Prime sales for Issue August 12

Cockermouth
MITCHELLS auction company’s sale of primestock attracted an entry of 83 cattle, comprising 62 cast cows, 19 bulls and 2 clean cattle, and 2470 sheep, comprising 1987 lambs and 483 cast ewes and rams.
Top price was 229.5p per kg or £1445.85, for a Limousin steer from Messrs Bowe, Hunday Farm, with the same home also selling the lead priced heifer at £1307.28.
Cows peaked at £1655.85 from Messrs Knight, Stephney Farm, or 211.5p per kg for a Limousin from KD Harryman, Keskadale.
Prime lambs peaked at £130 and 282.6p per kg for a single Dutch Texel lamb from WS Jackson, Nook Farm, with cull ewes selling to £124 for Texels from Mayfied.

Newton Stewart
CRAIG Wilson’s sale of 1019 prime and cast sheep saw lamb averages rise 14p per kg on the week to level at 192.6p per kg for 846 head.
Top price was £100 per head paid for heavy Beltex from Tormitchell or 216.3p for Beltex from Bret Corcorran, Viewfield. 
A poorer show of cast sheep saw lighter ewes hard to cash with Blackface rams from Wood of Dervaird, leading the trade at £84. Ewes sold to £78.50 for Lleyns from Knockiebae.

Thainstone
NEW season lambs averaged 192.9p per kg (+4.3p per kg on the week) at Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ sale of 471 prime sheep, at Thainstone.
Top price was 212.2p  for 41kg Beltex from Holmhead, Bucksburn and £104.50 for 51kg Texels from Bogiefeulach, Tornaveen. 
New season SQQ up to 45.5kg (320) was 194.6p per kg (+2p).
Prime cattle sold the same day saw 16 bullocks level at 207.7p (-14.4p), with 14 heifers at 232.1p (+6.0p).
A Limousin cross bullock from Waterside, Alford, led the trade at 237p while a 770kg Limousin cross from Hillocks, Whiterashed, topped the gross trade at £1470.70.  
Heifers peaked at 249p per kg for a 610kg Limousin and £1586.25 for a 675kg Charolais both from Mains of Elrick, Auchnagatt. 
The same home also topped the entry of two young bulls when a 715kg Limousin cross mad 199p or £1333.30.
Beef cows (142) averaged 148.3p (+0.2p) selling to 196.5p for a 565kg Limousin from Mossbank, Burray and £1690 for a 1060kg Charolais from Biggings, Toab, while the eight dairy cows averaged 109.4p (+2.4p) having peaked at 128.9p for a 640kg Friesian from Westfield, Stromness and £875 for a 730kg Friesian from Hillhead of Muirton, Whitecairns.  

Stirling (Cale)
LIMOUSINS led the way at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 193 prime cattle, producing the lead prices in the majority of sections.
The sale, which comprised 95 bullocks and heifers, 10 young bulls, 98 cast cows and bulls, saw a heifer from Moorfield, Kilmarnock, sell at 250p per kg, while a bullock from Brockwoodlees, Canonbie, matched the 250p bid and sold for £1598.
Brockwoodlees also produced the lead priced lot amongst the heifers at £1635.
Young bulls sold to 218p twice for Limousins from Bolfornought, Stirling and Mains of Throsk, Stirling and to £1696 from Bolfornought.
Prime bullocks averaged 228p with heifers at 229p and young bulls at 210p. Beef cows cashed in at 138p with dairy types at 107p.
A Limousin also led the cast cow pence per kg trade when an entry from M Jack, Carriston, Star of Markinch, made 196p, while an Aberdeen Angus topped the gross trade at £1590 for A and J M Taylor, Mosshall, Blackburn.
Top price amongst the dairy cows was 132.8p from W Waugh, North Bankhead, Avonbridge and  £1100 from A J Mackie, High Belltrees, Lochwinnoch.
On Tuesday, some 2460 prime lambs, ewes and tups, were sold with 1928 lambs cashing in at 186.6p (-9p on the week).
Top price went to a pair of 47.5kg Beltex from Doune Farms which made £109, while a 43kg Beltex from  RA Campbell and Son, Meikle Seggie, 233p per kg along with a 42kg Texel from and M Ralston, Rhoin, Campbeltown.
Heavy ewes (160) averaged £77.10 having sold to £101 for a Texel cross from W Crawford, Craigend, Stirling, while 182 export ewes averaged £40.77.
Tups sold to £100 for a Texel from W Owen, Muirpark, Stirling.

Stirling (UA)
JUST shy of 5446 prime sheep to include 3888 lambs and 1558 ewes and rams were forward for United Auctions’s sale at Stirling, which saw lambs level at 188.2p per kg.
The sale, which included the West and Central Suffolk Club show, judged by L Armstrong, saw a pen from Ian Reid, Isle Cottage, take the championship and sell for £96 per head.
Reserve was a pen from Messrs Barr, Layden, which sold for £106. 
Outwith the show, trade peaked at £123 for Texels from Cairn and 246p for Beltex from Goddens.
Cairn also led the ewe trade with Texels at £147, with Suffolks from Denside topping the rams at £104.

Longtown
A LARGER show of 3067 prime lambs for C and D Auction Mart’s sale saw lightweight fleshed lambs dearer on the week, with heavyweight lambs still in demand and regularly realising over £90. The sale averaged 196.8p per kg with an SQQ 196.8p.
Top price was 251p for Texel lambs from EJC Dean, Kirk House, Brampton or £115 for Texel lambs from K Hall, Baggarah, Low Row.
Another large show of 5347 cast ewes and rams was led by a pen of Texel ewes from AR Bell, Kirkton, Hawick, at £160, with rams selling to £154 for Texels from Messrs Gass, Nunscleugh. Blackface ewes peaked at £83 from Carterton Cottage.
The entry of eight prime cattle and 33 OTM, was led by Limousin heifers from the Grice family at 210p per kg.
Cows sold to 156p for a British Blue cross cow from Harry and Geoff Gass, Nunescleugh.

Lanark
A TOP price of 256p per kg was achieved at Lawrie and Symington’s prime cattle sale on Monday, when a 554kg Limousin heifer from David Dickinson, Brockwoodlees, Canonbie, was sold. 
Bullocks peaked at 230p from Hill Farm, with butchers cattle averaging 245.1p.
The entry of 85 cast cows and bulls was led by a Friesian cow at £1065 from Messrs Smith Greentowers, while beef cows peaked at £1055 or 158p per kg for a Limousin from Hole of Kilncadzow.
New season lambs (1832) averaged 198.4p and sold to 272.7p for 44kg Texel from John Paterson, Oxenshaw and £120 for 44kg Texel from John Paterson, Oxenshaw.
Ewes sold to £135 from Texels from East Shawtonhill.

Ayr 
AT Ayr on Monday, Craig Wilson had forward 2071 prime lambs and 1098 cast ewes and tups which sold to 215.6p per kg for a pen of 45kg Beltex lambs from T Miller and Son, High Gameshill, Stewarton, to average 191.5p (-3.4p on the week.).
Heavy ewes sold to £117.50 for Texel ewes from J Yorke, Holms of Caaf, Dalry, with to average £74.14 per head, with light ewes peaking at £63.50 for Blackface ewes from JW Kay and Co, Gass, Straiton, to average £40.73 per head.
Cast tups peaked at £126 for Texel tups  from J McFadzean and Co Broadshean, Kirkoswald.
On Tuesday, the firm sold 16 prime cattle and 224 cast cattle which peaked at 241p per kg and £1497 for a Charolais heifer from Messrs Young, Girvan Mains and £1497.
Top price per head was £1534 or 230p per kg for a Charolais steer from Messrs McJannet, East Enoch. The 13 heifers averaged 232.2p.
Good meaty cows peaked at £1370 for a Salers cross from Messrs McIntosh, Oldhall and 213.3p per kg for a Limousin cross from J Sutherland, Rosemount.
Black and white cows sold to £1140 from R Agnew, West Dhuloch and 147.61p from Messrs Barrowman, Mid Knockglass.
Overall, 117 dairy cows averaged 113.3p; 100 beef cows cashed in at 138.4p and seven clean cattle levelled at 161.9p.

St Boswells
HARRISON and Hetherington’s weekly primestock sale attracted an entry of 62 clean cattle, 45 beef cows, 2067 lambs and 528 ewes.
Bullocks (19) averaged 228p per kg (+4.5p on the week) and sold to 252p from Beech Bank, while heifers (41) levelled at 232p having peaked at sold to 257p (N.C.) from the same home. Top price per head was £1532.72 from Upper Nisbet.
Young bulls (two) averaged 214p.
Leading the beef cow trade at £1822 was an entry from Top Boon, while another from Mosstower made 197p per kg. The 45 cows averaged 143p 
The sale of prime lambs which included a Texel show and sale, saw 2067 average 197p per kg.
Champion was a pen of Texel lambs out of continental cross ewes from Crumhaughhill which made £108, with the reserve, the second prize pen in the class, from Craigsford Mains, making £97 per head.
Top price per kg however, was 223.2p paid for Beltex lambs from Crookston.
Ewes (528) saw heavy types average £62.58 with lighter weights cashing in at £44. 

LEADINGawards
Texel lambs X Suff X ewes – 1, Huntington, £104; Craigsford Mains, £88; Corsbie,            £98.
Texel lambs X Cont X ewes – 1 and champion, Crumhaughhill, £108; 2 and reserve, Craigsford Mains, £97; 3, Lochside, £97.50.
Texel lambs X Mule ewes – 1, Huntington, £104; 3, Gilston, £96; 3, Muircleugh, £93.50.

Dingwall
PRIME cattle prices improved on the week at Dingwall and Highland Marts’ prime sale on Tuesday, where seven bullocks averaged 231.1p (+5.1p) and 24 heifers at 227.9p (+0.2p).
Top prices included 237.0p per kg for a 605kg Limousin cross from Udale, Poyntzfield and £1498.20 for a 660kg British Blue cross also from Udale.
Heifers peaked at 236.0p for a 590kg Simmental cross from Bridgend Farm, Dingwall £1509.60 for a 680kg Limousin cross from Udale.
However, new season lambs (620) fell 11.3p to average 174.9p having sold to 188.8p and £84 for a pen of 44.5kg Texel crosses from Easter Suddie, Munlochy. Suffolk crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge, also made £84. SQQ 36.5kg to 45.5kg (500) averaged 176.4p (-10.8p). 
Feeding sheep (143) sold to £97 for a Texel ewe from Moy Bridge Croft, Wester Moy.

Castle Douglas
SOME 1874 prime and cast sheep were forward for Wallets Marts’ sale on Tuesday where 1607 prime lambs sold to average 193.4p per kg with an SQQ 194.31p.  Lambs were slightly less on the week apart from the best bred lambs.  Also included in the sale was the inaugural young handlers show and summer show of prime lambs.
The event which included a show and sale saw judge J MacTaggart, select a pen of three Beltex lambs from Gelston Castle farms, as his choice of champion. They scaled 36kg and sold for £110 to the judge. 
The second prize pen of Beltex scaling 39.1kg also from Gelston Castle, collected the reserve honours and sold to Ballards buchers, Castle Douglas. 
Cast sheep (267) sold to £95 for Texels from Meiklewood.