THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT PRICES

KNIGHTON JULY 21

A small entry of 90 varied cattle which sold to a good trade. Steers averaged 227.36p/kg up to 256p/kg, heifers 220.27p/kg up to 271.00p/kg. Four cows and calves sold to an average £1,042.50/head up to £1,230/head.

JULY 20

Last Thursday saw another good finished lamb trade. 789 lambs averaged 210.50p/kg up to 219p/kg and £108/head. 325 cull ewes averaged £58.39 to £118.

NEWCASTLE EMLYN JULY 20

Increased numbers forward in all sections, with lambs selling briskly. There was a clear demand for medium-type lambs. Topping the trade were 39kg ewe lambs selling to 213.0p/kg. Heavyweights reached £99/head with all type of lambs averaging 198p/kg. Ewes were mixed in quality, with the best continental types not forward for sale. Nevertheless, the bidding was brisk and £70 was reached on several occasions. All ewes levelled at £59.82.

WHITLAND JULY 25

CALVES (85): A good entry of calves on Royal Welsh week met a strong trade supplied by a big attendance of buyers. Dairy bull calves got up to £102 for a Shorthorn bull from Harry, Lanfro, while beef calves topped at £375 for a cracker of a British Blue bull from Roberts, Brynaeron. FAT LAMBS (212): Less lambs forward, no doubt due to the show, and a more demanding trade where specification is becoming more key. Any lambs off grade or weight were sold at a harder trade. However, over half the lambs still crossed the £80 mark and topped at £93.80. CULL EWES (46): A lesser entry saw ewes sell to a top price of £85.

CARDIGAN JULY 24

PRIME LAMBS (287): With it being the first day of the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells, there were fewer lambs forward and the lamb trade has definitely slowed in a week, which everybody was expecting. Nevertheless, prices topped at 213p/kg and £97.50/ head, with the overall average at 198p/kg. Back in 2016, the average was 171p and in 2015 it hit a low of 140p. STORE LAMBS (27): Peaking at £75.50 were 41.5k lambs from Butler, Ravel; other leading prices at £73 for 42.5k from Davies, Cwmcoedog, who also sold 36k at £63.50; £62 for 35.5k from Barrow, Craig Y Fuwch. CULL SHEEP (67): The best ewes reached £95 from Toddingtons Ltd, Castle Cenlas, who also sold other ewes at £84.50; other leading prices at £95 for a ewe from Bowen, Pengelly; £86 for a ewe from Williams, Pengwern Uchaf; £84.50 for a ewe from Davies, Alltgoch; £83 for ewes from Morgan, Pencefn. Hoggets from Webster Farms, Nantyrefail, sold to £73. CALVES (14): A small entry sold to £268 for a Lim bull from Jenkins & Son, Trefach, who also sold a Lim heifer at £245; other leading prices at £260 for a Lim heifer from Davies Cyf, Canllefaes Uchaf, who also sold another at £242. The best black and white bull calves topped at £90 from Davies Cyf, Canllefaes Uchaf.

MONMOUTHSHIRE JULY 24

FINISHED LAMBS: A reduced entry on Royal Welsh Monday. Trade again tough going, with only the best over £2/kilo and this only for the heavier/best-bred sorts. CULL SHEEP: A short entry of just 91 culls to another strong trade throughout, with Texel Rams to £110 and £91 from RA Morgan. Suffolk ewes to £86.50 from R& J Bradley. Texel ewes to £84 from CN Tranter. Welsh ewes to £60.50 from AJ Merrick.

JULY 26

NEW SEASON’S LAMBS: 847 Lambs selling to a slight improvement on Monday, most apparent on standard weights 32-39kg with average 190 pence to a top of 200p/kg (£75-37.5kg) from DY Morgan, and 197p/kg (£70.20-35.7kg) from HM Green. Top price on the day to D Williams at 209p/kg (£85 40.7kg) with a good quality entry of 40-45kg weights selling well to strong competition from eight buyers. CULL SHEEP: 400 Cull Sheep sold to another excellent trade. A Texel from BG Greenow selling to £121, Suffolk X from DA Evans & Partners at £102. Several pens £90-£100. A lot of hill-bred ewes on offer, Welsh selling to £55 from ML & TK Moore, the best £50-plus. Several buyers looking for grazing ewes put a good bottom in the trade. Plain Welsh speckles £25-£35. Rams sold to £96 from JR Saunders and £93.50 from DR & JM Bambrough, who also sold wethers to £87. STORE SHEEP/COUPLES: A small entry of store lambs on offer. Charollais X selling to £59 from CG Webb. REARING CALVES: A bumper entry for show day saw 54 young calves forward and with no shortage of keen buyers either, a rip-roaring trade ensued. Seven bulls over £400 and while the top price of £430 went to a Blue from WL & A Windsor & Son, arguably the best calf was a super Limousin from RE Lewis & Sons, which sold at £415. Heifers cheaper by comparison, with the best £340 for a Blue calf from Price & Co Farming Ltd. Only a small number of native breed, with some Devon bulls £280 and £270. Angus bulls £288 and £280. Hereford heifers £190 and £175. No less than six bidders on dairy bulls kept prices well up to recent levels. The strongest generally around £100 to a top of £125 for calves about a month old, but a 2.5-month-old Hol/Frie bull realised £150 for T Hanks & Son. BREEDING CATTLE: Six outfits forward, selling to a top of £1,550 for a Blue X cow and her blue bull calf from JJ Phillips, Pandy, who also sold a young Limousin cow and Frie bull calf at £1,300 and a Lim cow and Limousin bull calf at £1,160. FEEDING BULLS: A short entry selling to a top of £810 for a 21-month-old Limousin from OWJ & MB Singleton. Angus bulls 13/14 months to £655 and £645 from the same home. STORE CATTLE: A short Royal Welsh entry of 30 cattle still selling to a lively trade, with a top of £900 for an 18-month-old Limousin steer from B& R Poulton, The Hendre. Heifers peaked at £830 from HC Harris, Llanthewy, for a 17-month-old Limousin. Messers Rawlins & Burles sold Angus steers to £895 and JJ Phillips sold a 36-month Friesan at £780. Grazing heifers peaked at £795 from B&R Poulton, with young heifers to £670 from OWJ & MB Singleton. CULL CATTLE: Just eight forward lacking strength, with the top price of £900 from GH Jones.