Leek Market

The first sale of 2021 and good entries throughout. Trade keeps getting stronger for butchers hoggets and overall average of 248p/kg (up by 37p on the same sale last year). Top price of 284p/kg or £140.36 with the whole entry averaging £106 per head.

Dairies not as dear as they have been but still a strong trade with heifers up to £2040 for a 30kg heifer, with cows to £1920.

Barrens were well sought after selling up to 152p/kg or £1155.20 with clean up to 208p/kg for a Limousin bull.

Calves continue to sell at a pace with strong trade for all types, topping at £425 for a Limousin bull calf and Blues to £398. Heifers topped at £280 for a British

Blue.

Plenty of pigs forward selling up to 141p/kg for bacon pigs to top at £153.51.

BARREN COWS (36)

A good entry for the first sale topping at 152p/kg for a 760kg Simmental cow with a 715kg Simmental at 149p/kg and a

665kg Simmental cow at 139p/kg, all from Rushton Spencer.

Black & whites topped at 136p/kg for a 685kg Friesian from Harrison Partners, Rushton Spencer and a 760kg Friesian at 129p/kg for

F E Whittaker & Sons, Bosley and also for a 755kg Friesian from C W Pearce, Tean.

Other top prices:

123p 685kg Brown Swiss Harrison Partners, Rushton; 118p 670kg Friesian F E Whittaker & Sons, Bosley; 116p 755kg Shorthorn Robertson Partners, Withington; 110p 745kg Dairy Shorthorn

G W Hicklin, Onecote; 110p 545kg Angus A E Allcock, Waterhouses; 109p 795kg Holstein Red

Earth Farms, Leek; 108p 745kg Montbeliarde Red Earth Farm, Leek; 108p 740kg Brown Swiss Harrison Partners, Rushton;

106p 635kg Ayrshire J B Plant, Bradnop.

Overall average of 106.41p/kg or £719.46 per head.

Top price of £1155.20 and £1065.35 for the Simmentals and Black & Whites to £980.40 and £973.95.

CLEAN CATTLE

A small entry sold on a solid trade selling up to 208p/kg for a 680kg Limousin bull from a Rushton Spencer vendor.

A 550kg Limousin heifer realised 198p/kg for JA & EM Ratcliffe, Rodsley. Steers topped at 180p/ kg for a 515kg British Blue from Mitchell & Bradley, Buglawton. Top headage price of £1414.40 for the Limousin bull with heifers to £1089 and steers to £1010.60.

DAIRIES (48)

A really good entry of milkers forward for the first sale of the year. Trade was unsurprisingly not quite at the heady heights of recent weeks however was still solid throughout.

Topping the day at £2040 was a pretty 30kg heifer from the Hodgkinson family of Earl Sterndale. Good cows were also in strong demand with a two second calvers from the Suttons of Astbury making £1,920 and £1,910 respectively. The same home also had two heifers to £1,890 and £1,860. British Friesians topped at £1,760 for a second calver from regular vendors John and

Lesley Kirkham of Oakham with a Montbeliarde X heifer from the Howe family of Litton at £1,710. Plenty coming up over the next few weeks. Next week we have a special entry of 14 strong In-calf heifers, In-calf to the named Aberdeen Angus. Entries are already coming in for the Pedigree Sale in a fortnight.

PIGS (127)

Similar numbers forward selling on a solid trade. Cutting pigs topped at 130p/kg for 81kg pigs from J &B Fentem who sold cutters at 128p/kg, 126p/kg, 120p/ kg and 119p/kg. Bacon pigs sold well topping at 141p/kg for a pair of 96kg pigs from MC &EA Beattie, who sold other bacon pigs at 134p/kg. a 95kg pig made 136p/ kg for Chris Hine, and 134p/kg for 95kg pigs from PF &PD Parsons, who sold others at 132p/kg twice, and 130p/kg.

Heavy pigs sold up to 130p/kg for a pair of 115kg pigs from PF &PD Parsons, with 129p/kg for 119kg pigs from A&S Needham who sold 113kg pigs at 128p/kg and 118kg pigs at 127p/kg.

Cull sows sold to 59p/kg for a 185kg sow from CL &R Holtom, Coventry who also sold 244kg sow at 56p/kg and a 48p/kg for a 216kg. A 325kg sow realised 52p/kg for J Elliott, Marston.

A pen of nine 25kg store pigs made £28/head for C Wardle, Sandbach.

Averages:

Cutting Pigs (32); av 112.96p/kg or £92.03/head

Bacon Pigs (50); av 115.14p/kg or £109.34/head

Heavy Pigs (30) ; av 105.86p/kg or £120.36/head

Cull Sows (5); av 49.58p/kg or £120.08/head

SHEEP SECTION

Low on numbers and trade hitting another level with excellent demand, particularly for 38 45kg best shaped sorts which were regularly 260 275p/kg.

Best types topping at 284p/ kg from Roger & Simon Bailey, closely followed by Robert Day, John Rowlinson, Martyn Wright and Keith Belfield all seeing lambs at top side of 270p/kg.

Big lambs reaching scary heifers, topping at £140.36 and plenty at £125 and above.

Many many more best shaped sorts required every week! SQQ average of 248p/kg.

Sample prices:

284p 39kg R &S Bailey, Cloudside; 277p 42kg M Wright, Hartington; 276p 42.3kg R A Day, Cheddleton; 273p 42.8kg M Wright, Hartington 272p 44.1kg R &S Bailey, Cloudside; 270p 43.7kg A K Belfield, Sheen; 270p 40.8kg J B Rowlinson & Son, Gawsworth; 275p 47kg

R &S Bailey, Cloudside; 270p 49.7kg R &S Bailey, Cloudside; 264p 46kg H R Johnson &Sons, Longnor; 242p 58kg N E Goodwin &Son, Upper Hulme; 226p 60kg J Gilman & Partners, Bosley

CULL SHEEP (140)

Very fast trade, best Texels to £158/head with others at £149, £144 etc. Best Suffolks to £115/head and Mules to

£90.

Much faster trade throughout to average £88/head. Many more could have been sold to vendors advantage.

CALVES (146)

A super entry to kick off the year and a ring full of buyers and some excellent results.

57 CONTINENTAL BULLS AV £235.35

A very big turnout of bulls but plenty of buyers looking for numbers. Better sorts regularly over £300 and up to £425 for a strong Limousin (8wks) from Andrew Hulme who also had another Limmy at £330.

Ian Gregson had £380 for his Limousin (4wks) with 3 Blues over £370 for Messrs Turnock; Messrs Plant and Messrs Cotton.

Medium bulls £230 £280 with smalls under £200.

36 Blues av £223 to £398 FA &TM Cotton

5 Sims av £217 to £310 Robinson Partners

11 Lims av £271 to £425 DW &P Hulme

5 Cha/blo av £294 to £312 D &G Tudor

38 CONTINENTAL HEIFERS AV £163.21

Quality very mixed today with very few best on offer but a very strong trade for 2nd and 3rd quality. Andrew Hulme had £280 for his Blue and Messrs Cotton £275 for a Charolais. 10 best Blues over £200.

27 Blues av £172 to £280 DW &P Hulme

7 Lims av £137 to £172 NG, JMH &H Mellor

20 Natives

Fewer about with 10 bulls averaging £161 to £230 for an Angus from G &E Critchlow &Son with best heifers generally £50 £70 and smaller sorts £20 £30.