AN entry of almost 1,800 prime and cast sheep at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest weekly Monday sale varied in weight from 27kg to 64kg, with just over 300 head weighing 37kg or less.

Of the 1,181 Spring lambs, nice lightweights could make 290-310p/kg, depending upon quality, though generally the better average prices were for mid-weight and heavier end lambs, with the 46-52kg bracket levelling at 315.9p/kg.

Prices peaked at £180 for Texels from Mark Crabtree, of Kettlesing, selling to Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, closely followed at £177 and £175 for more Texels from WH Marsden, of Crossgates, both pens joining Hartshead Meat Company in Mossley.

Smarter end lambs made 340-370p/kg, topping at 372.5p/kg, or £167.50, for 45kg entries again from Mr Marsden, which also fell to Robertshaw’s. Nice three-quarter types were 310p-335p/kg, while commercial sorts (first cross from Mule) made 280p-305p/kg. The overall Spring lamb average was £123.06 per head, or 304.5p/kg

A small late season turnout of 166 prime hoggs saw fleshed heavy types selling into the £120s and £130s, lightweight horned hoggs in particular finding a nice following, plus some good prices for handy continentals. The section averaged £95.96 per head, or 221.1p/kg

Of the 451 cast sheep, trade was a tad less for cull ewes, though still buoyant compared to other centres when averaging £98 per head overall for 123 North of England Mules, 202 white-faced ewes and 126 others.

The best Texel ewes sold to £174.50, most pure ewes making £150-£167, with an overall white-faced average of £115. Bluefaced Leicester sold to £131.50, Swaledales to £87.50, while big Mules were anywhere from £95-£108. Cast rams averaged £120.

A small entry of breeding sheep late in the season produced a nice trade, Mule hoggs with singles selling to £240 per outfit, those with twins to £230.

In the prime cattle section, a trio of evenly matched under 30-month steers from the Critchley family in Hutton included two 580kg Limousins that each took the day’s leading price per kilo of 268.5p, or £1,557 and £1,584, both claimed by Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers in Bradford, which also paid overall top gross price of £1,660 (253.5p/kg) for a 655kg British Blue-x steer from Charles and Richard Kitching.

The Threshfield brothers also consigned the leading price per kilo heifer, a 595kg Charolais-x which made 263.5p (£1,568) to Robertshaw’s Farm Shop. A further 620kg Limousin-x from T Craddock & Son, of Bolton-by-Bowland, realised £1,609, or 259.5p/kg, when joining mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers.

With farmers busy among grass, cull cows were in short supply and trade for the 16 on offer was very strong, producing an overall section average of 132.27p/kg, or £886.22. A good entry of coloured dairies from Chris Watson, of Horton-in-Craven, saw Fleckviehs sell well to £1,159, or 151.5p/kg, and MRIs at £1,143, or 148.5p/kg.

The best Holstein was a 2016-born cow weighing 765kg from Brearton’s Robert Metcalfe, which made146.5p/kg, or £1,121, while a beef-bred British Blue from C Nelson & Sons in Bordley made £1,157, or 158.5p/kg.

The 20 rearing calves on offer again saw the best make premium prices, peaking at £485 for a Limousin-x bull from G Pickersgill & Son, of Hawksworth, with both British Blue-x and Limousin-x heifers selling to £360, the former from Mark Smith, of Winterburn, the latter from JC&DJ Marshall & Sons in Dacre. The overall Limousin heifer average was £345. Black and whites sold from £80 to £135 top for a bull calf from RM Shackleton, of Broughton,

The mart also held its monthly Saturday collective sale of stirks, weaned calves and young store cattle, with 145 head on offer.

Trade was a flyer for the stirks, with both regular and new vendors achieving solid prices throughout. British Blue heifers aged five to seven months got away at £600-£720, while 26 black and white steers in the entry averaged £496.

Blue steers sold very well, those aged six-months making £640-plus, others at 10-12 months doing better at £700-£790. Aberdeen-Angus steers sold to £705, while Angus heifers proved the trade of the day, younger five to six-month-old goods away at £520-£620. Feeding cows again sold well, with active bidders for all four on offer and making £560-£730. A Blue cow and calf sold at £1,100.

A number of goats were again on offer, a Boer nanny with two Billy kids making £140, another with a single Billy kid selling at £120. A Boer nanny with two nanny kids, along with an Alpine nanny with two kids, both made £130.The next monthly livestock collective is Saturday, July 10.