Vernon.

An uncharacteristically small entry of in-calf heifers peaked at £1300 for a pedigree heifer,

in-calf to Aberdeen Angus from JJ and JD Hughes, Crewe; with recently served heifers from PA Bostock selling for £1020.

Maidens peaked at £1030 on two occasions for 13-month-old heifers from ES Cole and Son, Diss.

Auctioneers: Wright Marshall