Calves & Weanlings

An entry of 93 calves sold to a competitive trade with those of a weanable age easier to sell than younger calves that would require milk, this purely being a reflection of current rearing costs. Weaned Aberdeen Angus bull calves from RF&C Hodgson, Pennington sold to £530 and £510, with others at £440 from W&S Airey, Whittington. Older rearing calves sold to £370 for a British Blue x bull from JW&TE Shape Ltd, Lyth who sold others at £350 and £340. The younger end of calves sold to £290 for a British Blue x bulls from A Pickthall, New Hutton and FB Dunning & Son, Houghton with others at £280 from HJ Robinson & son, Preston Patrick. Other young rearing bull calves generally sold between £180 and £220, depending on breed and quality.
Weaned heifer calves sold to £460, £450 and £430 for Aberdeen Angus x from RF&C Hodgson, Pennington. Weanable heifers sold to £300 for Aberdeen Angus x from W&S Airey, Whittington. Younger rearing heifer calves sold to £250 for British Blue x from JT&T Sharpe Ltd, Lyth with others generally selling at £200 to £250, with the very youngest £150 to £180.
A smaller entry of 31 stirks were forward today, ahead of the catalogue entry of 625 store cattle. Stirks sold to a top price of £1000 from S Whitehead, Middleton who showed a trio of ten month old Limousin x bulls. All other stirks forward today ranged from four to six month old with Aberdeen Angus x steers selling to £590 from Colby Farm Ltd, Appleby who also sold Limousin x at £560. Whitebred Shorthorns sold to £500 from G Malpass, Dent. Heifer stirks sold to £800 for Limousin x from Brown Bros, Dent who sold another British Blue x and Limousin x to £780. First cross British Blue heifers from F&TE Park, Crook sold to £630 and £610. Younger heifer stirks from Colby Farms Ltd, Appleby sold to £520 for British Blue.

Beef Breeding

A small entry of beef breeding cattle which saw a Limousin x cow with a month old bull calf at foot achieving £2000 from JD&DJ Hutchinson, Sedbergh. Older cows with heifer calves at foot sold to £1600 from C Slater, Witherslack. In-calf heifers sold to £1500 for a Limousin x from AP&R Crowe, Rusland who sold others at £1480.

Store Cattle

The pre sale show was kindly sponsored by MB Nutrition and Armstrong Watson accountants with the judging in the capable hands of Mr James Crichton. The show was won by noted local breeders Martin and Julie Winn, Burneside showing a home bred 10 month old British Blue x heifer. Mr Crichton awarded the results as followed;

Class 1 - Suckler Bred Bullock

1st A&P Hodgkinson with a Limousin selling to £1400

2nd MW&M Hodgson with a Limousin selling to £1270

3rd M&L Preece with a Limousin selling to £1380

Class 2- Suckler Bred Heifer

1st MA&JA Winn with British Blue selling to £1080

2nd MW&M Hodgson with Limousin selling t0 £1260

3rd B Wilson & Sons with Limousin selling to £1090

Champion- MA&JA Winn with British Blue selling to £1080
Reserve Champion- A&P Hodgkinson with a Limousin selling to £1400

A catalogue entry of 623 store cattle were put before a packed ringside of new and returning customers, ensuring a blistering trade throughout the day. North West Auctions very own Robyn Allen topped the sale today selling her home bred Limousin bullock at £1680, with £1660 achieved for Charolais bullocks from RJ&R Holden, Silecroft who also sold Shorthorn bullocks to £1630. This impressive run of cattle from the Holden family averaged £1580 for ten sold. A wonderful run of well farmed cattle from B&D Willison & Son, Tebay saw Aberdeen Angus bullocks sell to a top of £1560 with Limousin bullocks selling to the same price. Hifers from JW&N Taylor, Dent saw Limousin sell to £1540. A full pen of Limousin heifers sold for £1520 from B&D Willison, Tebay. Strong Continental bred cattle were regularly selling at the £1400 to £1500 mark, all day long. Yearling bullocks were in keen interest today with Limousins selling to a top of £1460 from JG&PH Thompson, Selside. A pair of British Blue sold to £1400 from NA&J Temple, Ulpha with Limousins also achieving the same price from A&P Hodgkinson, Stalmine. Grazing yearling Continental bullocks were regularly selling around £1050-£1100 mark. Ten month old Limousin heifers sold to a top of £1270 from MW&M Hodgson, Cartmel Fell. Smart well bred suckler heifers were regularly selling over the £1200 mark.
Buyers expressing interest to attend the next sale on Thursday 16th March, vendors are encouraged to enter cattle with confidence for this sale. Todays sale saw all steers sold average £1111 and heifers £999 with the entry being predominantly 10-14 months old.

OTM Cattle

Another fast trade for all cull cows, with an overall market averaged of 188p/kg achieved with two thirds of the entry being dairy cows and many of these being direct out of the parlour. A real shortage of the best beef cows today. Those forward sold to 264p/kg for a Limousin x from T&SB Procter, Kirkby Stephen with Stabilisers selling to 244.5p/kg from A Dixon & Son, Selside as well as Charolais x from R&BJ Cleasby, Broughton in Furness. Medium beef cows were regularly 190p/kg -210p/kg with keen interest in those suitable for finishing. Top grossing beef cow today was a Charolais x from GA Guy, Tebay achieving £168. The £1500 barrier was broken on another three occasions by RHM&S Boyren, Colton and T&SB Procter, Kirkby Stephen.

No real headlines in the dairy cows today, with a top price of 194p/kg achieved by JR&S Handley, Heversham and Jenkin Cragg Farms, Kendal with an entry of predominantly parlour cows regularly selling at 165p/kg-185p/kg depending on quality and type. Top grossing dairy cow today was a Holstein Friesian from Jenkin Cragg Farms achieving £1420.
Beef heifers sold to 249.5p/kg and £1383 for Aberdeen Angus x and British Blue x from JW Robinson & Son, Farleton. Dairy heifers sold to 187.5p/kg and £1282 for a Holstein Friesian from P&DW Swindlehurst, Underbarrow.
Steers sold to 219.5p/kg or £1183 for a Hereford x from Mason Birkland Barrow, Over Kellet.
Cull bulls sold to 184.5p/kg or £1522 for a Galloway from B&D Willison & Son, Tebay.