McCartneys reported an excellent sale of 629 store sheep and 55 store cattle at Knighton Market on Friday, March 7.

The store hogget trade was flying, with strong demand across all categories. Longer-term and smaller hoggets were particularly sought after, while larger sheep also achieved impressive prices. Continental x and Suffolk x hoggets averaged £124.09 per head, reaching a top price of £162 for Texel x mixed hoggets from JE & DJ Morris. Other notable prices included £150 for Texel x mixed hoggets from GA & DA Pugh, £149 for Texel x ram hoggets from DM, MR & CM Price, and £148 for Suffolk x ram hoggets and Charollais x mixed hoggets from JR Davies & Son.

Mule and Hillbred hoggets averaged £119.26 per head, topping at £130 for Welsh ram hoggets from JL Jones & Partners. A Herdwick ram hogget from HE Rollings & Son sold for £127, while Mule ram hoggets from ER & GT Matthews reached £123 and their Mule ewe hoggets achieved £122.50. Speckled ram hoggets from AE Gough & Son made £120.

Large Continental x and Suffolk x hoggets ranged from £134 to £162, with medium weights selling for £120 to £130. Longer-term and smaller hoggets achieved £90 to £110, with very small types making £60 and above. Large Mule and Hillbred hoggets sold between £120 and £130, medium types fetched £110 to £120, and smaller Hillbred hoggets reached £100 and over.

An entry of 48 in-lamb Mule and Texel x flock-aged ewes averaged £181.67, selling to a top price of £121 for 3- to 4-year-old Texel x ewes from K Price. Fourteen grazing ewes averaged £99.21, with a top price of £102 for Mule ewes from Bowood Farms. The last two store sales have seen good demand for grazing ewes, with strong buying support on both Thursdays and Fridays.

The next sale of store sheep at Knighton Market is on Friday, March 21, with entries closing on Thursday, March 13, at 5pm.

It was another outstanding cattle sale, with the 65 store cattle on offer generally younger and lighter than at the previous sale. Despite this, trade was exceptional, with strong demand throughout. Vendors, both regular and new, are encouraged to take advantage of Knighton’s strong market.

Steers averaged 403.12ppk and £1,877.66 per head, reaching a top price of 464.60ppk for a 21-month-old Limousin x steer that sold for £2,300 from Davies Bros. A 16-month-old 465kg Limousin x steer from CJ Davies & Sons achieved 451.60ppk and £2,100. Two 13-month-old Limousin x steers weighing 440kg from the same home made £1,960. Three 11-month-old Charolais x steers weighing 340kg from EG Jones & Son sold for 441.20ppk and £1,500. The highest price per head was £2,380 for a 16-month-old 580kg Limousin x steer from Davies Bros.

Heifers averaged 407.15ppk and £1,683.48 per head, with top prices including 459.70ppk for six 12-month-old Charolais x heifers from EG Jones & Son, which made £1,540. A 21-month-old Limousin x heifer from Davies Bros topped the per-head prices at £2,220, achieving 444ppk. An 18-month-old Limousin x heifer from CJ Davies & Sons sold for 437.80ppk and £1,970. Two 22-month-old Limousin x heifers weighing 495kg from Davies Bros reached £2,110 per head and 426.3ppk.

With such a strong trade, vendors are encouraged to enter cattle for the next store sale on Friday, 21st March, with entries closing on Thursday, March 13, at 5pm. Further sales will be held on Friday, April 4, and Friday, April 18.

For up-to-date marketing information outside office hours, contact Jenny Layton Mills on 07867 522859, Katie Davies on 07817 474241, or Lloyd on 07534 532468.