SHEEP WITH LAMBS AT FOOT
The weekly sale of sheep with lambs at foot had an entry of 109 forward, selling to a very sharp trade especially for hill sheep which were in big demand and eagerly bid for, as the weather has improved and grass has jumped out of the ground. The trade topped at £225 for aged Texel ewes with twin lambs from NJ Strickland & Sons, Whinfell. Also achieving the £225 mark was a pen of Mule shearlings with twin Texel lambs FROM J & SJ Riseborough, Warton with Mule shearlings with singles selling to £175.
Jacob ewes with Texel twins sold to £215 from KF Warton, Tebay with Jacob ewes with singles achieving £155. Hill bred ewes saw Gritsons with twins sell to £198 from S Miles, Ulverston. Young Herdwick cross ewes from Messrs Edmondson, Great Langdale sold to £168 and £165 sucking singles.
Broken mouthed Herdwick ewes with twin Texel lambs sold to £128 from Kirkby & Longworth, Dunnerdale with broken mouthed Herdwick ewes with single lambs from the same home achieving £92. A consignment of Mule hoggs with single Suffolk lambs from JC Hodgson, Dent sold to £202, £198 and £195; the consignment of 43 hoggs with lambs averaging £193.30.
SPRING LAMBS
Junction 36 enjoyed a far better trade than the previous week and was well in-line with the national averages on the day, with an overall market average of 328p/kg and SQQ of 332p/kg. Heavy weight lambs continued to demand a premium with lightweight lambs once again eagerly bid for and looking well sold.
Leading the way this week was a consignment of heavy weight Texels from I M Jaeban, Cockermouth selling to £182, £180 and £171. Other noted prices for Texels were £166 from JT & A Armistead, Selside, £158 and £150 from D & C Middleton, Burrow, and £150 from George Geldard, Levens.
Heavy weight Suffolk Mules sold to £173 and £168 from DE & SM Moorehouse, Natland with other consignments of Suffolk Mules to £167 from MW & M Hodgson, Cartmel Fell, £166 and £155 from JN & DJ Bowes, Crook and £153 from M & RW Stirzaker, Milnthorpe. Southdowns weighing 48kg sold to £152 from CM Jennings, Selside. Plenty more pens of lambs sold between £140 and £150. Better confirmation lambs easily selling in excess of the 360p/kg mark, topping at 367p/kg from JE Wightman, Lupton followed by 365p/kg from W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe.
Light wight lambs weighing between 33-35kg regularly selling between £111-£120 with better confirmation lambs selling in excess of this.
PRIME HOGGS
The smallest entry of prime hoggs were forward but well finished hoggs were still in plenty of demand and eagerly bid for. Heavy weight Texel hoggs sold to £179 and £160 from I Ridding, Old Hutton and handy weighted Texel hoggs from J G Harryman, Hawkshead sold to £124. Best confirmation, handy weighted hoggs were still selling in excess of the 300p/kg mark with commercial, well finished hoggs 250-280p/kg.
CAST SHEEP
320 ewes were forward today with trade continuing to go from strength to strength at J36. Pure bred Texel ewes from Harry Geldard sold to £195 with others from the same home selling to £175. With Texels out of Mules from M & S Blease, Carnforth selling to £170. All Texel ewes forward averaged an impressive £124. J A & R Geldard & Sons sold an impressive run of Charollais ewes to £186.
Suffolk ewes sold to £153 from JS Horner, Ingleton with Leicesters selling to £148 from R Capstick & Son, Ingleton. Zwartbles sold to £136 from George Geldard. The annual consignment of Hampshire ewes from M Probert, Clitheroe sold to £123. Mule ewes were once again keenly bid for once again at J36 with a top of £126 from D & D Huddleston, Wray with a penful selling to £125 from RF & C Hodgson, Pennington. Cheviot Mules sold to a peak of £113 from TH & DM Cornthwaite & Son, Cartmel Fell.
All hill ewes were a flying trade with Cheviots selling to £131 from JE Swann, Cartmel Fell with Rough Fells selling to £116 from MW & M Hodgson, Cartmel Fell who also sold Swaledales to £115.
An impressive trade was seen for all cast rams forward with Charollais selling to £179 from B & D Willison & Son, Levens, Texels selling to £178 from I Ridding, Old Hutton, Leicesters selling to £174 from R Capstick & Son, Ingleton and Teeswaters to £164 from BJ Bainbridge, Shap.