Once again it was great to see an excellent entry of 1,200 lambs forward at Whitland Mart on Tuesday, January 27, all selling to a very fast trade with the best lambs peaking at 200ppk and £86/head from Windsor and Sons, Fforest farm, Whitland. The medium type lambs sold to an average of 180ppk with the overall market average at 174ppk - an increase of 18p from the previous week.
Non-approved lambs sold to a top of £49 and an average of £40.
Another good entry of 400 cull ewes and rams forward saw all types selling to a very fast trade; with the lighter ewes making an average of £25 whilst the heavier types levelling at £45. Ewes sold to a top price of £75 from Perkins and Co., Dinas Island Farm. Rams made up to £66 from Davies, Ffordd Uchaf.
A smaller than usual entry of fat cattle on offer saw heifers selling to an average of 141.38ppk (top £817 for a Limousin from Mathias, Penback), while bulls averaged 167.50ppk (top £1,097 for a Charolais from Reynolds, Pentroydin).
Numbers were also down a little in the barren cow ring which returned an average price p/kg of 90.97p or the equivalent of £533/head - a good average considering the limited number of Continental cows forward -the top bid was £1,230 for an 880 kg Charolais from Iscoed Farms Ltd.
Overage heifers sold to an average price p/kilo of 102.66p or £578 per head - top of £675 for a Holstein Friesian heifer from Brown, Lower Llantydwell.
In the calf ring, bull calves sold to a top price of £190 for a Hereford from Reynolds, Sarland Farm, and heifers to £155 for a Simmental from Woolley, Pencraig Isaf.