Store Cattle
A good entry of store cattle forward at Lancaster with over 350 forward for the sale once again. There was a very mixed entry of store cattle forward, with good quality, nearly finished cattle continuing to sell to a premium at Lancaster, with longer term cattle harder to place but in keeping with other auction markets.
Today’s sale topped at £1350 for an Aberdeen Angus Bullock from GF & EE Holt of Preston with other Angus Bullocks selling to £1280 from PJ & P Mason of Out Rawcliffe.
British Blue Heifers sold to £1100 from JD & GM Bracken of Garstang and also for a pair of British Blues from M Shepherd & Son of Pilling.
Vendors are reminded that Gates are open from 7 am and requested to forward cattle for sale ASAP with fully completed paperwork to avoid queues.
OTM Cattle
There was another good entry of cast and OTM cattle at Lancaster today, with all being eagerly bid for by a busy ring of buyers. Cows sold to a sharp trade, especially for the time of year and numbers forward, although nationally now numbers are beginning to tighten. Cast cows sold to an overall market average of 114p/kg for 122 with all black and white cows selling to a market average of 102p/kg.
Topping the Cast Cow trade today was RG Robinson of Farleton selling an Aberdeen Angus Cow to 159.5p/kg with JE & AC Clarke & Son of Melling topping the price per head with a Limousin Cow selling to £1242.30.
Friesian Cows sold to a top of 134.5p/kg from AT Burrow & Son of Gressingham.
Cast Heifers sold to 169.5p/kg for a Friesian from GT & M Lawson & Son of Bentham and also for an Aberdeen Angus from DR & E Milner of Claughton-on-Brock.
There was a few Cast Steers forward today selling to a top price of 199.5p/kg from DE & SM Moorhouse of High House Farm who also topped the Cast Bull trade at 219.5p/kg both for Limousins.
Following ministry inspections, vendors are reminded to ensure that cattle are fit to travel to the auction market and lame and cows with overgrown feet will be turned away.
Calves and Stirks
A sharper trade for stirks at Lancaster today, with a young entry of stirks, the majority being between 4 and 7 months old, sold to a good crowd of buyers and on lookers. The trade topped at £650 for British Blue bulls from G & MA Smith of Samlesbury with AA bullocks selling to £580 and £575 from the Masons of Birkland Barrow. There was more interest in heifer stirks today where they were eagerly bid for selling to £490 for British Blue heifers, again, from G & MA Smith and Limousins to £460 from the same home. Weaned Angus bulls sold to £400 from JK & BJ Birkett of White Lund with black and whites selling to £355 from J & CW Metcalfe & Son of Hare Appletree.
The weekly sale of calves had a slightly smaller entry, black and white calves, once again, were eagerly bid and more are required to meet the demand from buyers. There was less top quality beef calves on offer today with a younger entry in the market, Angus bulls sold to £285 from Joylan Farms and Simmental Bulls from JR Newsham and Son of Sellerley Farm. Once again, good quality black and whites, between four weeks and eight weeks of age, sold in excess of £100 topping at £152 from Drinkall Bros of Catshaw Hall and David and Eileen Wallbank selling their black and whites to £148. More good quality black and whites required to fulfil requirements from buyers, beef calves always required at Lancaster.