Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 12th December 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,181 Sold

Top price per kg: 306p – Miss Amy Hedges & Snowfields Academy
Top price per head: £160 – Beslee Farms

A good entry of well finished sheep on offer this week despite the awful weather conditions that we have seen recently. The best meated lambs that were overnight lairaged and presented in a clean and dry condition really rang the bell this week which boosted prices for those vendors who made the extra effort. Many of these sorts were 20-30p kg ahead of other lambs on offer on the day. Top on the roll call this week was a joint first for Miss Amy Hedges and Snowfields Academy at 306p kg but, in the lump, we hit the heights of £160 head from Beslee Farms for some super continental heavy weights.
As we approach the New Year and the hogget season, we must stress to you all the importance of presenting clean and dry sheep. The recent weather conditions have made this even more important. It is unreasonable to expect our buyers to pay the best prices when lambs maybe carrying 2-3kg of mud and water on board….

37kg – £100.00 (270p/kg) – D Isaac
38kg – £116.00 (305p/kg) – D Isaac
39kg – £108.00 (277p/kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
40kg – £117.50 (294p/kg) – D Isaac
41kg – £122.50 (299p/kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
42kg – £122.00 (290p/kg) – H Rivers
43kg – £121.50 (283p/kg) – D Isaac
44kg – £126.00 (286p/kg) – Snowfields Academy
45kg – £123.00 (273p/kg) – Beslee Farms
46kg – £131.50 (286p/kg) – Beslee Farms
47kg – £109.00 (232p/kg) – H Metcalfe
48kg – £147.00 (306p/kg) – Miss Amy Hedges & Snowfields Academy
49kg – £138.00 (282p/kg) – D Isaac
50kg – £143.00 (286p/kg) – Beslee Farms
51kg – £130.50 (256p/kg) – Beslee Farms
52kg – £120.00 (231p/kg) – H & J Noakes
53kg – £120.00 (226p/kg) – B J Barker
57kg – £147.00 (258p/kg) – A Town
58kg – £150.00 (259p/kg) – J Metianu & S Aspital
60kg – £160.00 (267/kg) – Beslee Farms
61kg – £158.00 (259/kg) – Snowfields Academy

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 173 – Top 305, Average 254.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 650 – Top 299, Average 258.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 304 – Top 306, Average 261.0
Other 52.1+ kgs – 43 – Top 277, Average 250.1

Cull Sheep – 660 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £120.00 – C & J Georgetti & Sons
Ram: Top £81.00 – A Barr & Son Ltd

A bigger number in the pens following last week’s quieter Ashford Primestock Show. The best ewes regularly £90 – £110 and to a top price of £120 for strong Suffolk cross ewes from C & J Georgetti & Sons. Medium sorts £65 – £85 on most occasions with the leaner grazing sorts looking a little harder to sell and £35 – £55 throughout. Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have ewes to sell in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Suffolk cross to £120 – C & J Georgetti & Sons, Beltex cross to £113 – D Isaac, Texel cross to £110 – D Isaac, Mules to £82 – W G Vant & Sons, Romney to £80 – B J Baker

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  40 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A decent entry of good quality cattle met continued strong demand.
Top priced steer and heifer both from W G Vant & Sons with a Limousin x steer at 298p, £1934 and British Blue x heifer at 293p, £1814.
Dairy bred cattle from A J Down sold to 273p, £1700 for Limousin x. Natives in demand with Sussex to 259p, £1577 W S Furnival Ltd; Hereford x steers to 250p, £1547 from North Kent College; Hereford x heifers to 234p, £1400 R C & J L Pickering; Devon heifer 228p, £1376 Mark Dallyn.
Quality cattle forward from all our regular supporters and we thank you all for your support throughout the year.

Top Steers

W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 298p/kg (£1933)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 286p/kg (£1784)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Parthenais cross – 279p/kg (£1768)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 273p/kg (£1675)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 270p/kg (£1899)

Top Heifers

W G Vant & Sons – British Blue cross – 293p/kg (£1813)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 278p/kg (£1678)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 250p/kg (£1372)

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 3 sold – Top 260p – Ave 244p
Steers over 551kg to 650kg – 18 sold – Top 298p – Ave 261p
Steers over 651kg – 6 sold – Top 270p – Ave 261p
Heifers up to 500kg – 2 sold – Top 190p – Ave 189p
Heifers 501 to 590kg – 6 sold – Top 250p – Ave 232p
Heifers over 591kg – 4 sold – Top 293p – Ave 257p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 38 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Similar remarks to recent weeks with a very strong trade for the feeding cows, a strengthening enquiry for fleshed killing cows but remaining difficult for the old and awkward that want to be cleared up before Christmas.
Please contact me if you are planning to sell cows next week, and certainly my best advice would be to wait for the New Year when outlets are keen to get going again.
Please get your VAN number from your vet and include it on your entry form. It will make a difference on slaughter cows as many abattoirs have export outlets for cuts or quarters, even though their main trade is home based, and the logistics of operating a meat plant has just been made more complicated!
British Blue x 244p, 229p, £1303, £1257 Betchworth Estate; Simmental x 242p, 229p, £1183, £1131 Betchworth Estate; Charolais 195p, 185p, 168p, £1707, £1566, £1374 (Non FA) Highfields Park Farm; Blonde x 178p, £1003 J & H Robinson (Iford); Limousin x 176p, 165p, £1267, £1132 M J Ashworth.
British Friesian 146p, 140p, £1130, £1120 R & J Ledger; Holstein Friesian 145p, £1062 R C & J L Pickering, 141p, 137p, £1026 J W Boyd & Sons; Jersey 109p, £548 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Overage (5) South Devon steer OTM 220p, £1240, Charolais heifer 3+ 180p £1571, Hereford heifer OTM 158p, £1063, Angus x heifer 3+ 152p, £970, Friesian heifer OTM 158p, £811.
Stock Bulls (2) Limousin 145p, £1438; Belted Galloway 117p, £903.

Beef Cows – 16 Sold – Top 229, Average 145.3
Dairy Cows –12 Sold – Top 146, Average 114.2

Breeding cattle – 14 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

The breeding cattle section saw an ongoing herd dispersal from Mr R A Wade with his Limousin cross cows 6 mths in calf to a Limousin bull to £1350 and Blue cross cows 6 mths in calf, again, to a Limousin to £1120. We also had Belted Galloway cows that have been running with the bull since October to £800 from Mr J Walters.

Store Cattle – 268 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A marvellous entry of cattle with which to end the year. Cattle from both sides of the border, and with customers from a wide area recognising the shortage of livestock in the pipeline for some time to come another strong, competitive trade for all grades on offer.
Demand for the suckled calves in this late part of the autumn fully maintained with younger reared types also picking up as producers hold good supplies of forage and confidence. Cattle to fatten out this winter finding continued strong demand and though the leaner longer termers find a little more resistance than fleshed types they look a strong trade throughout.

Continental cross

7-8mths Limousin cross steers – £740 – Mrs L Townsend
8-9mths Simmental cross heifers – £810 – Betchworth Estate
9 mths Simmental cross steers – £830 – A Smith & Son
8 mths Limousin cross steers – £900 – J G & D G White
7-8mths Limousin cross heifers – £730 – J G & D G White
10 mths Limousin steers – £920 – F S Husk
11 mths Limousin cross heifer – £840 – F S Husk
9-10 mths Stabiliser cross steers – £920 – F Pearce & Son
9-10 mths Stabiliser cross heifers – £750 – F Pearce & Son
18-20 mths Limousin cross steers – £1120 – J & H Robinson (Iford)
18-20 mths Limousin cross heifers – £1080 – J & H Robinson (Iford)

Native Bred

19 mths Sussex bulls – £900 – A Barr & Son
14 mths Sussex bulls – £880 – J D Hickman
6-7 mths South Devon cross steers – £600 – I Tapsell
6-8 mths South Devon cross heifers – £540 – I Tapsell
7-9 mths Angus cross heifers – £800 – Betchworth Estate
9-10 mths Beef Shorthorn steers – £830 – H S Nicholls
19-20 mths Angus cross steers – £1080 – J & H Robinson (Iford)
18-20 mths Angus cross heifers – £1020 – J & H Robinson (Iford)
22 mths Beef Shorthorn steer – £1000 – Emily Wood
28 mths Holstein steers – £1050 – C Kearl

Store & Finished Pigs – 63 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (16) – Less finished than expected with a few coming in on the lighter side and ending up in the store section. Best size and flesh in demand; plainer, smaller, and leaner types harder work. Trade topped at 192p pk or £169.60 from M Godden with a pen of gilts close behind from the same home at £158.33 or 190p pk.
Cull (6) – Cull trade just a little easier with buyers conscious of the Christmas kill windows with tops of 55 pence.
Stores (41) – The good, the bad and the ugly today with a variety of stores forward. A harder trade with buyers significantly more cautious than we have seen for some time citing the need for more room and not wanting full pens over Christmas as the main reasoning behind this. Tops of £15 from E Matebalavu.
As this is the last pig sale of 2023, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all vendors and buyers of pigs for the year and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

The next sale will be 9^th January 2024.
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 – 19th December 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here