FARMING

By Neale McQuistin

Messrs Craig Wilson sold a single new season prime lamb, 2,350 prime hoggets and 323 cast sheep at Ayr yesterday.

The Spring Lamb was Charolais which weighed 47kg and sold for £172 or 366p/kg.

The prime hoggets consisted of all types which were still easy to cash.

Top price was £160 for three heavy Texels or 363p for a pen of Beltex.

Top priced Blackfaces were £137 or 292p for another pen of 50.

The 1,004 Blackfaces averaged 270p or £103. The whole sale averaged 280p (+5p).

Cast sheep sold to £170 for Texel ewes, while Texel cross

ewes sold to £132.

Cheviot ewes sold to £113, while Mules peaked at £109 and Blackface to £87.

Harrison & Hetherington sold 74 clean cattle, 20 cast cows, 937 prime hoggets and 187 cast sheep

at St Boswells

yesterday.

Twenty-three prime bullocks sold to 260p/kg and averaged 235p (-7p), while 51 prime heifers peaked at 266p to average 240p (-8p).

In the cast ring cows peaked at £1440 and 191p to average 163p (-4p).

In the sheep ring prime hoggets peaked at £166 and 340p/kg for Beltex hoggs to average £130 (+£7) or 280p (+12p).

Heavy cast sheep sold to a top of £155 for Texel tups and averaged £123 (-£1), while light ewes peaked at £115 for North Country Cheviot ewes to average £71 (-£5).

The firm also sold 13 prime heifers at Carlisle yesterday which peaked at 261p/kg and levelled at 241p (+2p), while 10 beef-bred bullocks sold to 245p and levelled at 236p (+15p).

Forty-nine young beef-bred bulls peaked at 257p and averaged 220p (+18p), while 29 dairy-bred young bulls sold to 225p and levelled at 176p (+3p).

In the rough ring 77 cast beef cows peaked at 248p to average 156p (+2p), while 166 cast dairy cows sold to 186p to average 122p (-5p). Eleven cast bulls sold to 183p and averaged 126p (-28p).

The 1429 prime hoggs sold to £174 and 403p/kg to average 285p (-1p).

In the cast sheep section 47 heavy ewes peaked at £156 for a Texel to average £94.

Lawrie and Symington sold 53 prime and 84 cast

cattle at Lanark yesterday.

Limousin heifers sold to 262p/kg or to £1752 for another weighing 674kg, while bullocks sold to 246p/kg and to £1756.

Cast cattle sold to £1500 or 191p for beef types and to £1225 or 144p for dairy types.

The 3,370 prime hoggs met a fast-selling trade. The sale topped at £170 and 384p/kg for Beltex. The overall average was 281p.

Cast sheep met the dearest trade so far with heavy ewes selling to £198 for Texels and hill sheep peaked at £106 for Blackfaces.