Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 14th March 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets – 2,418

Top price per kg: 328p – Church Street Farm
Top price per head: £140.00 – T Husk

Over 2,000 finished hoggets penned this week and an improved trade, with a much better show of quality on offer. Some super Beltex lambs from several vendors including Tom Husk, M B Farms and R L Pack which are all selling over £3 kg to a top of 328p from Church Street Farm this week. Overall SQQ averages were up considerably to 240p kg but this does only take the standard and medium weight hoggs into account, with the supply of the heavier sorts still outstripping demand for them in the wholesale sector. These heavier types are selling around 220-230p kg, often for the same gross price as sheep of considerably lighter weights, which we have often seen in the past when the export trade is busy. Let’s hope these positive signs are a sign of things to come.
Considerably less stores on offer this week and a very mixed entry of quality as we go on through the season, with several end of the run types on offer. Not the top prices we have been seeing but top end stores still above £80 head to a top of £84 from P Tassell and only long term types selling below £60 head.

37kg – £85.00 (230p/kg) – T Hope & Son
38kg – £106.00 (279p/kg) – K Loveridge
39kg – £128.00 (328p/kg) – Church Street Farm
40kg – £112.00 (280p/kg) – R L Pack
41kg – £99.00 (241p/kg) – K Loveridge
42kg – £124.00 (295p/kg) – T Husk
43kg – £125.00 (291p/kg) – T Husk
44kg – £125.00 (284p/kg) – Church Street Farm
45kg – £137.00 (304p/kg) – M B Farms
46kg – £119.00 (259p/kg) – Beslee Farms
47kg – £140.00 (298p/kg) – T Husk
48kg – £127.00 (265p/kg) – Beslee Farms
49kg – £135.50 (277p/kg) – R L Pack
50kg – £122.00 (244p/kg) – R L Pack
51kg – £120.00 (235p/kg) – R F & E A Simmons

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 361 – Top 318, Average 239.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 1038 – Top 328, Average 240.7
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 560 – Top 298, Average 233.6
Over 52.1 kgs – 115 – Top 235, Average 210.0

Cull Sheep – 335 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £150 – T Husk, Average £93.57
Ram: Top £121 – S J Reeve & Son, Average £104

A super trade with a good show of well fleshed ewes in the pens. The best ewes regularly £90-£120 to a top price of £150 from T Husk for his selection of superb Beltex ewes. Medium sorts looking well sold with the majority in the £75-£90 region. Plainer sorts in shorter supply, as to be expected for the time of year, trading between £40-£65.

Beltex to £150 – T Husk, Texel cross to £137 – T Husk, Suffolk cross to £125 – M R Woodroofe, Mules to £94 – T Husk, Romneys to £110 – H G Tompsett & Sons, Goats to £133

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  61 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Yet another RECORD set in the finished cattle section with a superb British Blue cross heifer selling at 337p/kg £1890 from S Marsh. Other top runs of beef bred Continental crosses included those from M B Farms 312p to 316p, up to £2163 (Av £2050); M A Piper & Son Farms 305p plus and up to £1884; W Alexander (Shoreham) steer £1958 (295p) and heifer £1677 (300p); W G Vant & Sons steer £1961 (289p).
Dairy bred Limousin x Friesian steer £1578 (268p) and British Friesian steers exceptionally well sold at £1473 (259p) from A J Down and Holstein Friesian heifer £1543 (221p) from Leggat Farming Ltd.
A good selection of native bred with the best 260p to 280p notably Sussex steer £1745 (282p), Aberdeen Angus cross heifer £1660 (282p) and British White cross heifer £1449 (269p) from W S Furnival Ltd.
A run of Hereford cross steer up to £1581 (264p) and overall average of £1540 from North Kent College.
A small selection of bulls with a smart Blonde cross bull 302p/kg from G L Boulden & Sons.

Top Steers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 316p/kg (£2113)
M B Farms – British Blue cross – 314p/kg (£2163)
M B Farms – British Blue cross – 312p/kg (£2118)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 295p/kg (£1958)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 289p/kg (£1961)

Top Heifers

S Marsh – British Blue cross – 338p/kg (£1890)
M B Farms – Limousin – 316p/kg (£1971)
M A Piper & Son Farms – Limousin cross – 316p/kg (£1672)
M B Farms – Limousin – 315p/kg (£1887)
M A Piper & Son Farms – Limousin cross – 308p/kg (£1768) 

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 22 sold – Top 287p – Ave 260p
Steers over 651kg – 5 sold – Top 316 – Ave 305p
Heifers up to 590kg – 23 sold – Top 338p – Ave 281p
Heifers over 590kg – 8 sold – Top 310p – Ave 268p
Young Bulls – 3 – Top 302p – Ave 255p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 46 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another reasonable number for the time of the year with some very good meat cows from both beef and dairy sectors.
Trade has run out of superlatives with prices continuing to march on.
Special mention to R & J Ledger for breaking the 200p kg level for a true British Friesian dairy cow which went on to make 208p kg realising a return of £1764. A fine record!
Continental quality meat cows 220p – 260p with plenty of all breeds around the 200p kg mark. Feeders all wanted, whatever the age.
Limousin cross 258p, 240p, 225p, £1970, £1781, £1605 Barleybrook Farm; Stabiliser cross 218p, 212p, (Non FA) F Pearce & Sons; Hereford cross 204p, 203p, £1559, £1384 (Non FA) K Bugden, 198p, £1363 (Non FA) F Pearce & Son, 195p, £1196 (Non FA) C Yarnold; Sussex 191p, £1153 (Non FA) N C & C G Hedges, 189p, £1272 (Non FA) A Barr & Son, 179p, £176p, £1074, £1035 (Non FA) I G Pilcher; Simmental cross 188p, £1416 P N & C Burden.
Best dairy cull cows now up over 200p and regularly 180p – 200p. Some grand cows on offer with tremendous returns.
British Friesian 208p, 189p, £1764, £1254 R & J Ledger; Holstein Friesian 193p, 190p, £1724, £1646 P J Forknall, 189, 186p, 179, 174p, £1451, £1410, £1241 H O Champneys Ltd; 188p, £1388 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd; Ayrshire 170p J Howie; Jersey 96p, 95p, 90p S E Lane & Partners.
Overage (4) Just a few forward and more wanted. Very dear for feeding or killing. British Blue cross heifer 3 YO + 230p, £1182; Holstein steers OTM 200p, 190p, £1194.

Beef Cows – 23 Sold – Top 258, Average 184.9
Dairy Cows – 17 Sold – Top 208, Average 163.5

Store Cattle – 423 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A good show of store cattle with predominantly beef bred continental yearlings with large consignments from regular vendors.
The quality of the entry attracted buyers from the West Country, Midlands, and the Eastern Counties in addition to the local interest and trade was brisk throughout particularly for the stronger end cattle to finish short term.
The best of the Continental cross yearlings sold readily in the £1100 to £1400 bracket with steers and heifers topping at £1480 and £1210 respectively for top quality Limousin cross from A J Bray while, slightly older, smart British Blue cross steer and heifer topped at £1580 and £1430 from N C & C G Hedges. However peak price of the day was reserved for a purebred Limousin heifer at £1710 from first time vendor Moonlight Hollow Ltd, Colchester.
A relatively small percentage of native bred cattle topped at £1550 for 16 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers from J Tapley and yearling Aberdeen Angus cross steers looked well sold at £1380 from M J Ashworth.

Principal Prices include: 

Continental Bred

12mths Limousin cross steers – £1480 – A J Bray
12mths Limousin cross heifers – £1210 – A J Bray
12mths Limousin cross steers – £1450 – R A Wade
12mths Limousin cross steers – £1300 – P N & C Burden
12mths Limousin cross steers – £1260 – M J Ashworth
12mths Limousin cross steers – £1190 – D G & J W Gore
12mths Limousin cross heifers – £1000 – D G & J W Gore
12mths Limousin cross steers – £1150 – R Coleman & Son
12mths Limousin cross heifers – £980 – R Coleman & Son
12mths Charolais cross steers – £1020 – Goodsell Farm Ptnsp
13mths British Blue cross steers – £1580 – N C & C G Hedges
13mths British Blue cross heifers – £1430 – N C & C G Hedges
14mths Limousin cross steers – £1170 – M L Williams
21mths Limousin heifers – £1710 – Moonlight Hollow Ltd
22mths Limousin bull – £2000 – L Smith

Native Bred

10mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £840 – Miss J A Biddle
10mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers – £760 – Miss J A Biddle
12mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £1380 – M J Ashworth
16mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £1550 – J Tapley

Calves –  47 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Calves – 28. A reduced entry today with best calves still selling well, but some value to be had in some of the smaller calves. More calves certainly needed to fill orders!
Bulls to £250 for a British Blue from H O Champneys Ltd, Aberdeen Angus from the same vendor to £220 and £200. Younger Aberdeen Angus bulls from J Warnock & Sons looking on the money and selling to £170. Herefords showing demand again with a quality bull from Goddard & Son to £170.
More heifers this week with British Blues topping at £230 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd and Aberdeen Angus to £105 from the same vendor.
Dairy bulls few and far between with only two bobbies forward topping at £14.
Weanlings: – 19. Certainly not a vintage entry of weanlings with an entry comprising some harder done aged cattle mixed with Channel Island crosses. Aberdeen Angus cross from S E Lane & Partners topping at £250 for steers and £200 for heifers.

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 1 – Ave £250 – Top £250 – H O Champneys Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 10 – Ave £172 – Top £230 – H O Champneys Ltd
Sussex cross –   3 – Ave £50 – Top £70 – J Warnock & Sons

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 6 – Ave £86.67 – Top £230 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 5 – Ave £62 – Top £105 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd

Bull Weanlings

British Blue cross – 3 – Ave £195 – Top £195 – C Leach
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £175 – Top £175 – Plurenden Ptnsp
Aberdeen Angus cross – 4 – Ave £200 – Top £200 – Plurenden Ptnsp
Dairy Shorthorn cross – 1 – Ave £140 – Top £140 – Plurenden Ptnsp
British Friesian – 1 – Ave £140 – Top £140 – Plurenden Ptnsp

Heifer Weanlings

British Blue cross – 1 – Ave £170 – Top £170 – C Leach
Aberdeen Angus cross – 4 – Ave £210 – Top £250 – S E Lane & Ptns
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £230 – Top £230 – Goddard & Son

Steer Weanlings

Aberdeen Angus cross – 2 – Ave £270 – Top £270 – S E Lane & Ptns

 

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Tuesday Livestock – 21st March 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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