Farming news
Caledonian Marts
Thursday, April 19 Caley Marts sold 181 cattle comprising 107 prime bullocks, heifers and young bulls and 84 cast cows and bulls. A good entry of prime cattle forward for both numbers and quality would once again be dearer on the week.
Prime bullocks averaged 217p; prime heifers 226p; beef cows 151p; dairy cows 104p and cast bulls 121p.
Prime bullocks sold to 248p (twice) both for Limousins from Learielaw, Broxburn selling to T Johnston Butchers, Falkirk and to £1634 from Kinneil Mill, Linlithgow to Border Meats, Lockerbie.
Prime heifers to 255p (twice) again both for Limousins from Faskine, Airdrie and Brockwoodlees, Canonbie to G Kirk and Son Butchers, Denny and WW Wales Ltd, Kilmarnock.
Leading prices: Bullocks per kg - 245p Nether Myres and Learielaw; 242p Brockwoodlees; 240p Balquharrage, Nether Myres and Learielaw; 238p Nether Myres; 235p Balquharrage; 225p Molemount. Bullocks per head £1626 Learielaw and Arns (Muir); £1603 Learielaw; £1583 and £1580 Gillandersland; £1553 Loanrigg; £1550 Arns.
Heifers per kg - 252p Faskine and Kinneil Mill; 250p Mains of Cultmalundie; 248p Learielaw and Brockwoodlees; 245p Seggersdean,WestWoodlane and Kinneil Mill; 242p Moorfield and Mains of Cultmalundie; 240p Seggersdean; 238p Moorfield and West Woodlane. Heifers per head - £1550 Mains of Cultmalundie; £1542 Brockwoodlees; £1510 Mains of Cultmalundie; £1480 Seggersdean; £1465 Dullomuir.
Also forward were 84 OTMs, cast cows and bulls. Again all classes of cows were easily sold with the high demand from the large ringside of buyers. All types needed on a weekly basis. Please contact Oliver Shearman on 07730 046262 for more information.
OTM cattle sold to 208p from T and E Tod, Nether Longford and to £1309 from W Paterson, Craighead.
Beef cows averaged 151p selling to 198p for a Shorthorn X from Hattrick Farms, Bridge of Weir, and to £1600 for a Limousin from Hume of Overton, Denny.
Cast bulls averaged 121p selling to 142p for a Limousin from RN Wilson, Westerton and to £1300 for the same beast.
Dairy cows averaged 104p selling to 143p from R and W Waugh, Summerhouse and to £950 from G Reade, Sgriob-Ruadh Dairy, Mull.
Other leading prices: beef cows per head - £1400 Graystale; £1390 Mains of Throsk; £1360 Airthrey Kerse; £1280 Devonside Farms, Overton and Mains of Throsk (twice); £1270 Bowhouse; £1250 Upper Auchenlay. Beef cows per kg - 186p Overton; 179p Graystale; 174p Mains of Throsk and Airthrey Kerse; 170p Upper Auchenlay; 169p Mains of Throsk and Overton.
Dairy cows per head - £930 Sgriob-Ruadh; £890 Summerhouse and Hoodsyard; £830 Crossflat; £820 Summerhouse. Dairy cows per kg - 138p and 122p Sgriob-Ruadh; 120p Summerhouse; 119p Sgriob-Ruadh; 118p Crossflat and Hoodsyard.
Tuesday, April 24 Caley Marts sold 1443 spring lambs, prime hoggets, ewes and tups.
All classes of hoggets short of requirements and more could have been sold to sellers’ advantage. Well fleshed hoggets 41-47kg selling between 270p-290p. Overall average for 1147 hoggets 247.3p pkg (+27.3p pkg and +81p on the year).
Top price of the day went to DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill for a pair of 43.5kg Beltex at 333p pkg, and to a top of £149 for five Beltex weighing 46.8kg, also from Easter Ochtermuthill.
Spring lambs (10) sold to £145 from J Wilson, Belhelvie and to 315p pkg for the same lamb. Overall average for 10 lambs sold was 280p pkg.
Leading hogget prices per head: Beltex £145 Cuiltburn; Beltex X £145 and £143 Easter Ochtermuthill; Texel £138 Tillyrie; Texel X £132 Wester Thomaston; Suff £137 Graystale; Chev £128 Burnshot; Mule £120 Raecruick; BF £121 Burnshot.Leading hogget prices per kg: Beltex 321p (twice) Easter Ochtermuthill; Beltex X 300p Meikle Seggie; Texel 300p (Twice) Nether Myres;Texel X 298p Meikle Seggie; Chev 297p West Thomaston; Chev X 293p Nether Myres; Suff 270p West Thomaston; Mule 254p Pitcairn; BF 248p Burnshot.
Spring lambs prices per head: Suff £144 Belhelvie; Down £126 Balgonar. Spring lambs prices per kg: Suff 283p (twice) Belhelvie Down 268p Balgonar.
Also forward were 285 cast ewes and tups. Heavy ewes averaged £80.17 selling to £135 for a pen of Beltexs from J Guthrie, Cuiltburn. Export ewes averaged £58.86.
Other leading prices: Texel £126, £124 and £116 Easter Coilechat; £114 Culdees; £109 Easter Coilechat and Glenhead; £99 Thorn. BF - £71 Linkshead; £69 Thorn; £65 Auchenrivoch. Cross £95 (twice), £92 and £87 Pitcairlie. Suff - £89 Linkshead. BDM - £83 Cattlemoss. BFL - £97 Linkshead. Beltex - £100 Cuiltburn. Mule £93.50 Redburn; £92 Glenrigg; £91 Belhelvie; £90 Grange of Lindores. Berrichon Du Cher £123 Kirkton.
Tups sold to £95 for a Texel from A Buchan and Partners, Morenish.