ANOTHER busy Monday sale day at Skipton Auction Mart produced an increased entry of 2,593 prime sheep, with trade for the 2,294 hoggs among them every bit as good as the previous week, averaging 195.2p/kg, or £80.49 per head.

Lowland lambs were good to sell, with commercial export types making185-195p/kg, a nice sort was 200p-210p/kg and the best end 230p/kg-plus, up to 270.7p/kg for a Beltex pen from Paul Simpson, of Bolton-by-Bowland.

Heavy lambs were dearer, with the 45-52kg range topping at £119 per head, or 242.2p/kg, for another quality Simpson pen, with a strong weight bracket average of 194.2p.kg, or £92.45 per head.

Among the turnout were 1,130 Texel types that averaged £85.35 per head, or 199.9p/kg, and 204 Beltex types which sold to an average of £93.84 each, or 225.1p/kg.

Hill lambs met with a sharp trade, especially lightweight horned entries, which in the main made 175-185p/kg. Mule lambs were generally around 180-190p/kg, heavy Mules from Roy Nelson, of Bordley, hitting £96.50 per head, and £95.50 from Mark Throup, of Malham Moor.

Of the 299 cast sheep forward, cull ewes averaged £72.13 per head, with a day’s high of £127.50 for a Texel pen from Howard Barker, of Fewston. Cast rams averaged £83.07, another Texel from Andrew Fisher, of Low Laithe, again best at £128.50.

In the prime cattle arena, a total of 41 culls cows again sold well to an overall average of £749.70 per head, or 112.7p/kg, with a British Blue from Richard Maudsley in Rathmell leading the way by some margin at £1,510, or 186.5p/kg.

“Cull cows bucked the trend and were dearer on the week. Farmers who are putting finish on to cattle are being rewarded,” said Skipton Auction Mart’s general manager Jeremy Eaton.

A smaller than usual turnout of 35 rearing calves produced strong trade for black and whites, and the overall average of £66 per head would have been higher had it not been for some plainer sorts among them. There was a dairy-bred top of £115 for a bull calf from John Dodgson, of Bank Newton.

In the Continental classes, British Blue-cross were again good to trade, with even small calves selling away nicely into the £300s and to a day’s top of £415 for a bull calf from Geoff and Alan Midgley, of Luddendenfoot. Heifer calves peaked at £315 for a Limousin from Threshfield’ s Angus Dean and a British Blue from John Wright in Airton.

Native youngsters again met with a sound trade, averaging £191 per head overall, with a bull calf average of £277, among them an Aberdeen Angus at £295 from Mrs S Nuttall, of Blackburn.

Fifteen loads of produce saw fodder beet sell to £20 per ton, barley straw mini hestons to £14.50, wheat straw rounds to £12.50, wheat straw mini hestons and wheat straw quads both to £12, and small bale hay to £3 per bale.