Leek market

A BUSY day with the monthly Pedigree Dairy Sale taking place.

Top price of £1920 for a fresh heifer from Andrew Weston, Litton. Barren cattle were a touch steadier but a top price of 143p/kg for Herefords with clean cattle to 189p/kg.

A good show of pigs this week, with an additional buyer in attendance saw a top price of 146p/kg for bacon pigs and cutters to 138p/kg.

More lambs about this week, with quality lambs selling well to a top of 192p/kg. Ewes sold to £118 per head for strong continental ewes.

A mixed entry of calves today, but an excellent

Blue bull shown by RG & AS Williamson sold to £445, and a Charollais heifer to £325 from Pilkington Farmers.

BARREN COWS (50);

A decent show of barren cattle forward today but trade a bit steadier than last week. Top price of 143p/ kg for a 565kg Hereford from S J Potts, Gillow Heath with other Herefords to 139p/kg for a 665kg cow from HA & TR Mycock, Grindon. Limousins sold to 131p/kg for a 395kg cow from F & J Barlow, Froghall, with a 645kg Limousin from J W Hudson, Ipstones at 128p/kg and a 700kg Limousin at 125p/kg for K D Burton, Beamhurst.

Other top prices:

118.5p 820kg Montbeliarde - FA & TM Cotton, Tean;

118.5p 725kg Friesian - P T Beswick, Cauldon

117p 675kg Muriel Grey - CS, JJ & WE Bower, Hyde;

117p 755kg Limousin - K D Burton, Beamhurst;

116.5p 615kg Friesian - D & G Tudor, Kingsley

114p 640kg Holstein - A J C Stone, Onecote

Top headage price of £971.70 for the Montbeliarde from FA & TM Cotton, with Herefords to £924.35 and Limousins at £910.45.

Overall average of 95.06p/kg or £580 per head. An overage Friesian steer at 650kg realised 150p/kg with a British Blue steer at 700kg from CS, JJ & WE Bower, Hyde at 134p/kg. A 765kg Hereford from HA &TR Mycock sold at 123p/kg. Top headage price of £975 for the Friesian and £940.95 for Herefords.

CLEAN CATTLE (21);

Clean cattle continue to sell well but no best quality sorts about. Top price of 189p/kg for a 640kg Simmental bull from Rushton Spencer. Steers from Reg Bould, Brown Lees sold to 182p/kg for a 685kg Limousin with a 685kg Angus at 180p/ kg and a 675kg Blue at 180p/kg. Steers from Peter Richardson, Ipstones sold well with two Simmentals at 605kg and 630kg realising 176p/kg.

Heifers sold for 140p/kg for a 595kg Agnus from JA Gibson, Bollington and a 520kg Hereford at 138p/kg from the same vendor.

Top headage price of £1246.70 and £1233 for steers from Reg Bould with bulls to £1209.60 and heifers to £833.

DAIRIES (95);

A very busy day in the dairy shed with trade solid throughout and saw a top price of £1920 for a Gofarm Royal Endon daughter from Andrew Weston of Litton to David Curtis, Basford.

Numerous other heifers were in that £1700-£1800 bracket including a Bidlea Padbury daughter from Ray Turner of Rownall at £1830. She went to Messrs Hargreaves. Close behind at £1800 was Broomhouse Lavaman Ray S646 from Messrs Eason. She went to Messrs Tudor of Kingsley. The Eason family also had other heifers to £1720 & £1700 and topped the cows at £1690. An entry of bulling heifers from Messrs Godber topped at £780.

First Quality Heifers to £1920 av £1781

Second Quality Heifers to £1660 av £1549

Second Quality Cows to £1690 av £1572

PIGS (85);

Pigs sold on a similar trade to last week, with a good entry forward.

Two pork pigs sold at 114p/kg for 73kgpigs from J & B Fentem & Sons. Cutting pigs topped at 138p/kg for 75.5kg pigs from J & B Fentem, with others from the same home at 136p/kg for 80.6kg and 128p/kg for 76.5kg pigs.

Bacon pigs sold to 146p/kg for a lovely 100kg pig from Chris Hine, Biddulph with others at 134p/kg for a pair of 90kg pigs from J &B Fentem, and 90.5kg pigs at 128p/kg from the same home.

Heavier pigs sold to 102p/kg for 104.5kg pigs from Chris Hine who also sold a pair of 109kg pigs at 100p/kg and a 115kg pig sold for 100p/kg for RAO Johnson.

Cull sows sold to 54p/kg for a 283kg sow from P & N Allen, Uttoxeter who also sold a 314kg sow at 53p/kg. A 22kg Sow from RAO Johnson sold at 50p/kg with a gilt at 271kg selling well to 49p/kg.

Averages:

Pork Pigs (2) av 114p/kg or £83.79/head

Cutting Pigs (21) av 120.91p/kg or £96.79/head Bacon Pigs (25) av 113.28p/kg or £107.71/head Heavy Pigs (6) av 100.3p/kg or £109.16/head

Cull Sows &a Boars (6) av 47p/kg or £120.58/head Store pigs from A Lockett, Rushton Spencer sold at £24 with two pens at £15 from D Shipton, Burton on Trent.

LAMBS (949);

A steadier trade to last week, with prices slightly back but quality and bigger lambs continue to sell well.

Top price of 192p/kg for 42.4kg lambs from Glen Mosley, Wormhill. Overall average of 161.42p/kg. Sample prices: 190p 38.8kg J M Robinson, Swythamley 192p 42.4kg G Mosley, Wormhill

191p 40.7kg D Goldstraw, Meerbrook; 190p 40.2kg J W Bailey, Cloudside; 187p 45.4kg D Goldstraw, Meerbrook 187p 46.2kg RG & AS Williamson, Wetley Rocks; 186p 44kg P J Harrison, Priestcliffe

CULL SHEEP (278);

Trade similar to last week, and a lot of hill and plainer types forward. Best types sold to £118 for ewes from S K Davies, Sutton, and 6 ewes at £100 from RH Stubbs, Hopton. Overall average of £46.56.

CALVES (172);

A slightly smaller entry of 172 calves met a packed ring of farmer rearer’s with brisk bidding for all types. A Blue bull topped the market shown by RG & AS Williamson realising £445.

48 Continental Bulls av £233 Quality sorts in demand with the Blue topped at £445 and the top 6 calves all over £350/head. Blues av £220 to £445 - RG & AS Williamson Sims av £291 to £375 - J & C Hudson Lims av £184 to £250 - J & W Knight Blonde av £272 to £315 - P I R Sales

36 Continental Heifers av £175 Quality still wanted but a larger proportion of plainer types was reflected in the overall averages. A beefbred Charollais heifer topped at £325 with the top 7 calves selling in excess of £250. Blues av £168 to £295 - RG & AS Williamson; Sims av £218 to £270 - J Fernyhough Lims av £133 to £230 - C V Whilock & Sons; Blonde to £252 - J Ball Char to £325 Pilkington Farmers

51 Native Hereford & Angus Best Angus named bull calves to £262 and an outstanding Shorthorn heifer calf to £252. Plenty of Angus heifers on offer saw best to 175 and plainer sorts selling in the £50 - £70 range. Angus Bulls av £102 to £262 - C V Whilock & Sons Angus Heifers av £58 to £175 - CW Whilock & Sons

Here Bulls av £94 to £170 - S M Mcleavy; Here

Heifers av £114 to £160 - NG, JMH & H Mellor Shorthorn Heifer to £252 - J Ball Blue Albion bull to £160 J Ball 36 Black & White Bulls In generally lacking in quality with best Friesian to £84 and Holsteins to £70.

Store Lambs;

There were 8,255 store lambs on offer which achieved a top price of £78 which was paid for a pen of Texel cross ewe lambs from Mr Grindey of Adlington, with other Texel lambs up to £73 from Mr Pierson of Winkhill, £71.20 from K House of Mosley, £71 from C S Edge of Ballidon, £69.50 from A Seabridge of Stone and other pens of Texels at £68 from S Frith Ltd of Thorpe, £68 from S Ridgeway of Macclesfield and £67 from P Redfern of Stockport.

Beltex lambs from F G & J R Critchlow of Sheen sold up to £73.50 with others at £66.50 from A Hague of Wildboarclough. Oxford mixed lambs from J Barber of Quarnford sold up to £68.20, with Charollais mixed lambs from D Edgecox of Onecote at £64.80.

Suffolk ewe lambs topped at £68 from A Hayes of Alstonefield, with other Suffolk ewe lambs also at £68 from P Hooley of Wildboarclough and £65.20 from F Sykes of Rainow.

Mixed Suffolk lambs from G Nutter of Grindon sold up to £65, £64.50 from Frith Brothers of Thorpe and £64.20 from D Naylor of Castleton.

Other breeds sold up to £59.50 for Lleyn wethers from Mr Grindey of Adlington, £58.20 for Border Leicesters from J Cushing of Waterfall, £58.50 for Cheviots from C J Hidderley of Ipstones and £55.50 for further Cheviots from S Emery of Gratwich. Aberfield lambs from A Maynard of Rainow sold up to £58.20, with Mule wethers up to £50 from J Burrows of Macclesfield who also sold a second pen for £47.50. Masham wethers from D E & G M Storer sold up to £48.20, with Jacob wethers from D Garwood-hughes of Tissington selling up to £47, and Gritstone wethers up to £46.80 from T Harding of Kettleshulme.

The overall average for store lambs including a high proportion of smaller sorts was a pleasing £53.86.

Ewe Lambs

There were 751 breeding ewe lambs on offer with the top price of the day being £105 which was paid for a pen of Blue Faced Leicesters from Mycock & Bright of Buxton, with Texels up to £93 from J Burton of Ipstones Edge and £79 for a further pen of Texels from H Mellor of Ladmanlow.

Mules from H Critchlow of Wetton sold up to £78 (twice) and £77, with Beltex ewe lambs from A Hague of Wildboarclough at £75.50. Kerry Hill ewe lambs from W S Hudson of Ilam topped at £72 and Jacobs from M Wentworth of Leek at £71.

Overall average for ewe lambs was £59.30.

Shearlings

There were 794 shearlings on offer with trade firmer than two weeks ago. These saw an excellent pen of North Country Mule shearlings from G Wainwright & Family of Bamford at £178 with other North Country Mules from J Fryer of Horton at £123, £122, £121 and £120.

Frith Brothers of Thorpe sold Mule shearlings up to £116, with good quality Texel shearlings from E Moreton & Sons of Barmoor Clough up to £130 and P Bagshaw of Wetton selling Mule shearlings up to £128 and another pen from E Moreton & Sons at £126. Welsh Mules from P Williams of Tean sold up to £100.

Overall average for shearlings was £92.05.

breeding Sheep;

There was an entry of 880 breeding and grazing ewes on offer with a high proportion of grazing sorts. Top price of the day was £82 which was paid for a pen of Texel correct ewes from N Barton of Adlington, with Mr Mellor of Ladmanlow selling a further pen of Texel correct ewes for £81 and C Mallaber of Burton of Trent selling a pen of correct Texels at £80.

Jacob ewes sold correct in the udder from D Garwoodhughes of Tissington at £79 and Mule correct ewes from G Jones of Langley sold for £73.