Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 18th July 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,941

Top price per kg: 298p – S & V Bullock
Top price per head: £146 – H O Champneys Ltd

Just under 2,000 lambs on offer this week with a 50:50 split of the entry between concentrate finished lambs and those drawn from grass. This increasing trend, unfortunately, has a negative impact on the overall quality and thus the average prices. This is no criticism of this system as the profitability is much the same, but the product will never sell for the same prices as fed lambs. We sold lambs today from £70 to £146 head and everywhere in between to demonstrate the variation in what is on offer. The best quality are still selling to a nice premium, providing they have got the weight behind them, with lambs from H O Champneys Ltd, A A Palmer & Son and C & J Georgetti & Sons over £140 head.

35kg – £90.00 (257p/kg) – K Lukehurst
36kg – £95.50 (265p/kg) – H O Champneys Ltd
37kg – £96.00 (259p/kg) – Ms C Cox
38kg – £109.00 (287p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
39kg – £110.00 (282p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
40kg – £113.00 (283p/kg) – K Lukehurst
41kg – £112.00 (273p/kg) – D Isaac & H Chandler
42kg – £122.00 (290p/kg) – S & V Bullock
43kg – £128.00 (298p/kg) – S & V Bullock
44kg – £127.00 (289p/kg) – P N & C Burden
45kg – £126.00 (280p/kg) – A A Palmer & Son
46kg – £127.00 (276p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
47kg – £130.00 (277p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
48kg – £139.00 (290p/kg) – H O Champneys Ltd
50kg – £140.00 (280p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
51kg – £146.00 (286p/kg) – H O Champneys Ltd
52kg – £141.00 (271p/kg) – A A Palmer & Son

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 396 – Top 287, Average 253.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 1,055 – Top 298, Average 261.6
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 481 – Top 290, Average 272.7
Other 52.1+ kgs – 7 – Top 271, Average 271.1

Cull Sheep – 318 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £150.00 – S & V Bullock, Average £76.33
Ram: Top £133.00 – I Strang, Average £115.75

A decent trade throughout with a larger number of plainer ewes in the pens, as is to be expected for the time of year. The best ewes regularly £90 – £120 to a top price of £150 from S & V Bullock for their smart Texel ewes. Medium sorts generally £70 – £85 with leaner grazing types £40 – £65 throughout with very little sold below these figures. Trade remaining good for the time of year for all grades of ewes.
Please do inform me of any large numbers of ewes that you intend on selling.

Top prices included

Texel to £150 – S & V Bullock, Suffolk to £135 – S & V Bullock, Suffolk cross to £120 – S W Mount & Sons and T R & J R Kirk, Mules to £100 – North Frith Farms, Romney to £100 – I Strang

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  57 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another good number of finished cattle and, while prices have eased over the last month, todays trade held very similar to last week.
Again, the best smart heifers took the pick of the trade with the tops to £1782 (300p) from M B Farms. Other runs of Continental crosses ranged in the 250 to 270p bracket. In addition to the leading prices quoted below runs of well fleshed heifers grossed to £1593 from A J Thompson & Sons, £1569 from W G Vant & Sons and £1467 from W Alexander (Shoreham).
The best dairy bred cattle around 245p with Limousin x Friesian to £1727 (249p) and Hereford x Friesian £1412 (244p) from A J Down while the pick of the native bred cattle included Angus cross steer £1546 (246p) from P & Y Parkes, Angus cross heifer £1543 (238p) from R C & J L Pickering and Sussex heifer £1356 (245p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons.
A smart 15 mths British Blue cross bull looked well sold at £1644 (289p) from M B Farms.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 268p/kg (£1444)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus cross – 260p/kg (£1505)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus cross – 260p/kg (£1557)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 259pkg (£1563)
A J Down – British Friesian – 249p/kg (£1727)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin – 300p/kg (£1782)
M B Farms – Limousin – 300p/kg – (£1602)
J Hooker & Son – Limousin cross – 283pkg (£1341)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 274p/kg (£1340)
J Hooker & Son – Limousin cross – 271p/kg (£1298)

Average Prices

Steers to 550kg – 2 sold – Top 268p – Ave 250p
Steers over 551kg – 15 sold – Top 260p – Ave 243p
Heifers to 500kg – 8 sold – Top 283p – Ave 257p
Heifers 501 to 590kg – 22 sold – Top 300p – Ave 255p
Heifers over 591kg – 11 sold – Top 300p – Ave 253p
Bull – 1 sold – Top 289p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 40 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Just a few more cows forward this week, particularly from the dairy sector. Again, very short of real flesh but all grades certainly dearer on the week and my gut feeling still suggests that cull stock is not about and once we are through this summer holiday period rates will again strengthen.
Good beef cows with flesh up around 200p with commercial types 170-180p, leaner older plain cows 100-150p. A smart Angus UTM cow from Peter and Youleite Parkes selling to 235p, £1407.
Angus x 235p, 190p, 171p, £1407, £1137 P & Y Parkes, 168p, £1340 Boty Farms; Limousin x 201p, £1333 A C Hulme & Son; Sussex 190p, £1459 Torry Hill Farms, 168p, 162p, £986 K & P M Sinden; White Park x 188p, £1153 R F & E A Simmons
Without anything particularly heavily fleshed dairy culls sold to 174p with the main run of plain cows off the grass at 120-150p there was a good competitive trade.
Holstein Friesian 174p, £1067 R C & J L Pickering; 171p, 168p, 165p, £1147, £1119, £1100 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Stock Bulls (1) Lean, old Simmental 113p, £951.
Overage (6) Hard lightweight grazing 3-4 yo Simmental x steers 185p-198p £928; OTM Limousin x steer 180p, £1041.

Beef Cows – 18 Sold – Top 235, Average 161.6
Dairy Cows – 15 Sold – Top 174, Average 146.6

Breeding Cattle – 39 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A nice entry of breeding cattle, late in the season, found plenty of interest both for bulls and cows and calves. Angus x cows and calves from Peter and Youleite Parkes, Reigate were much admired. Good bodied youngish cows with month old calves they sold well topping at £1620 with steer outfits generally £1300 – £1500, and heifer couples £1100-£1300.
A few working bulls on offer with a well-shaped Limousin x Blue young bull from Alan Britton selling at £1690 whilst traditional Herefords from Grace Natural Foods sold to £1370 and £1330.

Store Cattle – 102 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A very mixed quality entry of store cattle met a varied trade. While plainer second quality were harder to sell, quality of all ages and stronger cattle to finish short term were relatively keenly sought after by regular buyers at ringside.

The highlight of the day included some very smart 4/5 months British Blue cross youngsters from Mrs K Hamilton with steers to £810 and heifer to £840.

Other top prices included 14 mths Simmental cross steer at £1040 from Ed Tilley, 17 mths Angus cross steer £1200 from A & S Woodford & Sons, yearling Angus cross heifers £875 from P & Y Parkes, 20 mths Friesian steers £865 from Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels and top of the day £1230 for strong British Blue x Friesian steers from E & J H Maylam.

Principal Prices include: 

4-5mths Blue cross steers – £810 – Mrs Kay Hamilton
4-5mths Blue cross heifers – £840 – Mrs Kay Hamilton
14mths Simmental cross steers – £1040 – E Tilley
14mths Simmental cross heifers – £810 – E Tilley
16mths Limousin cross steers – £995 – L Palmer & Sons
12mths Angus cross heifers – £875 – P Parkes
15mths Angus cross steers – £1200 – A & S Woodford & Sons
15mths Angus cross heifers – £780 – A & S Woodford & Sons
18mths Sussex cross heifers – £790 – Saw Lodge Farm
20mths Flekvieh cross – £950 – Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels
20mths Angus x Friesian steers – £940 – Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels
20mths Simmental x Friesian heifers – £895 – Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels
20mths Friesian steers – £865 – Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels
28mths Blue cross steers – £1230 – E & J H Maylam

Calves – 39 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Calves – 26
Best calves attracting a premium with second grades harder to place particularly with a good few Channel Island crosses in the mix.
Bulls to £285 for a tremendous Blue from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd with older, slightly less fresh, looking types to £145 from W G & T A Manford. Natives few and far between with one single Angus bull from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd to £150 and a handful of Sussex bulls forward from the Manford’s arguably offering value at £180 and £140.
Heifers, again, a mixed bag with strongest Blues from W G & T A Manford to £180 with a sweet Blue heifer from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd to £155. Angus topped at £140 from the same stable.
Only a handful of dairy calves forward with trade a little easier this week. Tops of £20 for a Guernsey from W G & T A Manford.
Weanlings – 13
Trade is still strong for weanlings with steers from Saw Lodge Farm topping today`s trade at £450 for some nice strong 9 mths old Angus. Blue bulls, with a little less age, around the 6 mths bracket selling to £330 from W G & T A Manford. Heifers from Saw Lodge Farm looking well sold for a mixed pen of Sussex and Angus to £360 with Blues from the Manford’s to £300.

More promised for a fortnights time!

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 8 – Ave £123.13 – Top £285 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £150 – Top £150 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Sussex cross – 3 – Ave £140 – Top £180 – W G & T A Manford

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 9 – Ave £117.78 – Top £170 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus cross – 2 – Ave £95 – Top £140 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd

Bull Weanlings

British Blue cross – 5 – Ave £302 – Top £330 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus cross – 2 – Ave £450 – Top £450 – Saw Lodge Farm

Heifer Weanlings

British Blue cross – 3 – Ave £246.67 – Top £300 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £360 – Top £360 – Saw Lodge Farm
Sussex cross – 2 – Ave £360 – Top £360 – Saw Lodge Farm

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 25th July 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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