Knighton Market saw an excellent turnout on Friday, March 21, as McCartneys auctioneers reported a successful sale of 420 store sheep and 99 store cattle.

The store sheep sale, conducted by auctioneer Katie Davies, showed a solid trade despite a slight easing of the fat trade, particularly on heavier lambs. The overall average price for store lambs was £103.22 per head, with the top price reaching £133.00 per head.

Continental x hoggets were in high demand, averaging £104.80 per head. The highest price of £133 per head was achieved for Charollais x ram hoggets from W & VJ Lewis & Son. Other standout sales included £130 per head for Texel x mixed hoggets from GL & DJ Morgan, and £127 per head for Texel x ram hoggets from W & VJ Lewis & Son. In addition, Texel x ewe hoggets from SDA Ruell sold for £125 per head, and Texel x mixed hoggets from GL & DJ Morgan reached £125 per head as well.

Hillbred hoggets averaged £91.37 per head, with prices reaching £120 per head for Hill Radnor ram hoggets from K Davies and £114 per head for Welsh ram hoggets from J & R Watkins.

While the trade wasn’t as vigorous as the previous sale, smaller sheep remained particularly well-sold, and there was good demand across all sizes and breeds. Larger Continental x/Suffolk x hoggets sold for £122 to £133, while medium-sized animals went for £100 to £120. Smaller sheep were priced from £70 to £95, with very small hoggets fetching £50 to £65. Hillbred hoggets followed a similar price structure, with larger animals selling for £114 to £120, medium ones for £90 to £105, and smaller hoggets between £70 and £85.

The next sale of store sheep, along with store cattle, will be held on Friday, April 4.

The store cattle sale was equally successful, with 110 cattle sold to a packed market of eager buyers. Store steers saw an exceptionally strong trade, with the average price per kilogram reaching 421.8ppk—the highest-ever average for steers at Knighton Market. These animals averaged £1,849.12 per head.

Heifers also performed well, averaging 388.19ppk and £2,110 per head. There was significant buyer interest for all sizes and breeds, with good prices achieved across the board.

Young feeding bulls had another strong outing, averaging 366.1ppk and £1,933 per head. The highest price for a bull was £2,370 for a 600kg Limousin cross aged 16 months, which sold for an impressive 395ppk from AAT Pugh. The top price per head went to a 700kg Limousin cross bull aged 14 months from the same vendor, which fetched £2,640.

Cows and calves also saw excellent trade, with prices reaching £2,700 for an AA x cow (second calver) with a Limousin cross steer calf at foot, sold by G & A Williams. Another notable lot, an AA x cow (second calver) with a Limousin heifer calf at foot, sold for £2,520 from the same vendor.