Talgarth Market, July 28 Market averages week ending July 29: Prime lambs average SQQ: 190.00p/kg up to 207p/kg; Cull ewes £67.24/head up to £135.50/head; Rams average £100.67/head up to £135.00/head.

Ross-on-Wye Market, August 1 Clean -110: Cattle off the clock as numbers remain very short and demand for beef extremely strong. Several runs of cattle over 210p with steers peaking at 223p and heifers 219p. Demand for every beast in the market from the best sucklers to friesians showing the strength of an auction mart. A lot of the cattle today would be 320 to 330 dead which is way out in front of any deadweight quote for Monday morning. Steers averaged 180.6p, heifers averaged183.6p OTMS – 52: Same as the clean very dear not enough numbers about and more needed, cows to 161p and £1290, black and whites coming over £1,000 and any fed beef cows from 130 to 150p. Overall average for the cows was 128.5p, a few stock bulls those peaked at 130p. OTM clean no less than UTM, several plain dairy heifers wouldn’t help the average.

Lambs- 2,020: A good entry following the lift in trade at the end of the week, however this morning would be a big improvement on Fridays trade with plenty of lambs over 200p. One of the dearest trades seen in August with it being 27p dearer than the same week last year. The trade was made by export firms with huge demand for lambs 37 to 41kg, the best lambs peaked at 233p. Heavy lambs were also in keen demand with several pens of lambs from £90 to £94.

Overall average 194.4 Ewes – 512: A good entry of ewes were in good demand by the seven ewe buyers, again a shortage of strong ewes with another large show of small and plain ewes, the better ewes were all from £110 to £118. The small welsh ewes were a strong trade with several pens from £55 to £65. Overall average for the ewes was £78.20.

Brecon Store Sale, August 2 Store cattle 303 - A very encouraging entry considering recent reports of shortage of cattle and simply the dearest trade ever witnessed with steers up to £1,310 to average a record breaking £924 per head to include all types and this equates to 188p/kg on several strong cattle, while heifers reached £1290 to average £823 per head (182p/kg). Several men were missing due to harvest etc, but those in attendance were desperate for cattle and had travelled great distances.

Everyone will be here in August and this trade will hopefully hold as the fat is now at an all time high so a large entry will be needed to satisfy the demand. Everything sold extremely well this month and there were customers for all types, shapes and sizes many finishing units are desperate for cattle.

Cull cows 64 - Although not up to £2,000 this would still be a trade to far exceed anywhere else the increased buyers support did make a huge difference with all the cows averaging a genuine £977 per head and 152p/kg to top at an incredible £1,660. It is important that we have more cows next month to maintain this full capacity of buyers as auctioneers could easily have sold 150 cows on this trade with eight men to compete for them and two men never purchased anything. Well fleshed cows were a marked premium and the best bred type were all over 200p/kg topping at 234p/kg.

Organic stores - It is apparent that organic fattening units are even more desperate for stock than conventional holdings and this was reflected in the prices achieved. Every organic beast enjoyed a marked premium over conventional with organic heifers up to £925 and steers up to £900 and quality stores were all over £2.00p/kg. Auctioneers had five vendors all of whom achieved prices far in advance of their expectations and more cattle are needed next month. There were organic buyers from the Midlands and west Wales all desperate for cattle.

Brecon Fatstock Sale, August 2 New season lambs, 1313 - A much more encouraging entry was complicated with another full capacity of buyers who guaranteed a competitive trade topping at £2/kg for smalls which probably had the best trade of the day, averaging 194p/kg on a day when the market average was 185p/kg.

The best lambs were up to £84.55 and the export demand was fairly active especially for smalls and well bred medium weight lambs (38-42kg). Our trade was well ahead of the National average for the day and it was encouraging to see competition for all types and a good premium for the right lambs, firms do prefer to acquire stock early in the week and this was evident from the strong competition for every pen.

Auctioneers have buyers for 2,000 lambs every week and expect a similar demand next week, especially on smalls (under 32kg).

Small (25-32kg): £64.00 (200p/kg) to £59.20 (194p/kg). Light (32-39kg): £75.08 (194p/kg) to £69.40 (185.5p/kg). Medium (39-45kg): £83.70 (197.5p/kg) to £77.50 (184.5p/kg). Heavy (45kg-plus): £84.55 (181p/kg) to £83.40 (177p/kg).

Cull sheep 609 - An excellent entry of good ewes saw a blistering trade for all types and those good under would have enjoyed a £8-10 premium over the general cull trade. We had hill bred ewes up to £90 and a top call of £120 for a sheep from D C and S A Phillips, Tylebrythos, while rams also broke the £100 mark. There was excellent competition for all types and it was encouraging to see 600 ewes easily sold in a competitive market.

Hereford Market, August 3 Prime lambs - 3,211: A very good entry of lambs with SQQ of 182p/kg and overall 181.4p/kg. The lightest lambs are the dearest per/kg averaging 196.5p/kg with heavies up to £99.50 (62kg, 173.2p/kg). This is August and we are in the holy month of Ramadam, therefore lamb trade will be more selective, but we are still 16.8p/kg above last year which is actually one of the smallest differentials of the year, usually being around 30p/kg better this year. The narrowing of the gap means that this is a temporary drop due to Ramadam but these are still the best prices we have ever experienced. Nine lamb buyers, 3,000-plus sheep needed every week.

Top price/head £99.50 for lambs grading 62kg, overall average 181.4p/kg.

Store lambs – 538: Another larger entry sold to a good level of demand with bidders for all sizes of lambs. Stronger sorts from £61 to £66.50 with longer keeping lambs to excellent prices - £54 to £60.50. Very small lambs from £37.50 to £51. Ram lambs from £41 to £58.80. The pen of black faced ewe lambs sold at £71.

Breeding ewes – 728: More yearling ewes on offer with some very strong and smart Suffolk cross mules to £164 and other better sorts from £146 to £160. Texel cross mule yearlings topped at £154 with others from £137 to £152. North Country mule yearlings from £138 to £144. A good selection of two-year-olds on offer selling to £158 for Suffolk cross, others from £131 to £154. Texel crosses to £140 with others from £126 to £137. North Country mules £130 to £134. Fewer older ewes this week with three and four-year-olds from £120 to £126.50. Four-year-old and full mouth mules from £110 to £116.

Breeding rams - 68: An excellent start to the ram sales through the new sheep ring with vendors and purchasers alike very pleased with the layout and visibility. Prices were excellent as follows (guineas): charollais two years 510, 500, 470, 450; charollais yearlings 440, 400; Suffolk yearlings 390, 380; texel yearlings 350; texel three years 340.

Please enter rams every week by 5pm Monday to be catalogued to go through the ring on Wednesday.

Cull ewes 1,830: A superb entry of ewes with yet another flying trade. Eight buyers ensured a very competitive trade with ewes averaging £70/head up to £133.50 for two ewes from Mr C Corbett, Bank Farm. There was a shortage of those best continental types. Although the current ethnic festival may cause a slight easing in the trade we don't envisage it ‘falling out of bed’. A good entry is required over the forthcoming weeks. Overall average £70 Suffolks to £129, Continentals to £133.50, North Country mules to £110. Welsh to £75 cull rams to £101, cull wethers to £95.

Pigs - 300: Another large entry of pigs. Good quality were again easy to sell with buyers keen to purchase. However second quality were hard to sell especially if they were fat and not castrated. Weaners sold to £30, stores to £38, porkers to £80, cutters £88. Sows and boars were in good demand with fat sows selling from £100 to £180, feeding sows £60 to £85 and boars £85 to £150.

Weaners (white) from £10-£30 (coloured) at £7 stores (white) from £20-£38 (coloured) from £18-£24, porkers (white) from £55-£80 (coloured) from £40-£50, cutters (white) from £45-£88 (coloured) from £40-£60, feeding sows from £60-£85, fat sows from £100-£180, boars from £85-£150 Next sale of pigs is August 17. Please enter your pigs with the office by next Tuesday at 3pm or telephone Graham Baker on 07831 119337 or Andrew Edwards on 07825 066859.

Please note sale times will change from Wednesday, August 24: Prime lambs 9.15am, Cull ewes 10.30am (approximately), store lambs 11.45am prompt followed by breeding ewes, stock rams, store cattle 1.15pm.

Worcester Market, August 3 Prime cattle – 52: Another week to record a “flying” beef trade. A reduced entry with Honeybourne Sheep Sale and harvesting halving the numbers. Some good runs of cattle, with plenty of buying support and therefore competition from national and private wholesalers. FABBL cattle would be at a marked premium.

Top price steer to 198.5p/kg from J H Cocks and Sons. Best steer average of 195.7p from J H Cocks and Sons. Top price heifer to 212.5p/kg from H J Keast and Partners. Best heifer average of 198.3p from S and B Wood.

Cows and over 48-months – 8: As with the clean cattle the cow trade was also “flying”. More cows needed. Prices are as follows: Grade one cows to 147.0p/kg, average 147.0p; grade two cows to 137.0p/kg, average 130.0p; grade three cows to 115.5p/kg, average 112.8p; Grade four cows to 74.5p/kg. Overall average 117.5p/kg.

Sheep – 2,517: A better trade than anticipated with fluctuations across the region. Export trade was the main contender and those lambs from 38-43kg with quality were very well supported selling to a top of 225p/kg and averaging throughout a creditable 182p/kg.

Heavier lambs over 46kg were out in abundance and were well sold if not hotly contested. Even at the beginning of August plenty of lambs between £82 - £90.

Another good entry of cull ewes was followed by a good company of buyers giving competition throughout. Strong ewes to £117.00 producing an overall average of £74.27 Rams to £90.00 averaging £72.50.

Knighton Market, August 4 McCartneys reported an entry of 1,457 prime lambs and 308 cull sheep.

A slightly easier lamb trade following the ripper the week before still with most making from £70 to £85 per head. Lambs averaged 175.82p/kg and sold to 183p/kg for 29.50kg texel cross lambs to £54 per head from E R Harris, Pantycarragle. Also to 181p/kg on two occasions, firstly for 39kg Suffolk cross lambs to £70.50 per head and then for 42kg texel cross lambs to £76.20 per head from N B Morgan, Cwmblewyn. 179p/kg for 39kg texel cross lambs to £70 per head from A Whiteman, Coxall. 178p/kg for both 40.50kg texel cross lambs to £72 per head from W M E Davies, Lower Splashes and 42.50kg texel cross lambs to £75.50 per head from R A Lund, Brynywellan. 177p/kg for 39.5kg texel cross lambs to £70 per head from P Goodwin, Lower Stanage and also for 40kg Suffolk cross lambs to £70.60 per head from G Roberts, Folly farm.

Top price per head was £86.50 for 55kg texel cross lambs from R Gwilliam, Broome. Also to £85 per head for 65kg Suffolk cross lambs from R H Watkins and Son, Marlow. £83.30 per head for 48.50kg texel cross lambs from E Richards and Sons, Lower Bailey.

A fair ewe trade averaging £66.46 per head selling to £113.50 per head for Suffolk cross ewes from R H Jones, Llanhedric. Also to £109 per head for Suffolk cross ewes from E R Harris, Pantycarragle. £99.50 per head for charollais ewes from I J and D J Gough, 10 Bedstone and texel cross ewes from £98 per head from J W Watkins, Heartsease. Mules also to £86.50 per head from E R Harris, Pantycarragle and £78.50 per head from J T and J E Lloyd, The Corner.

Texel cross ewes also to £97.50 per head from E and W Griffiths, Hill House. £96 per head for charollais cross ewes from W Watkins and Son, Stormer Hall. Welsh ewes to £65 per head from J B Morris, Lower Litton.

Cull rams averaged £105.88 per head and sold to £130 for a charollais ram from C M Stephens and Partners, Cote.

Average prices for premium and prime lambs of various weights as follows: Up to 30kg, premium 183.00p/kg; 30.5-36kg, prime 169.00p/kg; 36.5-43kg, premium 179.68p/kg, prime 176.34p/kg; 43.5-48kg, premium 175.65p/kg, prime 172.80p/kg; 48.5kg and over, premium 168.68p/kg, prime 160.58p/kg.

Kington Market, August 4 McCartney’s of Kington reported a good entry of 2,000 sheep.

The lambs sold to an easier trade than the previous week due to larger numbers being marketed thoughout the week and the commencement of the ethnic festival. The lambs sold generally between 175p/kg and 190p/kg which would be on par with other centres earlier in the week and above the national average for the day.

Auctioneers had an entry of 1,600 lambs which averaged 179p/kg up to 188p/kg. Heavier lambs sold well and averaged 174p/kg. The lambs sold to a top of £89.50 per head from N and E E Lloyd.

Some 34kg lambs from RJ Bayliss made £62, 37kg lambs from P R Jones and Son made £69, 41kg lambs from T R and G M Layton made £76, 42kg lambs from W K Morris made £78.50, 44kg lambs from A Scatchard made £78.50, 45kg lambs from S G Deakins made £81.80, 47kg lambs from S Williams and Son made £83.20, 49kg lambs from J R and H A Williams made £83, 52kg lambs from N and E E Lloyd made £89.50, 53kg lambs from S Rogers made £89.

There was a good entry of 400 cull ewes selling to a very good trade even given the commencement of the ethnic festival. The ewes sold to a top of £129 for some texel cross ewes from N C and G M Lewis and to average £75.40 per ewe, Tups sold to £100 and to average £90, The cull ewes included a large proportion of thinner mule ewes and smaller hill ewes.

Auctioneers have buyers for in excess of 3,000 lambs and 750 cull sheep per week to meet buyers’ requirements. Kington Market is every Thursday, commencing at 11am with lambs. For further information call Gareth Wall on 01544 230316.