Leek Market

Another busy Tuesday market with the Pedigree Dairy Sale and a buoyant trade topping at £2020 and £2000 for fresh heifers with Commercials topped at £2040.

The sheep section saw a firm trade, and some good entries forward selling to 404p/kg for spring lambs, hoggets to 340p/kg and £166.60/head.

Cull ewes were a super trade, with top prices of £165 and £161 with the whole entry averaging over £107/head.

Barrens sold on a solid trade again, with cattle up to 198p/kg for Simmentals and black and whites to 169p/kg, with the entry averaging 128.57p/kg.

Calves sold on a super trade, with bulls to £475 for Limousins, and heifers to £360, both from Andrew Hulme, Basford.

Pigs sold on a decent trade also with bacon pigs to 146p/kg and heavies to 140p/kg.

BARREN COWS (48)

Another smashing trade with a top price of 198p/kg for a 675kg Simmental cow from Rushton Spencer, who also sold a

760kg Simmental at 165p/kg and another at 162p/kg for a 740kg Simmental. Black and whites sold to 169p/kg for a 635kg from ET&ME Pemberton, Cheadle with a 740kg Holstein at 156p/kg from J Bailey & Sons, of Biddulph. Other top prices: 155p 810kg Simmental D&A Stonier, Eaton; 154p 815kg Holstein DJ&KL Leadbetter, Sudbury; 150p 555kg Shorthorn G G Hall & Son, Croxden; 150p 760kg Holstein

W E Turnock & Sons, Onecote; 150p 785kg Holstein WG&J Clark, Bradnop; 149p 780kg Holstein DJ&KL Leadbetter, Sudbury;

149p 650kg Limousin K L Potts, Mottram St Andrew; 148p 825kg Holstein H W Heath & Son, Hartwell;148p 755kg Holstein P G Beswick & Sons, Rudyard.

Overall average of 128.57p/kg or £847.64/head. Top headage price of £1336.50 and £1255.50 for Simmentals with Black & Whites to £1255.10 and £1221.

CLEAN CATTLE

A small entry sold on a solid trade selling to 238p/kg for a 530kg Limousin heifer from Chris Barnsley, of Morridge, to JW Ash Butchers of Leek.

A pair of smart Limousin heifers from PG Beswick & Sons sold at 199p/kg twice for 605kg and 580kg heifers.

Black and white bulls sold to 181p/kg for a 585kg bull, with others at 180p/kg and 178p/kg from J E Archer & Sons, Hilton.

DAIRIES (99)

Tuesday saw a more buoyant trade for milkers within the Dairy Section with numerous passing the £1800 mark.

The first cow through the ring reached £1940. A powerful third calver from Andrew and Joanna Bunting, she was sold giving 50kg and went to Messrs Baskerville.

Messrs Sutton of Turnditch saw their second calver reach £1900 with another from Messrs Mellor of Earl Sterndale at £1830.

The Buntings also went on to see their two fresh heifers reach £2000 and £2020 respectively.

However, topping the day was a stylish commercial second calver from Adrian Barber of Gnosall at £2040.

The entry of Shorthorn In-calf heifers sold to a buoyant trade. All due later in the year the pedigree entry from Messrs Tunnicliffe reached £1400 with commercials from Messrs Hollingworth to £1370. Young calves also from Messrs Bunting reached £370.

PIGS (118)

A strong entry forward selling on a solid trade, with some good prices achieved.

Bacon pigs topped at 146p/ kg for a 98kg pig from PF&PD Parsons, Whitchurch with a pair of 90kg pigs at 144p/kg for Laura Smith, of Basford, and 142p/kg for a 102kg pig from David Goldstraw, of Meerbrook. Others sold at 137p/kg, 134p/kg (x3) and 126p/ kg for the Parsons.

Heavy pigs sold up to 140p/ kg for a 105kg pig from PF&PD Parsons, with J&B Fentem selling heavies at 130p/kg, 128p/kg, 120p/kg and 118p/kg.

A good number of sows forward selling up to 79p/kg for a 325kg sow and 78p/kg for a 297kg sow, with others at 77p/kg, 76p/kg, 73p/kg, 72p/kg and 71p/kg. Averages: Bacon pigs (81); average 110.69p/kg or £104.03/ head; Heavy pigs (19); average 109.83p/kg or £116.94/head

Cull Sows (11); av 68.02p/kg or £173.38/head.

SHEEP SECTION SPRING LAMBS (48)

Numbers slow at coming forward, but many more could have been sold with some jobs cancelled due to insufficient numbers.

Trade brisk with best to 404p/ kg or £160/head. Plenty of ‘less fancy’ sorts in the entry impacting on the average which levelled at 346p/kg.

Sample prices: 330p 29kg ED Butters, Yoxall; 400p 38kg RG&AS Williamson, Wetley Rocks;

390p 37kg RG&AS Williamson; 386p 38.5kg IE, M&A Wilson, Hollington; 404p 39.5kg RG&AS Williamson; 376p 41kg RG&AS Williamson, Wetley Rocks; 360p 44kg IE, M&A Wilson, Hollington.

BUTCHERS HOGGETS (386)

A reasonable entry for time of the year with a run of very poor tailend sorts and some very well few types, albeit at heavy weights.

Best sold to 340p/kg or £166.60/ head. Better types 300p-plus. Sample prices: 328p 38.5kg D Machin, Horton; 340p 41.6kg FS&MJ Heath, Pipe Gate; 330p 43.8kg MJ&VP Oliver, Toft Green; 328p 40.3kg D Machin, Horton; 335p 46kg D Machin; 328p 49.3kg T J Bloor & Son, Endon; 325p

47kg MJ&VP Oliver, Toft Green; 323p 51.4kg T J Bloor & Son; 312p 52.3kg D Williams, Basford;

292p 55.8kg G A Titterton, Milwich; 281p 55kg JM&ADJ Hayes, Alstonefield; 280p 58.6kg T J Bloor & Son, Endon.

CULL SHEEP (139)

Less about with trade fierce from start to finish. Higher proportion of the entry was continental ewes which were a joy to sell. B

Best Texels to £165/head with others at £161. Best 10 lots over £140/head to average £153. Mules to £99 and best Suffolk ewes to £138.

CALVES (143)

Hereford and Angus out in force.

26 CONTINENTAL BULLS AVERAGE £293.77

Seven best sold over £335 with a top price of a remarkable £475, the best price for a very long time for a calf. This was a 31-day-old Limousin from Andrew Hulme, Basford. Mediums £270 £300 with smalls under £250. 16 Blues averaged £302 to £395 Woodward Partners; one Simmental to £335 J&C Hudson; Eight Lims averaged £253 to £475 DW&P Hulme 1 Charolais to £430 D&G Tudor

17 CONTINENTAL HEIFERS £177.64

Nowhere near enough heifers. Andrew Hulme had £360 for his Blue with the top fiv over £215. 10 Blues averaged £220 to £360; DW&P Hulme; Two Sims averaged £124 to £180 Woodward Partners; Five Lims averaged £115 to £175 F E Whittaker & Sons

72 NATIVES

A bumper crop including a big run of 30 from a spring calving herd. 28 Hereford bulls averaged £194 to £355 DG&JA Ball; 13 Angus bulls averaged £177 to £245 W Millington & Co; 19 Hereford heifers averaged £122 to £215 DG&JA Ball; 12 Angus heifers averaged £157 to £240 W Millington & Co

20 BLACK & WHITE BULLS

Brown Swiss to £178 and Holsteins to £135 with the majority of medium rearers £40 £80 and only a few smaller Holsteins under £30.