Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 24th May 2022

2,332 Sheep and 154 Cattle Sold.

Finished Lambs to £158 this week from T Masters and Store Cattle to £1,125 from J Earey

 


Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Sheep – 1684 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 748 Sold

Top price: 337p p/kg – S W Batch
Top price per head: £158 T Masters

A good number of lambs again this week with about 750 on offer, and trade slightly improved on last week. The heavier best finished types really ringing the bell. These heavier quality carcasses are now harder to find in the hogget section, so this has really pushed the lamb price onwards. Current thoughts are that the same will happen with the handier weights in the coming weeks. Top on the day was Mr Tom Masters with a super pen of lambs at 50 kg selling to £158 hd, closely followed by Les Stevens and Sons at £157 for 49 kg. The medium weighted lambs are selling on a similar level, around the £3 mark with the tops of these selling over 330p to a top of 337p from SW Batch.

Top Prices

35kg – £118.00 (337p/kg) – S W Batch
36kg – £115.00 (319p/kg) – S J F Agriculture
37kg – £119.50 (323p/kg) – Ms Lucy Young
38kg – £120.50 (317p/kg) – S W Mount & Sons Ltd
39kg – £124.50 (319p/kg) – S W Mount & Sons Ltd
40kg – £126.00 (315p/kg) – D Stephens
41kg – £130.50 (318p/kg) – P & E Andreozzi
42kg – £134.50 (320p/kg) – A J Down
43kg – £142.00 (330p/kg) – T Masters
44kg – £140.00 (318p/kg) – S W Mount & Sons Ltd
45kg – £144.00 (320p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
46kg – £142.00 (309p/kg) – T Masters
47kg – £151.50 (322p/kg) – T Masters
48kg – £154.00 (321p/kg) – T Masters
49kg – £157.00 (320p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
50kg – £158.00 (316p/kg) – T Masters

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 188 – Top 337, Average 307.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 442 – Top 330, Average 310.5
Heavy 45.6 to 52kgs – 111 – Top 322, Average 315.0

Finished Hoggets – 936 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price: 304p p/kg – R J T Farmlands
Top price per head: £162.50 R L Pack

Another end of season entry this week with all manner of hoggs on offer from the lightest to the heaviest and everything in between. Still, plenty of demand, particularly for good, fleshed types with top prices really starting to kick on and topping out at £162.50 this week from R L Pack. Others over £160 from R G Gibson & Son, with their super run of over 200 hoggets to average over £145 hd.

Breeding Sheep – 97 couples sold

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell 07712246474

A few less forward and quality a little more mixed. Couples today from J Bower sold to a top of £172 per outfit for some Texel cross ewes with their lambs. T Archer sold Texel cross to £168 per outfit, with T Beesley selling Romney couples to £150.

Please inform us of breeding sheep you have to sell, in advance, so we can advertise correctly pre- sale.

Cull Sheep – 506 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell 07712246474

Ewes: Top £190 – P & E Andreozzi, Average £116.66
Rams: Top £159 – R F & E A Simmons, Average £143.19

Good numbers of ewes continue to be penned with trade remaining very firm throughout for all grades of ewes. The best ewes selling between £120-£150, with the top £150 plus. Leaner sorts looking well sold trading between £80-£110 with only very few being sold below this bracket. We have a competitive trade for all ewes so if you have them to sell don’t hesitate to send them.

Top prices included:

Charollais to £190 – P & E Andreozzi, Texel to £178 – P & E Andreozzi, Suffolk cross     to £141 – Freshfields Mill Farm, Border Leicester to £140 – R J & S Whitcombe, Mules to £129 – M Woodroofe, Romney to £127 – Hampshire Sheep & Forestry.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 56 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A larger entry of finished cattle with vendors rewarded with another cracking trade on par with recent weeks. The best beef bred continental crosses around 260p and very smart sorts in excess of 270p notably a Limousin cross heifer topping at £1798 (275p) from M B Farms and a Limousin cross steer £1836 (273p) from W Alexander (Shoreham). Well fleshed dairy bred stock continue to look well sold in the 230 to 240p bracket with Limousin x Friesian steer topping the section at £1569 (242p) from A J Down.

An increased number of native dairy bred cattle on offer with the fleshed sorts around the 230p and up to £1618 (242p) for a Hereford cross steer from R C & J L Pickering and a Aberdeen Angus cross steer with weight grossing well at £1767 (233p) from Leggat Farming Ltd and £1729 (239p) from F Sole & Sons.

A good trade for the few bulls on offer with 13 mths British Blue cross bull to £1718 (246p) from Birt Bros and 26 mths Limousin bull £1691 (246p) from R Coleman & Sons.

Keep the cattle coming we have a competitive trade to match other outlets.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 273p/kg (£1836)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 266p/kg (£1739)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 258p/kg (£1609)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 250p/kg (£1684)
Gillshaw Farms Ltd – Blonde – 247p/kg (£1296)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 275p/kg (£1798)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 260p/kg (£1375)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 260p/kg (£1362)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 259p/kg (£1279)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 257p/kg (£1372)

Average Prices (p/kg)

Steers up to 650kg – 20 Sold – Top 258 – Ave235.0
Steers over 651kg – 17 Sold – Top 273 – Ave 234.0
Heifers up to 590kg – 14 Sold – Top 260 – Ave 242.0
Heifers over 591kg – 3 Sold – Top 275 – Ave 252.0
Bulls – 3 Sold – Top 246 – Ave 230.0

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 39 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795200357

Trade keeps carrying on at this sensational level. Certainly, quality rather mixed overall with a shortage of flesh on offer particularly amongst the dairy culls but all grades are eagerly competed for. Grazing types very dear with grass benefiting from recent rains.

No very best beef cows but nevertheless tidy younger types pushing towards 220p. Good heavyweights grossing up over £1500.

Angus x 218p £1577 (Non FA) K Vincent, 187p £1117 (Non FA) A Body; Limousin x 212p £1153 Beaute Agri, 200p £1027 R Scott; British Blue x 206p £1428 (Non FA) Boty Farms; Simmental x 196p, 194p, 188p £1558, £1526, £1498 Parrett & Son; Sussex 193p, 189p £1290, £1169 (Non FA) HW Richards, 192p £1302 Gillshaw Farms.

Mostly leaner cows from grass this week but remaining a fabulous trade. Not surprisingly most of the heavyweight, fleshed, non – performers have gone, or have they?

British Friesian 176p, 173p, 170p £1113, £1102, £1071 Parrett & Son; Holstein Friesian 170p, 168p £1356, £1173 P J Forknall; 165p £1275 J E Scutt & Sons.

A tremendous heavyweight Limousin stock bull sold very well at 203p £1980.

Overage clean cattle all very dear with Limousin x steers to 216p £1465; Simmental x heifers to 227p £1302; Danish Red steers 192p, 190p £1090, £1072.

Beef Cows – 17 Sold – Top 218p/kg, Average 189.1p/kg
Dairy Cows – 17 Sold – Top 192p/kg, Average 145.8p/kg

Store Cattle – 17 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A small show of store cattle but plenty of interest with recent rains refreshing the grazing. More cattle booked for next week.

Principal Prices

Hereford cows, due mid-summer – £900-£1010 – Mrs L M Howard
12 months Dexter heifers – £370 – Miss H Challis
9 months Angus cross steers – £765 – Boty Farms
13 months Limousin cross steer – £830 – Miss J J Butcher
15-18 months Angus cross heifers – £1125, £1030 – J Earey
28 months Blonde cross heifers – £1100 – C Kearl

Calves – 42 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Not quite the strength in the calves of recent entries but never the less a strong trade for the offering.

British Blue bulls to £290 (x2) from both J E Scutt & Sons and Hickson Bros with others to £275 from W G & T A Manford, and £270 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd. Aberdeen Angus bulls topping at £290 from J E Scutt & Sons.

Blue heifers topped at £250 (x2) from J E Scutt & Son and W G & T A Manford.  Angus Heifers to £220 from W G & T A Manford with Sussex completing the variety from the same vendor and topping at £250.

A significant decrease in dairy bull numbers this week with more needed to fulfil demand which topped at £95 from W G & T A Manford.

Bull Calves

British Blue – 12 – Top £290.00 – Average £231.67
Aberdeen Angus – 6 – Top £290.00 – Average £210.00
Holstein – 1 – Top £95.00 – Average £95.00
Holstein Friesian – 2 – Top £110.00 – Average £72.50

Heifer Calves

British Blue – 11 – Top £250.00 – Average £195.91
Aberdeen Angus – 6 – Top £220.00 – Average £158.33
Sussex – 2 – Top £250.00 – Average £215.00

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 31st May 2022

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here