Ringside: Brisk trade at Market Drayton

Ringside at… Market Drayton Market, Shropshire.

Another huge entry at Monday’s (10 October) sale saw 432 barren cows through the ring. “Trade remains extremely brisk, especially for well-fleshed cattle,” said auctioneer Bernie Hutchinson. A greater number of plainer cattle saw the overall average price ease back to 118p/kg, with a top price of 191p/kg paid for an underage clean heifer.

A large dairy entry met a brisk trade, with a young Jersey cow topping at 163p/kg. Black and white cows peaked at 155p/kg, with the top 20 meat cows averaging 143p/kg and very light plain types selling from 59p to 105p/kg. Good suckler cows commanded a similar premium, selling to 183p/kg.

In the bull ring, a mixed entry with a large proportion of Friesians averaged 134.54p/kg.