Wallets Marts Castle Douglas Limited staged their annual show and sale of 772 springborn suckled calves on Saturday 6th October 2018.
At the show prior to the sale the judge, Miss Sophie Watt, Cairntack, Belhelvie picked her Champion in the form of an outstanding black Limousin cross heifer from Mr Ed McNeill, Shennanton. Scaling 348kgs it sold for a centre record price of £1380 selling to Mr McLean, Isle of Tiree. Reserve Champion was a Limousin bullock from M & G Barr, Meikle Kirkland which scaled 358kgs and made £960 to Messrs Scott, Wigton. First prize pen of 4 bullocks were Limousins from Messrs Armstrong, Farhills which weighed 288kgs and sold for £710 for Messrs Scott, Wigton. First prize pen of Charolais crosses came from Messrs Ramsay, Craignarget whose pen of Charolais crosses scaled 343kgs and made £750 to Deryk Parrish, Hassendeenburn.
Outwith the top prize winner’s bullocks topped at £900 for Limousin crosses from Upper Hardland and Charolais crosses from Craignarget and to 273.4p for Limousin from McNeill Estates, Shennanton. Heifers sold to £1020 for Limousins from Farhills and to 320.8p per kg from the same home.
Also forward were 21 Bull calves which met a strong demand selling to £770 and 254.4p for Charolais crosses from T I & T Fitzsimon, Sunnyhill. The bulls averaged 229.41p per kg.
With trade being ahead of most seller’s expectations the average prices on the year fell by just over £50 per head to £666.85 for 13% more cattle sold.
