Store Cattle & Store Sheep
Store Cattle
Hexham & Northern Marts at their weekly sale of store cattle offered a catalogued entry of 369 head and yet again all classes were dearer on the week with finished trade across the board driving increased confidence at the ringside.
The day was one for the ladies as the three highest prices were all attained by outstanding heifers but more so because the sale topper was consigned for sale by a lady producer. Peaking at £2020 was a fantastic three-quarter bred Limousin cross heifer from Mrs Debbie Walton, The Tofts, Troughend, Otterburn and the tremendous example with shape, style and stretch caught the eye of both high-end finishers and herd-masters alike with potential to make a super breeding animal.
Two more exceeded the previous weeks great pinnacle; the first a smashing, black Angus heifer from weekly consignor at this time of year Mark Featherstone, Allendale Farm that scaled to £1940 at 20 months of age. Following closely was the lead heifer from the Walton family farming operation at Ogle Castle, Ponteland that cashed at £1910 and saw their run of six tremendous, well-bred Limmy ladies average a straight £1800 throughout.
Bullocks were far from second fiddle on the day and topped at £1900 for a cracking Angus from the relatively newly established suckler operation of Phil Watson & Sons, Holywell Farm, North Tyneside who enjoyed their trade on the day to level at £1753 for three sold, all by a Rawburn ‘Boss Hogg’ bred registered sire.
Leading the charge for Charolais bred cattle was the annual run of exceptional yearling bullocks from James Herdman, Edlingham Newtown that continue to attract their own contingent of buyers to the Hexham ringside and always reap the benefit of maintaining the use of the white sire when so many have moved away. A simply fantastic bullock led and very quickly climbed to £1870 at just 15 months of age and with a number more in excess of £1600 Mr Herdman was pleased with his days work that was rewarded with an average of £1538 throughout for fourteen sold. Heifers by the Charolais and in the same age bracket topped at £1760 for a trademark specimen from Agnes and James Sinton, White House, Birtley.
Not to be outdone the Blonde D’Aquitaine has a following of discerning breeders and finishers and this day saw the breed peak at £1820 for a shining example of a bullock at 18 momths from Philip Walker & Sons, Houselope Grange, Tow Law who sold three to average £1726, all selling to return purchasers.
The older stronger portion of the sale – those considered ‘store cattle’ – which accounted for two thirds of the catalogue – returned a fantastic average of £1424 for steers and heifers throughout.
The youngest class of cattle – the suckled calf and ‘weanling’ portion of the sale was also markedly dearer on the week and peaked at £1360 for a cracking young bull at ten months from Messrs Gilhespy, Tedcastle who followed with another that realised £1300 at the same age – proof of a ready market for young bulls at this centre.
A good number of the younger bullocks presented also sold in excess of £1300 and the dearest changed hands at £1350 for Gareth Cant, Brear Cottage, Sunderland Bridge – a new customer at this centre who enjoyed his days trading to average £1212 for seven steer calves and £1113 for five heifer sisters.
Heifer calves sold equally well at this age and peaked at £1315 for a ten month old cracker from Messrs Thompson, East Unthank who along with three older calves that peaked at £1400 averaged a rewarding £1354 for their four sold on the day. Messrs Teasdale, Grindon Hill and Messrs Weatherly, Windy Hill both sold Limmy cross heifer calves at £1260 from within the Tyne Valley and these too highlight the values attainable at Hexham for younger cattle. Such weanlings are traditionally balloted for sale following the older entry of beast without detriment or detraction as the younger entry of steer and heifer calves on the day; those at ten months and younger sold to average £1086 throughout.
As days now lengthen and growth is evident in cattle which have been housed over the worst of the winter period our auctioneers would be pleased to speak with anyone considering the benefits of the Hexham ring which are many and varied. To discuss these or to enter cattle for sale please contact our team on 07808 721957.
Leading prices;
Cattle 23 – 30 Months
Limousin x steers – £1540, £1520 & £1500 (x2) Duddo Hill
Angus x steers – £1900, £1720 & £1640 Church Farm, £1580 Great Tosson, £1550 Kirkley March, £1510 Sunniside
Saler x steers-£1420 Duddo Hill
Limousin x heifers – £1440 New Houses
Angus x heifers – £1680 Flotterton
Cattle 17 – 22 Months
Limousin x steers – £1720 Paxton Dene, £1700 Lunns House, £1690 & £1660 Kirkley March, £1640, £1590 (x3) & £1580 Lunns House, £1570 Kirkley March, £1560 & £1550 Lunns House, £1480 Kirkley March, £1450 East Uppertown, £1440 Duddo Hill
Charolais x steers – £1780 (x2), £1760 & £1700 Satley Farm, £1680 Flotterton, £1660 Newlands Haugh, £1520 & £1510 Satley Farm, £1500 Newlands Haugh
British Blue x steers – £1640 Paxton Dene
Angus x steers – £1700 Allendale Farm, £1690, £1670 (x2), £1640 & £1610 Flotterton, £1550 & £1530 Newlands Haugh, £1500 Kirkley March & Sunniside, £1480 Sunniside, £1470 Low Horton, £1430 & £1420 New Houses, £1410 Sunniside
Blonde x steers – £1820, £1700 & £1660 Houselope Grange
Parthenais x steers – £1500 & £1420 Newlands Haugh
Limousin x heifers – £2020 & £1910 Ogle Castle, £1830 Paxton Dene, £1820, £1800, £1770, £1760 & £1740 Ogle Castle, £1560, £1520 & £1460 Middle Heads, £1400 White House, £1380 East Uppertown, £1370 Low Horton, £1350 Middle Heads
Charolais x heifers – £1620 (x2) Flotterton
British Blue x heifers – £1640 Paxton Dene, £1560 Rusheylaw
Angus x heifers – £1940 & £1600 Allendale Farm, £1580 Great Tosson, £1560 Allendale Farm
Luing heifers – £1290 Low Chesterhope
Cattle 11 – 16 Months
Limousin x steers – £1650 & £1600 Raggetsyke, £1580 Rusheylaw, £1575 Low Ardley, £1470 Rusheylaw, £1450 Cornhills, Low Ardley & Edlingham Newtown, £1440 Edlingham Newtown, £1360 Low Ardley (x2), £1340 Raggetsyke & Low Ardley (x2), £1330 Low Horton, £1300 Low Ardley
Charolais x steers – £1870, £1670 & £1650 Edlingham Newtown, £1640 Raggetsyke, £1630 Edlingham Newtown, £1620 White House, £1580, £1560, £1500, £1480 (x2) & £1470 Edlingham Newtown
Angus x steers – £1580, £1500 & £1460 Beacon Rigg
Limousin x heifers – £1450 Dykehead, £1400 & £1360 East Unthank
Charolais x heifers – £1700 White House
British Blue heifers – £1620 Dykehead, £1600 Rusheylaw, £1500 Dykehead
Angus x heifers – £1400 Dykehead
Cattle 10 months and under
Limousin x steers – £1360 Tedcastle, £1350 Brear Cottage, £1320 & £1310 Windy Hill, £1305 Brear Cottage, £1300 Tedcastle, £1260 Merryknowe & Grindon Hill, £1230 & £1220 Brear Cottage, £1210 Windy Hill
Limousin x heifers – £1315 East Unthank, £1260 Windy Hill & Grindon Hill, £1200 Merryknowe, Brear Cottage & Grindon Hill, £1190 Brear Cottage
Cast Ewes
Hexham and Northern Marts sold 917 Cast Ewes & Rams to a better trade than especially the leaner sorts.
Topping the sale at £200 was a pen of 4 Texels from Mr J O Clark, Brinkburn Newhouses. Not far behind at £198 was a pair of Beltex ewes from Messrs NG, KM & JG Beveridge, Low West House, also a Texel from Brinkburn Newhouses and then a Suffolk from Miss Orlena Henderson, Winchester.
Blackface ewes sold to £95 for a trio from Messrs RD Archer & Son, Carry House.
Mules sold to a top of £106 on 4 occasions, firstly for a pen of 17 from Messrs E Milburn & Son, Holling Hill then 9 from Messrs CM Dodds & Son, West Grange, 7 from Messrs JB Cowan & Co, Morrowfield and then for a pen from Messrs LW & CM Todd & Son, Longhurst.
Entries to Jack on 07739 440457
Entries to Harrison on 07895 761102
Texel – £200 & £198 Brinkburn Newhouses
Texel x –£195 Tuthill, £190 Littleburn Farm & Bank Top House, £189 & £180 Town Farm, £172 Littleburn Farm, £170 Tuthill & Littleburn Farm, £160 Low West House, £159 & £158 Holling Hill, £156 Longhurst, £149 Low West House, £148 Springwell Cottage, £146 Hedgeley Hall, £145 Holling Hill, £143 & £142 Low West House
Suffolk – £198 Winchester Lodge, £170 Middle Horsleyhope, £162 & £156 Littleburn
Suffolk x –£145 & £140 Brinkburn Newhouses, £138 West Grange & Fitches Grange, £130 Brinkburn Newhouses, £128 Ogle Castle
Charollais x – £134 Littleburn Farm
Beltex-£198 Low West House
Beltex x-£160 Littleburn Farm, £156 Town Farm
Bleu de Maine-£130 Low West House
Cheviot – £92 Littleburn Farm
Cheviot Mule – £140 High West House
Leicester-£129 Harsondale
Mule – £106 Holling Hill, West Grange, Longhurst & Morrowfield, £102 Dyke Head, £100 Carry House
Blackface – £95 Carry House, £84 Harsondale, £83 Brownsleazes
Swaledale – £74 High West House
Cast Tups
Cast Tups topped at £180 for a pair of Bluefaced Leicesters from Messrs R English & Son, Brownsleazes.
Three Texel tups sold to £172 from Messrs I & C Rutter, Burradon Mains
Texel – £172 Burradon Mains, £158 & £150 Greenchesters
Leicester – £180 Brownsleazes, £162 The Hott
Cheviot- £124 Greenchesters
Store Lambs
Hexham and Northern Marts sold a catalogued entry of 2050 Store Hoggs to a better than expected trade.
Topping the sale was a pair of Suffolk cross hoggs at £126 from Mr RE Williamson, Littleburn Farm as well as a pen at £120.
Messrs G Smith & Son, West Bolton sold a pair to £121.
Texel cross hoggs sold to a top of £106 for 7 from Messrs NS & C Robinson, Burmoor.
A pen of 4 Blackface Tup Hoggs sold to £100 from Dudlees Paternership.
Mules topped at £93 for a pen of eight from Messrs R English & Son, Brownsleazes.
Entries to Jack on 07739 440457
Entries to Harrison on 07895 761102
Texel x – £106 Burmoor, £102 West Moorhouses & West Heddon, £100 Tuthill, £99 Brownsleazes, Bank Top House, Highford Farm & High Fotherley, £98 Quickeningcote, £96 Burmoor, Burradon Mains, West Moorhouses, Butterknowes, Grange House Farm, High Eshells & High Fotherley, £95 West Burnhope
Suffolk x –£126& £120 Littleburn Farm, £96 Littleburn Farm & High Knitsley, £95 Morrowfield, £93 Brownsleazes, £92 Thockrington Farms, £91 Morrowfield & Rugley Walls, £90 Thockrington Farms & Kirkley Hall
Beltex x-£100 West Heddon
Dutch Texel x-£96 (x4) Fell Lane Farm, £94 Willimoteswick
Leicester-£108 West Bolton
Cheviot x – £91 Quickeningcote
Mule – £93 Brownsleazes, £89 Birtleyshield, £86 Hesket Farm, £83 Farneyshield, £82 Westburnhope
Cross- £121 West Bolton
Blackface – £100 Dudlees Farm
Swaledale – £68 Westburnhope