THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT PRICES – MARKET REPORTS

LUDLOW JANUARY 12

FEEDING COWS: A good start to the year, with all types and sorts averaging £750.00 or 120.0p/kg. FEEDING BULLS: A good solid trade for the feeding bulls on offer. Bulls topped at £1,070.00 or 274.0p/kg to an average of £775.00 or 218.0p/kg. This includes the older and dairy types. FEEDING/BULLING HEIFERS: A good demand right the way through the heifers. Several large types going to restock yards after the Christmas period, along with a few grazing men starting to put numbers together. Heifers topped at £1,135.00 or 276.0p/kg to an average of £820.00 or 198.0p/kg. STEERS: Again a good cross-section of feeding and grazing sorts. A good number of buyers looking for all types and sorts. Steers peaked at £1,125.00 or 260.0p/kg to an average of £915.00 or 195.0p/ kg.

TALGARTH JANUARY 12

HOGGETTS (1,243): A sound entry of hoggetts embraced with a slightly firmer trade to average 188p/kg, topping at a fantastic 222p/kg for a pen of 42.5kg from Messr Eckley, Fforddfawr, that soared to £94.50/hd. Any amount of lambs 190p/kg-plus, especially if they were nice meat and export weight between 38kg and 43kg. The heavier weights were also a better trade, with those 46-48kg selling between £85/hd and £88/hd and a pen of those 53kg soaring to £94.50/hd. The very smalls were the hardest sellers, those under 31kg. However, those 34kg-plus lambs were still a good trade, especially if they were cross-bred, with a pen of 34kg hoggetts making 189p/kg. CULL EWES (230): A better entry of ewes with an excellent average of £67/hd.

CRYMYCH JANUARY 17

CULL SHEEP (533): Plenty of good-quality ewes on offer saw the best-meated types reach £100 for a ram and £97 for ewes both from Coaker, Blaenffrwd Farm. Looking back to last year, there were just over 900 ewes forward, with the top ewe price £10 down on today. The overall ewe average was £40/head. IN-LAMB EWES (132): A good entry saw a top price of £95 achieved twice for two to three-year-olds from Morris Pencwarre, scanned carrying triplets and due in March, the same vendor also sold in-lamb ewes at £92 and £90; £95 for ewes from Owens, 76 Brynglas, who also sold at £90, £88, £80. STORE LAMBS (898): A good entry of stores saw the best continental types reach £67.50/head, with the overall average at £40/head,

MONMOUTHSHIRE JANUARY 17

HOGGETS: A shortage of stronger lambs, with 1,258 hoggets to an easier trade generally to level at 170.38p/kg. Top price on the day 209p/kg (£81-40kg) from AJ Thomas. Heavy tegs to 190 pence (£95.80-50.kg) from ID Williams. Standard weights to 194p/kg (£72.80-37.5kg) from G Trinder and lights to 179p/kg (£57.20-32kg) from MD Smith. CULL SHEEP: Another large entry of 715 cull sheep. The best Continentals and cross-bred ewes were a terrific trade. Charollais from JP & MJ Morgan topped the sale at £112, Texels sold to £108 from SE Gamble, Suffolks to £104.50 from GG Lewis, 12 pens of ewes in excess of £90. Medium or smaller cross-bred ewes generally £55 plus, and were a slower trade. STORE SHEEP: 313 store tegs forward. The strongest pens on offer were tup hoggs, which sold to £65 from ED Heath and £59 from MR & JM Bailey. Long-term Texel X lambs to £54.50 from TW Stephens and £54 from WN Waters. Smaller or hill-bred lambs £35-£45, only the very small or backward under £30. A small entry of in-lamb ewes sold to £66 for Aged Suffolk X Welsh ewes scanned at 190% from AT & PR Jones. REARING CALVES: A larger entry of 65 calves this week was a test for the trade, with a significant gap between the best and the rest. Five strong Blue bulls sold at between £330 & £385, with the top price taken by Price & Co Farming. It was the same story with the heifers. The five best all £300-plus, with the top two at £330 for D & AJ Jones and Price & Co. A big contingent of dairy bulls also saw the gap between best and worst widening. Seven strongest all over £120 to a top of £145 for RJ Fletcher. STRONG CALVES: 11 forward with a variety of makes and shapes. Blue bulls to £480 from VJ Thomas & Son. Hereford bulls to £400 from CP Bromwell and Hereford heifers to £280, also from CP Bromwell. Bulls to £280 from VJ Thomas & Son. BREEDING CATTLE: Just four Hereford heifers forward, sold running with the bull, these topped at £845 for one at 30 months, with others at £705 & £695. FEEDING BULLS: A small entry with a top of £675 for a 10-month-old Limousin. STIRKS/YOUNG STORES: Another terrific entry of 60 young stores and a sparkling trade throughout. Steers sold to £860 for a super nine-month-old Limousin from HDH Prichard, Llantrisant. A Jones, Gellihaf, sold eight to nine-month-old Blonde steers at £830. Heifers topped at £835 for nine to 10-month-old Charolais from GJ & JM Watkins, Craswall. STORE CATTLE: A super entry of 198 store cattle forward selling to a flying trade on all the evenly bunched and well-bred sorts. Several suckler-bred consignments selling exceptionally well and in high demand and peaked at £1,415 for an exceptional Charolais cross steer (21m-685kg) from KA & SE Davies, Erwood. Younger grazing steers to £1,165 (565kg-16m) for super Charolais crosses. Limousin crosses from Arthur Bros, Llangybi, sold to £1,100 & £1,000 (16-19m). Feeding heifers a fierce trade and selling to £1,185 (665kg-22m) for Charolais crosses from Heath & Cowles, Tregare. CULL CATTLE: 43 culls again to a terrific trade on all grades. Leading the way at £1,380 was a super Limousin from G Walters, with another at £1,315 from DF & RAL Jones. British Blues to £1,250 from E Pritchard. Welsh Blacks to £1,230 from Davies Bros.

NEWCASTLE EMLYN JANUARY 18

A similar entry forward this week. Hoggs on a par with national trends, selling up to 169p/kg levelling at 164.0p/kg. Heavyweights sold to top the mart at £88.50. Ewes sold to another solid run, with a pen full of Texel X ewes up to £85.00 and averaging at £57.83.

KNIGHTON JANUARY 19

Another very firm trade on both cattle and the hoggets last Friday and everything in the market was sold. All steers averaged 233.17p/kg and just over £1,000 per head. Heifers levelled at 217.84p/kg and £885 per head. All breeds and types were keenly sought-after. Store hoggets sold to a top of £70.50 and averaged £59.24 across the board.