Markets

An increased entry met a fast trade with prices similar to earlier in the week.

Better quality lambs were selling from 120p to a top of 123.4p for 38kg Texel x at £46.90p. All weights were in demand with well fleshed continentals at a premium, while leaner lambs generally sold around 114p to 117p. Top head price was £57.50 for 52 kg.

Standard (32.5-39kg) Top 123.4p, Average 119.3p. 38kg Texel x at £46.90

Medium (39.5-45.5) Top 122.0p, Average 118.5p. 40.5kg Charollais x at £49.40

Heavy (46-52kg) Top 114.3p, Average 113.4p. 49kg Charollais x at £56

Standard Quality Quotation (26-45.5kg) 118.7 pence per kg liveweight.

NEW SEASON LAMBS

(30.5-36kg) Premium 121.6p, Prime 118.1p; (36.5-43kg) Premium 122.5p, Prime 118.8p; (43.5-48kg) Premium 119.4p, Prime 116.0p; (48.5kg+) Prime 113.4p

Liveweight:- Premium Averaged 121.1p, Prime Averaged 118.2p

Estimated Deadweight:- Premium Averaged 263.3p, Prime Averaged 257.0p

CULL SHEEP - 137

The ewes met an improved trade with heavyweight ewes up by about £5 and some lightweight leaner ewes up by £7 to £8 a head.

Buyers also looking for ewes suitable for early lambing. Top head price was £55.80p for Suffolk x. Continentals sold to £48, Mules to £43.20p.

Averages (£ per head)

Lightweight Ewes Top £44.80, Average £34.66p; Heavyweight Ewes Top £55.80p, Average £52.36p; Wethers Top £32.00p, Average £28.14p.

Overall Market Average £37.94p.

n FINISHED CATTLE -344

Nothing short of a marvellous trade. No end of buyers present for the cattle. Many more could have been sold to advantage. Quality was at a marked premium with steers selling up to 124.0p per kilo and heifers 116.0p per kilo. Prices were as follows:

MEDIUM STEERS: Best quality to 104.5p, 103.0p Ave; Standard quality to 96.5p, 94.6p ave; Also rans to 92.0p; Overall average to 95.6p

HEAVY STEERS: Best quality to 124.5p, 105.8p ave; Standard quality to 97.5p, 95.6p ave. Also Rans to 91.5p; Overall average to 100.2p

MEDIUM HEIFERS: Best quality to 114.5p, 102.8p ave: Standard quality to 95.5p, 94.5p ave. Also Rans to 91.0p. Overall average to 100.4p

HEAVY HEIFERS: Best quality to 116.0p, 102.4p ave; Standard quality to 95.5p, 93.5p ave. Also Rans to 90.5p. Overall Average to 99.0p.

BULLS:

There were several Friesian bulls in the bull entry and some plain bulls this week. Well fleshed bulls were particularly dear. Medium bulls to 105.5p, 91.1p ave; Heavy bulls to 109.0p, 95.0p ave.

n FINISHED SHEEP - 2,756

A very strong lamb trade with buyers present for some 3,000 lambs. More needed. Well fleshed and well shaped lambs were very well sold indeed. Prices were as follows:

Standard lambs to 147.0p, 124.1p ave; Medium Lambs to 135.0p, 125.2p ave; Heavy lambs to 134.5p, 125.1p ave.

Export Quality lambs sold up to 147.0p and averaged 127.0p; Home Trade lambs sold up to 123.5p and averaged 122.0p.

There was a very good trade on the killing ewes and more are needed. There were buyers present for some 400 ewes on Monday. Killing ewes to £54.60 and an overall average of £37.13 for all sorts. Rams to £48.00, hoggs to £37.00.

n CLEAN CATTLE (113 forward)

STEERS. Overall Average 99.7p; Medium - 6, 99.0 Max, 92.1 Ave; Heavy - 58, 118.5 Max, 100.5 Ave.

HEIFERS. Overall Average 95.6p. Medium - 10, 98.5 Max, 92.7 Ave; Heavy - 38, 107.0 Max, 96.3 Ave.

n SHEEP

LAMBS (2,555 forward). Overall Ave 122.9p. Light - 11, 115.0 Max, 115.0 Ave; Standard - 989, 126.3 Max, 121.7 Ave; Medium - 1,542, 127.8 Max, 123.8 Ave; Heavy - 13, 115.2 Max, 115.2 Ave.

CULL EWES - 205 £47.50 Max, £40.10 Ave.

n McCartneys report an entry of 128 Store Cattle at Knighton Market on Friday, July 5, 2003.

An excellent trade was seen on all sorts with a full ring of buyers present. Steers with no claim taken averaged 153.48 pence up to 167.90 pence for a 265 kilo Char x Steer (12 months) from an excellent run of Store Cattle from J M Gayther & Son, Little Crogau.

Steers with one claim taken averaged 136.55 pence per kilo up to 164 pence for 2 Lim Steers (12mths) weighing 320 kg (£510) from Mr G E Powell, Trawsty Newydd.

Top price per head was £642 for a 17mth Char Steer with one claim taken weighing 535 kilos from E R & G T Matthews & Son, Kilowent. Heifers averaged 104.26 pence up to 117.30 pence for 456 kilo Lim Heifers (£535) from Messrs J T Lewis & Co., Dolfor Hall. Also to 110.80 pence for 4 Saler x Heifers weighing 370 kg from S Deakins, Llancoch. Store Bulls sold to 145.70 pence for 5 Lim x Bulls with no claim taken weighing 376 kg from Messrs M & M Price, Bailey Shonllwydd. Next Store Cattle Sale on Friday, July 18, 2003.

Top prices for steers and heifers of various weights were as follows:-

Steers: 265kg £445 (167.90) Green, 280kg £452 (161.40) Green, 310kg £478 (154.10) Green, 320kg £525 (164.00) Blue, 330kg £510 (154.50) Blue, 345kg £510 (147.80) Blue, 356kg £580 (162.90) Green, 365kg £560 (153.40) Green, 370kg £560 (151.30) Blue, 380kg £588 (154.70) Green, 391kg £570 (145.70) Blue, 400kg £565 (141.20) Green, 410kg £552 (134.60) Blue, 430kg £592 (137.60) Green, 440kg £528 (120.00) Blue, 535kg £642 (120.00) Blue.

Bulls: 376kg £548 (145.70) Green, 430kg £470 (109.30) Red.

Heifers: 302kg £292 (96.68), 345kg £378 (109.50), 365kg £400 (109.50), 370kg £410 (110.80), 390kg £390 (100.00), 400kg £405 (101.20), 413kg £450 (108.90), 427kg £500 (117.00), 456kg £535 (117.30), 470kg £448 (95.31), 485kg £500 (103.00), 490kg £450 (91.83), 500kg £520 (104.00).

n Market Auctioneers report the following prices at their weekly sale in Hereford Market.

Store sheep (3,290): A pen of couples being 13 Speckle ewes with 20 lambs sold at £55.50. Small pen of Suffolk cross ewe hoggs at £55. Two lots of lambs were rejects from the primes at £31 and £26.

Cull ewes (1,687): An exceptional entry met a flying trade with very good enquiry for good in udder ewes up to £56 with many ewes in the £50s.

However the dearest trade was on the lean ewes selling up to £45. The quantity does not effect the trade at Hereford. Good in udder ewes sold to £56; cull rams to £50; Suffolk ewes to £56; Texel ewes to £50; North Country Mule ewes to £48; Welsh Mules to £45; Speckle ewes to £40; Welsh ewes to 332; cull rams to £47. Overall average £32.97.

Pigs (27): A small entry of pigs met a good trade with a sow with five piglets to £110, fat sows sold to £80 and £75, weaners to £40 and £43, maiden gilts to £70 an boars to £65.

TENBURY

BRIGHTWELLS of Tenbury report a record entry of 1,422 acres of standing straw from farms in the Tenbury and surrounding districts at their collective sale held on July 1 at the Bridge Hotel, Tenbury Wells.

Trade was brisker than anticipated with the westernmost lots attracting more interest than those further to the east of Tenbury, while winter barley and wheat straw was more keenly sought after than oats.

There was very little demand for pea and rape haulm.

Once again roadside and easily accessible lots were most in demand.

Prices sold to a top of £19 per acre for winter wheat straw at Hill Top Farm, Sutton, with winter barley selling to £16 at Easton Court Farm, Little Hereford.

General prices as follows:

844.3 acres winter wheat straw sold to £19 per acre to av. £14.38 - clearance 52.2 per cent.

305.1 acres winter oat straw sold to £13 per acre to av. £12.00 - clearance 28.3per cent.

107.9 acres winter barley straw sold to £16 per acre to av. £14.65 - clearance 100 per cent.

43.5 acres spring barley straw sold to £15 per acre to av. £15 - clearance 26.1 per cent.

111.2 acres pea and rape haulm sold to £5 to average £5 - clearance 31 per cent. The overall average for straw was £14.12 per acre with an overall clearance of 49.1 per cent.