Leek Market
Another busy day at Leek with a buoyant trade in the dairy shed with the best quality heifers selling up to £2130 and £2100. Lambs were a little less, as to be expected with the national trends but still a solid price for the lambs on offer selling up to 249p/kg and £124.95. Ewes very much sought after selling to £147.
Barren cows sold well up to 144p/kg and £1159.20. Clean cattle also in good demand with a neat Limousin heifer at 229p/kg.
Calves continue to sell at a fast pace, with a packed ring of buyers. for all sorts, selling up to £375 for bulls and heifers.
More pigs about but prices down. Top prices of 136p/kg for bacon pigs.
BARREN COWS (26)
Trade a little down but not as many cattle forward but still selling at a solid level up to 144p/ kg for a 805kg Friesian from RG&AS Williamson, Wetley Rocks.
Herefords sold at 140p/kg twice for a 565kg cow from T&B Beswick, Batham Gate and for a 585kg cow from B&BM Rowlinson, Bottomhouse.
Other top prices: 139p 735kg Holstein PR Lawley, Bagnall; 139p 745kg Fleckveih RG&AS Williamson; 138p 745kg Holstein S&J Ryder, Dilhorne; 135p 765kg Hereford M Hall, Brown Edge; 135p 610kg Shorthorn D S Harrison, Kingsley; 134p 610kg Friesian DR&A Shuker, Bosley. Overall average of 116.05p/kg or £732.45 per head.
Top headage price of £1159.20 from Friesians from RG&AS Williamson, who also had £1035.55 for the Fleckveih, with Herefords to £1032.75.
CLEAN CATTLE
A good entry forward selling up to 229p/kg for a 530kg Limousin bull from Chris Barnsley, of Morridge.
A run of some excellent Simmental heifers sold at 222p/ kg for a 680kg heifer, 220p/kg for a 655kg heifer, 218p/kg twice for 690kg and 640kg heifers from Rushton Spencer.
Steers sold up to 212p/kg for a 500kg British Blue from P Partington, of Stanton, and Bulls to 198p/kg for a 770kg Charolais from C&EJ Whilock, Werrington. Top headage price of £1524.60 for the Charolais bulls with heifers at £1509.60, £1504.20 and £1441, and steers to £1235.20.
DAIRIES (45)
The best continue to be a good trade with a 29kg heifer from Edward and Diane Bennett topping the days trade at £2,130 to Ed Clowes of Kingsley. Close behind at £2,100 was a 30kg heifer from the Johnsons of Longnor which was clinched by Andrew Hulme of Basford.
Two smart heifers from the Philips of Winkhill both reached £2,000 with others from Stuart Greenall at £1980 and another from the Johnsons at £1,960.
Calves topped at £300 for a beautiful Shorthorn heifer from Bill Waters with other eightmonth old heifers from Tom and Louise Allen to £640. Their Simmental bull also sold well with the hammer falling at £1940.
PIGS (136)
More pigs and trade down, being about 10 pence off. Cutting pigs sold up to 122p/kg twice for 85kg and 78kg pigs from J&B Fentem, who sold others at 118p/kg, and 113p/kg for a 80kg pig from Steve Bailey and 112p/kg for a 84kg pig from PF&PD Parsons.
Bacon pigs sold up to 136p/ kg for a pair of 95kg pigs from Bernard Minshull, of Buxton, and a 88kg pig at 125p/kg and 116p/kg for of Meerbrook. The Parsons sold bacon pigs at 120p/ kg, 118p/kg and 114pkg with the J&B Fentem selling bacon pigs at 119p/kg, 116p/kg and 114p/kg. Heavy pigs sold at 124p/kg for a trio of 105kg pigs from David Goldstraw.
Cull sows sold up to 72p/kg for a 192kg sow from A Worth, of Marton, with a 297kg sow at 68p/kg and a 296kg sow at 61p/kg from A J Green, Dronfield. Averages: Cutting pigs (18) average 104.97p/kg or £86.36/ head; bacon pigs (77) average 102.04p/kg or £95.39/head; heavy pigs (21) average 93.29p/kg or £101.61/head; cull sows (11) average 57.84p/kg or £153.05/ head.
SHEEP SECTION BUTCHERS LAMBS (964)
Another strong entry of lambs. Trade was less, in line with national trends throughout the morning – however it would be noted that trade improved as the sale went on Best lambs in short supply but topping at 249p/ kg and plenty at 240p and above.
Lightweight lambs (34-39kg) very good to sell and averaging 230p for a very mixed sample.
Big lambs still in short supply in Leek and nationally, and therefor seeing competitive interest and bidding. Big lambs topping at 249p or £124.95.
Sample prices: 240p 37.5kg S J Pace & Co, Congleton; 238p 35.7kg A Scott, Marthall; 237p 37.1kg A Scott, Marthall; 237p 37kg SR&A Hall, Marchington Woodlands; 236p 38.7kg A Shaw, Sturston; 247p 40kg J Gilman & Partners, Bosley; 240p 39.7kg
C G Buckston, Sutton on the
Hill; 240p 42.3kg J Gilman & Partners, Bosley; 238p 39.7kg C G Buckston, Sutton on the Hill; 236p 42.7kg Bagshaw (Caxterway) Ltd, Chelmorton; 249p 47kg R J Critchlow, Grindon; 245p 49kg M A Heath, Bradnop; 238p 52.5kg E J Baskerville, Lichfield; 230p 52.7kg T Hall, Radbourne.
CULL SHEEP (224)
A solid entry saw a fast trade. Very big mules to £121 with average Mules generally £80 £95. Best Suffolks to £130. Very lean ewes seeing a heavy discount. Overall average for ewes at £94/ head. Best Texel Rams selling to £147 and plenty of Rams £120-plus to average at £110/ head.
CALVES (147)
A maximum entry of 147 calves sold to a packed ringside.
44 CONTINENTAL BULLS, AVERAGE £284.47
A few more on offer and generally a very similar trade. Best Simmentals to £375 for a smart, 16-day-old from Robinson Partners, Rudyard. Ten best over £320; mediums £250 £300 with smaller sorts under £240. 25 Blues averaged £283 to £342 R Cooper & Son; 13 Sims averaged £282 to £375 Robinson Partners; 5 Lims averaged £297 to £352 R J Salt
35 CONTINENTAL HEIFERS, AVERAGE £239.08
Generally a very strong price with numerous buyers at the ringside. A super British Blue x stole the trade and topped at £375 (33 days) from Dale Allen, of Alfreton. Fourteen better sorts over £250; mediums £210 £240 with seven smaller calves under £200; 17 Blues averaged £247 to £375 Hallen Farming; 7 Sims averaged £219 to £350 three vendors; 10 Lims averaged £242 to £360 E Moss & Sons
42 NATIVES
11 Hereford bulls averaged £214 to £330 Foker Grange Farm; 11 Aberdeen Angus bulls averaged £255 to £320 WB&DE Gyte; eight Hereford heifers av £174 to £218 PT Beswick; 11 Aberdeen Angus heifers averaged £167 to £210 WB&DE Gyte
20 BLACK & WHITE BULLS, AVERAGE £55.60
Nearly all sold for rearing.