Another fantastic Friday at NWA Lancaster selling 450 head of cattle all done and dusted by 12.40pm.

CALVES

Calves started the day with a packed ring of buyers all keen to purchase replacement stock, with many going home with empty trailers.
A nice entry of 74 quality calves forward through the calf ring at Lancaster this Friday. Top of the sale was a stylish Charolais 6 week old bull calf from G.R Bargh achieving £550, a good entry of 7 Hereford calves from T.E & M Kidd averaging £445, another packet of outstanding calves forward from J.P & C Robson, including British Blues bulls up to £440 and British Blue heifers up to £330, J.E Seedall showed a good selection of Beef Shorthorn calves at £290, £280, £220, Fleckvieh at £215 and a Charolais at £380. Other British Blues from Barber Farms at £360 and WG Farms at £350 and £335. Other Aberdeen Angus to £340 and £265 from T & CM Kelsall & Sons. A selection of newly weaned calves from R.E & P Miller averaged £188 and £295 for a Hereford heifer. J Bargh & Son had a consignment of 10 Angus & Blue calves reaching an average of £306. A trio of weanling Angus steer at £490 and 2 Angus heifers at £475.

OTM/CAST CATTLE

OTM Cattle came next and another good entry of over 100 cattle with trade selling to extreme rates. The sell live and thrive statement definitely rings very true today with three quarters of the entry all dairy bred.

Topping this section was DJ & KA Gardner, Quernmore with a Friesian cow grossing £1700, not far behind as Drinkall Bros, Over Wyresdale at £1638. Fleckvieh cattle sold to £1642 or 217p/kg from JS&KM Wilson & Son, Kendal with Shorthorn Cows at £1506 from EW&CR Clegg & Sons, Stalmine. Numerous other dairy cows sold over the £1500 barrier. Biggest pence per kilo for a Dairy cow was 239.5p/kg for a Friesian from JW&DL Park, Ellel, with others Friesian cows over the 200p/kg mark at 209.5p/kg from Drinkall Bros, Over Wyresdale and EE Thornton & Sons, Heaton.

Beef cows sold to £1632 or 221p/kg for a Charolais from J&S Holmes, Scotforth with Limousin cows to 239.5p/kg or £1516 from EJ Ward & Sons, Nether Kellett.

OTM Heifers saw Wallbank Farms, Over Wyresdale sell British blue to 274.5p/kg or £1756 with Angus heifer at £1546 from JD&EM JA Atkinson, Kendal. Friesian heifers to £1400 from JB & C Lamb, Thurnham with others at £1332 from the same home.

OTM Steers saw the trade of the day topping at £2088.63 for a Limousin from J Bargh, Heaton with Oxcliffe, others from Wallbank Farms, Over Wyresdale to £1541 for a Friesian.

Just a handful of cull bulls in today, topping at £1483 from MJ Bullough, Leigh for a Limousin.

All otm cattle today averaged 190p/kg or £1280.

More cattle required next week for our large ringside of buyers.

STORE CATTLE 

Store Cattle trade continues to surpass vendors expectations with 200 going through the main ring, with 25 of that making £1700 or over. Topping the trade was R&EA Gardner, Brigsteer with a trio of 22 month old Charolais Steers at £2020. A single stylish Limousin Steer at 19 months to £1840 from DE & SM Moorhouse, Kendal. Other Charolais Steers to £1800 for a pair from H Chapman & Son, Carnforth. Angus Steers sold to £1760 from J&JM Walmsley, Pilling and £1740 from L Parsons & Sons, Levens. Pair of British Blue steers sold to £1760 from M Shepherd & Sons, Pilling with another pair from DE&SM Moorhouse, Kendal at £1740. EJ Ward & Sons, Nether Kellet good run of cattle saw his Hereford steers top at £1700 with other Herefords at the same price from KG&LM Park, Grange over Sands. Younger store steers saw the trade of the day with 15 month old Aberdeen Angus Steers sell to £1300 from FW Rhodes & Son, Ellel, and 15 month old British Blue Steers to £1260 from JA&ME Mawson, Penrith. Friesian Steers sold to £1250 from TH Wensley & Son, Kirkham.

A trio of Welsh Black heifers took the top spot today in the heifer section from R&DM Rossall & Sons, Pilling selling to £1700. Regular Lancaster supporter WT Eastham & Sons, Goosnargh sell his Angus Heifers to £1580 not far behind also for Angus Heifers from L Parsons & Sons, Levens at £1570. Limousin heifers sold to £1540 for a stylish pair from P Cummings, Burton in Kendal. Hereford heifers saw J Fisher & Son, Whitechapel to £1510. Simmental heifers peaked at £1440 from G GU & D Swarbrick, Meathop with British Blue heifer at the same price from WT Eastham & Sons, Goosnargh.

Vendors urged to enter cattle for the next weeks sale as there seems no let up in the trade here at Lancaster on a Friday where we have the buyers to handle large numbers of cattle.

STIRKS

Lancaster Mid Monthly sale of stirks saw this particular new sale format well supported with both vendors and buyers alike. Hitting the headlines today from RG Woodhouse, Scorton with 12 month old Limousin Steers to £1200. Aberdeen Angus Steers to £960 for a pen of 5 from G&D Ball & Son, Great Eccleston with other Aberdeen Angus steer to £860 from E&J Redmayne, Winmarleigh. British Blue steers to £960 from R Fare, Roseacre with others from the same home at £890. With Dairy bred steers to £860 for Montbeliardes from E&J Redmayne, Winmarleigh.

Heifer Stirks today peaked at £820 for Aberdeen Angus from R Fare, Roseacre who also had British Blue heifer stirks at £770. D&J Hay, Cockerham not far behind at £740 for a pen of 6 British Blues. W Pinder Jnr, Clitheroe at the same price this time for a pair of Limousins. Bull stirks very much in demand today with 10 month old Simmental bulls at £980 from Barlow Bros, Preston. A pen of 5 10 month old British Blue bulls from PF Lee, Over Wyresdale saw spirited bidding to £950.

Lancasters next stirk sale is Friday 26th May with vendors urged to enter cattle with confidence.