Thursday, October 8. Calves and Stirks. A smaller entry of calves and stirks forward this week, with an entry of 46 forward. A good trade throughout with vendors pleased with the trade achieved for their calves. British blue bulls were in strong demand, selling to £400 and £390 from A & E Barnes of Brackenfold at four to five weeks old, with others selling to £365 from SJ & LM Towler of Birds Park Farm. Plenty of beef calves selling to their value, realising the mid to late £200’s. Black and whites saw stronger and better types sell in excess of £110 and topping at £155 from the Drake Family of Whitestone Farm, Penrith. A few black and white bull stirks in the market saw well grown May born bulls sell to £320 from F Barnes & Son of Woodhouse Farm, with a selection, also May born black and whites, from B Butterfield and Son of Moss House Farm selling to £200.

Gimmer Lambs. The second sale of gimmer lambs at J36 had a strong entry of just shy 1,200 forward. An entry mainly consisting of fell lambs and running lambs, with a few tupping lambs forward. Tupping lambs easily sold in the late eighties and into the nineties, selling to a top of £101 from the Inman Family of Strickland Hill. Plenty of pens of bonny running lambs, selling between £74 and £84. A market average of £75.20, with an active ringside of both local and off-coming buyers. A consignment of Cheviot mules from Ian Dixon of Low Newton sold to £80. A few Mashams forward sold to a top of £71 twice. Continental and Suffolk gimmer lambs sold to a selective trade with buyers looking to buy well-grown, good-skinned, smarter types, they topped at £82 from A H B Murray of Gretna for a pen of Texels. 

Store Lambs Sell to £62.50 at Weekly NWA J36 Sale. The weekly sale of store lambs saw a rise in numbers forward with 2466 passing through the ring. Buyers eager to secure stock with the increasing availability of grass, with all types and classes competed for, producing a market average of £50.06.

Best groups of Continental and Suffolk lambs £55 - £58, peaking at £62.50 for a pen of 32 Texel x from MW & MR Black. Medium keep lambs £49-£54, with smaller longest keep lambs mid £40’s. Hill lambs saw Mules sell to £57 (av £49), Cheviots £53.50 and pure horned lambs to £50.50 for Rough Fells.

Ram lambs sold to £58.50 for Texel x, mediums generally £42-£48 with poorer bred sorts late £20’s and early £30’s.

Top Prices. Gimmer Lambs: Mule £101, £96 Strickland Hill; £96 Overthwaite Farm; £92 The Borrans; £90 Old Hall. Tex £82, £70 Surrone Court; £74, £73 Arklid Farm. Mash: £71 Crescent Green; £71, £64 Steps Farm; £63 Beckside Farm; £62 Bridge Stone. Char £68, £55 Low Moor Howe Farm. Chev: £65 Low Moor Howe. Herd: £61 Green Cottages.

Store Lambs: Tex £62.50 Scroggs Farm; £60.50, £59.50 Low Hundhowe. Char £58.50 Low Stangerthwaite; £57.50 Kirkby Hall; £57 West Plain Farm. Belt £58.50 North Lodge. Suff £58 Brow Head; £56 The Height; £55.50 Low Hundhowe, Sunny Brow. Leic £57.50 Scar Sykes Farm. Mule £57 Barbon Fell House; £55 Gowan Bank Farm; £54.50 Marsh House Farm. Chev £53.50 School House; £53, £52.50 High Arnside Farm. Herd £53 Scar Sykes Farm. RFell £50.50 Howes Lodge; £34 Blackmoss Farm. SBF £39 The Green.

Bull Calves: BrB £400, £390 Brackenfold; £365 Birds Park Farm; £270 Low Sizergh Farm. Lim £260 Cracalt Farm. Mon £175, £160 Low Sizergh Farm. Fr: £155, £130 Whitestone Farm; £140 Espford Farm. FKV £140 Low Sizergh Farm.

Heifer Calves: Lim £280 Whitestone Farm; £255, £240 Cracalt Farm. BrB: £260 Ravens Lodge; £245 Whitestone Farm.  Here: £255 Whitestone Farm. Mon: £120 Low Sizergh Farm.

Bull Stirks: Fr £320 Woodhouse Farm; £200 Moss House Farm.