Hexham Auction Mart opened its 2026 back-end store season with a strong show and sale, as a Charolais champion sold for £2,780 and the overall store cattle and calf average rose by £60 to £2,088.24.
The sale, held on Friday 2 October 2026, featured 492 store cattle and suckled calves. The special show was for Charolais and other Continental-bred cattle, excluding Limousins, with the pre-sale judging carried out by Robert Gray of Low Hall, Amble.
The event was sponsored by Stoneacre Motor Group and Zoetis. A British Blue cross steer from J D Yeats of Woodhouse won the overall championship and the Hexham and Northern Marts Challenge Bowl. The Charolais champion from Walker Bros of Satley was reserve and won the Scottish and Northern Charolais Breeders’ Association Cup.
Strong cattle demand at Hexham
Trade began with Angus steers from G & J H Tomlinson & Son of Sunniside selling to £2,760. The mart said older, forward stores were dearer on the week, with increased numbers of purchasers bidding from the ringside.
Walker Bros’ champion Charolais steer led the sale at £2,780, while a further 10 cattle passed £2,600. A run of 25 Charolais steers from I & A Hamilton of Claywalls reached £2,640 and averaged £2,471.20.
The top heifer was a black British Blue cross from the champion’s home at Woodhouse, sold by J D Yeats for £2,680. The Yeats family’s run of 31 British Blue and Limousin cross steers and heifers averaged £2,060.
Hallbankgate Farms sold its leading Charolais cross heifer for £2,520. The mart also reported strong demand for cattle from the Cumbrian-based operation, including steers selling to £2,240.
Across all store cattle and calves, the average was £2,088.24. Store steers and heifers averaged £2,184.40, while weaned calves aged eight to 11 months averaged £1,844.50.
Weaned calves and next cattle sale
A group of 50 weaned Charolais steer calves from F T Walton of Flotterton and C & C Farming of Flotterton Cottage met strong demand. A 12-month steer reached £2,340, while 10-month steers sold for £2,260 and £2,220.
F T Walton also sold a first-prize pen of four steers for £2,260, with other groups reaching £2,230 and £2,220. T J Lee & Son of Hackford sold a pair of 11-month Charolais steers for £2,020 and heifer calves of the same age for £1,680.
The next week’s fixture is the Grand Show and Sale for Limousin-bred cattle, sponsored by Farmers Guardian. The mart said entries are being sought to meet demand. Entries must be with the auctioneers or office by 10.30am on Monday for cataloguing.
Sheep sales also record firm demand
The mart sold 2,184 cast ewes and tups, with 16 purchasers bidding at the ringside. The report described the trade as better than expected, despite reports of cheaper ewes elsewhere.
Texel ewes topped at £296 for a pair from Dave Brodie of Chesters. A pair of Texel cross ewes from NG KM & JG Beveridge of Low West House reached £278, while a large Suffolk cross ewe from W Walton & Sons of Ogle Castle sold for £262.
Other leading prices included £225 for Bluefaced Leicester ewes from F Johnson of West Shipley, £210 for Cheviot Mule ewes from G Gray of Sunnycroft, £145 for Blackface ewes from Messrs Teasdale of Kellah and £134 for Swaledale ewes from East Cocklaw.
Cast tups also sold strongly. A Texel tup from W Walton & Sons of Troughend topped that section at £298, followed by a Bluefaced Leicester tup at £222 and a Swaledale tup at £156.
Hexham and Northern Marts also sold 7,337 store lambs. The overall average was £127.83, including more than 2,500 Horned, Mule and Cheviot lambs. The top price of £185 was achieved three times: for 100 Suffolk cross lambs from S Shell of Brandon, a trio of Texel cross lambs from R G & L A Grieve of Whiteside, and lambs from D Dixon of Middle Heads and D J & W Sedgewick of Errington Red House.
Mule lambs averaged £120.07 and topped at £139 from J R F Pattinson of Hotbank. Blackface lambs reached £119, Charolais cross lambs £154 and Cheviot lambs £123. The mart said further sheep are wanted, with entries required by 11am on Monday for cataloguing.