Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 21st February 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets – 1,839

Top price per kg: 285p – L J Webber Ltd
Top price per head: £156.00 – T Husk

A few more on offer this week with nearly 1,900 penned. Trade was just a touch easier with averages back by about 5p kg despite a good show of quality hoggs on offer. The best of these still can ring the bell, as we say it, with £156 for the top offerings on the day from Mr Tom Husk. Lighter weights are still the easier sell with these regularly above 250p kg today to a top of 285p kg from Mr Lewis Webber with the heavier lambs, which are now coming out in bigger numbers, just a little harder to sell with prices back by maybe £2-5 head on the week. The end marketplace is reported to be very quiet currently, which in turn is keeping prices where they are, but this will be dictated purely by the numbers on offer every week. A consistent supply is necessary to avoid flooding the market, so it is important to know what numbers you intend to send week on week.

Top Prices

37kg – £105.00 (284p/kg) – L J Webber Ltd
38kg – £101.00 (266p/kg) – S B & A E Martin
39kg – £97.50 (250p/kg) – L J Webber Ltd
40kg – £99.00 (248p/kg) – Beslee Farms
41kg – £95.00 (232p/kg) – Hall Place Farms
42kg – £109.00 (260p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
43kg – £122.50 (285p/kg) – L J Webber Ltd
44kg – £115.00 (261p/kg) – L J Webber Ltd
45kg – £104.00 (231p/kg) – Beslee Farms
46kg – £110.50 (240p/kg) – Beslee Farms
47kg – £111.00 (236p/kg) – H & J Noakes
48kg – £112.50 (234p/kg) – Hall Place Farms
49kg – £120.00 (245p/kg) – L J Webber Ltd
50kg – £135.50 (271p/kg) – T Husk
51kg – £115.00 (225p/kg) – S J Reeve & Son
62kg – £156.00 (252p/kg) – T Husk

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 365 – Top 284, Average 239.1
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 940 – Top 285, Average 227.2
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 390 – Top 271, Average 224.4
Over 52.1 kgs – 144 – Top 255, Average 229.7

Store Hoggets – 350 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Less stores on offer today and quite the mixed bunch to boot. Best stores still well sold this week with the best over £80 and only the smallest long-term types below £60 head. Top on the day was £83.50 from P Tassell.

In-Lamb Ewes – 149 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

In the breeding section we had a run of 4-5 lamb NZ Romneys ewes in lamb to a NZ Romney ram from G & A Atterton. These topped out at £98 per head with the whole run averaging £83.35.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further breeding sheep to have to sell.

Cull Sheep – 535 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £122 – H F & J H Glover, Average £71.88
Ram: Top £85 – J Mountfort, Average £57.44

A very mixed entry of ewes this week with a lot of leaner sorts in comparison to the last few weeks. The best ewes generally £95-£110 and to a top price of £122 from H F & J H Glover for some smart Charollais ewes. Medium sorts plentiful and regularly £70-£85 throughout. Leaner grazing types still being well bought with majority £40- £60 and very few being sold below these figures.

Charollais to £122 – H F & J H Glover, Texel cross to £119 – Clink Bros, Suffolk cross to £110 – P N & C Burden, Mules to £100 – Pynn Contractors, Romneys to £89 – Lucketts Farm, Goat to £100

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  44 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another record breaking week with M B Farms selling a British Blue cross steer grossing £2208 and all four of their Continental cross steers and heifers in excess of 300p. These were closely followed by Limousin cross steer and heifer at £2008 (298p) and £1935 (296p) respectively from W G Vant & Sons. A run of Limousin cross heifers from P W & P Sim & Son sold well up to £1752 (295p) and a favourable average of just short of £1700 while well fleshed Limousin x Friesian steers from A J Down rang the bell topping at £1844 (291p) an overall average of £1639.
A good entry of native bred cattle with the best 260p plus, notably, Sussex steers £1573 (265p) from W S Furnival Ltd and £1475 (264p) from K & P M Sinden & Son; Sussex cross heifer £1724 (270p) from P W & P Sim & Son. Aberdeen Angus cross steer £1805 (268p) from W Alexander (Shoreham); Aberdeen Angus cross heifer £1526 (278p) from G L Boulden & Sons; Friesian steer £1395 (259p) from A J Down and Friesian heifer £1525 (220p) from Leggat Farming Ltd.
A 18 months Purebred Sussex bull looked well sold at £1584 (248p) from Chandler & Dunn Ltd.

Top Steers 

M B Farms – Limousin – 308p/kg (£1952)
M B Farms – British Blue cross – 303p/kg (£2208)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 298p/kg (£2008)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 291p/kg (£1844)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 288p/kg (£1725)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 308p/kg (£1798)
M B Farms – Limousin cross – 307p/kg (£1946)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 296p/kg (£1935)
P W & P Sim & Son – Limousin cross – 295p/kg (£1752)
P W & P Sim & Son – Limousin cross – 291p/kg (£1641)

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 19 sold – Top 308p – Ave 270p
Steers over 651kg – 5 sold – Top 303p – Ave 285p
Heifers up to 50kg – 9 sold – Top 308p – Ave 278p
Heifers over 591kg – 11 sold – Top 307p – Ave 267p
Bulls – 1 – Top 248p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 56 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A decent show of cows this week and a bit more flesh in general. Trade remaining at the highest of levels both for the meat cows and the feeding/grazing types which continue to follow with confidence. Numbers are short, and will remain so, so take advantage of those animals questioning their position in your herd and market them before turning out.
Best Continental cross beef cows readily over 220p with well fleshed commercial meat cows up and down of 200p. Older grazing beef cows often up around 180p with little below 160p.
Limousin cross 231p, 224p, £1683, £1609 L E Humphreys & Sons, 211p, 208p, £1579, £1432 (Non FA) G Bates; Simmental cross 226p, 213p, £1636, £1398 (Non FA) G Bates; Hereford cross 216p, 205p, 204p, 203p, 200p, £1566, £1536, £1501, £1478, £1432 E W & R E Hanks, 204p, £1669 J S Tilley; Aberdeen Angus cross 200p, £1177 (Non FA) B G & M A Tomsett, 197p, £1277 H F & J H Glover, 193p, £1617 (Non FA) Boty Farms; Sussex 195p, 186p, £1148, £1132 (Non FA) H W Richards; British Blue cross 190p, 184p, £1202 (Non FA) N A Vincent.
Another short show of dairy culls but all strongly wanted with good meat and weight all up over 180p.
Holstein Friesian 189p, 188p, 180p, 178p, £1565, £1446, £1303 W G & T Manford; 188p, 184p, £1472, £1367 J W Boyd & Sons; Jersey 106p (2) £485, £454 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Bulls (3) Fleshed bulls in strong demand, leaner types a little more selective. Lincoln Red 162p, £1454; Beef Shorthorn 145p, £1452; Charolais 120p, £1332.

Beef Cows – 37 Sold – Top 231, Average 186.4
Dairy Cows – 15 Sold – Top 189, Average 150.5

 

Breeding Cattle – 7 sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Seven hard outwintered cow and calf units from East Sussex sold extremely well to an interested company. An older cow with a young calf at £1100 whilst younger cows, not back to the bull, but with 6-8 month calves sold from £970 to £1440.

Plenty of interest in breeding stock of all categories and more wanted.

Pigs – 92 sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (63) – A significantly improved entry in the finished section today with a quality entry of commercial pigs and probably the best overall entry I have seen for my tenure as pig auctioneer. Top of today’s trade was a lovely pen of smart Porkers from G A Huntley & Son which topped at 170 pence (£144.50). In the lump tops of £155.20 (160p) also from G A Huntley & Son. Plenty of Pigs 140 pence and over today with N Dance selling Bacon pigs to 154 pence (£123.20) and 150 pence (£124.50). C B Hope selling a tremendous run of commercial pigs to top at 148 pence (£126.54) with tops in the lump of £130.67. Worthy of a mention are A W Vincent’s Duroc crosses weighing 92kgs selling for £133.40.
Cull (9) – More spark in the trade again with sows to 70 pence (£143.50) from C Higgins, 62 pence from J Hills (£120.95), and 60 pence (£117) from J Bull.
Stores – (20) Store pigs remain harder work with not a great deal of enthusiasm for anything other than the best. Tops today of £35 for a strong store from N Livesey.

A polite request to all vendors to please pre enter all pigs on the Monday morning prior to a pig sale. This is to help us to help you by ensuring that buyers are kept up to date with entries.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 28th February 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here