CALVES & STIRKS

80 calves and weaned stirks forward today, saw trade up another gear for all goods with all calves sold today averaging £454. Rearers flew to a top of £640 for six week old British Blue bulls from Lancaster regulars JP&C Robson, Brock. Aberdeen Angus not far behind at £585 for the Barbers of Manor House, Brock. Aberdeen Angus cross were possibly the trade of the day with other bulls to £580 and £545 from I Richardson, Catforth & H&SD Cornthwaite, Garstang respectively.
Rearing Heifers topped at £541 for an Aberdeen Angus cross from I Richardson, Catforth with others from this good farming at £485 x2. JE&J Pye, Quernmore treated us to a very sweet pen of Aberdeen Angus heifers selling to £475 and £465. British Blues sold to £340 for a young sweet pair from JP&C Robson, Brock with month old Limousins to £315 from MH&AR Robinson, Holmescale.
Weaned stirks sold to £840 for a trio of Hereford cross steers from D&J Hay, Cockerham with bulls to £750 for British Blues from AW&AM Park, Ellel. Slightly older black and white bulls from TD&A Gardner, Great Eccleston sold to £740.
Heifer stirks had to be seen to be believed, with A Shepherd, Preesall selling Aberdeen Angus cross to £725 and £715 x2, at just five months old.

STORE CATTLE

Leading averages:
R&DM Rossall & Son, Pilling (x3) £2303
A&E Clarkson, Thurnham (x5) £2174
H Chapman & Son (x4) £2170
DE&SM Moorhouse, Natland (x4) £2160
J Prest & Son, Bay Horse (x15) £2080
J&M Cockett, Ingleton (x5) £2056

Store cattle prices continue to flourish here at Lancaster’s weekly sale, with bullocks selling to average a genuine £1822.02 and an overall market average of £1702.28, for a predominantly dairy bred show.
No less than 34 of the 200 stores on show sold over £2000, however it was Lancaster stalwart A&E Clarkson, Thurnham who came out on top with his British Blue bullock reaching the day’s top price of £2350. Other bullocks saw R&DM Rossall, Pilling sell pair of British Blues to £2320 and Aberdeen Angus cross to £2300, with Charolais also to £2300 from J Prest & Son, Bay Horse. Limousins sold to £2280 from DE&SM Moorhouse, Natland, while top price dairy bullock was an Ayrshire at £1920.
Heifers sold to a top of £1970 for a British Blue cross from JD&GM Bracken, Garstang with TJ Robinson, Milnthorpe producing two close behind, with Hereford at £1960 and Aberdeen Angus cross at £1900. Also at £1900 was a trio of British Blue cross from the Garsdale based TG&B Todd, with a further twenty heifers selling over £1800.

CAST / OTM CATTLE

Lancaster’s popular weekly sale of OTM cattle saw new vendors joining the party and being well satisfied with the trade. Just short of 100 cattle went through the bottom ring today, with all classes a sharper trade and overall average of 207.5p/kg.
Cast steers today would see a top grossing price of £2222.81 for an Aberdeen Angus from O Butler, Esprick who sold three other Angus OTM steers over £2000 or 324.5p/kg. Regular vendors EE Thornton & Son, Heaton saw their Friesian cast steers sell to £1773 or 299.5p/kg.
OTM heifers saw local vendors A&FM Bolland & Sons, Ellel over £2000 (x2) or 304.5p/kg for a Hereford and Montbeliarde, with Friesian OTM Heifers to £1560.55 or 264.5p/kg from G&ME Woodhouse, Ellel.
No let up in trade on the OTM cow front, with GJ&GB Billington, Garstang topping at £2146.07 for a Charolais cow. Other better-bred cows sold to £1774.06 from G Metcalfe & Son, Gressingham for an Aberdeen Angus. Friesian cows from PW&JM Norris & Sons, Hornby sold to £1937, with other Friesian cows sold to £1823 from A Grimshaw, Bolton. Fleckvieh bred cows sold to £1798 or 239.5p/kg from B&AC Barnes, Middleton.
Just a handful of cast bulls in today sold to £1588.14 or 264.5p/kg for a Hereford from MS&G Mason, Kirkby Lonsdale.
Many more OTM cattle can be handled on a Friday morning at Lancaster, with buyers for all types eager to fill order books.