Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 15th November 2022

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,399 Sold

Top price per kg: 282p – Master Beau Keeley
Top price per head: £141 – Master Beau Keeley

What a difference a week makes! In the past week or so we have seen a big change in the quality of lambs on offer, in both the store section on Friday and in the finished section today. Today`s 1,400 lambs were streets apart, in both meat and weight, to what we have seen in recent weeks with runs of tremendous quality on offer from James Wayman, M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd, Mervyn Woodroofe and Botley Hill Farms. Some super meat on show from these vendors with the heavier section of the trade averaging 254p kg, 10p above the SQQ figures. Top on the day was taken by Master Beau Keeley for some smart Dutch spotted lambs at £141 hd with handier weighted lambs topping at 261p kg from R J Adams. Demand for the best meat lambs is generally predicted to be strong in the run up to Christmas, provided that large numbers don’t all come to market at the same time.

Top Prices

38kg – £91.00 (239p/kg) – G H S Wilson
39kg – £99.00 (254p/kg) – P J & P B Wade
40kg – £104.50 (261p/kg) – K T D Axell
41kg – £100.00 (244p/kg) – J Farrant
42kg – £107.00 (255p/kg) – S P Howland
43kg – £121.00 (281p/kg) – M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd
44kg – £116.00 (264p/kg) – J Wayman
45kg – £119.00 (264p/kg) – M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd
46kg – £127.50 (277p/kg) – J Wayman
47kg – £129.50 (276p/kg) – J Wayman
48kg – £130.00 (271p/kg) – J Wayman
49kg – £134.50 (274p/kg) – J Wayman
50kg – £141.00 (282p/kg) – J Wayman
51kg – £130.00 (255p/kg) – J Wayman
52kg – £133.50 (257p/kg) – J Wayman
53kg – £134.50 (254p/kg) – Botley Hill Farms
55kg – £135.00 (245p/kg) – M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd
58kg – £140.00 (241p/kg) – M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd

Averages (p/kg)

Light 25.5 to 32 kgs – 18 – Top 219, Average 212.0
Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 109 – Top 261, Average 226.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 550 – Top 281, Average 239.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 575 – Top 282, Average 254.9
Over 52.1 kgs – 138 – Top 264, Average 243.9

Cull Sheep – 865 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewes: Top £135 – J Wayman, Average £79.56
Rams: Top £152 – Ben Foy Ltd, Average £129.67

A larger entry than of late with a flying trade throughout for all grades. The best fleshed ewes regularly £90-£120 to a top price of £135 from J Wayman for a super pen of Suffolk cross ewes. Majority of the medium sorts £70-£90 with a strong trade for the leaner grazing sorts at £50-£70. Plenty of buyers forward particularly for the grazing ewes.

Top prices included:

Suffolk cross to £135 – J Wayman, Suffolk cross to £121 – J Wayman, Texel to £130 – J Warnock & Sons, Texel cross to £117 – J Wayman, Mules to £113 – J Wanstall, Romneys to £97 – T Sinden, Goats to £77 – M Critcher & Ptnrs

Store & Breeding Sheep Sale – Friday 11th November

3,520 Sold

Auctioneers: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901 and John Rossiter 07557 392903

Store lambs dearer by some £8 per head on the previous sale following a similar lift in the finished lambs this week and the recent favourable weather for grass and root growth, and the recent housing of cattle.
Best stores £90 plus with meated sorts topping at £108 for a pen of Charollais cross from J L Hall. Medium stores either side of £80 and only small long term sorts below £75. An equally strong trade for Romney wethers topping at £97.50 with an average of £72, with many small lambs included in the average.

Next sale Friday 25^th November. Please contact with entries now.

Principal store lamb prices included

Charollais cross – £108 – J Hall
Charollais cross – £107 – T Ferris
Charollais cross – £96.50 – A Body
Charollais cross – £94 – J Prior & Son
Charollais cross – £93 – M Wickens
Charollais cross – £93 – Kinnear & Co
Texel cross – £95.50 – Wey Street Farm
Texel cross – £92.50 – A J Thompson & Sons
Texel cross – £91.50 – Maytham Wharf Farm
Texel cross – £91 – E J Clough
Suffolk cross – £93.50 – M Wickens
Suffolk cross – £93.50 – J A Bristow
Suffolk cross – £90 – Kinnear & Co
Suffolk cross – £90 – S G & G T Orpin
Romney wether – £97.50 – Langdon Farm
Romney wether – £94.50 – A J Thompson & Sons
Romney wether – £90 – H G Tompsett & Sons Ltd

Average prices

Charollais cross – 969 – to £108 – Ave £88.50
Texel cross – 982 – to £95.50 – Ave £84.50
Suffolk cross – 296 – to £93.50 – Ave £83.50
Crossbred – 411 – to £94 – Ave £78
Romney – 773 – to £97.50 – Ave £72

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 30 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another strong trade with customers competing well for all on offer and many more could be sold at similar and favourable prices. Smart heifers 250p plus with quality Limousin cross topping the market at £1545 (267p) from W G Vant & Sons and best steers around 255p and grossing up to £1673 for Simmental cross from W S Furnival Ltd.
Well fleshed dairy bred cattle 235 to 250p bracket, notably Limousin x Friesian steer to £1570 and heifer £1427 (251p) from A J Down.
A small selection of native bred on offer with the pick including Hereford x Friesian steer £1293 (240p) from A J Down, Hereford cross heifer £1404 (239p) and Aberdeen Angus cross steer £1594 (235p) from W S Furnival Ltd and purebred Sussex steer to £1228 (209p) from A H Hoad & Son.

More finished cattle to satisfy an improved demand leading up to Christmas.

Top Steers 

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 256p/kg (£1558)
W G Vant & Sons – British Blue cross – 256p/kg (£1545)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 256p/kg (£1533)
W S Furnival Ltd – Simmental cross – 254p/kg (£1673)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 250p/kg (£1432)

Top Heifers

W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 267p/kg (£1545)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde – 265p/kg (£1600)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 259p/kg (£1287)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 258p/kg (£1532)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 251p/kg (£1427) 

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 5 sold – Top 240p – Ave 225p
Steers over 551kg – 17 Sold – Top 256p – Ave 240p
Heifers up to 590kg – 5 Sold – Top 267p – Ave 249p
Heifers over 591kg – 2 Sold – Top 265p – Ave 261p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 104 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another large show of cows from a wide area of the greater South East. Not the overall quality of last week with certainly a higher number from the dairy sector, and more older cows being culled from beef herds as the rains continue.
Trade is holding up extremely well for both slaughter and feeding cows. Rates are a little less overall, as predicted, with the boning halls prioritising a higher proportion of clean beef. It is the leaner, lower meat yielding cows that will ease most as costs are clearly higher.
Some very good beef cows on offer to kill and feed and keenly taken up. Best feeders up to 237p; heavyweight fleshed beef cows around 200p with 6 over £1500. Confidence for the New Year is high and very few below 120p.
Blonde cross 237p £1156 (Non FA) T Watts; Limousin cross 203p, 198p, 195p £1550, £1529, £1430 C & J Georgetti & Sons, 203p £1508 (Non FA) Bentons Place Farm; Beef Shorthorn cross 200p £1387 C R Cook; British Blue cross 199p £1037 (Non FA) T Watts; Aberdeen Angus cross 198p, 197p £1037 (Non FA) T Watts; 166p £1456 (Non FA) R D E Spencer; Sussex 184p £1138 (Non FA) Bosney Farms; Charolais 182p £1098 (Non FA) G J Ostridge, 180p, 170p £1571, £1500 (Non FA) Highfields Park, 171p £1203 C R Cook; South Devon 167p £1149 (Non FA) H & S Nesfield.
Half of today`s entry from the dairy sector and another strong trade for the time of year reflecting how important this cheaper processing beef is to the retailers and, of course, the consumer. Good, fleshed heavyweights still touching 170p, and grossing up to £1594, but plenty of good cows 145-165p and remarkably only 3 less than 120p. Younger, drier types certainly interesting the feeding men.
Holstein Friesian heifers 180p £1104 R C & J L Pickering; Holstein Friesian cows 170p £1136 J W Boyd & Sons; 164p, 156p £1594, £1322 P J Forknall; 163p, 159p, 157p £1236, £1142, £1129 A & W J Hitchcock; 158p £1236 Goddard & Son; 152p, 150p (2) £1197, £1136 R C & J L Pickering; British Friesian 163p, 157p £1282 B J Goodsell & Son; Guernsey cross 165p £864 R C & J L Pickering; Dairy Shorthorn 158p £945 J Howie.
Stock Bulls (2) two lean bulls but remaining very dear. South Devon 156p £1462; Sussex 148p £1416.

Beef Cows – 57 Sold – Top 237.0, Average 155.0
Dairy Cows – 43 Sold – Top 170.0, Average 143.9

Store cattle – 307 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A mixed quality entry of store cattle met a more selective trade and while the better bred sorts with condition attracted keen bidding, the plainer and poorer bred cattle were discounted.
The pick of the prices included quality purebred Charolais heifers to £1200 from Highfield Park Farm and Limousin cross steers to £1190 from R J Husk. A relatively large percentage of native bred cattle on offer with 18 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers topping at £1180 from J & H Robinson (Iford Farms) Ltd and 18 mths purebred Sussex steers looking well sold at £1065 from Mrs V McDonald and £950 from West Court Farm.

Principal Prices include: 

Continental Bred

7-8mths Charolais cross steers – £755 – Luandy Farming Ltd
7-8mths Charolais cross heifers – £750 – Luandy Farming Ltd
7mths Limousin cross heifers – £755 – Gardners
17mths Charolais cross heifers – £1200 – Highfield Park Farm
18mths Limousin cross steers – £1030 – M Twinley
18mths Limousin cross heifers – £980 – A Boyd & Co
20mths Limousin cross steers – 31190 – R J Husk
18mths Continental cross steers – £1070 – J & H Robinson (Iford Farms) Ltd
18mths Continental cross heifers – £1060 J & H Robinson (Iford Farms) Ltd
20mths Limousin cross heifers – £890 – D J Cornforth
22mths Simmental cross steers – £1090 – P R Lanham

Native Bred

8mths Sussex steers – £600 – W T Kemp
11mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £820 – High Chimney Farm
18mths Sussex steers – £950 – West Court Farm
18mths Sussex heifers – £815 – West Court Farm
20mths Sussex steers – £1065 – Mrs V McDonald
18mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £1090 – Oxenford Farm Ltd
18mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers – £990 – N Morgan
18mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers – £1180 – J & H Robinson (Iford Farm) Ltd
18mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers – £900 – J & H Robinson (Iford Farm) Ltd
17mths South Devon steers – £1045 – Ben Foy Ltd

Pigs – 88 sold

Auctioneer:Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (28) – Finish and size the order of the day with best pigs to £121 (128p) and £110 (118p) for cracking crossbreds from C K Guest. Lighter and coloured pigs harder work. Buyers certainly favour the better types with strong rewards for them.
Cull (5) – Not a vintage selection on offer with those forward harder work.
Stores (55) – A stand on trade for stores with best white pigs from P & R Marshall to £18, smaller and coloured types less with a pen of weaner Berkshires from Mr & Mrs Howard to £6.

A polite reminder to pig vendors to please ensure pigs are tagged or slap marked prior to leaving your holding.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 22nd November 2022

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here