Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 22nd August 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,219

Top price per kg: 311p – C A Worley Farming Ltd
Top price per head: £159 – P Gorringe

A small entry of lambs with 1,200 in the pens but a super trade for a great show of quality. Friday sales are now drawing the leaner sorts away from Tuesdays, which does wonders for the average figures and makes them a more accurate representation of the trade for the finished sheep on offer. All lambs were good meat today with a top price of 311p kg for smart Beltex cross lambs from C A Worley Farming Ltd whilst Pete Gorringe’s show of heavy lambs really rang the bell this week to a top of £159, and averaging £148 head. Trade is there for these well finished sheep, week in week out, at the moment and numbers are easing away as bigger “early” finishers are now getting through their 2023 crop. For any marketing advice, please do not hesitate to contact the team to discuss options and the trade.

36kg – £105.00 (292p/kg) – Eastlands Farm
37kg – £104.00 (281p/kg) – C K Axell
38kg – £113.00 (297p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
39kg – £120.50 (309p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
40kg – £116.00 (290p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
41kg – £127.50 (311p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
42kg – £123.50 (294p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
43kg – £127.00 (295p/kg) – Barleybrook Farm
44kg – £129.50 (294p/kg) – Link Bros
45kg – £130.00 (289p/kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
46kg – £130.00 (283p/kg) – Link Bros
47kg – £138.00 (294p/kg) – P N & C Burden
48kg – £130.00 (271p/kg) – Barleybrook Farm
49kg – £144.50 (295p/kg) – P Gorringe
50kg – £148.00 (296p/kg) – Link Bros
51kg – £141.00 (276p/kg) – S W Batch
52kg – £148.00 (285p/kg) – P Gorringe
58kg – £159.00 (274p/kg) – P Gorringe

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 131 – Top 297, Average 268.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 684 – Top 311, Average 274.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 347 – Top 296, Average 274.2
Other 52.1+ kgs – 57 – Top 285, Average 275.3

Cull Sheep – 600 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £142 – Eastlands Farm, Average £84.91
Ram: Top £200 – M A Piper & Sons Farms, Average £136.17

A great trade throughout once again with a few plainer ewes in the pens as to be expected for the time of year. The best ewes regularly £100 – £120 and to a top price of £142 from Eastlands Farm for strong Suffolk cross ewes. Medium sorts £75 – £95 on most occasions with leaner grazing sorts £50 – £70 and very few sold below these figures. Regular customers present for all grades of ewes. Please do inform me on any large consignments of ewes that you intend selling in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Suffolk cross to £135 – Eastlands Farm, Texel to £125 – D Isaac, Texel cross to £120 – M Bullock, Mule to £118 – R Price & Son, Romney to £109 – H Metcalfe

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  24 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Best Continental cross beef bred cattle in excess of 270p, with smart Limousin cross heifer topping the market at £1615 (284p) from W G Vant & Sons and Blonde cross topping the steer section at £1548 (263p) from G L Boulden & Sons.
A relatively high percentage of native bred cattle on offer ranging in the 230 to 240p bracket, runs of Limousin x Friesian steers around 240p and grossing up to £1556 from A J Down and well fleshed purebred Sussex steers around 235p and grossing up to £1465 from J Hooker & Son. A lightweight Aberdeen Angus cross heifer looked well sold at £1292 (242p) from D J Miles.

Top Steers

G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 263p/kg (£1548)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 243p/kg (£1370)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 240p/kg (£1556)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 240p/kg (£1532)
J Hooker & Son – Sussex – 240pkg (£1460)

Top Heifers

W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 284p/kg – (£1615)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 281p/kg – (£1598)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 274p/kg – (£1367)
D J Miles – Aberdeen Angus cross – 242p/kg – (£1292)

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 2 sold – Top 207p – Ave 203p
Steers over 551kg – 14 sold – Top 263p – Ave 232p
Heifers up to 500kg – 2 sold – Top 274p – Ave 240p
Heifers over 551kg – 6 sold – Top 284p – Ave 240p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 8 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Just a handful forward on a busy hay and harvesting day. A few different faces but trade remaining positive for an entry of mostly plain boning cows.
A Sussex fleshed cow to 148p, £1036 A Rawlinson whilst lean Holsteins sold to 140p, 127p, 112p, £963 from J W Boyd & Sons. Jerseys to 76p, 73p, £344 from S E Lane & Partners.

Beef Cows – 1 Sold – Top 148, Average 148.0
Dairy Cows –7 Sold – Top 140, Average 94.6

Pigs – 58 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (45) – Better numbers this week but a more mixed quality entry with a 50/50 split of good quality commercials and fleshy natives. Trade would be a little easier than the past few sales, however demand remains strong. Porkers topped at 210p or £173.25 from P J & P B Wade with averages of 186p or £147 per head. Cutters to 188p or £164.50 from P J & P B Wade averaging 133p or £123.64 per head.  Baconers topped by some lovely white pigs from Brockhill Park Performing Arts College at 182p or £204.75. The same good home also topped the heavies with a top price of 200p or £250 per head.
Cull – (4) Two sows and two boars forward with trade a little steadier topping at 42p or £140.70 from R Padfield.
Stores (9) – A mixed bag of forward stores today with plenty of Iron Age or similar breeding involved, trade topped at £63 per head from T W Offen.

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 – 29th August 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here