FARMING

By Neale McQuistin

Messrs Craig Wilson sold 1,263 prime hoggets and 463 cast sheep at Ayr yesterday.

Numbers were tight resulting in an overall average of £110 or 252p (+1p).

Top prices were £130 on two occasions for Beltex and 293p/kg for a pen of Texels. Blackface hoggets peaked at £117 for one lot and 267p/kg for another pen of 23.

Cast sheep numbers were a little down on the week.

Trade was much the same as before with Texel cross ewes taking the top spot at £141. Beltex ewes were next with a pair selling for £113.

Mules sold to £97, while Blackfaces peaked at £78.

Harrison & Hetherington sold 77 clean cattle, 43 cast cows, 1,186 prime lambs and 403 cast sheep at St Boswells yesterday.

Sixteen prime bullocks sold to 249p/kg and averaged 222p (-5p), while 60 prime heifers peaked at 253p to average 229p (+1p). In the cast ring cows peaked at £1,576 and 198p to average 150p (+2p).

Prime hoggets sold to £134 and 314p/kg for Beltex hoggs to average 240p (-20p).

Heavy cast ewes sold to a top of £129 for Texels and averaged £104 (-£2), while light ewes peaked at £87 for Cheviots and averaged £68 (-£1).

The firm also sold 10 prime heifers at Carlisle yesterday which peaked at 248p/kg and levelled at 212p (n/c), while 26 beef-bred bullocks sold to 238p and levelled at 209p (-8p).

Twenty-seven young beef-bred bulls peaked at 234p and averaged 183p (-13p), while 28 dairy-bred young bulls sold to 193p and levelled at 156p (+1p).

In the rough ring 204 cast dairy cows sold to 186p to average 109p (n/c), while 100 cast beef cows peaked at 234p to average 134p (-10p). Seven cast bulls sold to 234p/kg and averaged 122p (+1p).

The 1,347 prime

lambs sold to £145 and 345p/kg to average 254p (-1p).

In the cast sheep section 39 heavy ewes peaked at £120 for a Beltex and a Suffolk to average £88 (-£15), while 54 hill ewes were topped at £99 for a Greyfaced and averaged £71(-£1).

Lawrie and Symington sold 41 prime and 79 cast cattle at Lanark yesterday.

Prime heifers sold to 264p/kg or £1636 for the same animal, while bullocks sold to 258p or £1615 for the same animal.

Cast beef cows sold to £1319 or 184p, while cast dairy cows sold to £1175 and 164p.

The firm also sold 2613 Hoggs and 1220 cast sheep at Lanark yesterday.

A smaller show of prime hoggets was topped at £137 for Texels and at 311p for Beltex to average 253p/kg (-1p) overall.

Cast sheep trade was easier but still peaked at £198 for Texels and at £89 for Blackface.