Store Cattle & Store Sheep
Hexham Auction Mart
10.10.2025
Store Cattle
Hexham & Northern Marts held their special annual prize show and sale of Limousin Store cattle & Suckled calves and offered a good catalogue of 652 head of top quality from across Northumberland, County Durham, Cumbria and The Scottish Borders.
Prior to the sale the prize show was once again kindly sponsored by The Farmers Guardian and expertly judged by Mr Neil Brand, Nethermyres, Auchtermuchty who was presented with one of the best displays of show calves to be seen for a number of years.
Prize list –
Best Pen 4 Limx Steers
1st – Messrs Reed, Lands Farm.
2nd – Messrs Reed, Lands Farm.
Best Pen 4 Limx Heifers
1st – Messrs Hamilton, Claywalls
2nd – Messrs Common, Low Ardley
Champion pen of four – Lands Farm Steers
Best Single Limx Steer
1st – Messrs Thompson, East Unthank
2nd – Messrs Reed, West Biggens
3rd – Messrs Reed, West Biggens
Best Single Limx Heifer
1st – Messrs Lee, Agars Hill
2nd – Messrs Lee, Agars Hill
3rd – Messrs Common, Low Ardley
Overall Champion – East Unthank
Reserve Champion – Agars Hill
From a super entry of over fifty-four calves the judge was resolute in the selection of his Overall Champion – the exceptional red steer from East Unthank which displayed all the desirable traits of the breed in abundance with phenomenal shape and width that simply set the animal apart from the others in the steer class.
Standing as a very worthy Reserve Champion was the first prize heifer, another red, but this one from noted consignors of both quantity and quality at this special annual sale Messrs Lee, Agars Hill and the fine female would quite simply have graced any show ring throughout the country at this time of year.
At 12 noon the prize pair were put to the ring and both attracted spirited bidding with the hammer falling at the identical figure of £2750 for both animals – the champion selling to the judge to be taken home to The Kingdom of Fife whilst the reserve champion at the same money was purchased by Declan Foley, Capheaton.
Besides the show cattle the trade seen throughout the day was brisk to say the least and whilst the forward portion of the sale sold early in the day saw highs of £2900 for a superb heifer from Messrs Hamilton, Claywalls and £2760 for a fantastic bullock from noted County Durham breeders Messrs Thompson, Springwell Cottage, Tow Law it was the younger age classes for which this special sale is nationally renowned that excelled on the day.
With a great many noted producers now breeding calves and targeting this specific sale the auctioneers are delighted to report a fantastic lift in trade on the same sale twelve months ago. Within their run of calves Messrs Lee, Agars Hill topped the sale at £3400 for a 14 month old heifer typical of their quality consignment and with another at £3100 the Whitfield men were over the moon to average a worthy £2269 per head for 42 calves sold – a lift of £710 per head on the year for two more cattle sold.
Messrs Common, Low Ardley sold 49 of their noted Limmy cross calves with growth, shape and scope and The Hexhamshire family were more than satisfied with a super average of £2216 per head for a great run that had levelled at £1496 in 2024 – another staggering lift of £720 per head for the formidable father and daughter team of Graham and Gemma Common.
Weardale has long been highly regarded for the quality of stock produced in the County Durham upland stronghold and premier purveyors of such cracking cattle are John, Andrew & Steven Reed, Lands Farm. On this day The Reeds sold steers to £2540 and heifers to £2280 at 12 months of age and averaged a deserved £2344 for 41 head sold – a lift of £701 on their returns last year.
Cattle from North of The Border also ring the bell here at Hexham and The Cockburn Brothers of Kingside, Leadburn, Peebles now have a steadfast following of buyers at this sale. Their well-bred Limmy steers topped at £2480- and with heifer sisters cashing to £2580 the capable cattlemen averaged £2152 for 21 sold – another staggering lift of £655 on the year.
Michael Reed, West Biggens, Frosterley is another Weardale based produced that purchasers seek out on the catalogue and with prize rosettes under his belt the best of his impressive steers peaked at £2460 with heifers following at £2360 to achieve a lift of £651 per head averaging £2125 for twenty-five sold.
It is now apparent that the seismic shift in trade that was witnessed in the latter weeks of 2024 and the spring of this year has heralded a new era in the value of store cattle doubtless driven by a shortage of suckler cows across the UK but also a downward supply on the world market. Vendors on this day and at this sale had been rewarded for their efforts throughout what has been a testing year and the quality of cattle on offer stands testament to their ability of producing some of the best cattle in the country in the wake of a late spring and an arid summer, neither of which would suggest the outstanding catalogue seen through the Hexham ring.
With several show sales of store cattle and spring born calves still to take place and the annual prize show of beef breeding cattle scheduled for later in the month the auctioneers outline Hexham and the leading centre in The North of England at which to market your store cattle, steady rises in trade culminating with the lift seen on this day of £622 per head on the same sale last year.
To enter your cattle for sale call auctioneers Chris Armstrong on 07808 721957 or Drew Patrick on 07854 361967 or call the office on 01434 605444.
Leading prices;
Cattle 22 – 30 Months
Limousin steers – £2650 Claywalls
Limousin x steers – £2400 Little Swinburne, £2320 Stone Stile
Cattle 17-21 Months
Limousin steers – £2500 & £2240 Claywalls, £2200 Coldwell
Limousin x steers – £2700 Claywalls, £2680 Claywalls & Warksfield Head, £2600 Claywalls, £2580 Comb Hills, £2560 Old Deanham x2, £2480 Kingside, £2460 West Biggens, £2420 Old Deanham & Claywalls x2, £2410 Stone Stile, £2380 Comb Hills & Springwell Cottage, £2320 Berwick Hill, £2300 & £2280 East Matfen, £2260 Coldwell, £2220 East Matfen, £2210 Kingside, £2200 Old Deanham x2 & West Biggens
Charolais x steers – £2640 Berwick Hill, £2120 Wingates South
British Blue x steers – £2200 & £2160 Old Deanham
Angus x steers – £2660, £2600, £2540, £2500, £2400, £2380 & £2340 Berwick Hill
Hereford x steers – £2250 West Biggens
Limousin heifers – £2900 Claywalls
Limousin x heifers – £2620 Claywalls, £2480 Warksfield Head, £2450 Willimoteswick x2, £2440 Claywalls, £2420 Luns House, Springwell Cottage & Claywalls, £2400 Warksfield Head & Agars Hill, £2360 Old Deanham & Claywalls, £2340 Luns House & Springwell Cottage, £2320 Claywalls, £2300 Luns House, Warksfield Head & Agars Hill, £2280 Old Deanham, £2260 Comb Hills, Claywalls & Willimoteswick, £2240 Luns House, £2220 Claywalls & Willimoteswick, £2200 Willimoteswick
Charolais x heifers – £1800 Shillafield
British Blue x heifers – £2100 Willimoteswick
Angus x heifers – £1880 Stone Stile
Simmental x heifers – £2300, £2280 x2 & £2100 Steel Hall
Cattle 12 – 16 Months
Limousin x steers – £2760 Springwell Cottage, £2750 East Unthank, £2540 & £2520 Lands, £2480 Low Ardley & Lands, £2460 West Biggens, £2450 Lands, £2440 Lands & Cawfields, £2420 Low Ardley & Lands, £2410 Cawfields, £2400 Low Ardley, Warksfield Head, Agars Hill & Cawfields, £2390 Cawfields & Pitland Hills, £2380 Low Ardley, Kingside, Agars Hill & Cawfields, £2370 Kingside & Agars Hill, £2360 Springwell Cottage, Low Ardley & Lands, £2350 Kingside, £2340 Lands x3 & Agars Hill, £2330 Agars Hill, £2320 Low Ardley, Agars Hill & Woodhead, £2300 Low Ardley x2, Lands x2, Kingside & West Biggens
British Blue steers – £2350, £2260, £2250 & £2060 Woodhead
Limousin heifers – £2300 Agars Hill
Limousin x heifers – £3400, £3100 & £2750 Agars Hill, £2580 Kingside, £2460 Low Ardley, £2440 Warksfield Head & Agars Hill, £2360 West Biggens, £2340 Low Ardley & Cawfields, £2320 Low Ardley & Agars Hill, £2310 Cawfields, £2300 Low Ardley, £2290 West Biggens, £2280 Little Swinburne, Low Ardley & Lands, £2270 Kingside, £2260 Lands & Kingside, £2250 West Biggens, £2220 Little Swinburne, £2200 Lands & Pitland Hills
Cattle 6-11 Months
Limousin x steers – £2380 East Unthank, £2340 Woodhead, £2260 East Unthank, £2240 Round Meadows, £2220 East Unthank, £2180 Round Meadows, £2150 Morley Hill, £2120 Agars Hill & Round Meadows
British Blue x steers – £2200 Morley Hill
Limousin heifers – £2000 Low Ardley
Limousin x heifers – £2200 Low Ardley, £2150 West Biggens, £2120 Agars Hill, £2090 & £1870 West Biggens
Cast Ewes
Hexham & Northern Marts sold 1490 Cast Ewes & Tups to another flyer of a trade with size and flesh in short supply and horned ewes out in force.
A buoyant ringside of 18 active buyers resulting in a strong demand throughout.
Sale topper of the day was 7 Texel crosses from E Milburn & Son, Holling Hill at £229.
Horned ewes topped at £118 for 6 Blackface ewes from G Carins & Partners, Broomhall. With Swales achieving the heights of £108 from W M Reed & Sons, Lands Farm.
Please continue to enter your ewes. 8am start again next week. Lairage available on Thursday night again but please contact one of our team.
Jack 07739 440457
Harrison 07895 761102
Andrew 07955 268459
Neil 07955 268459
Leading prices;
Texel – £229 Holling Hill, £228 Hard Riding x2 & Holling Hill, £224 Warkshaugh, £220 Hard Riding & New Houses
Texel x – £212 Warkshaugh & Shield, £208 Warkshaugh, £202 Piatroon, £194 Fell Lane, £190 Warkshaugh, £182 Make-Me-Rich, £181 Willimoteswick & Ovington Lodge, £180 Townfoot
Suffolk x – £183 Newton, £178 Make-Me-Rich, £174 Piatroon, £166 Greystones North
Dutch Texel x – £216 Warkshaugh, £196 Willimoteswick, £194 Warkshaugh, £192 Hard Riding
Beltex x – £180 Haggate, £170 Fell Lane, £168 Haggate
Cheviot – £160 Flotterton, £140 Newhouses & Flotterton, £136 Greystones North, £132 Sillywrea, £126 Dunsterley & Elsdon Burn x2, £120 Newhouses, £116 Linhope
Cheviot x – £149 South Farm, £135 Greensfell, £128 Longlea, £123 Bellshiel
Mule – £158 Flotterton, £156 South Farm, £148 Holling Hill, £146 Warkshaugh, £144 Flotterton, £138 St Oswalds, £136 Make-Me-Rich, £133 Dyke Nook, £132 St Oswalds & Broomhall
Blackface – £118 Broomhall, £110 Hole Farm, £106 Carry House
Swaledale – £108 Lands
Leicester – £134 & £122 Hesleywell
Zwartble – £112 Laburnum Cottage
Cast Tups
Whilst Cast Tups met a resounding trade, topping at £226 for a Bluefaced Leicester from R D Archer & Son, Carry House.
Texel – £210 High Shipley
Texel x – £178 South Farm
Suffolk x – £180 Piatroon
Leicester – £226 Carry House
Store Lambs
Hexham & Northern Marts sold a catalogued entry of 7440 Store Lambs to another strong trade for a slightly poorer show on the week. A very impressive all in average of £108.76 was achieved with over 1500 Mule, Blackie, Swale & Cheviot lambs.
Topping today was the quality run of 100 Half Bred x lambs from S Shell & Son, Brandon with 50 at £170 and the next 50 at £168 for another fantastic run of sheep from Brandon.
T & K Telfer, Demesne was next at £155 for Texel x lambs.
Mules sold well today, topping at £130 was A & T Dixon, Chirdon who sold 26 more at £121.
G W & C Athey, High Lovelady Shield had a pen of 25 at £119 and Mr P Robson, Taylor Burn sold 49 at £115.
Blackies sold to strong rates with 73 from Featherwood Partners at £96.
Cheviot lambs also sold to good rates with lambs to £137 from B A & A M Storrow, Willimoteswick and £115 for 16 from G A Oliver, Elsdonburn.
Beltex x lambs reached £136 for 9 from Pirntation Cottage who also sold 7 more at £136 and others to £126.
More sheep could easily be sold to vendors advantage here at Hexham.
Sale of Store Lambs at St Johns Chapel on Saturday 18th October – entries by Monday 11am.
Jack 07739 440457
Harrison 07895 761102
Andrew 07955 268459
Neil 07955 268459
Leading prices;
Texel x – £155 Demesne, £144 Elsdon Burn, £140 The Old School House, Warkshaugh & Demesne, £138 Crossing Cottage, £137 Longlea, £136 Middle Heads, Demesne & South Farm, £135 Newhouses, Bankfoot & Longlea, £134 Chirdon, Crossing Cottage & Low Farnham, £133 Newhouses & The Old School House, £132 Warkshaugh & Ridley Stokoe, £131 Dukes Hagg, Bankfoot & Errington Red House, £130 Chirdon, Longlea & Errington Red House, £128 Newhouses, East Fleetham, Warkshaugh, Low Farnham & St Oswalds, £127 Newhouses, The Old School House, East Fleetham, Ridley Stokoe, Longlea x2, St Oswalds & South Farm, £126 Tecket, Demesne, Crossing Cottage, Lee Hall x2 & Burradon, £125 Newhouses, Rosebrough, Settlingstones, Brixter Hill, Dukes Hagg & Errington Red House, £124 Middle Heads, Ridley Stokoe, New Hummerbeck & Longlea, £123 Newhouses x2, East Fleetham, Lee Hall, Hedley Park, West High House & Errington Red House, £122 Brieredge, Crossing Cottage, Moorhouse Gate, Hedley Park, Holystone, Errington Red House & South Farm, £121 Holystone, Allgood & South Farm, £120 Hareshaw Allotment The Ash & Longlea
Dutch Texel x – £146 Warkshaugh, £140 Willimoteswick, £139 Fell Lane, £134 Willimoteswick & Fell Lane, £130 Fell Lane, £128 Willimoteswick x2
Blue Texel – £138 Greys Well
Suffolk x – £170 & £168 Brandon, £140 Middle Heads, £138 Chirdon, £130 Middle Horsleyhope, £128 Crossing Cottage & Great Bavington, £126 Hareshaw Allotment, Middle Heads, Brandon Cottage & Great Bavington, £125 Middle Horsleyhope, £124 Hedley Park, £123 Pirntation Cottage & Burradon, £122 High Alderheads & Lynnshield, £121 High Alderheads & Great Bavington, £120 Chirdon & Middle Horsleyhope, £119 Crossing Cottage, £118 Settlingstones, High Keenley Fell & Burradon
Beltex x – £136 x2 Pirntation Cottage & Jolly Body, £133 Watch Hill & Middle Horsleyhope, £132 x2, £131, £130 x3, £129 x2 & £128 Jolly Body, £127 Watch Hill, £126 Pirntation Cottage & Middle Horsleyhope, £125 Watch Hill, £124 Middle Horsleyhope, £123 Jolly Body, £122 Watch Hill
Charolais x – £120 Chirdon
Cheviot x – £102 Dyke Nook, £95 Cottonshope
Mule – £130 & £121 Chirdon, £120 Demesne, £119 High Lovelady Shield, £115 Taylor Burn, £112 Carrycoats, £111 Demesne, £108 Chirdon & Hackford, £106 High Lovelady Shield, £105 Whiskershiel
Cheviot – £137 Willimoteswick, £115 Elsdon Burn, £94 & £93 North Churchlands
Blackface – £96 Featherwood, £84 Carrycoats, £77 Whiskershiel x2
Leicester x – £116 Greystones
Kerry Hill – £80 Three Farms