Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 12 April 2022

3,493 Sheep and 620 Cattle Sold.

Cull Ewes to £223 this week from Mr Tom Husk and Store Cattle to £1,535 from L E Humphreys & Sons.

 


Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Sheep – 2,482 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs

70 or so lambs on offer this week for the Easter market, with a few more coming forward every week now. Good demand for the lighter weighted continental types for the butchers with these all over £3/kg and averaging 334p/kg to a top price of 353p/kg from both J Benstead and M Critcher (jointly). Most of these new season lambs are trading from £125-140/hd.

Finished Hoggets

Top price per kilo: 333p/kg – O’Neill Smith Ltd Top price per head: £156 – Mr Tom Husk

A bigger entry this week of 2,400 hoggets but possibly the heaviest entry of sheep we have seen in Ashford for several years with over 70% of the sheep in the entry weighing in excess of 46kg and 35% of the entry weighing over 52kg.

This obviously is the case across the country in recent days with many finishers now coming to the end of their hoggets for the year and clearing many of the heavier types at the end which in turn has certainly had an impact on the trade, as there is only a certain number of outlets for the heavies and little or no export demand.
Best continental handy weights were certainly in short supply with these regularly selling in excess of £3/kg and up to 322p/kg from K Lukehurst and 305p/kg from Graham Husk. Top of the charts in the heavies this week was £156 for some exceptional Beltex hoggets from Mr Tom Husk and 333p/kg for Beltex ram hoggets from O’Neill Smith. Overall the sqq was 274p/kg which is almost exactly the same as last week, just not enough of these handy weighted sheep to go around.

Top Prices

37kg – £108.50 (293p/kg) – DJ & JL Isaac
38kg – £107.00 (282p/kg) – M & R Morton
39kg – £108.00 (277p/kg) – CB Hope
40kg – £118.00 (295p/kg) – M & R Morton
41kg – £123.00 (300p/kg) – JH & A Godden
42kg – £128.00 (305p/kg) – G Husk
43kg – £121.00 (281p/kg) – BA Kirk
44kg – £134.00 (305p/kg) – MA Piper & Son Farms
45kg – £150.00 (333p/kg) – O’Neill Smith Ltd
46kg – £131.00 (285p/kg) – MA Piper & Son Farms
47kg – £129.00 (274p/kg) – Pynn Contractors Ltd
48kg – £136.00 (288p/kg) – G Husk
49kg – £141.00 (281p/kg) – A Denning
50kg – £140.00 (280p/kg) – NA Balcomb & Son
51kg – £156.00 (306p/kg) – Mr Tom Husk
53kg – £123.00 (232p/kg) – Mr Gary Stokes
54kg – £129.00 (239p/kg) – S King
56kg – £134.50 (240p/kg) – O’Neill Smith Ltd

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs -132 – Top 322, Average 279.4
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs- 596 – Top 305, Average 272.7
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs- 938 – Top 333, Average 248.0
Others over 52.1 kg – 666 – Top 282, Average 213.1

Store Hoggets – 333 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

333 stores sold today and once again plenty of faith in the future demand for these is shown with the average returned at £94/hd and to a top price of £104 from S & V Bullock. Only very long term types were sold below £80/hd.

Breeding Sheep – 90 Sold

Our first show of couples today with K Lukehurst selling his Cheviot x ewes with their lambs to £207 (£84 per life) and £182 (£77 per life). Goodwin Bros also sold couples topping at £180 (£67.50 per life). We hope to continue to see more forward each week. There is plenty of interest for them so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have couples to sell.

Cull Sheep – 533 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewes: Top £223 – Mr Tom Husk, Average £128
Rams: Top £175 – L & L Colbourne, Average £135

Another outstanding show with similar numbers on offer which saw a stronger trade with averages well up on the previous week.

Highlights to include some cracking ewes from T Husk to £223 and £194. A superb run from N A Balcomb & Son to £182 and £176, N G Theobald to £174 and L & L Colbourne to £153. A fierce demand being shown for all grades of ewes currently so if you have them get them sold while the going is good.

Top Prices include

Beltex to £223 – Mr T Husk, Texel to £173 – Mr T Husk, Suffolk to £176 – NA Balcomb & Son, Charollais to £155 – NA Balcomb & Son, Romney to £149 – B&M Coleman, Mule to £138 – W Mandry

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 51 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Top price per kilo: 274.5 p/kg – DW Ferguson Ltd Top price per head: £1771.25 – DW Ferguson Ltd

Another good entry with strong competition at ringside pushing prices to levels not seen at Ashford Market before.

A run of very smart Limousin cross heifers from D W Ferguson Ltd took the pick of the trade up to 275p and grossing to £1771 while a Limousin cross topped the steer section at £1531 (260p) from W Alexander (Shoreham). Dairy bred cattle 220p, plus with well fleshed British Blue x Friesian steer to £1476 (233p) and Limousin x Friesian steer to £1406 (233p) from A J Down.

Again, native bred cattle well received with a quality Aberdeen Angus cross heifer topping the section at £1422 (250p) from W Alexander (Shoreham). Aberdeen Angus cross steer £1399 (230p) from F Sole & Sons; Hereford cross steer £1592 (233p) from R C & J L Pickering & Sons; Sussex steer £1365 (230p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd; Purebred Friesian steer £1285 (226p) from A J Down and purebred Friesian heifer £1274 (221p) from T Castle & Son.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin Cross – 260 p/kg (£1531)
RF & EA Simmons – Limousin Cross – 252 p/kg (£1657)
K & PM Sinden & Sons – British Blue Cross – 248 p/kg (£1757)
Gilshaw Farms Ltd – Limousin cross – 241p/kg (£1443)
F Sole & Sons – Aberdeen Angus Cross – 240 p/kg (£1314)

Top Heifers

DW Ferguson Ltd – Limousin Cross – 275 p/kg (£1248)
DW Ferguson Ltd – Limousin Cross – 273 p/kg (£1771)
DW Ferguson Ltd – Limousin Cross – 271 p/kg (£1609)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin Cross – 262 p/kg (£1501)
GL Boulden & Sons – Limousin Cross – 259 p/kg (£1357)

Average Prices (p/kg)

Steers up to 650kg – 21 Sold – Top 260 – Av 228.30
Steers over 651kg – 9 Sold – Top 252 – Av 226.70
Heifers up to 590kg – 16 Sold – Top 275 – Av 232.40
Heifers over 591kg – 5 – Sold Top 273 – Av 243.80

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 65 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795200357

Trade remains at a phenomenal level.

Nothing very outstanding about the quality of the beef cows but readily 170-210p with little under 150p. Black and Whites at record levels with best heavy fleshed Holstein Friesians and British Friesians pushing very close to 200p. Keep asking the question of all production stock and take advantage if they are not pulling their weight!.

Sussex 202p, 193p, 183p £1376, £1360, £1132 (Non FA) A & J Pace; 194p, 190p, 188p £1743, £1425, £1258 Montreal Estate, 188p £1144 (Non FA) A K Dod; Angus cross 199p £1308 (Non FA) G C Kirby & Son, 195p £1566 Campbell Bros, 194p £1451 H Metcalfe; Limousin cross 195p, 193p, £1338, £1130 Beaute Farm, 188p £1697 Farrant Bros; Simmental cross 187p £1210 Beaute Farm; British Blue cross 183p £1204 (Non FA) J Bower; Dexter 147p, 140p, 134p £649, £641, £623 Mrs C S Clifford-Baines.
A bigger show of dairy culls today with predominantly lean and strong steakers on offer, and a few heavyweight meat cows really ringing the bell.
Holstein Friesians 198p, 180p, 178p, 177p, 174p £1343, £1327, £1301, £1260, £1232 A & W J Hitchcock; 184p £1578 W F Farms; British Friesians 190p, 183p, 175p £1369, £1355, £1239 Debden Court Ltd.

Stock bulls remain wanted.

Sussex 204p £1689; Angus 132p, 112p £1210, £1193.

Just a few overage clean and very dear.

Simmental cross heifer 208p £1390; Devon cross heifer 200p £1251; Holstein Friesian heifer 192p £1417

Beef Cows – 28 Sold – Top 202p/kg, Average 176.6p/kg
Dairy Cows – 31 Sold – Top 198p/kg, Average 157.7p/kg

Store Cattle – 444 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another big show of cattle with several annual consignments of top-quality beef bred stores. The sale was well attended with away buyers from the West Country, Midlands, and Eastern counties in addition to our regular local buyers all keen to do business ensuring competitive returns throughout.

The best 12-14 mths continental cross heifer beef bred stores sold readily at £1200 plus with superb run of Limousin cross steers from L E Humphreys & Sons taking top honours at £1535 and impressive average of £1380. Other top-quality runs included 88 Limousin cross from A J Bray with steers to £1400 (av £1295) and heifers to £1270 (av £1127) and Limousin cross steers and heifers to £1470 and £1400 respectively from H J Emery & Son.

A relatively large percentage of native bred cattle on offer this week predominantly Aberdeen Angus cross with a run of 60 dairy bred from E J Gribble attracting lots of interest with the steers topping at £1155 and heifers to £905 while purebred Hereford heifers looked well sold at £1125 from B C Ginger.

Keep the cattle coming. We have the buyers and strong competition throughout.

Continental Cross

10-12 months Limousin steers – £1220 – Ross Farms
12 months Simmental steer – £1145 – Lawrence & Sons
13 months Limousin steer – £1535 – LE Humphreys & Sons
13 months Limousin steer – £1470 – HJ Emery & Son
13 months Limousin heifer – £1400 – HJ Emery & Son
14 months Limousin steer – £1400 – AJ Bray
14 months Limousin heifer – £1270 – AJ Bray
23 months Limousin steer – £1340 – ML Williams

Native Bred

9 months Aberdeen Angus steer – £930 – Paul Ashlee
12 months Aberdeen Angus steer – £995 – PJS Farms Ltd
12 mths Aberdeen Angus heifer – £855 – G C Kirby & Son
18 mths Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steer – £1155 – E J Gribble
18 mths Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifer – £905 – E J Gribble
13 mths Purebred Hereford steer – £905 – B C Ginger
12-14 mths Hereford heifer – £805 – F Pearce & Sons
12-14 mths Stabilizer steer – £910 – F Pearce & Sons
23 mths Sussex steer – £1025 – Mrs R Clifton
24 mths Purebred Hereford heifer – £1125 – B C Ginger
18 mths Friesian steer – £790 – J Farrant

Calves – 55 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

A better sized entry this week with trade on par with the last sale and other centres both regionally and nationally.

Bulls selling strongly for the best with the second grade perhaps a little easier. Continentals entirely British Blue in nature today with 11 sold to a top of £370 and £360 for J E Scutt & Sons. Younger types from topping at £280 from Goddard & Son. Native bulls with a little more variety this week with Aberdeen Angus topping the order from J E Scutt & Son to £350 Herefords from Goddard & Son to £190 to complete the set.

Heifers look well enough sold on the trade with Blues topping at £245 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd, Angus to £260 from J E Scutt & Sons, Herefords to £160 from Goddard & Son and Sussex to £210 from W G & T A Manford.

Dairy bulls a little easier this week with a more varied entry skewing the figures further. Holstein Friesians from W G & T A Manford topping the trade at £108, mention should also be given to the same vendors Guernsey which sold for what could be recent record at £80!

Weanlings – 5 Sold

A single consignment this week from Lucy Young who sold Beef Shorthorns at 4 months old to £400 for steers and £300 for heifers. Plenty of buyers onlooking this week as the spring grass starts to materialise and looking to purchase. More weanlings needed for demand!

Bull Calves

British Blue – 11 Sold – Top £370 – Average £261
British Freisan – 2 Sold – Top £70 – Average £65
Aberdeen Angus – 7 Sold – Top £350 – Average £215
Hereford Cross – 5 Sold – Top £190 – Average £167
Sussex – 1 Sold – Top £170 – Average £170

Heifer Calves

British Blue – 11 Sold – Top £245 – Average £195.91
Aberdeen Angus – 4 Sold – Top £260 – Average £147.50
Hereford Cross – 3 Sold – Top £160 – Average £140
Sussex – 1 Sold – Top £120 – Average £120

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 19th April 2022

Regular Weekly Market with catalogue sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

This sale will focus on breeding cattle. Indications of entries already include Limousin bulls, Sussex cows and calves, Sussex bulling heifers (both pedigree and purebred) and beef cross cows (both in calf and with calves at foot).

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here