Hereford Market, April 4 Store cattle - 283: The spring show and sale of Hereford cross cattle attracted some keen bidding for all the stronger cattle with bidders for all native bred types. Top head price was £1,400 for 22- month limousin cross steers, many from £1,090 to £1,365.

More stronger cattle are needed. Younger steers, 10- 15 months ranged from 220p- 260p/kg, with most from £765 to £1,120. Native bred steers sold to increased interest topping at £1,238 for beef shorthorn crosses at 520kg.

Hereford cross steers sold to £1,172 for 15/16 month olds at 490kg. Others of all ages from £530 to £970. Angus cross steers sold to 251p/kg being £755 for 300kg. Others from £680 to £925.

Heifers sold to £1,225 for 23/24-month limousin crosses, with other stronger sorts from £835 to £1,072. Hereford heifers included some full pedigree and topped at £1090 for 14 month crossbreds weighing 490kg, many from 210p-231p/kg. British blue cross heifers suitable for bulling ranged from £920 to £1,042. Four Hereford stock bulls sold to £1,400 for a fouryear- old, with others from £1,200 to £1,335. 44 younger bulls sold from £190 to £802.

17 breeding cows included a consignment of registered Herefords sold as six/seven months in calf, they sold from £970 to £1,200. Other incalvers from £750 to £900.

Cows with younger calves sold from £1,095 to £1,320.

Just six barren cows on offer selling from £350 to £1,180, top price for well-meated limousin cross (635kg) being 185p/kg, with others from 120p-170p/kg.

Best pair of Hereford cross steers: 1) Mr J C Adams, Colwall, £1,172 490kg; 2) Mr M T L Jones, Westhide, £640 300kg; 3) C A and A J Goodwin, Titley, £580 255kg.

Best pair of Hereford cross heifers: 1) Mr J C Adams, Colwall, £925 400kg; 2) Mrs R Hawnt, Marden, £760 440kg; 3) Mr T M G Amery, Llandeilo, £500 300kg.

Pigs - 120: Good quality white pigs in keen demand. Poorer quality pigs were as usual harder to sell. Quality white weaners made from £19-£31, coloured weaners to £11.

White stores £29-£35, coloured stores to £20.

Coloured porkers £54-£69, white cutters from £82-£104.

White bacon gilts from £90- £120. Cull sows made up to £164 and boars made up to £102. More cull sows and boars can be sold each week.

Porker and cutter pigs in keener demand if castrated.

Weaners white from £19 to £31, weaners coloured from £9 to £11, stores white from £29 to £35, coloured from £5 to £20, coloured from £54 to £69, cutters white from £82 to £104, cutters coloured from £108 to £120, bacon gilts white from £90 to £120, feeding sows from £98 to £164, fat sows from £50 to £88, boars from £90 to £102.

Hereford Market, April 8 Special sale of 79 TB restricted store cattle. A better quality entry sold to £945 for a pen of Hereford bullocks weighing 450kg, others from the same farm to £890 and all from 209p-217.5p/kg. The draft of 11/13-month blue and limousin cross steers topped at £935.

Heifers of the same age also sold to £935 - the dozen on offer ranged from 190p-218p and averaged £885 per head.

Other entries included dairy cross heifers to £800 with Angus crosses selling to £778 and from £385 to £610.

Friesian bulls to £295, others from £110 to £200 with limousin cross bulls at £425 and heifers at £310. The sale provided vendors with a good outlet for TB restricted animals with a total clearance effected.

Vendors should remember that to attend these sales animals need to have a clear TB test 90 days prior to the sale.

Kington Market, April 4 McCartney’s of Kington report a good entry of 1,708 sheep.

There was a good entry of 1,305 hoggets which sold to an excellent trade which would be firmer than the beginning of the week. The supply of hoggets has remained steady over the past week due to poor fattening rates.

There is a significant difference in the trade between well meated and half meated hoggets and it is well worth selecting the hoggets which are well meated to achieve the premium prices. The demand was excellent for all weights and meated lambs sold to a significant premium.

There is regularly six hogget buyers buying on numerous accounts for all types and weights of hoggets. The top price hoggets were £110.50 per head for some 65kg hoggets from G J Protheroe.

There was an excellent trade on the week and all the hoggets at Kington averaged 211p/kg up to 232p/kg.

Hoggets between 25kg and 32kg averaged 178p/kg up to 185p/kg.

Hoggets between 32kg and 39kg averaged 198p/kg up to 205p/kg. Hoggets between 39.5kg and 45.5kg averaged 215p/kg up to 232p/kg.

Hoggets between 46kg and 52kg averaged 205p/kg up to 210p/kg. Hoggets over 52kg averaged 190p/kg up to 204p/kg.

Some 39kg hoggets from G H Price and Co made £78, 41kg hoggets from J E Griffiths and Son made £93.90, 42kg hoggets from G and J Probert made £96.90, 43kg hoggets from S and M Edwards made £99.30, 44kg hoggets from B E Evans made £98, 45kg hoggets from G J Protheroe made £100, 46kg hoggets from A E Jones and Son made £96.10, 47kg hoggets from B and E Hammond made £98.20, 49kg hoggets from S and M Edwards and Sons made £100, 52kg hoggets from L J Davies made £105.50, 54kg hoggets from G and J Probert made £110.

There was a good entry for the day of 403 cull ewes selling to an excellent trade.

Again, same as the hoggets, well meated ewes sold to a significant premium. Smaller hill type ewes were a good trade for the export market as long as they were meated. We have a number of excellent buyers who have several orders for ewes and a capacity to sell more than 750 per week.

The ewes sold to a top of £140 for some texel ewes from G A Morgan and all the ewes averaged £80 per head with many hill and thin ewes forward. Tups and wethers sold to £104 and averaged £84. The cull ewes included a large proportion of thinner mule ewes and smaller hill ewes.

Knighton Market, April 5 Auctioneers report 256 store cattle and 85 store sheep.

Store hoggets averaged £55.20 per head selling to £73.50 for texel cross hoggets from Mrs L A Till, Higher Deerfold Farm.

A good store cattle trade followed with steers averaging 231.13p/kg and £991.39 per head. Steers sold to 261p/kg for two 380kg limousin steers to £990 from M J and N E Samuel, Ffoeslaprey. Also to 260p/kg for seven charolais steers (11 months) 430 kg to £1,120 from T W Jones and Son, Lower Weston. Also to 259p/kg for two charolais cross steers - 425 kg to £1100 from H C Davies, Tycanol.

Top price per head was £1,435 for a 625kg Charolais steer from J K and E G Jones, Whitton Court.

Also to £1,400 for a 655kg charolais cross steer from R R and C E Hodnett, Wernyguifron. Heifers averaged 209.51p/kg and £854.55 per head selling to 229p/kg for five simmental cross heifers (11-12 months) to £825 from L R Drew and Sons, Gwystre Farm. Also to 229p/kg for six charolais cross heifers (17 months) 475 kg selling to £1,090 from T L Morris and Co, Stud Farm. Also to 229p/kg for three 380kg British blue cross heifers to £870 from J A D and P M Owens, The Woodhouse. Top price per head was £1,180 for a 520kg charolais heifer from T L Morris and Co, Stud Farm.

Six charolais cross heifers weighing 510kg also sold to £1,165 from the same vendor.