THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT PRICES

CARDIGAN DECEMBER 19

FAT HOGGETS (447): A similar entry of hoggets were seen this week, however prices have dipped alongside deadweight quotations. Handyweight lambs topped at 173p/kg and the heavyweight lambs peaked at £84.80/head. The overall average was at 163p/kg. CULL SHEEP (15): A small entry sold to a top of £57.50 for ewes from Webb, Cefn, who also sold further ewes at £55.50; £50 for a ram from Evans, Gilfachrheda Farm. STORE CATTLE & GRAZING COWS: A small entry saw the best store cattle sell to £580 for a 19m AA steer from Morris, Bontpren. Grazing cows peaked at £750 for a 780k Friesian from Lewis, Morfa Uchaf. CALVES (47): Topping at £195 was an AA bull from Jenkins & Rees, Trefere Fawr, who also sold another AA bull at £184; other leading prices at £160 for a BB bull from Williams & Sons, Cilcert Farm, who also sold another at £128. The best of the black and white bull calves sold to £92 for a H/Fr from Emerald Grove Farms Ltd, Gelliorlas, who also sold others at £88 and £86; £82 for a Fr from Lloyd, Tegfan.

LUDLOW DECEMBER 23

STORE CATTLE (30): A small sale for the seasonal entry but a very good trade, report McCartneys. Prices were as follows: Limousin X Steers to £995 (193.0p/kg), Hereford X Steers to £945 (185.0p/kg), Belgian Blue X Steers to £955 (185.0p/kg), Simmental X Heifers to £840, £720, £690, £655 (top 170.0p/kg av. 167.0p/kg), Bull prices were as follows: Simmental X Bulls to £1,060, £1,050 (x 2), £1,000 (top 188.0p/kg av. 182.0p/ kg), Limousin X Bulls to £825, £800, £765, £680 (top 239.0p/kg av. 221.0p/kg), Hereford X Bulls to £790, £580 (top 193.0p/kg av. 184.0p/kg). CALVES & WEANLINGS (11): A nice trade. Rearing bull calves to £360 average £287, rearing heifer calves to £345 average £209. STORE SHEEP (1,310): A really brisk trade. Plenty of buyers in attendance. Strong store lambs to £75, average £71.50, medium store lambs to £69.80, average £63.50, small store lambs to £60, average £57.50, mini store lambs to £54, average £51.

MONMOUTHSHIRE DECEMBER 28

FINISHED LAMBS: A large entry of 1,511 lambs met a steadier trade with some abattoirs quiet after the holiday weekend and SQQ of 163.74p/kg. 39-45kg weight range best sellers to 185p/kg £39.3kg to J Francis, 178p/kg of £78.20 44kg JL Williams, 177p/kg £71.20 40.2kg Llanthony Valley Organics. 177p/kg £78 44kg WN Waters and Son. 177p/kg £74.20 42kg C Passmore. 176p/kg £70.20 40kg BL Hughes and SJ Carr. 176p/kg £68.80 39kg GS Watkins. 175p/kg £69.80 40kg J Italiano. Heavy lambs slower with £80 stopping most and a top price of 172p/kg £79.20 46kg also from WJ Francis and 170p/kg £78 46kg from SB Morgan. 33-36kg keenly sought to a price with well bred to 176p/kg £59.50 34kg from Dudley Bros. Lights to 163p/kg £50.50 31kg from Trigg Bros. CULL SHEEP: A much improved entry of 741 cull sheep. Some very nice runs of strong Suffolk and Texel ewes were easily sold. Texels sold to £116 from Mrs M Hughes, others to £106.50 from Mrs AM Evans, Suffolks to £100.50 also from Mrs M Hughes. C Hinksman sold Charolais and Texels to £100 twice. The top end were generally £85-plus, the smaller/medium ewes were a little harder to sell in comparison. Hill breeds would be a similar trade to last week, cheviots to £58 from MA Gwillim, only the best £40-plus, smaller or plain generally £25-£35. Rams sold to £83 from FI Walters, no real strength on offer today. Wethers to £55 for Welsh from Williams Partners. STORE SHEEP: Again only a small entry, Welsh X Texel lambs from Trigg Bros selling at £37.50. More store lambs are anticipated for next week.

DECEMBER 21

FINISHED LAMBS: 1,170 lambs with another improvement across the board with all buyers looking for numbers and an SQQ of 176.26p/kg. Well finished 40-44kg weights to £2/kg (£81.80-41kg) from ME, PL & SM Williams; 192p/kg (£77.80-40.5kg) from MA Francis. Heavy lambs to 177p/kg (£86.50-49kg) from WJ Francis, (£84-47kg) ME, PL & SM Williams, (£85-48kg) SB Morgan. Standards to 189p/kg (£71-37.5kg) also from Messrs Williams, and (£71.80-38kg) from GJ Sevenoaks & Sons; Lights to 174p/kg (£50-30.5kg) from MD Pritchard-James. CULL SHEEP: A reduced entry of just 348 cull sheep saw a much-improved trade on all types. Texel X sold to £101 from WE & CW Jones and £98 twice from JL Williams. Suffolk X to £94 from SB Morgan and £93 GG Lewis. Mules to £79.50 from RE Gilder. Best of the hill bred ewes to £81.50 for North Country Cheviots from MA Gwillim; Brecon Cheviots £65.50 from DP Jones; Medium hill ewes trading between £40-£46. Plain ewes generally £15-£25. Rams were an excellent trade, Charollais to £105 from RE Gilder; Suffolks to £100 from the same home. STORE SHEEP: Just a few on offer today, Badgers & Balwens from A Groucott selling to £26.50. REARING CALVES: As expected, a reduced entry forward this week and being predominantly dairy bulls. All calves sold to full value with some perhaps dearer than previous sales. A BBX bull from AR Edwards & Son achieved £270 with another at £250 from T Hanks & Son, top price of the day however being a BBX heifer from Price & Co Farming Ltd selling for £280. AAX calves sold to £208 & £200 for nice young bulls from RJ & DL Morgan & Sons, with heifers achieving £180 from AP & HR Alford. Dairy bulls were a fast trade for all types with best sorts regularly £88-£95, with £100 achieved for the first time in several months by D & AJ Jones, mediums £65-£75, with only the smallest under £40. WEANED CALVES: Only a handful of weaned calves forward with BBX heifers £445 and AAX heifers £380. BREEDING CATTLE: Just two in-calvers forward, the best a six-year-old Blue cow, in-calf to a Charolais for March/April, making £1,060. The other, a second-calver at £800, both from AJ & KL Bowen, Treharris. STIRKS: 13 forward with another strong trade. Steers peaked at £825 for two smart seven-month-old Limousins from Mrs E Williams, Coity. Heifers from the same home also topped the section when selling at £710 (Lims, 7m). FEEDING BULLS: Just four forward with a top of £630 for 11-month Lim & Angus from MGR Powell, Walterstone. STORE CATTLE: A select entry of 28 store cattle forward for the last sale of 2016. Plenty of quality present despite short numbers forward with the trade easily maintaining recent high rates. Feeding steers to £1,245 (605kg-21m) for Limousin crosses from JCD & KA Richardson & Son, Itton, with further similar steers selling to £1,230, £1,210, £1,200 x 2, £1,195 & £1,180. Younger wintering steers sold to £960 (512kg-16m) from EJ Jones & Partners, Crucorney. Wintering heifers to £935 (500kg-16m) from the same home. Aberdeen Angus crosses topped at £890 (560kg-23m) from Free to Choose Ltd, Hardwick.