THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT PRICES

NEWCASTLE EMLYN APRIL 20 Dai Lewis Cyf Auctioneers report a larger entry forward in all sections. Lambs and hoggetts saw a steady run throughout, as did culls, with a lot of meaty types presented. Top prices: lambs £214 to Messrs Thomas of Blaencwmdu, Maesycrugiau, hoggetts £183 to Messrs Powell, Blaenwern, Rhydlewis. CULLS: Rams to £101 to Messrs Thomas of Blaencwmdu, Maesycrugiau, ewes to £90 to Messrs Rogers, Berthyfedwen, Llandyfriog. KNIGHTON APRIL 21 An excellent entry of quality cattle and vendors were rewarded with a superb trade. The young feeding bull show and sale deserves a special mention as they were all fine cattle and we had a fantastic trade on them. All were sold, averaging just over £1,000 per head. APRIL 20 A better entry of old season lambs and a better trade with an SQQ average returned of 189.76p. The cull ewes were a phenomenal trade, selling to a top of £131 and averaging £67.26. CARDIGAN APRIL 24 FAT HOGGETS (123): Numbers are reducing each week, the best types realised 197p/kg for lightweights, while £86.20/head was paid for 46.5k hogs from Davies, Pennant. The overall average was at 170p/kg. NEW SEASON LAMBS (24): An improved entry topped at £98 (212p/kg) for 46k from Thomas, Cilau Ganol, who also sold a pair of 41.5k lambs at £97.50 (235p/ kg); £96.80 (223p/kg) for 43.5k from Webb, Cefn, who also sold 44k at £95. The overall average was at 212p/ kg, 12p up on this time last year. EWE & LAMB COUPLES (32): Topping at £190 was a 2 yr old Suffolk ewe with Suffolk twins from Thomas, Gilwen, who also sold 3/2 yr olds with twins at £180, 2/3 yr olds with singles at £178; £185 for 3-4 yr olds with twins from Jones, Frongelyn, who also sold a 3yr old with twins at £180 and a FM with twins at £172. CULL SHEEP (65): Topping at £108 were Texel ewes from Davies Bros, Trefere Uchaf; other leading prices at £105 for a ram from Phillips, Llainwen, who also sold other rams at £96 and £90; £98 for a ewe from Owens, Rhyderwen, who also sold at £87; £98 for a ram from Davies, Alltgoch, who also sold another ram at £95.50; £84 for ewes from Morgan, Cwrt Farm; £84 for a ewe from Thomas, Hendy Farm, who also sold another ewe at £80; £83.50 for a ewe from Lewis, Gelli Farm. CALVES (51): A Hereford bull from Thomas, Cilau Farm, sold to £285; other leading prices at £232 for a Simmental bull from Woolley, Pencraig Isaf, who also sold another at £200; £220 for a Hereford bull from Jones, Pantyrhendy; £182 for a Limousin heifer from Williams & Sons, Cilcert. The best black and white bull calves reached £88 for a H/Fr from Sollis, Ffynnonddofn, who also sold at £78 and £62. WHITLAND APRIL 18 CALVES (87): As good a show of calves as we’ve seen in Whitland, with the majority beef calves. The dairy bulls that were forward sold to a much-improved trade with the bank holiday behind us, and averaged £43 to a top of £88 for a Jersey X from Llewellin, Cotland Farm. Other leading prices for black and whites were £78 from Williams, Clomendy, and £70 from Tremellen Farms Ltd, who also sold Charolais bull calves to £270. Picton Castle Dairy Ltd continue to enjoy the Whitland trade for their spring calves and with an excellent entry of British Blues they topped at £268 for a bull calf. Top-price male was a Limousin from Thomas, Lower Haythog, at £390, while the heifer calves saw a top of £500 for a British Blue from Maccreath, Norchard Farm. FAT LAMBS (119): A disappointing entry of lambs considering the recent trade at Whitland. Old season lambs averaged 167ppk and topped at £85.50 per head, while new season averaged 223ppk to a top of £103.50. CULL EWES (114): Decent number of cull ewes again and the trade improved slightly, averaging £60/head for ewes and £77 for rams. Top price was £92.50 for ewes from Brodie, Yerberston Mountain. MONMOUTHSHIRE APRIL 19 OLD SEASON LAMBS: 822 tegs to a flying trade across all weights to average 185.98p/kg. Terrific demand for 35-38kg weights saw several pens over £2 including AJ Hale 203p/kg (£75-37kg); WR & TM David 203p/kg (£71-35.2kg). Well-finished mediumweights also breaking £2 at 202p/kg (£84-41.5kg) from GR & KF Parry. Heavy hoggets to 183p/kg (84.20-46kg) from NJ & CV Turner. NEW SEASON LAMBS: 81 new lambs attracting strong interest to average 241.44p/kg. Top price for standard weights at 261p/kg (£91.50-35kg) from SC & PW Powell. Mediums to 250p/kg (£100-40kg) for DA & WA Stone. Lights to 255p/kg (£74-29kg) from GT & EJR Rees. CULL SHEEP: 535 cull sheep sold to a brisk trade with competition for all types. Charollais ewes from GW & J Hoggins sold to £105.50. Plenty of other strong ewes over £95. Welsh were an improved trade, the strongest at £60 from EJ Hart. Rams topped at £107 for a pair of Charollais from KM & FJ Jones. Toothers sold to £80.50 from RJ Prewett. STORE SHEEP: A number of pens of store hoggs on offer, Welsh tup lambs to £59 from DM Jones. Small tegs £40-£50 dependant upon condition. Ewes with lambs at foot sold to a large crowd of purchasers Singles sold to £150 from TO Hopkin (£75/life). REARING CALVES: Another great entry, with 87 young calves and seven weaned calves, ensured there was something for everybody, with a great selection of continental and native breeds. As usual, it was the Blues which topped the market, four bulls making £400 or more with another four £380-£400. Top price of £410 achieved for the best of a magnificent entry from VJ Thomas & Son, Pancross Farm. BREEDING CATTLE: Seven outfits forward, topping at £1,690 for a Welsh Black cow (60m) and her steer calf (9m) from VB, KM & AV Collins. STIRKS/YOUNG STORES (110): A terrific entry of young cattle to start the day and once again selling to tremendous advantage. The section included some outstanding quality entries, with the steers selling to a top of £930 for a super 10m Limousin from MM Davies, Bwlch. STORE CATTLE: Another grand entry of 361 stores with a serious trade again, especially for the outliers, named sire Angus and all of the best-quality types. Plenty of cattle in excess of £1,200 with top-selling steers to £1,290 from MJ Pritchard, Walterstone, selling Charolais (25m-600kg). CULL CATTLE: Just 25 culls maintaining the excellent trade apparent in recent weeks. Another grand run of overage Friesian steers from M Heath selling to £1,145 twice and averaging £1,093. Top-price cow £1,215 for a Welsh Black from Brynithon Cobs.