Store Cattle

There was a bumper entry of 400 store cattle forward this week which attracted a busy ringside of buyers including some fresh faces. The trade saw grazing cattle in very strong demand with short keep cattle selling to a similar trade. Leading the way today was a Simmental bullock selling to £1300 from R Escolme, Bay Horse. Angus bullocks topped at £1300 from V & EJ Chadwick & Son, Sowerby. Lmiousins sold to a top of £1290 from M & L Preece, Kirkby Lonsdale with other Limousin bullocks selling to £1280 from WA Hodgson, Whinfel and £1260 from DE & SM Moorhouse, Natland and RA Easterby, Westhouse. Other noted prices for Angus bullocks were £1260 from SJ Brass, Ingleton. There were plenty of bullocks easily selling around the £1200 mark. The heifer trade topped at £1180 for British Blues from K & DE Woodhouse, Ellel with Angus heifers selling to £1160 from the same home with other Angus heifers achieving the same price from JW Atkinson, Bentham. Limousin heifers topped at £1150 from D Fox & Co, Bayhorse with British Blues achieving the same price from H & C Pickervance, Kirkham.

Black and whites of all types were a strong trade today topping at £1160 from R & E Ladds, Kendal other black and whites sold to £1100 from K & DE Woodhouse.

All bullocks forward this week sold to an average of £1042.13 with heifers averaging £960.88.

OTM Cattle

There was a larger entry of 97 Cast Cows at Lancaster this week following on from the bank holiday last week. They were met by a good trade; however plainer cows were slightly harder to place this week. Topping the market today was a Limousin Cow from JM & JJ Dawson, Little selling to 174.5p/kg with another Limousin cow from the same home selling to 164.5p/kg or to £1232 and £1219. OTM British Blue Heifers sold to a top of 169.5p/kg from RC Billington & Son, Claughton-on-Brock with OTM Bullocks selling to 164.5p/kg or £1110 for Friesians from Messrs GR Park & Sons, Whinfel. Young dairy cows sold to a top of 157.5p/kg from JH Towers & Son, Tunstall with plenty of good meated dairy cows either side of 140p/kg mark. Top price per head today in the cast ring was £1320 for a Hereford bull from MJ Fell Ltd, Whittington. Black and white dairy cows sold to a top of £1200 from L Burrow & Son, Lower Tatham with others to £1133 from MJ Fell Ltd, £1119 from H Wright & Son, Whittington and £1100 from RE & P Miller, Barnacre. 20% of the cattle in the OTM ring sold in excess of £1000 today.

Calves and Stirks

The on going success of the Lancaster stirk sale saw a record entry of 199 forward. There was a vibrant ringside of buyers looking to purchase all sizes, ages and breeds of stirks, with buyers present from throughout the northern counties and further afield. Now spring is in the air and grass growing well customers were eager to purchase stock. Leading the way today was yearling British Blue bullocks from J & A Sheerin, Quernmore selling to £735. Limousin yearling bullocks topped at £700 from R & J Parkinson, Preesall with yearling Hereford bullocks selling to £700 from E Lund & Son, Ingleton. Yearling Angus bullocks topped at 680 from R & J Parkinson. Numerous pens of bullocks sold in excess of £600 mark. Bulls sold to a top of £670 for Limousins from D Fox & Co, Bayhorse with British Blues selling to £605 from JK & B Birkett & Son, Morecambe. The heifer trade topped at £575 twice for September and October born British Blues from FW Rhodes & Son, Ellel and WR Clarke & Partners, Carnforth, others sold to £570 and £565 from the Rhodes Family. There was plenty of late autumn born stirks regularly selling in the five hundreds. Dairy bred bullocks saw Montbeliardes top at £505 from GR & B Mason, Wharton with autumn born British Friesian bullocks selling to £460 from EE Thornton & Sons, Heaton. Other black and white bullocks sold to £455 from WJ & EA Woodhouse, Nateby who also sold others to £435 at under a year old.

August and September born Black and white bulls sold to £425 from CJ & J Stackhouse, Newton with others from the same home selling to £380.

There was a smaller entry of calves forward this week due to the stirk sale with larger numbers anticipated next week. Top price today was a month old British Blue bull selling to £265 from Barker Farms, Carnforth with heifer calves topping at £180 from RT Halhead, Cockerham.