Leek market

TUESDAY, APRIL 20

ANOTHER busy Tuesday market with the Pedigree Dairy Sale and a buoyant trade topping at £2020 & £2000 for fresh heifers with Commercials topping the day at £2040.

The sheep section saw a firm trade throughout, and some good entries forward selling to 404p/ kg for Spring Lambs, hogget’s to 340p/kg and £166.60/head. Cull ewes were a super trade, with top prices of £165 & £161 with the whole entry averaging over £107/ head.

Barrens sold on a solid trade again, with cattle up to 198p/ kg for Simmentals and Black & white’s to 169p/kg, with the entry averaging 128.57p/kg.

Calves sold on a super trade, and some real good quality about, with bulls to £475 for Limousins, and heifers to £360, both from Andrew Hulme, Basford.

Pigs sold on a decent trade also with bacon pigs to 146p/kg and heavies to 140p/kg.

BARREN COWS (48);

Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

Another smashing trade this week with some excellent prices achieved. Top price of 198p/kg for a 675kg Simmental cow from Rushton Spencer, who also sold a 760kg Simmental at 165p/kg and another at 162p/kg for a 740kg Simmental.

Black & white’s sold to 169p/ kg for a 635kg from ET & ME Pemberton, Cheadle with a 740kg Holstein at 156p/kg from J Bailey & Sons, Biddulph.

CLEAN CATTLE;

Selling time – 10:45am approx. Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

A small entry sold on a solid trade selling to 238p/kg for a 530kg Limousin heifer from Chris Barnsley, Morridge selling to JW Ash Butchers of Leek. A pair of smart Limousin heifers from PG Beswick & Sons sold at 199p/kg twice for 605kg and 580kg heifers.

Black & white bulls sold to 181p/kg for a 585kg bull, with others at 180p/kg and 178p/kg from J E Archer & Sons, Hilton. DAIRIES (99);

Selling time – 11:30am Auctioneers – Meg Elliott

(07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)

Tuesday saw a more buoyant trade for milkers within the Dairy Section with numerous passing the £1800 mark.

The first cow through the ring reached £1940. A powerful third calver from Andrew & Joanna Bunting, she was sold giving 50kg and went to Messrs Baskerville.

Messrs Sutton of Turnditch saw their second calver reach £1900 with another from Messrs Mellor of Earl Sterndale at £1830.

The Buntings also went on to see their two fresh heifers reach £2000 and £2020 respectively.

However topping the day was a stylish commercial second calver from Adrian Barber of Gnosall at £2040.

The entry of Shorthorn Incalf heifers sold to a buoyant trade. All due later in the year the pedigree entry from Messrs Tunnicliffe reached £1400 with commercials from Messrs Hollingworth to £1370.

Young calves also from Messrs Bunting reached £370.

PIGS (118);

Selling time – 9:15am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

A strong entry forward selling on a solid trade, with some good prices achieved.

Bacon pigs topped at 146p/ kg for a 98kg pig from PF & PD Parsons, Whitchurch with a pair of 90kg pigs at 144p/kg for Laura Smith, Basford and 142p/kg for a 102kg pig from David Goldstraw, Meerbrook. Others sold at 137p/ kg, 134p/kg (x3) and 126p/kg for the Parsons.

Heavy pigs sold up to 140p/ kg for a 105kg pig from PF & PD Parsons, with J & B Fentem selling heavies at 130p/kg, 128p/ kg, 120p/kg and 118p/kg.

A good number of Sows forward selling up to 79p/kg for a 325kg sow and 78p/kg for a 297kg sow, with others at 77p/ kg, 76p/kg, 73p/kg, 72p/kg and 71p/kg.

SHEEP SECTION;

Selling time 11:00am Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)

SPRING LAMBS (48);

Numbers slow at coming forward, but many more could have been sold with some jobs cancelled due to insufficient numbers.

Trade brisk with best to 404p/ kg or £160/head. Plenty of

‘less fancy’ sorts in the entry impacting on the average which levelled at 346p/kg.

BUTCHERS HOGGET’S (386);

A reasonable entry for time of the year with a run of very poor tail-end sorts and some very well few types, albeit at heavy weights.

Best sold to 340p/kg or £166.60/ head. Better types 300p + even for heavy weights. More of the best could have been sold to the vendors advantage.

CULL SHEEP (139);

Less about with trade fierce from start to finish. Higher proportion of the entry was continental ewes which were a joy to sell. Best Texel’s to £165/head with others at £161. Best 10 lots over £140/head to average £153. Mules to £99 and best Suffolk ewes to £138.

CALVES (143);

Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899);

Better numbers this week and a full line up of buyers appreciating the quality on offer.