North West Auctions held its fortnightly sale for all classes of cattle at its J36 auction mart site which today saw a total of 853 cattle sold to a large crowd of local and travelled buyers, all keen to attend this popular sale which is becoming well known for offering large quantities of high quality stock.

CALVES

Thank you goes to our judge, Harold Wilson, Selside, with a wonderful show of calves put before him and after much deliberation he awarded his Champion rosette to the 1st prize British Blue heifer from J W & T E Sharpe, Lyth selling to £410. Also today a thank you must go to our sponsors Semex.

A good entry of 140 calves were forward with strength and well reared calves meeting a premium with smaller calves selling to a selected trade. British Blue bull calves led the way selling to £470 from R Morris – Eyton & Son, with other Blue bulls selling to £460 from E J Hodgson & Son, Lambrigg. All Blue bull calves forward selling to £360. R T Halhead, Cockerham sold an impressive run of Charolais Calves to £400 and £380. Native bred calves were keenly bid for with a young show forward and Aberdeen Angus selling to £305 from B J & M Tomlinson, Preston.

There was keen interest for heifer calves suitable for further breeding with British Blue heifers selling to £410 from B Mallinson & Son, Levens, with others at £405 from A Pickthall, New Hutton and Charolais calves selling from R T Halhead, Cockerham.

A big show of dairy bred bull calves were forward and Fleckviehs selling from £235 from R M Towers, Lancaster with others from the same good home selling to £230. The best rearing Black & Whites were regular selling around the £100 mark.

SUCKLER CALVES

The pre-sale judging was in the capable hands of Miss Sally Lloyd, Herefordshire and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all vendors for the quality of cattle put forward. After much time and deliberation, she awarded the championship rosette to the first prize Limousin bullock from M & D Hatton, Broughton Mills who also received the Reserve Championship for the first placed British Blue heifer capping off a wonderful day for the Hatton family.

A wonderful ring of buyers were forward for this renowned sale with stock selling to all corners of the British Isles. Buyers are already expressing keen interest to attend the second show and sale of suckler calves on Thursday 11th November for which vendors are strongly encouraged to enter cattle with confidence.

Suckler Bulls
Suckler bulls attracted keen interest with well grown sorts suitable for immediate finishing, keenly bid for, selling to £1140 for Limousin x from DE & SM Moorhouse, Natland with other Limousin x selling to £1045 JM Kelsall & Son, Quernmore and £1000 from TW Gorst, Crook.

Charolais x bulls sold to £1070 for a pen of 5 from C & S Dickinson Bandrake Head with a pen of 8 from Procter & Waring, Colton selling at £950. Blonde Aquitaine x bulls from HM Hodgson, New Hutton sold to £1020 with native sired bulls selling to £860 for a Hereford x from JE Atkinson, Nibthwaite.

Suckler Steers
Suckler steers saw a top price of £1170 achieved for a well grown Charolais x from R & BJ Cleasby, Broughton in Furness who sold others at £1140 and £1100. Well grown Charolais steers generally selling at £900 – £980. Limousin x steers sold to £1140 from M & D Hatton, Broughton Mills with MW & M Hodgson, Cartmel Fell selling the best of their run at £1120 with others at £1060. JR Corlett & Son, Cockermouth sold Limousin x steers to £1050 and £1020. Throughout the sale well grown steers were eagerly competed for generally selling at £880 – £1000. Native sired steers sold to £845 for Aberdeen Angus x from TM & D Dobson, Crosthwaite with others at £800 from DM Eames, Abbeystead. Luing steers from J Graham sold to £780.

British Blue x steers sold to £1280 from TW Gorst, Crook with others at £1055 from HR & KA Hodgson, Barbon and £1020 from JR Crolett & Son, Cockermouth.

Suckler Heifers
Suckler heifers saw keen interest again in well grown types with several buyers ringside looking to secure heifers suitable for future breeding. British Blue x heifers sold to a top price of £1220 from M & D Hatton,. Broughton Mills with pure Blonde Aquitaine from MJ Whitworth, Bolton le Sands selling at £1220 and Limousin x heifers from MW & M Hodgson, Cartmel Fell at £1150 and £1120 from JM Kelsall & Son, Quernmore and NA & J Temple, Ulpha.

Well-bred Continental heifers were regularly selling at £780 – £880 with younger sorts £650 – £750.

STORE CATTLE
Store cattle today saw steers sell to a top price of £1260 for a pure Limousin from RL & J Crowe, Rusland with Limousin x steers selling to £1230 from S & M Cooper, Leece. Other Continental steers sold to £1125 for Bazadaise x from J Hoggarth, Kendal. A large entry of native sired steers saw South Devons sell to £1195 from JM Haddow, Viver with Herefords achieving £1120 from the same home. Beef Shorthorns sold to £1090 from TE & A Galbraith, Crooklands, Longhorns to £1060 from E & SM Taylforth, Great Langdale and Aberdeen Angus x to £965 from AJ & H Clark, Sedbergh.

Heifers sold to a top price of £1270 for a Limousin x from MA &JA Winn, Burneside who sold others at £1170 with T Metcalfe, Garsdale achieving £1140 also for a Limousin x heifer. Other Continental heifers saw Charolais sell to £1120 from H Callon, Crosthwaite and British Blue £1000 from TW Nelson & Son, Stainton and B & R Barnes, Gilsmere. Native sired heifers saw Aberden Angus x sell to £980 from S & M Cooper, Leece with Herefords selling to £930 from T Smith, Pennington.

OTM AND CULL CATTLE
Today’s sale saw a large entry of predominantly plainer cows forward showing the effects of the recent changes in the weather. Heavy, well fleshed cows continue to sell to a premium with beef cows selling to 169p/kg for a pure Limousin from TW Gorst, Crook with this price also achieved for a British Blue from R & B Parker, Killington closely followed by J Black & Son, Kentmere selling a Limousin x at 167.5p/kg. Beef bred cows suitable for further finishing generally selling at 130p/kg – 145p/kg.

Top grossing beef cow today was a British Blue from R & B Parker, Killington achieving £1315 with an Aberdeen Angus x from JT Procter, Flookburgh achieving £1253.

Dairy bred cows sold to 129p/kg for a Holstein Friesian from Jenkin Crag Farm, Kendal with other Holstein Friesians at 127.5p/kg from RG & JG Clark, Endmoor and Fleckviehs also at 127.5p/kg from R & J Dodgson, Natland. Heavy, well fleshed diary cows were generally 110p/kg – 120p/kg with medium types 95p/kg – 108p/kg with the leanest sorts at realisation. Top grossing dairy cow was a Holstein Friesian from Jenkin Crag, Kendal at £1010 with others at £962 from W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe.

Cull bulls today sold to a top price of 169p/kg and £1364 for a British Blue from S Procter, Selside, and a Belted Galloway from DA & FB Dalby, Cartmel Fell achieving 117p/kg and £827.

Cull steers sold to a top price of 174p/kg and £1106 for a British Blue x from JW Robinson & Son, Farleton. Cull heifers sold to a top price of 209p/kg and £1137 for a Blonde Aquitaine from MJ Whitworth, Bolton le Sands with a Hereford x from Jenkin Crag Farm achieving 184p/kg and £846.

Dairy bred heifers sold to a top price of 154p/kg from Jenkin Crag Farm and £984 for a Fleckvieh from W H Kitching & Son, Helsington. All cows forward today averaged 126p/kg.