These continue through the into the summer months and our regular weekly catalogued sales will attract entries of between 200 and 400 head most weeks. Please book your cattle in well in advance.
18 Bulls and 137 females Sold
Auctioneers: Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688 and Peter Kingwill
Report on trade: Spring 2010 drew a good entry (similar in size to Autumn 2009) to Ashford Market for the Sussex Cattle Society’s Show and Sale of Pedigree cattle and an auction sale record was broken (see later). The sale day, a Friday, means these were the first cattle sold not on a Tuesday in Ashford since March 2002 (reopening after foot and mouth). As a special breeding day we added to the Sussex entry with other breed bulls and females and eventually penned 177 cattle.
The Sussex Cattle Societies spring show and sale was the first section through the sale ring following judging. Geoff Pearson (Maidstone) selected Justin, Susan and families bull Offham Major 13th (March 2008 born) as champion and the polled bull Wellington 5th of Goldstone from Chandler and Dunn Ltd as reserve and in the females the Millsons heifer Trottenden Barmaid 34th was champion and their Buttercup 9th reserve both from their first prizewinning pen of maiden heifers. With autumn calving heifers the Royal Farms Windsor took all the prizes in the in calf heifer class. Competition and prize money were kindly sponsored by the Farmers Guardian.
The sale always starts with the mature females on offer the trade hit 4 figures with Sheppard and Denyers (Lewes, Sussex) 2001 Weston bred cow and steer calf making 1000 gns. Jane Howard sold a young, homebred in calf cow Coopers Snowdrop 7th (bn 2006) for 1080 gns to Mrs Venessa McDonald, Hardres Court, Canterbury who is forming a new herd and then her show heifers from last year with heifer calf at foot (by Mayfield Major 6th) for 2,200 gns to Lynn Gasper (Rotherhurst herd), Rotherfield, East Sussex.
The bulls offered started with the champion (see above) which made 1,800 gns to Messrs Passmore Coombes, Lancing and he was followed by the reserve where bidding reached 2,900 gns and Iain Lindsey eventually secured him for Sir Richard Suttons Settled Estates Benham herd recently established on the estate near Newbury, Berkshire. Traditional Sussex breeding featured in the sale with 2 bulls offered by Clem Ekin from Cheshire with one sold for 1800 gns to the Crowthers from Poynings, Brighton. The 2 other bulls at the end of the sale with polled genes in their breeding rang the bell – 2,800 gns for a Petworth Stargazer son Aylesford Poll Stargazer 1st and secured by Mr and Mrs R Bloomfield, Wareham in Dorset and then the auction record breaker, the 5 yr old Wellington 3rd of Goldstone where the auctioneers hammer came down eventually at 4,600 gns, 4 other serious breeders having been in the running and secured for use in the Trottenden herd by Messrs C E & W S Millson from Goudhurst, Kent.
The in calf heifer trade was not electrifying with top call of 980 gns for Wright Farm Partnerships Wright Joy (bn 4/2007) on their Romney Marsh farm. Then by contrast with spring beckoning (at last we hope) the maidens attracted strong competitive bidding from both pedigree and commercial herd owners and 14 different individuals eventually acquiring new stock. The Millsons 6 heifers took the eye in the ring and were all secured by Iain Lindsey at a top call of 1300 gns for the reserve champion (6 av 1195 gns); Wright Farm Partnerships 10 topped at 930 and averaged 863 gns while L Stevens and Sons, Halstow, Sittingbourne sold 6 strong heifers to 1080 gns (none under 900 and averaging 940 gns). Harder farmed heifers from Isfield Place and F W Wright made 700 gns plus and 500 to 630 gns respectively.
The pedigree sale was completed with 2009 born heifers making from 410 to 560 gns.
A final auctioneers comment notes the strong commercial base for the trade in red beef cattle which must be the strength of any native the breed going forward. Remember over 250 head of pedigree cattle have been sold in the last 2 official sales here in Ashford.
Averages: 8 In calf cows 808 gns; 5 cows and calves 1,294 gns; 2 senior bulls 3,425 gns; 5 young bulls 2,100 gns; 8 in calf heifers 801 gns; 62 maidens (bn 08) 783 gns and 10 maidens (bn 09) 464 gns.
The sale continued with and offering of mainly unregistered Sussex cattle where young bulls from Torry Hill Estates made to 860 gns, 19-20 mths maiden heifers £910 for A & M Wickens and a 2yr old heifer £920 for P & G & J Carden and Harbourne Farms bulling heifers £620.
Limousin bulls made £1520 to £1700 from Ellis and Gottschalk and Strattons Farms while purebred Simmentals made £1,000 and £1,200 for R L Goodman and Sons. In the native section a 3yr old Aberdeen Angus (bred by the Stovolds) made £1360 for C & A Body.
In calf Limousin females made to £760 for a 2006 Limousin cow and Ellis and Gottschalk sold 7 maiden heifers to £930 (av £840).
The Sussex Cattle Societies autumn show and sale was the main event here in Ashford today and buyers and breeders gathering from very early in the morning The largest entry of stock for many year’s saw bull judging at 8am and sale at 9.15am. 2 Judges tackled inspection of the bulls and heifers and the Hinds Mayfield General 1st was the champion male with the Boxted bull Major 6th reserve for L Stevens and Sons, Sittingbourne for the judge Alan Clark while Gee Hickman was drawn to females from Wright Farm Partnership, East Guldeford, Rye and Mrs C A Hardy, Hythe, Kent for champion and reserve and best pens in each section from the same breeders. Torry Hill Farms, Sittingbourne were also mentioned in dispatches with 2 bets pen of maiden heifers
The sale started with mature females coming through the ring and Michael Gibbs Rugmer offering topping at 1230 gns for Rugmer Hill Darkey 4th born in 2006 with a heifer calf to the Titsey Estate, Oxted while Jane Howard (Coopers Farm), Wadhurst saw her Russell family bred Stillyans 2005 cow with a steer calf make 1080gns to Colin Godmans Farm, Uckfield. Amoung the in calf cows it was a Trottenden cow Prebble 37th, 2005 born, at 900gns selling to Les Vine, Hailsham which was top call and others made 580 to 880 gns.
The bull trade was very brisk with public auction records set at 4,400 gns for the champion to the Connells at Lower Roundhusrt, Haslmere, Surrey and this was followed by the hammer falling at 3,600 gns for the Steven’s reserve. A senior bull Friths Glow-worm 1st born in 2004 made 2,300 gns to the Leconfield Estate, Petworth and Sutton Estates, Newbury secured Michael Gibbs Rugmer Hill Playboy 4th (born February 2008) for 2400 gns. The Millsons then sold 2 Trottenden bulls for 2,300 and 2,700 gns to D Martin, Edenbridge and the Titsey Estate. Completing the list was society chair Roger Dunn who saw his Goldstone Regent 1st make 2,800 gns to Cranbourne Farms, Wimbourne, Dorset.
The rest of the sale were all young females, both in calf and maiden and 27 different buyers made purchases. The majority farm here in the south east but travellers came from Yorkshire in the north and Hampshire and Berkshire in the west. Champion heifer was Wright Farm Partnerships maiden Wright Hannah 2nd secured by Mark Osman for The Royal Farms at Windsor for 920 gns while reserve was Mrs C A Hardy’s Hillhurst Maple 10th in calf to Ladywell Buccaneer again 920 gns. Mrs C A Hardy’s consignment of 24 in calvers made to 1060 gns for Trottenden Terpsichore 104th and 24 averaged 870 gns; J C and C Lewis Holm Place offering or 10 averaged 824 gns while Dernwood Farm LLP, Mrs J Howard, Mrs P Davenport nad Micheel Gibb all sold a number at or over 1,000 gns.
Finally the maidens saw a total of 64 sold with top price going to Jane Howard – 980 gns for Bardown Snow Princess secured by Mr M Wilson, Maidstone and runs of 10 Rugmer heifers (M Gibb) averaging 483 gns and Mrs C A Hardy 570 gns. In the senior age group Wright Farm Partnership, K & E Dean and Mrs P Davenport all saw heifers make 700 to 920 gns.
In summary the volume (total animals sold 169) of stock distributed to new farms both for pedigree breeders and the commercial farmer is good news for the breed. Continual improvement of the breed by pedigree breeders must continue to keep up with and in many cases in front of many of our other native breeds but the solid support of the commercial farmer is essential. He is looking for hardy, long living and easy to manage females producing a sizable calf to finish or sell and the Sussex will fit this bill – we must all ensure the breed remains at the top of this mans shopping list here in the south and further afield.
Averages: 13 In calf cows 767 gns; 13 cows and calves 1,030 gns; 2 senior bulls 1,521 gns; 6 young bulls 3,033 gns; 58 in calf heifers 847 gns and 64 maidens 577 gns.
We are here every week selling cattle and special sales can be accomodated on any Tuesday.
Please speak to Mark Cleverdon 01233 506288 or 07748 202688 if you are considering selling breeding cattle.
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