Store Cattle

The weekly sale of cattle commenced with a 9-year-old Simmental cow with a 4-month-old Simmental heifer calf at foot on behalf of the late JH Gardner, Pilling which sold to a very competitive price of £1480.

There was a full compliment of Store Cattle buyers present today keen to secure additional stock ensuring a fast trade for all cattle forward today. Steers sold to £1360 for Angus’ from G Sagar & Son, Caton with a Limousin x to £1340 from WS Burrow & Sons, Silverdale with £1300 achieved for an Angus x from R & E Ladds, Kendal and British Blues from WS Burrow & Son. Plenty of strong short keep steers sold in excess of £1200 with over half the entry selling in excess of £1100. Several younger steers forward today sold to £1080 for Simmentals from the late JH Gardner who sold others at £1010. Limousin steers sold to £1000 from MA & JA Winn, Burneside with 12-month-old pure Herefords selling at £750 from JC Fawcett & Son, Barnace. Dairy bred steers sold to a top of £1100 from EJ Hodgson & Son, Lambrigg with others at £1080 from GE & AP Hewitt, Cockerham and £1050 from EE Thornton & Sons, Heaton.

Heifers today sold to £1240 for Angus’ from G Sagar & Son, Caton with L Parsons & Son, Levens achieving £1220 also for Angus’ followed JG & BJ Escolme, Killington also achieving £1220 for British Blues. Over half the entry of heifers sold in excess of £1050.

Several store bulls sold to £920 for 12-mont-old Blondes from K Brookes, Cockerham with Angus’ selling to £720 from O & H Melling, Kirkham who also sold Fleckviehs at £710.

Cast Cows

The weekly sale of Cull cows saw a very competitive trade for all classes and types with an overall market average for cull cows being 129.5p/kg with two thirds of the sale being dairy cows. An Aberdeen Angus cow from J & MM Cliffe, Forton lead todays sale at an impressive 184.5p/kg with a further three beef cows selling in excess of 160p/kg from JE Bracken, St Michaels and J & F Nutter, Clitheroe. Other well-fleshed beef cows regularly sold between 140-150p/kg with keen buyer interest in beef cows for further finishing.

Dairy bred cows sold to 159.5p/kg for a Fleckvieh from JC & E Mason, Levens with a Holstein Friesian selling at 149.5p/kg from RT Halhead, Cockerham. Other well-fleshed dairy cows regularly selling at 132-148p/kg with mediums 125-130p/kg with parlour type cows 105-115p/kg.

Top grossing cow today was £1208 for a Holstein Friesian from Lawson Dairy Ltd, Cockerham with a Limousin x from JE Bracken very close behind at £1205 with J & F Nutter selling a British Blue at £1202. Today seven cows sold over £1100 with 18 over £1000.

OTM Heifers sold to 204.5p/kg on two occasions from Limousins from RH & RA Fawcett, Carnforth with an Angus x selling to 181.5p/kg from Messrs Hey & Sons, Quernmore. OTM Dairy heifers sold to 167.5p/kg from J Burrow & Son, Barton with others to 164.5p/kg from WN & D Smith & Son and 195.5p/kg from D & E Monk, Bispham. Top-grossing heifer was £1165 for a Limousin from RH & RA Fawcett with Holstein Friesians selling to £1093 from WN & D Smith & Son.

OTM Steers sold to 204.5p/kg on two occasions for a Limousin from RH & RA Fawcett and a Shorthorn from R & EA Gardner, Brigsteer. Top-grossing OTM steer at £1168 was Shorthorn from R & EA Gardner with all five steers selling in excess of £1000.

A couple of bulls forward today sold to 129.5p/kg for an Angus from FA Brown & Son, Carnforth and a Hereford selling to £1218 from JC Fawcett & Son, Barnacre.

Calves & Stirks

The weekly sale of calves and weanlings had the smallest entry seen for a long time in Lancaster with more desperately required to fulfil the strong demand we have at Lancaster. British Blue bull calves twice sold to a top of £480 from J & G Thornley, Kirkham closely followed by £475 for British Blue bull calves from Drinkall Bros, Over Wyresdale. Also selling in excess of the £400 was Simmental steers calves from WG farms, Cockerham selling to £405 whom sold Charolais bull calves to £380.

Native calves saw Hereford bulls sell to £320 and £310 from DH & M Kellet and Sons, Thurnham. The heifer trade peaked at £300 for Charolais from WG farms, Cockerham. No beef calves sold under £240 in Lancaster this week, as more calves are wanted. Once again, black and white calves in strong demand for all sizes. Topping this week was Drinkall Bros selling a 36-day-old bull to £200 with others from the same home to £150 and £145. Wallbank farms, Over Wyresdale sold to £150 and £145 twice.

A selection of stirks topped at £575 and £570 for six-month-old British Blue steers from Sam Ashcroft, Euxton with heifers selling to £510. Black and white steers sold to £455 from D Atkinson, Quernmore.