Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 20th August 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 1,337

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 345p – Miss M Friend
Top price per head – £181.00 – G H Dean & Co

A similar entry of sheep to last week but without quite the overall quality which pulled averages down to just about £3 kg which, I would say, is roughly the same taking everything into account. Top end of the lambs got to £181 head with G H Dean & Co taking to honours but, in price per kilo, Miss M. Friend was top spot with 345p kg for Beltex lambs. Trade is very good for the time of year, possibly the highest we have ever seen for August, with numbers drastically dropping around the country the main cause.

34 – £109.00 (321p kg) – Miss M Friend
35 – £110.00 (314p kg) – A M & S J Lerwill
36 – £103.00 (286p kg) – Small Brothers
37 – £124.00 (335p kg) – G H Dean & Co
38 – £130.00 (342p kg) – Miss M Friend
39 – £130.50 (335p kg) – G H Dean & Co
40 – £138.00 (345p kg) – Miss M Friend
41 – £126.00 (307p kg) – G H Dean & Co
42 – £129.50 (308p kg) – Bosney Farm
43 – £139.50 (324p kg) – G H Dean & Co
44 – £141.00 (320p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
45 – £146.00 (324p kg) – Miss Victoria Clayton
46 – £149.00 (324p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
47 – £157.00 (334p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
48 – £158.00 (329p kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
49 – £168.00 (343p kg) – Barleybrook Farm
50 – £159.00 (318p kg) – P N & C Burden
51 – £159.00 (312p kg) – P N & C Burden
52 – £168.00 (323p kg) – P N & C Burden
53 – £171.50 (324p kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
55 – £174.00 (316p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
62 – £181.00 (292p kg) – G H Dean & Co
65 – £164.00 (252p kg) – Barleybrook Farm

Averages (p/kg)

Light 25.6 to 32 kgs – 32 – Top 275, Average 272.1
Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 228 – Top 342, Average 293.5
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 547 – Top 345, Average 293.6
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 435 – Top 343, Average 309.9
Over 52.1 kgs – 95 – Top 324, Average 305.3

Cull Sheep – 858 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £163.00 – Kingswood Farmers Ltd – Ave £90.78

A bigger entry of ewes this week with the onset of mass weaning now taking place across the flock in the South East. Most of these freshly weaned ewes are showing signs of the dry period and are coming through quite lean but with the trade really flying for the grazing types they still were very well sold on the day with the majority of these £80-100 head. Best fleshed ewes with weight in short supply and met strong competition.
Top spot on the day was taken by Kingswood Farmers at £163 for some strong Texel ewes.

Top prices included:

Texel cross to £163 – Kingswood Farmers, Suffolk cross to £160 – M Wickens, Mule to £139 – M Wickens, Charollais cross to £134 – J Butchers, Romney cross to £130 – A J Thompson & Sons, Southdown to £117 – Master H Lucas.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  38 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another outstanding trade with buyers all recognising the current shortage, and wary that supply will only get tighter.
Best beef bred types 290-320p kg with top honours going to W Alexander (Shoreham) with their Limousin cross steers to 318p, £1915, and their heifers to 312p, £1807. R F & E A Simmons and P W & P Sim & Son both showing cattle in excess of 300p kg.
Alan Down’s dairy bred steers continue to strengthen with Limousin x Friesian to 280p kg, £1718 whilst their Hereford x Friesian steers to 279p, £1758.
Native cattle with good flesh a marvellous trade. Sussex x Limousin from M A Piper & Son Farms in serious demand with steers to 294p (twice), £1805; heifers also to 294p, £1776. Hereford steers to 281p, £1613 W S Furnival Ltd with their Angus steers to 275p, £1716; heifers to 277p, £1590.
Sussex young bulls to 264p and 260p, £1505 from Chandler & Dunn Ltd.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 318p (£1889)
P W & P Sim & Son – Limousin cross – 306p (£1711)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin – 306p (£1619)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 302p (£1915)
M A Piper & Son Farms – Limousin cross – 294p (£1658)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 312p (£1807)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 297p (£1557)
M A Piper & Son Farms – Limousin cross – 294p (£1776)
R F & E A Simmons – White Park cross – 290p (£1390)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 288p (£1438)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 2 Sold – Top 306p – Av 282p
Steers 551 to 650kg – 20 Sold – Top 318p – Av 282p
Steers 651kg + – 3 Sold- Top 283p – Av 265p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 4 Sold – Top 290p – Av 289p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 5 Sold – Top 312p – Av 290p
Heifers 591 kg + – 2 Sold – Top 294p – Av 290p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 36 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A few more on a damp morning but short of flesh reflecting just how quickly the South East has dried up. Trade remaining at similar strong levels with the feeding cows, if anything, just a little firmer as feeders shut more stock into yards with quality forage.
Just the one best youngster with a Simmental x Friesian slip from John Berryman to 215p, £1566 with the half meat killing cows generally 175-190p kg. Feeders dearer with some decent older Sussex cows 140-175p to feed.
Simmental cross 215p, £1566 J Berryman: Limousin cross 186p, £1215 J Berryman, 182p, £1198 D J Cornforth; Sussex 184p, 176p, £1193 Torry Hill Farms, 175p, 174p, 171p, £1187, £1084, £1074 Claygate Farms; 168p, £1164 D Welsh.
A small show of dairy culls with the trade remaining very strong for all grades. Half meat 160-170p kg with little under 140p kg.
Stock bulls (2) A good shaped Limousin 187p, £1865. A very lean Angus looked well sold at 93p kg.

Beef Cows – 25 Sold – Top 215, Average 162.4
Dairy Cows – 9 Sold – Top 169, Average 153.4

Store Cattle – 30 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

No shortage of demand from all quarters for store cattle. Only a small show but some very good feeding types amongst the entry and more wanted.
We are building a sale for the 10^th September where forward stores will be strongly wanted for immediate yarding and feeding.

Principal Prices include:

Angus cross steers 24 mths – £1495, £1445 – G Stokes
Limousin cross steers 26 mths – £1340 – F Henderson
Angus x Friesian heifers 24 mths – £1300 – D Ward
Angus cross heifers 18 mths – £1120 – E T Ledger & Son
Angus cross heifers 17 mths – £1090 – C W Jones
British Blue x Friesian heifers 13 mths – £770 – D R Thompson
British Blue x Friesian steer 10 mths – £500 – Kent Game Shooting
Friesian steer 10 mths – £660 – Kent Game Shooting

Pigs – 38 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Finished 22 – Considering that the pigs were not over fleshed this week there was a decent trade throughout. Solid heavyweights from Paul Lanham sold to 188p kg, £197.40. Chris Higgins sold well to 176p; Brockhill School sold to 171p.
Overall a decent trade.
Store 20 – Some nice young well-bred White pigs to £30. Oxford Sandy & Black stores to £15 and £25.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 27th August 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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