BOTH cattle and sheep trade held well at this week’s Monday markets, with a good offering of 39 prime cattle and 2,275 prime sheep through the rings at Skipton Auction Mart.

In prime cattle, a larger show than expected met with a good trade across the board, with 17 Continental bullocks and heifers averaging £1822.45 per head (292p/kg).

Hargreaves Farms of Preston presented four bullocks to top at £2006.65 (299.5p/kg) - averaging £1990.25 apiece. Two were purchased by Nick Dalby and two by Robert Pearson.

The day’s leading heifer price was £1938, achieved by CD and RF Kitching of Threshfield, also selling to Robert Pearson.

Per kilo, it was F and B Smith of Westhouse, Ingleton who took the top price of 315.5p/kg with a Limousin bullock, again heading to Robert Pearson.

Messrs Kitching also broke top side of 300p/kg today, with a Limousin bullock and a Limousin Heifer both making 300.5p/kg.

Rearing calves continued to sell well this week, with a quality, mixed show of 54 and purchasers for all goods.

Black and whites topped at £165 from JT Rushton, Elslack. Medium three-week-old calves sold between £72 and £98 and fortnight old calves £35 to £58, depending on size.

Angus bulls traded similar, with best calves over £310 to £335. Nice mediums sold for £245 to £295 and the smaller, plainer end averaged £235 to £250.

Only seven blue bulls entered this week, with the younger end £280 to £300 and best ended bulls at 4/6 weeks of age selling at £380 to £435.

The top price of £470 from P and RM Sutcliffe, Queensbury. Limousin bulls averaged £472, with G Pickersgill and Sons, Hawksworth reaching £475. Blue heifers £330 to £390 for mediums, smalls £260 to £310 and the best heifers £450 to £460. Top price from M and R Smith, Winterburn.

Monday also saw a cracking show of cull cows at a sharp trade and keenly bid for, levelling at 165.6p/kg – or £1088 per head - across the board.

Glen Bell of Dibbles Bridge hit 200p/kg bid price for a nice Limousin cross, and sold others at 196.5p/kg and 193.5p/kg too. In a good show of native breeds, Herefords topped at 172.5p/kg from RG Church of Askwith, and Angus to 170.5p/kg from JR Taylor and Son of Winterburn.

Tidy black and whites and dairy crosses were in good demand. The dairy Shorthorn’s reached 183.5p/kg from JR Taylor and Son Winterburn, Muese Rhine Issel to 165.50p/kg from N and SA Fort of Glusburn and Holstein Friesian to 174.5p/kg from MP Jennings, Cowling and 172.5p/kg from CN and SA Harrison Elslack. Jersey crosses hit 157.5p/kg and 155.5p/kg from JSS Verity of Whitewell, Clitheroe.

Over in the sheep ring, there was similar show of springers put forward and trade was much stronger than most expected. With numbers tight at the moment, trade took a nice lift of around seven pence on the week.

This week’s spring lamb overall average landed at £139.44 per head or 326.7p/kg. Prime and mature hoggs averaged £110.89 per head, or 238.3p/kg. Cull ewes averaged £123.72 and cast rams £107.15.

There was a sharper trade with new season heavier lambs weighing high 40’s and into the 50’s very good to sell indeed. The 46kg to 52kg bracket levelled at £164.57, and over 52kg’s at £181.79

Joint top price was £215 per head, first achieved by M Crabtree of Kettlesing and then by JA Gibson & Son of Church Fenton, Tadcaster, purchased by L. Brown and Hartshead Meat Co respectively.

D&L Coar of Darwen peaked their run at £192 when selling 47KG Beltex crosses at 408p/kg to Vivers Scotlamb.

Tim Robinson of Dutton Longridge was also in the top prices with lambs at £190 and £188 per head, with 19 pens of lambs in the sale making £180 or more. 47 pens made over £170 and 69 pens over £160.

Top Kilo price in the sale was 413.3p/kg when D and L Coar sold 45kg lambs at £186, alongside their others at 408p/kg.

GW Houseman and Partners of Padside, Harrogate topped a run of lambs at 400p/kg when selling 42kg at £168 to Vivers Scotlamb.

Quality lambs like these were in great demand, with 68 pens over 350p/kg and 100 pens at 340p/kg or more.

Texel Lambs averaged £140.75 and the mainstream weight category of 36kg to 45kg showed a 6p rise on the week, with buyers keener for commercial handyweight springers. There was a very good late season entry of 634 Hoggs, with a mixed selection on offer. Best heavies generally in the £140’s and £150’s, good Continental handyweights averaged 270p/kg to 300p/kg, middle of the road goods either side of 250p/kg and the plainer end 220p/kg to 240p/kg.

Messrs Stapleton and Son of Hellifield topped the sale at £180 (60kg - 300p/kg) purchased by Joe Bosworth. Simon and Avril Wallbank of Bradley made £178 with Texel crosses and J Long of Malhamdale also made £120 (40kg - 300p/kg). Kevin Marshall of Menwith Hill topped at 295p/kg for his showing of Mules.

Opening sale of store lambs is Wednesday, July 13. Entries to mart office by 4pm Monday July 4.

Hoggs are still needed every week with some outlets still using them and requiring them a few more weeks yet. For details, please call Ted Ogden - 07855 958211or Kyle Hawksworth - 07538 539077.

Next store cattle sale is Wednesday, June 22.

363 cattle entered, comprising of 86 Young Bulls at 9:30am, 39 Feeding Cows at 10:15am, 226 Bullocks & Heifers at 10:40am and 15 Breeding Cattle at 12:30pm.