Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 1st November 2022

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 444 Sold

Top price per kg: 252p – R G Hobbs Farms
Top price per head: £121.00 – J Boomaars

A very small entry this week which once again is a sign of the climate and season we have seen. With food prices where they are, we cannot expect to see the finished pens full on a Tuesday, when we are selling 6,000 store lambs most Fridays. With the lambs we did see, trade is pretty stable for the better offerings and if finished from grass, more than acceptable. Several lean types on offer within the entry which once again dilutes the averages as they are selling on a trade more in line with the store trade. Top spots taken this week by R G Hobbs Farms at 252p kg and £121 for some heavy Texel lambs from J Boomaars.

Top Prices

39kg – £89.00 (228p/kg) – Mrs C Wimble
40kg – £98.00 (245p/kg) – Mrs C Wimble
41kg – £95.50 (233p/kg) – W G Vant & Sons
42kg – £106.00 (252p/kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
43kg – £108.00 (251p/kg) – N C & C G Hedges
44kg – £105.00 (239p/kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
45kg – £104.00 (231p/kg) – J Sprigings
46kg – £110.00 (239p/kg) – N C & C G Hedges
47kg – £110.00 (2432p/kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
48kg – £110.00 (229p/kg) – K & P M Sinden & Sons
49kg – £115.00 (235p/kg) – J Springings
50kg – £114.00 (228p/kg) – H V Link Ptnsp
52kg – £121.00 (233p/kg) – J Boomaars

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 78 – Top 228, Average 206.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 251 – Top 252, Average 224.8
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 107 – Top 239, Average 225.9
Over 52.1 kgs – 2 – Top 219, Average 219.2

Cull Sheep – 628 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewes: Top £120 – Langrish Farmers, Average £72.63
Rams: Top £178 – N A Balcomb & Son, Average £135.60

Great trade throughout with more well fleshed and medium ewes no offer. The best fleshed traded between £90- £110 and to a top price of £120 from Langrish Farmers for some well fleshed Texel and Charollais ewes. Medium sorts regularly £70-£90

Top prices included:

Texel cross to £120 – Langrish Farmers, Charollais to £120 – Langrish Farmers, Suffolk cross to £114 – S T Phillips, Romney to £117 – B Perkins, Lleyn to £96 – G F Day & Sons

Store & Breeding Sheep – Friday 28th October

6,793 Sold

Auctioneers: Elwyn Davies: 07710 803901, Peter Kingwill 07795 200357 and James Cook O’Connell 07712246474

A big entry of store lambs and breeding sheep late in the season attracted the biggest attendance of buyers of the season.
Store lambs were a good trade throughout with an overall average of £75. A small selection of ewe lambs topped at £100 for a pen of Suffolk x Mule from G B Richards & Son while a pen of meat lambs topped the market at £101 from the top run of the day with 267 mainly Charollais cross stores averaging a favourable £85.80 from James Wayman. Medium crossbred stores generally sold in the £75 to £80 bracket and majority of small long term sorts £60 to £70. Again, the best of the Romney wethers looked well sold in excess of £80 and an overall average of £71.
A selective breeding trade with the best of the ewe tegs around £150 but generally buyers looking for average quality at handy money. Plenty of customers for the breeding ewes on offer and while no exceptional high figures attracted prices in excess of feeding and slaughter value.
Rams were an absolute flying trade with the sheep alleyways packed with potential buyers. Best Continental rams in excess of £500 and topping at £790 for quality Charollais teg from B J Baker while Suffolk’s topped at £560 from J Hammond.
The Charollais rams took the pick of the trade with 31 tegs averaging £510.

Please keep in touch and call to discuss future marketing of store lambs, Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Average prices: Store lambs 5,810 sold to Ave £75.00

Ewe lambs – 374 – to £100 – Ave £80
Texel cross – 1,519 – to £96 – Ave £75
Charollais cross – 1,105 – to £101 – Ave £81
Beltex cross – 192 – to £87 – Ave £82.30
Suffolk cross – 408 – to £90.50 – Ave £80
Crossbred – 637 – to £89.50 – Ave £66
Romney wether – 1,575 – to £85.50 – Ave £71
Ewe tegs – 272 – to £156 – Ave £118
Breeding ewes – 587 – to £115 – Ave £83.50
Rams – 105 – to £790 – Ave £350
Suffolk x Mule ewe – £100 – G B Richards & Son
Suffolk x Mule wether – £90.50 – G Lawrence & Son
Suffolk x Mule wether – £85.50 – N H Burrows
Suffolk x Mule wether – £85 – H J Hecks & Son
Texel cross ewe – £96 – Mrs V McDonald
Texel cross ewe – £96 – G Lawrence & Son
Texel cross – £92 – S Haydon
Texel cross – £89.50 – M R J Francis
Texel cross – £88 – S J Edmed & Son
Texel cross – £87 – Sir R Halstead
Beltex cross – £87 – Maytham Wharf Farm
Charollais cross – £101 – J Wayman
Charollais cross – £88 – T Lyle & Ptnrs
Charollais cross – £87.50 – N Hacking
Romney ewe – £90 – Mrs V McDonald
Romney wether – £85.50 – H G Tompsett & Son Ltd
Romney wether – £85.50 – G L Boulden & Son
Romney wether – £85.50 – E J & A I Fenton
Romney wether – £84.50 – S G & G T Orpin

Ewe tegs

Lleyn – £150 – Agripal Ltd
Suffolk x Mule – £156 – G Hosmer & Son
Romney – £130 – G L Boulden & Son 

Breeding ewes flock ages

Texel cross – £115 – Mrs C Smith
Suffolk x Romney  – £110 – J Prior & Son
Romney x Lleyn – £98 – Porchester Farms
Lleyn – £96 – Agripal Ltd
Romney – £77 – Wright Farm Ptnsp

Ram tegs

Charollais – £790 – B J Baker
Charollais – £590 – N C & C G Hedges
Texel – £690 – P H & P E Skinner
Suffolk – £560 – J Hammond
Romney – £430 – N A Balcomb & Son

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 36 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

The complete range – quality and breeds with a shortage of the best beef bred sorts on offer. Trade was strong with the top Continental crosses in excess of 250p. A  run of Limousin cross from W Alexander (Shoreham) took the pick of the trade with steers £1868 (253p) and £1670 (270p) and smart heifer £1509 (263p) close behind came W G Vant & Sons with Continental cross steer and heifer £1659 (266p) and £1582 (266p) respectively, while smart Limousin cross heifer topped the section at £1409 (269P) from D W Ferguson Ltd and Limousin cross steer £1457 (259p) from G L Boulden & Sons.
Well fleshed dairy bred cattle generally in 230 to 240p bracket with Limousin x Friesian steer to £1551 (241p) from A J Down and the best of the native bred to £1490 (239p) for Aberdeen Angus cross steer and £1348 (229p) for Hereford heifer from W S Furnival Ltd and Hereford x Friesian steer £1453 (229p) from A J Down.

Top Steers 

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 270p/kg (£1670)
W G Vant & Sons – British Blue cross – 266p/kg (£1659)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 259p/kg (£1457)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 253p/kg (£1868)G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 249p/kg (£1503)

 

Top Heifers

D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin – 269p/kg (£1409)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 266p/kg (£1582)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 264p/kg (£1422)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 263p/kg (£1509)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 240p/kg (£1532)

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 6 sold – Top 230p – Ave 220p
Steers over 551kg – 16 Sold – Top 270p – Ave 238p
Heifers up to 590kg – 8 Sold – Top 269p – Ave 243p
Heifers over 501kg – 4 Sold – Top 266p – Ave 242p
Bulls – 2 sold – Top 198p – Ave 194p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 37 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A very disappointing number of culls forward this week as the trade continues to hold at very high rates.
Best beef cows still around 200p and heavy fleshed Black and Whites pushing up to 170p.
Plenty of interest in the overage cattle and an ugly entry of mixed aged, crossbred bulls sold well.
As the month moves on, we will see more attention paid by boning plants to prime beef for Christmas so one might see an easing in the plainer slaughter cows, though with supplies tight good meat cows will remain a strong trade.
Limousin cross 187p £1343 (Non FA) W F Kirk, 160p £1093 L Palmer & Son; British Blue cross 157p £1338 L Palmer & Son.
Holstein Friesian 178p £1456 W F Farms, 174p 167p £1457, £1275 P Forknall; 158p £1080 J W Boyd & Sons; Jersey 132p £716 Hickson Bros; Imported Cows 135p £1036 J C & S K Williams Ltd.
Limousin cross heifer 3yo+ 216p £1401, Sussex OTM heifers 214p, 211p £1270, £1231.

Beef Cows – 7 Sold – Top 187, Average 120.6
Dairy Cows – 14 Sold – Top 178, Average 137.1

Store cattle – 74 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A very mixed quality entry and few numbers compared to recent weeks.
Nevertheless, our regular customers were in attendance and trade on a par with recent weeks. Best yearlings in the £700 to £900 bracket with well-done Aberdeen Angus cross heifers £940 from Barton & Littlejohn.
Stronger stores to finish short term continue to attract the most interest with Continental cross steer topping the market at £1140 from T Lanham and D Ward and Aberdeen Angus cross steers to £1080 from G Hosmer & Son.
A small consignment of breeding cattle with in calf Sussex cross cow to £990 from Poppinghole Farm.

Principal Prices

12-13mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifer – £940 – Barton & Littlejohn
14mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifer – 3790 – F Drury & Son
15mths Charolais cross steer – £820 – E & J Beer
16mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifer – £780 – G Hosmer & Son
19mths Aberdeen Angus cross steer – £1080 – G Hosmer & Son
18mths Simmental cross heifer – £910 – C Parrott
20mths Charolais cross steer – £1140 – T Lanham
20mths Simmental cross steer – £1110 – A Barr & Son Ltd
22mths Friesian steer – £720 – P & G & J Carden24mths Limousin cross steer – £1140 – D Ward

 

Pigs – 136 sold

Auctioneer:Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (30) – Overall quality not where it has been, but nevertheless pigs with flesh and a little size about them in demand. White cutters from C Higgins topped the section at £109.74 (118p) with porkers from the same home to £103.82 (131p). Buyers very much in need of good well fleshed pigs to meet specifications, these types well followed.
Cull (59) – Sows a little easier nationwide with the deadweight also easing, best sows generally around the 40p mark with a top in the lump of £144 (40p) from R Pendle, £122 (42p) from J Laver and £115 (42p) from Rose Bank. Boar trade matched the sows with a top of £131.35 (37p) for a tremendous Pietrain from N Vincent.
Stores (47) – A varied selection of stores with the best well followed at £40 and £34 for good white stores from P & R Marshall and £28 for Pietrain cross from L Baldwin. Smaller natives harder to place with a top of £10 for Oxford Sandy & Blacks from Mrs S Woods.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 8th November 2022

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here