The market report from Sedgemoor Auction Centre for Saturday, 24 August is as follows. The total stock was 4711 head.

Non pedigree dairy heifers at £2050, £2000, £1950 (x3) £1940, £1920 (x2) £1910 & £1900.

99 Dairy cattle. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a much larger entry saw another excellent trade for cattle capable of producing large quantities of milk. Last year’s drought has delayed calvings so there is real demand from producers trying to satisfy their milk production profile.

The £2000 barrier continues to be exceeded, when non pedigree heifers from first time consignors Cleave Farm Partnership of Bideford sold to £2050. Others sold to £1920, £1820 and £1780 from the same Vendor (average £1,892.50). Other non pedigree heifers sold to £2000 from PA Cleave of Bude, Cornwall; £1950 ET Summerfield & Son, Oxford; £1950 PJ Searle & Son; £1950, £1920 and £1900 from RC Taylor; £1940 Depford Farm; £1910 AP Ractliffe; £1880 RH Webb, SJ Cheacker and Deptford Farm.

Cows to £1640 PA Cleave. Others sold to £1500 (Brown Swiss) RH Webb and £1590, £1500 and £1470 from Snook Ltd.

Incalf heifers sold to £1250 and £1240 GJ Reynolds, Kent. Danish Reds to £1110 from DR Dymond. Kiwi cross incalf heifers to £760 from MD Elphick of Surrey.

Calves to £170 from AE Allen & Son.

855 Store cattle, sucklers and stirks.

605 Store cattle and grazing cows. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a very good August bank holiday entry at 605 head, 855 with the stirks and sucklers and again 50% up on the equivalent week last year. Forward and good conformation “in spec” cattle are selling well, not a lot different to last year’s trade but small for age or those generally lacking are of less interest.

Top was £1240 for a tremendous Limousin steer (21m & FA) from JC & PA Chapple, Musbury, who also sold a similar Charolais (19m & FA) at £1230 and a further well grown Limousin at £1170 (20m & FA). Best feeding Charolais (3 x 17/23m) from LE Sweetland & Son, Musbury, rose to £1145, when others achieved £1085 (18m) and £1040 (23m). Limousin from the same farm £1090 (19m) and Simmentals £1085 (17/19m) and £1040 (17m). Further forward Limousin steers at £1140 (5x 23/26m & FA) £1080 (3x 22/25m & FA) CJ Dare & Son, Upottery and £1060 (24m & FA) CM Parker & IF Burnett, Templeton. Simmentals rose to £1105 (27m) from RH Mabbett & Sons, Wincombe. More again £1075 (2x 25m & FA) RF Lee & Son, Mark. Blue steers rose to £1100 for a superb, lean type (17m & FA) from DD & ME Purchase, Kentisbury. Further well grown Blues £1070 (26/28m & FA) RF Tucker & Son, Butleigh, £1050 (3x 21m & FA) TE & SJ Popham, Cannington; £1030 (22/24m & FA) DN & RJ Wilson, Chew Stoke and £1000 (24m) RA Gurd, Beaminster. Very smart grazing type Charolais at £1065 (6x 22/25m & FA) from DM Dyer, Yarcombe. Others £1030 (22m & FA) MJ & GM Summers, Exbridge and £1010 (5x 24/26m & FA) CM Parker & IF Burnett again.

Native steers in outstanding demand to £1150 (4x 21/25m, FA & sires) from DN & RJ Wilson, Chew Stoke, who sold further well grown Angus at £1040 (7x 22/24m, FA & sires) and £1000 (6x 21/24m, FA & sires). Further good Angus £1060 (6x only 15/16m & sire) from GT White & Son, Broadoak; £1040 (20m, FA & sire) CM Parker & IF Burnett and £1020 (2x only 15m, FA & sire) P & G Ford, Nempnett Thrubwell. Devon steers peaked at £1100 (28m & FA) BA Pugsley, Marwood, who sold another at £1030 (also 28m & FA).

Dairy breeds rose to £900 for a Friesian (32m & FA) from RF Lee & Son, Mark, who sold others at £885 (28/29m & FA). Further Holsteins £875 (3x 32/33m & FA) BA & L Male, Fivehead; £785 (9x 24m/27m & FA) RG Greenway & Son, Bathealton; £780 again (28m & FA) RF Lee & Son again and £725 (23/24m & FA) JC Edwards, Drimpton.

Heifers sold to £1030 for forward, suckler bred Limousin heifers (22/24m) from PFJ Saunders, Hemyock. Overage Charolais at £970 (32m & FA) from A Roppert, Maidendown, who sold another at £945 (28m & FA). Continental heifers from PJ Betty, Othery at £945, Limousin (only 15m & FA) £945 again, Blue (21m & FA) £900, Charolais (4x 16/17m & FA) and £880, Charolais again (4x 16/17m & FA). Further Limousin heifers £925 (2x 16m & FA) and £900 (15/16m & FA) CG & WL Rich & Son, Yarcombe; £910 (only 14/16m & FA) Westcott Farms, Brentor and £895 (only 15m & FA) S Broom, Upottery. Further Blue heifers to £925 (21m & FA) CG & WL Rich & Son again and £910 (4x only 15/16m & FA) Westcott Farms again.

Native heifers peaked at £965 for fed Angus (3x 21/22m, FA & sire) from Arscott Partners, Upottery. Further Angus £915 (25m, FA & sire) ER Rosewell, Luppitt; £905 (3x only 14/16m, FA & sire) P & G Ford, Blagdon; £890 (23m, FA & sire) D Kendall, Shaftesbury and £890 again (23m, FA & sire) ER Rosewell again. Devon heifers to £870 (28m & FA) from JS & M Frost, Lympsham.

5 Suckler cows, calves and stock bulls. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a small weekly entry on offer topped at £1020 for a Simmental cross cow (12/13) and her Hereford cross steer calf (22.07.19) from P Mayled.

17 Grazing cows (pre-movement tested)

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report top was £905 for a 2014 born Simmental cross cow from HJ Davis.

244 Busk calves and stirks. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a slightly larger entry on the week which was surprising bearing in mind the Bank Holiday and with the harvest in full flow. Another good trade across the board even when quality was lacking slightly. Top price was £875 for a 7m Limousin steer from Staplegrove Livestock, which was matched by another superb Limousin from Westcott Farms (10m). Others to £835 (14m) from J Blake; £810 (16m) from JA & G Aldworth; £805 x5 (10m) from C Jones and £795 from JD Burrough. Charolais topped at £845 (11m) also from JD Burrough. Others £830 from T & I Collard (15m) £825 x3 (11m) from KC & JC Heard; £800 (10m) from CJ Wyatt and £785 from KC & JC Heard. A smart consignment of South Devons from GA & HA Venn saw a 12m steer to £795, when others sold to £690 (11m). A shapely Saler sold to £790 (10m) from Westcott Farms. Few top Angus forward £765 (15m) from T & I Collard. Simmentals to £730 (11m) from C Jones. British Blues to £705 again from JD Burrough.

An exceptional Limousin cross heifer from Staplegrove Livestock topped the heifers at £895. Other Limousins sold to £725 (10m) from Westcott Farms and £700 from RJ Gooding, who topped the Blues at £700 and £605. Other Blues to £580 from HJ Bult & Son. Charolais to £680 (19m) from DP Perrin; £665 (15m) from PA Cleave; £645 (16m) from KC & JC Heard; £555 (11m) from GA & HA Venn. Few smart Simmentals forward saw the best to £540 (12m) from GA & HA Venn. Saler (10m) to £535 from Westcott Farms. Shapey South Devons from RA, LK & DR Cole to £500 x5 (13m). Angus £495 x2 (10m) from CJ Wyatt.

Few Friesians forward saw 10m to £345.

448 Non-export calves.

Beef Breeds (335) – not able to be exported from market. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a good bank holiday entry of almost 450 calves, although lacking quality, met another good trade when plenty of buyers were around the ring. Top of £488 x3 for reared Blues from MC Powell. Suckler bred Blue bulls to £475 from EA & DA Ellis. Others £462 from NF George. Younger Blues to £290 from A Small & Son and £285 Knapp Farm Ltd. Reared Limousins to £402 from EA & DA Ellis and £375 from NF George. Younger Limousins to £235 from Paul Kostyla and £232 from RF & BA Larcombe. Young Charolais to £305 and £240 from JA & K Ladd and £230 from DJ Spratt. Simmentals to £290 from KP Silverthorne; £260 from DG Ham and £248 from W & EA Tratt. Best continental bulls £280 plus, mediums £220- £250 and plainer types around £150.

Heifers to £410 and £370 x2 for reared Blues from MC Powell. Others £380 from Taylors Farm. Younger Blues to £282 from RF Lee & Son; £280 from M & S Powell and £275 from LH, J & SJ Lyons. Reared Limousins to £370 from Taylors Farm. Younger Limousins from NJ Broom & Sons. Simmentals to £365 from Taylors Farm. Younger Simmentals £270 from RD Knight & Son and £200 from Ireosa. Charolais to £310 from EA & DA Ellis; £280 x2 from CE Veysey and £250 from SM & DM Turner. Best continental heifers £220 plus, mediums £150-£180 and plainer types around £100.

Native bulls to £330 x4 for Angus from NF George and Cleave Farm Partnership. Younger Angus to £290 from M & K Churchill & Son. Herefords to £320 and £292 from Taylors Farm; £245 from FWJ Parris and £225 from Cavill & Sons Limited.

Native heifers to £230 for an Angus from M & K Churchill & Son. Others £180 x7 from B Moody. Herefords to £210 from NF George; £205 from AD Bulled & Sons and £190 from C & J Raymond & Partners.

Friesians (113) – not able to be exported from market. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a good entry of 113 dairy sired bull calves met a very similar trade to previous weeks and sold to £165 and £135 from C & J Raymond & Partners; £102 from FE Hill & Sons and £100 from Eastfield Farm Partnership. Best rearing types £80 plus, mediums £40-£60 and plainer types around £25. Fleckvieh to £155 from LJ & SF Gould. Norwegian Red to £110 from LJ & SF Gould again. Brown Swiss to £120 from RF Lee & Son. Montbeliarde £100 from AD Bulled & Son.

3309 Sheep. Auctioneer's comments:

Greenslade Taylor Hunt report the following sheep trades:-

Store Lambs (1602)

A slightly reduced entry of store lambs, when 1602 were penned. Trade held firm, with the small and medium types looking dearer and the strong lambs a touch less competitive. Best of the lambs to £79 from SG Yates. Others to £78 from T Bamber; £74 from J Gregory; £73.50 from SE Davey; £72.50 from J & G Howieson; £71.50 from P Coles. Overall average £55.14.

Cull Ewes & Rams (1374)

A much larger entry of 1374 cull ewes and rams sold to a very similar trade for all presented. Best of the cull ewes sold to £109 for continental types from J & G Howieson. Suffolks to £97 from KA Hill; £90 from MW Bowles. Others to £90 from KN Groves and KJ Lamacraft; £89.50 from DM & DM Ginger and WGF Chave & Son; £87 from S Tundley and EJ Browse & Son. Best of the cull rams to £120 from AJ Green. Others to £118 from Stablechief Ltd and £96 from JA Naish. Medium ewes £50-£70, plainer types £30-£50 and boners generally £15 plus. Overall average £54.66.

Breeding Ewes (257)

Another large entry of 257 breeding ewes sold to a selective trade, with a high proportion of older ewes forward. Suffolk Mule shearlings to £110 from V Greenfield. 4T/6T Suffolk Mules to £100 from SG Harraway. Older ewes to £93 for a good run from NF Clothier & Sons. Overall average £75.57.

Stock Rams (18)

A few more forward this week, which sold to a selective trade. A cracking pen of rams forward from J Harding sold to a good trade to a top of £360 for a Charollais 2T and a further two calls of £350 for the other two Charollais 2T. NF Clothier & Sons Ltd also had a good run with 2T Charollais to £155 and £150. Same again next week.

Goats (58)

Another sizeable entry of goats, when 58 were forward. Heavy cull nannies to £90 from Bagborough Farms. Others to £79 from JC Burdge and G Christodoulou. Overall average £70.14.