CALVES & WEANLINGS

Fewer calves about this week, mainly due to the weather, however the ones sold met a fast trade.
Rearing bull calves sold to £550 for a British Blue bull from Wallbank Farms, Over Wyresdale with others to £515 and £490 for Aberdeen Angus cross from J&G Thornley, Kirkham. Only a handful of real youngsters forward, with these selling to £250 for a three week old Hereford cross from MJ&H Atkinson, Quernmore. Weaned bulls sold to £620 for a British Blue from MH&AR Robinson, Kendal with Simmentals from this home £540.
Heifer calves a nice trade selling to £430 for British Blues from regulars JP&C Robson, Brock with other British Blues to £395 twice from this home. Aberdeen Angus cross sold to £400 from Wallbank Farms, Over Wyresdale and Herefords to £180 at eighteen days old from MJ&H Atkinson, Quernmore. A good show of weaned heifers forward sold to £640 for a trio of British Blues from PS&H Eckersley, Mellor with Aberdeen Angus cross close behind at £630 from Mason Birkland Barrow, Over Kellett.
We look forward to our sale next week, incorporating the monthly sale of stirks. Please inform Will Rogerson or Andrew Butler of entries.

STORE CATTLE

Lancaster’s weekly sale of store cattle saw trade go up not one but three gears, as buyers compete to keep their pens full, as the fat trade gets to decent returns. A few less about today with the weather playing havoc for vendors getting out of frozen farmyards and roads.
Those that did get to Lancaster saw a blistering trade from start to finish, top of the leader board today was K&DE Woodhouse, Ellel with an Aberdeen Angus steer at £2120, with others from this good home at £2000 (x3). Other Angus steers achieved £1940 for a pair from BW&G Robinson, Carnforth. K&DE Woodhouse, Ellel continued their good days trading with British Blue steers to £2100, £2040 and £2000 (x3), with this terrific run of cattle averaging £2029. Other well fleshed British Blues sold to £1940 for a pair from JH Bland & Sons, Levens with J&S Winstanley, Clifton at £1920. Younger British Blue steers were very much in demand, and saw a pen of four sixteen month olds at £1670 from TH Wensley, Kirkham. Limousin steers achieved £1840 from J Prest & Son, Bay Horse who also sold Friesian steers to £1620 for a pair, with other Friesian steers around the £1500 mark. Fleckvieh bred steers from MJ Waller, Lupton achieved £1700. Regular Lancaster vendor AJ&D Knowles, Kendal saw his Charolais steers achieve £1520. Herefords sold to £1580 for a pair from DH&M Kellet & Sons, Thurnham. All steers forward averaged £1604.
No let up in trade for store heifers, with these averaging £1422. Hitting the top spot today was ID Bailey, Preston who sold a Simmental heifer to £1860. Local supporter G Sagar & Son, Caton sold a pen of four Aberdeen Angus achieving £1740, with Pilling Hall at the same price for a single Angus. Other Angus heifers achieved £1640 from ID Bailey, Preston for a pair, who also sold Herefords to £1520. British Blue heifers saw R Capstick & Son, Ingleton roar past the £1700 mark at £1720 for a trio, with other from this same good home at £1680. As with the steers, younger heifers were sought after, with TH Wensley & Son, Kirkham selling sixteen month old British Blues to £1520.
If you have cattle to sell, please get in touch with one of our auctioneers or field officers who will be happy to help you get maximum returns for your cattle.
It is the monthly sale of stirks next week, please contact the office or Andrew Butler with entries for the catalogue by Monday 5pm.

OTM / CAST CATTLE

OTM trade continues to please vendors here at Lancaster, top pence per kilo today being an OTM steer from JC Prickett, Mewith reaching 319.5p/kg. OTM heifers topped at 269.5p/kg for a Black and White from J&G Thornley, Kirkham. It was a British Friesian that topped the cows this week at 264.5p/kg, this coming from GA&A Atkinson, Cantsfield. Good meated cows were all the top side of 200p/kg, with more medium sorts 175p/kg upwards. Only hard worked cows were less.
Top grossing price this week was a Limousin cast bull from TE JS & SA Carruthers, Underbarrow achieving £1974.49 (234.5p/kg), with heifers to £1724.80 from J&G Thornley, Kirkham and cows to £1713.96 from GA&A Atkinson, Cantsfield. Any amount of both sucklers and dairy cows broke the £1500 barrier.