Store cattle continued to meet a flying trade as Harrison and Hetherington witnessed their dearest ever spring sale at Carlisle.
A 10-month-old Limousin cross heifer topped the sale at £12,000 for Andrew Marsden, Easegill Head, Kirkby Stephen.
The hammer fell twice at £10,000 for the supreme champion from the Robertsons at Newton of Logierait and for a yearling heifer from the Jones family in Wales.
Although the top price didn’t match last year’s £15,000, a packed ringside of buyers saw record averages and a 99% clearance.
Out of 726 cattle sold, 106 of them made over £2,000.
The average was £1,702.17, up £112.40 on the year.
106 calves sell above the £2,000 bracket
Prize winning heifers averaged £5,062.50 (+ £971.87), and bullocks averaged £3,028.57 (+ £1,230.30).
Andrew Marsden’s heifer, which stood first in her class, was knocked down at £12,000 to Mike and Melanie Alford in Devon.
She joins their well-known and successful Foxhillfarm show herd.
First to sell at £10,000 was the supreme champion, a Limousin cross steer, from John and Craig Robertson, Newton of Logierait, Pitlochry.
This steer is a half-brother to the heifer John and Craig sold to showman Wilson Peters which won the Christmas Classic at Thainstone last year.
Both have the same dam, but this steer is by AI sire Carnew Millreef, the 14,500gns Limousin bought in Carlisle by Aberdeenshire breeder Aileen Ritchie.
The steer heads to Huntly to join regular showman Blair Duffton’s show team.
Blair said: “When I saw him, I just knew I had to have him.”
Second top price sells to Huntly showman
Logierait sold the leading consignment of the day with 74 cattle averaging £1,914.
The other animal at £10,000, a pure-bred British Blue heifer from the Jones family, Nyes Tyddyn, in Wales, was bought by Christine Williams of the Wilodge herd, Shropshire.
John and Mandy Smith-Jackson, Hightown, Haltwhistle, had a very successful day in the sale ring selling eight animals averaging £4,050.
Their second prize Limousin cross heifer made the third highest price in the sale at £8,000.
She went home with Allan and Susan Campbell, Crawlaw Farm, Galston, Ayrshire.
The Smith’s reserve bullock champion, a Limousin steer, sold for £4,500 to Billy Boyd from Gretna.
Their reserve supreme and heifer champion, another Limousin, sold for £3,800 to Julie Sedgewick, County Durham.
The reserve heifer champion, a British Blue cross heifer from Neil Hardisty, How Hall, sold for £5,500 to Amy Wilson, Penrith.
