Weekly Sales News – 11th October 2016

Top price per kilo – 199p – K Lukehurst:  Top price per head – £90 – P Gorringe

 Report on trade: A larger entry of lambs to last week but a slightly stickier trade for all sorts on offer with the heavier meated lambs looking the best sold on the day. Nationally the price has taken a hit in the past seven day but the overall average in Ashford was returned at 167p per kg, some 4p above the national quotation for the day.

A small number of best quality lambs were on offer with the best Beltex crosses from Mr K Lukehurst selling to 199p (41kgs @ £81.50) and 191p from Maytham Wharf Farm (38kgs @ £72.50). Heavier sorts on offer sold to £90 from P Gorringe with a strong run of well finished lambs form R L Goodman & Sons selling to £85.50.

Report on trade: Another big entry of ewes with nearly 1000 in the pens and several lean types on offer once again. Nationally the price has taken a hit due to the large numbers coming onto the market as is the norm at this time of year. Meated sorts were selling from £70 to £80 with the rest of the ewes falling into the grazing category and with several buyers competing for these sorts their price was held up very close behind the price of the meated sorts.

Top prices included crossbred ewes to £74.50 from Lodgelands Farm, Romneys to £58 from A Body and Mules to £63.50 from Lodgelands Farm.

Report on trade: This week we saw a similar strong trade with the best continental cross handy weight cattle making 210p per kg plus, and topping at £1188 (221p) for a Limousin cross steer and top gross of £1265 (208p) was for a Blonde cross steer both from W Alexander (Shoreham). A run of continental cross steers and heifers from W S Furnival (Brookland) were well received with the majority at 210p plus with Limousin cross steers to £1259 (215p) and Limousin cross heifers to £1104 (217p).

The majority of commercial sorts ranging in the 175p to 190p with Limousin cross steers at £1214 (174p) from H G Tompsett & Son Ltd and £1193 (193p) from R F & E A Simmons.

Native breeds grossed to £1200 (164p) for a Devon steer from Westerlands Stud.

Cull Cows – 60 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Report on trade: Prices are coming under seasonal pressure from processors but with supplies remaining tight and the Pound still falling trade is remaining remarkably firm for the time of year. A slightly smaller entry this week with a higher proportion of dairy culls met a good trade but it is flesh they are after and this remains in desperately short supply.

There were very few fleshed beef cows again and Simmentals made to 130per kg and £1000 (Non FA) from S G F Wall; Hereford 130p, 120p (Non FA) from HSG Farms; Charolais 122p £966  (Non FA); Beef Shorthorn 115p £916 J Howie; British Blue 112p CR Cook and £943 A Hopkins.

We were short of flesh amongst the dairy culls but competition firm. Plainest and lightest suffering most. Holstein Friesian 116p £1051 Goddard & Son; 116p, 114p, 113p, 111p £953 Appleton Farms; 114p £851 M W Goddard and Normandy 108p £796 BJ Goodsell & Son.

An Aberdeen Angus bull made 97p and £969 with Sussex 80p £727 and Holstein 83p £738.

Report on trade: A cracking good trade with big buyers in attendance keen for all on offer ensuring competitive returns from start to finish. The best continental crosses and Aberdeen Angus bred stores were particularly sought after and the younger sorts were dearer than recent weeks.

A run of 8-9 mths British Blue cross bulls sold well, up to £842 from F Sole & sons while yearling Continental cross steers topped at £925 & £920 from H & S Nesfield & J  Lukehurst respectively, and a smart 12 mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers sold exceptionally well at £930 from Barfrestone Farm. Strong cattle to finish short term again attracted lots of interest with the pick of the trade including 20 mths Limousin cross steers to £1130 from H G Tompsett & Son Ltd and Aberdeen Angus cross steers & heifers to £1155 & £1012 respectively from R Winstone.

Report on trade: Two herd reductions / dispersals were at the heart of today’s sale with D Jenkins from West Sussex offering 15 females making to £1,000 for a senior Limousin cross cow with her Aberdeen Angus bull calf and in calf cows to £790. 13 individual buyers secured stock in this section of today’s sale.

Report on trade: A large entry again this week which was good to see but dairy bulls dominated the consignments coming forward as you can see in the averages below. The demand for beef crosses was very strong

Headlines in the sale included

British Blue cross bulls to £235 at 2 to 3 weeks from J Warnock & Son

British Blue cross bulls to £320 at 4 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd

British Blue cross bulls to £345 at 6 weeks from M W Goddard

British Blue cross bulls to £380 at 8 weeks from H O Champneys Ltd

British Blue cross heifers to £265 at 2 to 3 weeks from J Warnock & Son

Simmental cross bulls to £345 at 8 weeks from H O Champneys Ltd

Aberdeen Angus cross bulls to £300 at 12 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd

Brown Swiss bulls to £160 at 7 weeks from D Murdoch & Sons

Please keep your entries of calves coming. At our fortnightly sales we expect to have plenty of enquiries for all shapes, sizes and ages of stock. Thank you all for texts and messages with early notice of your entries for forthcoming sales – it does help.

Store and Finished Pigs – 187 Sold
Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

Report on trade: Repeating the last sale report “In Summary the best pigs in the finished pens were an excellent trade but less money was available for the second quality. Cull prices remain strong but demand for stores was limited.”

The best finished pigs made to 100 to 123p per kg and still look well sold with P W & P Sim’s best grossing £119 and Saddlebacks and crosses from East Sutton Park Prison making to 98p. Mr S J M Evans good shaped butchers pigs made to 118p

The entry of cull sows and boars saw a large entry make 48 to 57p with the heaviest grossing over £120 to £130 while good fleshed boars made up to £166.

In the store pig pens demand was limited with £5 to £40 covered all the pigs offered.

Regular supplies of pigs are required as demand has firmed in recent months. Please keep in touch with us here in Ashford if you have pigs to sell.

Market sponsorship

We are very grateful to Elanco Animal Health, the Farmers Guardian and Agrilloyd for their support of Romney and Sussex Day competitions.

The Farmers Guardian website has about 50 photographs from market on that day in their Photo Gallery which many of you may wish to look at.

General news

Updated 11^th October 2016

For Sale – Young Limousin bull sired by a top Scottish bull. Mid Kent

Wanted – teaser ram for a Romney marsh farm. Ring 01303 873160 .

Wanted – grazing / mowing grass within 10 miles radius of Charing. Ring 07714292024 or 07730496037.

For Sale – up to 70 acres of standing maize (estimated 20 tonne per acre crop) which was direct drilled and with good access in West Kent. Contact Elwyn Davies on 07710 803901 for details

Wanted – winter stock housing. Have you the buildings, the food and the time to have up to 200 beef cattle this winter in ideally a TB4 area? Enquiries will be treated in confidence. Please contact Peter Kingwill.

Grass keep available – 12 month grazings near Andover for smart shorn Romney ewe lambs third week Sept start. Will accept multiples of 200 but would prefer 600 as a lot. Contact Ted Sclater 07785793450 or 01264736420 to discuss.

Kent Herdsmans Club – For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Sandra Brown on 01233 502796 or Jo Masters 01580 240568. Meetings at the Conningbrook Hotel, Ashford.

Monday 20^th October 7.30pm – Dianne Quested from Mid Kent Training to give a talk about the training programmes and courses available.

Monday 14th November at 7.30pm – a talk by John Arthur Boyd about his travels around the UK and his book.

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Notices – Jesse Reeve.

We have been asked by Jesse’s family and friends to advise that he recently, very tragically, passed away. Jesse was true countryman having been brought up in a farming family and as a family man, livestock farmer and market supporter well have been known to many people and will be greatly missed.

There will be a memorial service at Playden Church near Rye on Wednesday 2^nd November at 2pm.

South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines

The October edition of this popular regional farming magazine is now available here in the market. Hobbs Parker are regular contributors to the editorial content.

News from Kent / South East RABI

The South East RABI would like to say “Thank you for supporting the harvest supper last Saturday. Over 160 people attended and we all had a wonderful meal prepared by the Stock Pot and over £6,000 was raised in aid of R.A.B.I.

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales are…….

Horse & Saddlery auction

Thursday 27^th October at  10am. Catalogues available shortly.

Entries expected of riding ponies, event horses and youngstock

New & nearly new saddlery & tack, grooming kit, yard equipment, rugs, harness

Riding boots, show jackets, jodhpurs, body protectors, yard clothing & boots

Collective Machinery & Equipment auction

Friday 11^th November at  9.30am. Entries close on Friday 21^st October

New & newly near mowers & garden machinery

New tools, farm & agricultural equipment, timber plus large

Special Vehicle auction

Wednesday 9^th November from 4pm

This auction of cars will include a special sales of 4 X 4, Diesel, sports and MPV vehicles.

Rural Property auction

Wednesday 23^rd November

Contact James Hickman on 01233 506223 for all details

Ashford Cattle Show and Sale of Christmas stock

Monday and Tuesday 28^th and 29^th November

Annual show of livestock, crops, carcases and much much more. All details from Julie Coney 07887 643002 or email ashfordcattleshow@gmail.co.uk

Full competition schedules are now available.