Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 11th June 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 1,568 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kg: 455p – Eastlands Farm
Top price per head: £201 – Masters Farms

A bigger entry of lambs on offer this week with almost double last weeks offering in the pens, the better weather has helped the lambs to improve in the last couple of weeks considerably with some bigger weights now. The Muslim festivities this weekend was also a big draw for sheep which certainly boosted numbers. Unfortunately, the trade levels of previous weeks couldn’t quite be sustained but we did still have a very good trade across the board, for the time of year, and expectations must be managed for what we can see the trade do in the coming months. The best lambs are still approaching and breaking £200 but the majority of the entry are selling from £140-180 which is higher than we have ever seen before in June. The star run of the day was almost 400 lambs from Masters Farms, with a tremendous first draw of the year and selling to a top of £201 and averaging £180.

33kg – £150.00 (455p/kg) – Eastlands Farm
35kg – £124.00 (354p/kg) – J L Hall
36kg – £141.00 (392p/kg) – C Woodhead
37kg – £132.00 (357p/kg) – W Pynn Contractors
38kg – £151.00 (397p/kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
39kg – £154.00 (395p/kg) – D Isaac
40kg – £153.00 (383p/kg) – D Hopper
41kg – £154.00 (376p/kg) – R J Horsman
42kg – £171.00 (407p/kg) – Masters Farms
43kg – £173.50 (403p/kg) – Masters Farms
44kg – £173.00 (393p/kg) – Masters Farms
45kg – £180.00 (400p/kg) – Masters Farms
46kg – £179.00 (389p/kg) – P & E Andreozzi
47kg – £183.00 (389p/kg) – Masters Farms
48kg – £194.00 (404p/kg) – Masters Farms
49kg – £180.00 (367p/kg) – A J Down
50kg – £201.00 (402p/kg) – Masters Farms  

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 275 – Top 455, Average 344.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 870 – Top 407, Average 359.3
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 398 – Top 404, Average 376.3

Finished Hoggets – 649 Sold
Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A very mixed entry of sheep and also with 750 in the pens, a huge entry for the middle of June. All sorts were in the pens from the leanest to the biggest and best meated and a huge amount of sheep with erupted teeth also. Best hoggs could still break £200 to a top of £208 from Peter Gorringe and many of the good meated sheep are selling on levels similar to the lambs at many points as they were in favour for the festival this weekend, it remains to be seen if we can sustain this level in the coming weeks.

Cull Sheep – 318 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £184.00 – Masters Farms – Ave £114.50

A firm trade from start to finish with demands remaining strong for all grades of ewes. The best ewes regularly £130 – £160 and to a top price of £184 for strong Suffolk cross ewes from Masters Farms. Medium sorts £90 – £120 and were a large percentage of what was in the pens on the day. Leaner types £50 – £80 throughout with only a very few sold below these figures.

Please do inform me of any large consignments you intend on selling in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Suffolk cross to £184 – Masters Farms, Texel cross to £180 – P N & C Burden/R & S L M Smith, Continental cross to £178/£174 – P Ashlee, Mules to £156 – J L Hall, Romneys to £150 – J R Lilley

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  63 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

With a couple more on offer this week than last week and the help of this weekend’s festival we had a steady and strong trade throughout the entry. Best cattle over £3/kg and the majority trading from 260-290p. Top on the day was M B Farms at 312p for a super smart Limousin heifer who also sold heifers to gross £1900. More dairy bred cattle from Alan Down topped this week at £1791 with the overall top gross price taken by G L Boulden and Sons with a Blonde beast at £1962.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 284p (£1602)
J Hooker & Son – Blonde cross – 280p (£1649)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 280p (£1593)
Burden Bros Farm – Aberdeen Angus – 278p (£1776)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 273p (£1580)         

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin – 312p (£1744)
M B Farms – Limousin – 312p (£1729)
M B Farms – Limousin – 310p (£1903)
M B Farms – Limousin – 308p (£1553)
M B Farms – Limousin – 300p (£1647)

Average Prices

Steers 551 to 650kg – 25 Sold – Top 284p – Av 263p
Steers over 651kg – 10 Sold – Top 273p – Av 255p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 3 Sold – Top 256p – Av 241p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 13 Sold – Top 312p – Av 281p
Heifers over 591 kg – 9 Sold – Top 310p – Av 270p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 32 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Less cows on offer today but an entry of 25 with some stock bulls included were well sold by a very inexperienced auctioneer. Top prices achieved were to 240p/kg for a super beef cow from L E Humphreys and Sons with diary bred cows trading from 160-180p. Stock bulls with serious weight topped out at 150p for a strong continental bull at 150p from Burden Bros, Sheppey

Beef Cows – 16 Sold – Top 239, Average 177.9
Dairy Cows – 5 Sold – Top 187, Average 160.8

Store Cattle – 53 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Just a small show of store and breeding cattle this week which kicked off with a few Sussex cows in-calf to a Sussex bull to £910 from Bowes Lyon Estate. A run of Sussex stores 14 months from Bowes Lyon Estate were in demand with the steers to £690 and have plenty of growing left to do. Goodsell Farm Partnership Limousin cross steers 9 months to £920 with the heifers from the same home to £820. Smart 15 months Angus cross heifers from J & S Baldwin to £1060. Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have store or breeding cattle to sell in the coming weeks.

Store & Finished Pigs – 30 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (18) – Numbers still lacking but trade certainly not lacking with tops of 200p per kg. All grades of finished pigs seeing a boost this week with numbers just not there to satisfy the demand. P & R Marshall topped todays trade with another quality entry. 200p saw pigs gross £158.40. Plenty of other pigs close to the 200p mark with Miss Judge selling a pen to 198p or £138.60 to give another snapshot.
Stores (12) – Two pens of weaners from P & R Marshall topped at £62 to average £52.08.

A polite request to all vendors to please pre enter all pigs on the Monday morning prior to a pig sale. This is to help us to help you by ensuring that buyers are kept up to date with entries.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 18th June 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here