The market report from Sedgemoor Auction Centre for Saturday, 20 July is as follows. The total stock was 4616 head.

Non pedigree dairy heifers to £2080 from RH Webb, Henley.

80 Dairy cattle. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report the entries continue to rise when over 70 milkers were forward this week. Best quality not quite so plentiful compared with the last 3 weeks but plenty of middle range cows and heifers to satisfy demand. The bottom end continues to attract little interest.

Best heifers to £2080 from RH Webb for a non pedigree, when a Wintersell bred pedigree heifer from R Taylor sold to £1900. Others to £1880 and £1800 from J Morgan; £1850 from AP Ractliffe; £1800 from Deptford Farm; £1780 from RJ & SR Bunn; £1780 and £1710 from Snook Ltd; £1700 from WL Baxandall and J Searle; £1680 and £1660 from AR Edwards and £1670 from R & M Lougher & Son. Best cows sold well to £1780 from DWT, EG & PW Jones and £1750 from Snook Ltd.

Calves to £200 for Shorthorn cross from BS & SG Kingston. Also £200 x2 for Holsteins from RL & ME Trott.

805 Store cattle, sucklers and stirks.

519 Store cattle and grazing cows. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report an excellent mid Summer entry of 519 stores, 152% up on the equivalent week last year and part of 805 with the stirks and grazers, met a brighter trade following the nourishing rain and as the expectation is that we have seen the worst of the finished trade and slaughter values will start to increase soon.

Top was £1190 for two well grown Angus (26m, FA & sires) from AC Rich, Dowlish Wake. Smart, young Angus cross Blues at £1028 (6x only 15/16m & sires) from SJ Crossman, Long Sutton. Other Angus £1000 (27m, FA & sire) J & D Board & Son, Lottisham and at £990 (4x 27/29m, FA & sires) from MJ Frampton & Son, Broadwindsor.

Continental steers rose to £1090 for well grown Limousins (5x 23/27m & FA) from AC Rich again and for superb young Limousins (15/16m & FA) from S Broom. Upottery. Further best type Limousins at £1085 (14m & FA) £1070 (16m & FA) £1045 (15m & FA) £1035 (15m & FA) £1000 (2x 16m & FA) and £995 (21m & FA) for Blues from the same farm. Good feeding Limousins at £1085 (3x 22/23m & FA) from DJ & AM Morris, Colyton, who also sold Simmental steers at £1080 (3x 21/23m & FA). Further good feeding Limousins at £1075 (5x 25/27m & FA) and £1055 (2x 27m & FA) RF Tucker & Son, Butleigh; £1045 (23/24m & FA) K & N Crang, Mudford and £995 (5x 20/21m & FA) IR Worth, Muddiford. Charolais steers to £1080 (18m & FA) T Webber, Loxhore. Others to £1045 (28m, FA & hard type) from RF Tucker Son again. Forward Blues at £1080 (3x 29m & FA) from BC Knapp, Pilning. Others £1060 (only 17m & FA|) SER Hunt, Kilve; £1000 (3x 24/25m) and £995 (3x 28m) HJ Cox & Son, Burtle.

Dairy bred steers sold to £855 for a fleshed Holstein (22m & FA) from Latham Partners, Ilfracombe. Montbeliarde £795 (21m) MS Ward & Son, Buckland Ripers. Friesians at £770 (5x 22/23m & FA) CM Parker & IF Burnett, Tiverton; £755 (20/21m & FA) IR Worth again and Holsteins £750 (3x 24/25m) CG Andrews, St Dennis.

Heifers topped at £1080 for a fleshed Simmental (31m & FA) BC Knapp again, who sold further Simmentals at £1065 (28/29m & FA) and Blues at £1050 (30m & FA) and £975 (30/31m & FA) and more Limousins at £970 (36m & FA) and £950 (29/30m & FA). Very best Limousins at £1045 (15m & FA) £975 (15m & FA) and £890 (2x 15m & FA) from S Broom again. Fleshed Limousins at £1000 (22m & FA) CS & JM Petheram, Mark; £995 (27m & FA) and £940 (2x 21m & FA) C Elliott, Nailsea. More Limousins again £975 (4x 22/26m & FA) AC Rich again and £930 (24m & FA) CM Parker & IF Burnett again. Further Simmental heifers £990 (27m & FA) J & D Board & Son again. Fleshed Blonde heifer at £985 (24m & FA) SER Hunt again. Further Blues £960 (only 16m & FA) SER Hunt; £930 (4x 23/26m & FA) J & D Board & Son again; £900 (19m & FA) Latham Partners again and £895 (4x 24/26m & FA) AJ & RA Turner again. Charolais £920 (4x 25/27m & FA) THJ Denbee, Wedmore.

Native heifers peaked at £955 for Angus (5x 28/29m, FA & sire) from MJ Frampton & Son again, who sold others at £900 (5x 27/31m, FA & sire).

Dairy heifers at £900 (7x 26/29m & FA) and £890 (3x 27/28m & FA) for Holsteins from AJ & WL Turner Ltd again.

More store cattle wanted as more grass and rising slaughter price will further harden the trade.

3 Grazing cows. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a small entry of grazing cows which sold to £595 for a 34m Holstien from PD & SA Godfrey, Lopen. We are receiving many enquiries for grazing and feeding cows. More wanted.

286 Busk calves and stirks. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a similar size entry to last week’s was met by a slightly brighter trade across the board, especially for the best. An excellent entry from JLG Dorse topped the market with a 15m Limousin steer to £930, who had others to £845 (13m) £825 x2 (14m) and £785 (15m) – well done. Other Limousin steers from RGF & TSW Partnership to £825 (15m) and EH & RL Leyshon to £795 x4, £795 x2 (9m) and £735 x2 (5m). A Blonde steer also from JLG Dorse to £885 (14m) and a Simmental steer £858 (16m). Few strong Charolais forward saw the best to £770 for a steer (9m) from A & V Strawbridge. Other to £665 x3 (11m) from TJ & LJ Hirst and £630 (16m) from RGF & TSW Partnership. British Blues to £710 x3 (9m) from JD Burrough; £620 x2 (10m) from TJ & LJ Hirst; £615 x2 (14m) from Bridgwater College. Few Angus forward saw the best to £695 from A & V Strawbridge. Others to £580 x3 (12m) from Bridgwater College and £555 x2 (11m) from G Chugg. Herefords to £615 x2 (13m) from RC Hutchings.

Heifers - a similar trade on the week saw the best to £680 (14m) Hereford from CM Parker & IF Burnett. Others to £475 (13m) from RC Hutchings. Limousins to £635 (15m) from RGF & TSW Partnership with a 2nd to £610 (14m). Others to £625 from JLG Dorse; £575 (8m) from SJS Loveless. Charolais to £600 (15m) from DR Thomas and £540 (9m) from A & V Strawbridge and £505 (11m) TJ &LJ Hirst. Simmentals also from TJ & LJ Hirst to £545 (11m). Angus (9m) to £545 from A & V Strawbridge with others to £505 x3 (9m). Some fleshy black and whites on show saw prices to £302 from LE Miller & son, when others sold to £280 x2 and £255 x4 from Bridgwater College.

443 Non-export calves. Auctioneers comments:

Beef Breeds (363) – not able to be exported from market

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a slightly larger entry met a generally improved market but a continued selective trade for the medium and plainer types. A smart reared consignment from NF George saw a run of Blue bulls to £432, £422 and £410 (4m). Younger Blue bulls to £300 for MEJ & PJ White and £290 from RM & CG Drew. A shapely Bazadaise from K Payne to £368 and £342. Limousin pair of bulls to £375 for B & P Horsey & Son. Others to £340 for T Brookfield. Charolais bulls to £370 from SM & DM Turner, when other good young Charolais sold to £365 from PD & JL Biss and £340 from A & V Strawbridge.

Native bulls to £330 (x2) and £320 (x2) for reared Angus from NF George, when young fresh Angus to £290 from H & M Lee & Son and RJ & MA Curtis. Reared Hereford bulls to £278 (x2) from NF George and £275 from Maristow Farms. Young Hereford bulls to £275 from NP Gibbons and £245 from PB & LM Doble. It is essential that Vendors with Angus or Hereford calves include the sire, if known and registered pedigree, on their entry form.

Blue heifers topped at £365 for a shapely young type from MC Powell, when reared Blues sold to £352 for NF George and younger types to £295 from JWO Marsh & Partners. Charolais to £335 x3 for a 4m old bunch of suckler bred heifers from M Monkhouse. Young dairy bred Charolais heifer to £250 from JA &K Ladd and £230 from PD & JL Biss. Limousin heifers topped the day for continentals at £400 from DR Thomas, with a young consignment from DA & WG Jones to £205 and £200, who sold Simmental heifers to £270 and £230 also.

Native heifers met the usual selective trade when the best reared Angus sold to £265 from NF George and £245 (x2) for Maristow Farms. Young Angus to £160 from SD Shipton and £155 for CG, GR & MS Spiller. Hereford heifers topped at £255 for Maristow Farms, who sold others to £220 (x2) and £215. Younger Hereford heifers to £180 from PB & LM Doble and £175 from NP Gibbons.

Friesians (80) – not able to be exported from market

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report another reasonable entry of dairy sired calves with a number of rearing quality calves forward. Best rearing black and whites topped at £148 from MJ & JV Dowding, who sold another to £145 along with RD Willcox. A consignment of Norwegian Reds from J & D Tillbee sold to £138, £82 and £80. Another good run from LJ & SF Gould sold to £95, £88 and £78. Montbeliarde to £200 for GM Veysey. Best rearing types £80 plus, mediums £40-£60 and plainer types nearly all in excess of £20.

3108 Sheep. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report the following sheep trade:

A larger entry of 1347 store lambs sold to a slightly easier trade, in line with prime prices. Top price of £88 went to AJ Tidcombe. Others to £86 and £82.50 from J & E Nuttall; £77.50 from S Williams; £75 from AJ Tidcombe and EW Granfield; £73 from DM Ruell and R Chaddock and £72 from AJ Dally. Overall average £55.53.

Cull Ewes & Rams (1641)

A very large entry of 1641 cull ewes and rams sold to another strong trade, with fewer hill breeds and generally better quality forward. Best of the cull ewes sold to £124 from EJ Gwyn. Others to £120 from D Tucker; £118 from F Kidner; £116 from JB Haines Estates Ltd; £112 from MA Milton; £110 from EJ Gwyn; £108 from AW Selley & Son and ER Gillbard; £105 from P Coombes Ltd and £100 from G Vining and MA Milton. Cull rams sold to £126 from F Kidner, when others sold to £122 from MJ Meaker and £87 (x2) from CTJ Ford. Medium ewes £55-£75 and boners generally £18 plus. Overall average £65.55.

Breeding Ewes (57)

A small entry of 57 breeding ewes ahead of next week’s catalogued sale, sold to a firm trade when the best were well sought. Topping the sale was a pen of 4T/6T Suffolk cross Scotch Halfbreds from MW Ford, which realised £117. Suffolk cross shearlings from AC Mogford sold to £112. Overall average £91.20.

Couples (4E & 4L)

Another small entry of 4 ewes with 4 lambs at foot sold to a reasonable trade. Top call was £125 (£62.50/life) for a single from RW Hickman. Overall average £53.13/life.

Stock Rams (6)

A handful of stock rams forward sold to £270 for a Suffolk from LAJ England, who also sold a Charollais shearling at £250 also. Overall average £216.67.

Goats (49)

A larger entry of 49 goats saw a nanny with kid at foot sell to £84 from M Church. Other goats sold to £75 and £70 from DWJ Skinner. Overall average £55.82.

180 Pigs. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report the following pig trade:

Good show of quality pigs forward. Trade easier for the cull sows. Weaners and fat pigs sold very well.

Weaners (37)

Good demand for all classes. 12 w/o Tamworth cross to £40 from AA House. 10 w/o to Pietrain cross to £38 from D Ward. 12 w/o Gloucester Old Spots to £36 from R Hares.

Cull Sows & Boars (17)

Trade easier in line with other centres and weaker European demand. Top price £181 for a good sow from LE Miller & Son. Others £156 from J Evans and J Bosley and £150 from DR Hutchings.

Boars to £172 from J Bosley and £138 from J Evans.

Sows & Litters (2)

Sow and 11 £215 and gilt and 6 £142 from TC & S Pain

Forward Stores (107)

First class entry. The best of a good run of 29 in 5 lots from LE Miller & Son to £133 and £129. Others to £131 from CD Griffin and BS Newth. Lighter pigs to £122 from T Stone. Lighter porkers to £95 from M Hodges and £89 from KH Tucker.

Fodder. Auctioneers comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report one 9t load of winter barley straw sold to £26/bale (delivered). Lorry and drag of the same due next week.