Store Cattle

The prize show for store cattle was kindly judged by Mr Michael Cook, Ulverston who awarded the Championship Rosette to a Limousin x steer from TA Chapman & Son which the judge later purchased at £1350. The Reserve Champion rosette was awarded to a British Blue x heifer from JM & KE Ellis which later sold for £1150.

The sale was topped by TW & C Shepherd, Nook selling a Blonde steer at £1355, well grown steers regularly sold between £1000 and £1200, with all sold averaging £980. Stronger heifers were nicely selling at £880 to £1000, with those cattle showing the effect of the hard summer a more selective trade but all selling to full value.

A larger number of native bred cattle were forward today and all easily sold. Hereford steers achieved £1000, Angus x sold to £975 with heifers to £1040 for Hereford x. Yearlings generally were £720 to £850 for steers and heifers between £680 and £750.

Several young bulls were forward, selling to £935 for pure Limousins from Messrs Hodgson with younger sorts £725 to £880.

The next sale is on 4 October and includes the first prize show and sale of 400 suckler calves plus 120 store cattle and the monthly beef breeding sale.

Calves

The fortnightly sale of calves and stirks had an entry of 50 forward for the sale. A better trade was enjoyed throughout the sale apart from bobby calves, which were much harder to place this week. British Blue bulls sold to a top of £340 and £290 from DR & C Galbraith of Grayrigg with beef bull calves regularly selling in excess of the £250 mark. British Blue heifers regularly sold in excess of the £200 mark topping at £230 from DR & C Galbraith. Rearing black and whites were a strong trade, with calf rearers looking for calves that are in excess of one month old. Black and white calves sold in excess of the £100 mark for the best well-grown types, topping at £135 from JK &A Bowness and Son of Milnthorpe.

A handful of stirks on offer meant a brisk trade for well grown stirks, especially with many worried about a possible shortage of fodder over the winter months. Six month old Simmental steers sold to £520 from Kirkby and Longworth of Broughton in Furness with British Blue heifers to £510 and £480 from the same home.

Cast Cows and OTM Cattle

There was an increased entry of cull cows forward today as farmers look ahead to housing stock.

Well-fleshed beef cows sold to 179p/kg from S Procter with others regularly selling between 140p/kg and 160p/kg. Feeding type cows generally 115p/kg to 130p/kg, dependent on age and condition. Top grossing beef cows were £1216 for a Charollais x from S Procter, others were £800 to £950 for further finishing.

Dairy cows sold to 117p/kg from J Handley, mediums were 100p/kg to 110p/kg with the leanest ex-parlour cows less, grossing at £812 from JM Barton & Son. Several cull bulls today sold to 124p/kg and £1273.

Breeding Cattle

Several older outfits were forward today selling to £1080 for Angus x cows with Angus x calves at foot.

More cows and calves and breeding bulls are anticipated at the next sale on 4 October.