Store Cattle

There was an entry of 200 Store Cattle today, which saw a mixed entry in terms of quality and a shortage of meated stores. Topping the trade today at £1220 were British Blue steers from M Shepherd & Sons, Pilling which was closely followed by R & A Easterby, Westhouse selling Blues to £1180. Angus’ topped at £1160 from DR Preston, Caton for a pen of three. Plenty of bullocks sold in excess of the £1100 mark. The heifer trade was topped by FA Nowell& Partners, Bentham, with a Limousin Heifer selling to £1130, followed by Blackburn & Wood, Out Rawcliffe with a Limousin selling to £1120. Black and white bullocks topped at £970 from L Parsons & Sons, Levens.

Cast Cows

There was a larger entry of cast and OTM cattle forward at Lancaster with 92 being sold to a sharper trade with numbers nationally having tightened. OTM Steers sold to 179.5p/kg from DR Preston, Caton with Montbeliarde heifers selling to the same price from P & A Bell, Pilling. Gelt black and white heifers sold to a top of 164.5p/kg or £1052 from WT Whitaker & Son of Nether Kellet. Beef cows sold to a top of 169.5p/kg twice for a Limousin and British Blue from MJ Whitworth of Bolton-le-Sands.

Dairy cows sold to a top of 137.5p/kg from JK & BJ Birkett & Son, White Lund. Black and white cows sold to a top of 129.5p/kg numerous times. Top price per head was £1102 for Friesians from AT Burrow & Son, Gressingham. Plenty of strong fit cows selling around the £1000 mark with an overall market average of 117p/kg with black and whites averaging 109p/kg.

Calves and Stirks

There was an entry of forty calves forward for the sale today at Lancaster. The trade saw top quality calves selling in strong demand with younger beef calves and native beef calves harder to place, as seen at other markets over recent weeks. The ring was busiest seen for some time with plenty of interest from purchasers. Topping the trade was a consignment of top quality British Blue bull calves from J & G Thornley of Roseacre selling to £400 twice and £390. There was plenty of interest in black and whites with their currently being a large number available on the market but plenty of interest ringside. A consignment from WN & D Smith of Cockerham sold to a top of £108. Good young rearing calves were often selling around the £70 mark.