Another busy Friday sale at NWA Lancaster with 315 cattle sold in just over two hours through three sale rings. Store cattle to £1670, OTM to 269.5p/kg and £1802, Calves to £450.

OTM / CAST CATTLE

The sale commenced with cull cows which saw a top price of 234.5p/kg for an Aberdeen Angus X from GR Bargh & Co, Caton with others at 229.5p/kg for a Limousin x from A&P Hodgkinson, Stalmine and 224.5p/kg from Mason & Gardner, Ingleton. Other medium beef cows were generally 195p/kg to 215p/kg, depending on quality and type. Top grossing beef cow was a Limousin from Mason & Gardner, Ingleton totalling £1733, with A&P Hodgkinson, Stalmine achieving £1562. A much leaner show of dairy cows saw a top price of 201.5p/kg for a Holstein Friesian from H Halhead & Son, Nether Kellet with others at 197.5p/kg from TA&RM Dawson, Quernmore, 194.5p/kg from WE&G Hewitt & Sons, Cockerham and GA&A Atkinson, Cantsfield. A much plainer show of day cows saw those direct ex parlour selling at 165p/kg to 180p/kg, with the very leanest and lightest at realisation. Top grossing dairy cow as a Holstein Friesian from WE&G Hewitt & Sons, Cockerham achieving £1569 who also sold others at £1599 and £1511.
Heifers sold to 259.5p/kg for a British Blue x from M Shepherd & Sons, Pilling with others at 239.5p/kg for a Limousin from JH Atkinson & Partners, Selside and 237.5p/kg for a Hereford x from WS Burrow Ltd, Silverdale. Dairy heifers sold to 251.5p/kg for a Montbeliarde from JR Newsham & Son, Conder Green who sold others at 239.5p/kg. Holstein Friesian achieving 229.5p/kg from J&G Thornley Ltd, Kirkham. Beef heifers sold to £1655 for a British Blue x from MJ Shepherd & Son, Pilling with diary heifer selling to £1651 for a Holstein Friesian from WN&D Smith & Sons, Cockerham.
Steers sold to 269.5p/kg and £1802 for a British Blue x from A Kirkby & Co, Pilling with Aberdeen Angus x selling to 247.5p/kg and £1710 from WS Burrow Ltd, Silverdale. Other steers were generally 220p/kg to 230p/kg.
All culls today averaged 185.5p/kg and £1138.

CALVES & WEANLINGS

A smaller entry of 71 rearing and weaned calves saw a large crowd of farmer buyers, keen to secure replacement stock. Weaned calves sold to £450 for a British Blue x bull from RT Halhead, Cockerham with Hereford x selling to £410 and £400 from TE&M KLidd, Ellel. Aberdeen Angus x sold to £390 from J&G Thornley Ltd, Kirkham. Rearing bull calves sold to £365 for a British Blue x from Lawson Farm Ltd, Cockerham. Younger Continental bull calves were £260 to £300. A large number of native sired bull calves forward, sold to £350 on three occasions, with others at £340, £335 and £300 from Tom Barron Farms, Ltd Cockerham. Younger native sired bulls sold between £220 and £280.
Weaned heifer calves sold to £350 for a Hereford x from TE&M Kidd, Ellel with British Blue x at £340 from J&G Thornley Ltd, Kirkham. Rearing heifer calves sold to £310 on two occasions from EE Thornton & Sons, Thornton with Lawsons Farm Ltd, Cockerham selling British Blue x to £300 with others at £290 and £280. Native sired heifers sold to £280 for an Aberdeen Angus x from Tom Barron Farms, Catforth. Month old Herefords sold to £240 from MJ&H Atkinson, Quernmore. Other younger native heifers were £160 to £210.

STORE CATTLE

Despite the report of downward pressure on the beef price, buyers were ring side keen to secure replacement stock to keep sheds full. The sale peaked at £1670 for a trio of Aberdeen Angus x steers from J&H Davis, Cabus. British Blue x at £1650 from Mason & Gardner, Ingleton with Aberdeen Angus x achieving £1600 from RG&B Lewis, Kirkby Lonsdale and GT&GV Dobson, Clitheroe. Limousin x steers sold to £1560 from J Lamb, Glasson and WS Burrow Ltd, Silverdale. Closely followed by a trio of Limousin x form EJ&P Burrow, Storth achieving £1560. Dairy steers sold to £1290 for British Friesians from EE Thornton & Sons, Heaton with others at £1270 from EJ Hodgson & Son, Lambrigg. All steers forward averaged £1345.
Heifers sold to a top of £1490 for a pair of Simmental x from EW&A Bradshaw, Stalmine. Closely followed by British Blue x from GT&GV Dobson, Clitheroe at £1470 and Aberdeen Angus x also achieving £1470 from WS Burrow Ltd, Silverdale. Other stronger heifers were regularly £1300 to £1400. Yearling pure Limousin heifers from P Cummings, Burton in Kendal sold to £1220. All heifers forward today averaged £1171.