Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 25th July 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,728

Top price per kg: 306p – T Husk
Top price per head: £153 – T Husk

Still a good number of lambs coming out on a Tuesday, with quality overall better on offer today as many of the leaner types will now head for the Friday store sales instead. Best lambs, with weight on their side, are still selling on a more favourable trade than the lighter sorts. Heavy lambs often 5-10p kg ahead of the lighter offerings, which is unusual, and makes them even dearer in the lump. Strongest fed lambs from M J Ashworth, C & J Georgetti & Sons and T Husk, with Tom topping the sale at £153.

35kg – £98.00 (280p/kg) – J Hobden
36kg – £93.00 (258p/kg) – J Hobden
37kg – £90.50 (245p/kg) – J H & A H Godden
38kg – £96.50 (254p/kg) – A R Dunlop
39kg – £110.50 (283p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
40kg – £115.50 (289p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
41kg – £116.50 (284p/kg) – T Husk
42kg – £119.00 (283p/kg) – Mrs C Wimble
43kg – £123.00 (286p/kg) – T Husk
44kg – £124.00 (282p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
45kg – £130.00 (289p/kg) – T Husk
46kg – £137.00 (298p/kg) – T Husk
47kg – £130.00 (277p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
48kg – £134.00 (279p/kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
49kg – £134.00 (273p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
50kg – £153.00 (306p/kg) – T Husk
51kg – £151.00 (296p/kg) – T Husk
54kg – £147.00 (272p/kg) – M J Ashworth
59kg – £143.00 (242p/kg) – J Saunders

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 208 – Top 280, Average 235.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 820 – Top 289, Average 254.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 638 – Top 306, Average 267.1
Other 52.1+ kgs – 54 – Top 272, Average 259.5

Cull Sheep – 340 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £150.00 – J Metianu & S Aspital, Average £88.27
Ram: Top £110.00 – Claygate Farms (Spratsbourne Ltd), Average £52.50

A good trade throughout with a better offering in terms of quality. Best ewes regularly £100 – £125, to a top price of £154 from J Metianu & S Aspital from some strong Rouge ewes. Medium sorts £70 – £90 on most occasions with leaner grazing sorts also dearer at £40 – £65 with very few sold below these figures. Though numbers nationally are seasonally increasing trade remains good with regular buyers in attendance every week for both slaughter and grazing ewes. Please inform me of any large numbers you are intending to send.

Top prices included

Rouge to £154 – J Metianu & S Aspital, Beltex to £152 – J Metianu & S Aspital, Texel cross to £134 – T Husk, Suffolk cross to £129 – G H Dean & Co, Mules to £85 – S Gammon, Romney to £100 – N A Balcomb & Son

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  31 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

No real change in the finished trade with the smart well fleshed cattle finding strong competition but the secondary shaped leaner types more difficult. Rates are still very good, historically, and producers must remember that July & August are quiet times in the meat trade and kill rates always increase in September as holidays end and the commercial world returns to normal.
A smart run of heifers from A J Thompson & Sons sold to 279p kg £1606 and generally 260-275p kg. Good Simmental heifers from W G Vant & Sons to 261p whilst leaner Simmental x Sussex steers from J Hooker & Son sold to 247p, £1454.
Dairy bred Limousin cross from A J Down to 240p £1566 with their Hereford x Friesian steers to 241p, £1335.

Top Steers

J Hooker & Son – Simmental cross – 247p/kg (£1454)
A J Down – Hereford cross – 241p/kg (£1334)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 240p/kg (£1425)
J Hooker & Son – Simmental cross – 239p/kg (£1287)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 236p/kg (£1483)

Top Heifers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 279p/kg – (£1434)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 277p/kg – (£1562)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 276p/kg – (£1432)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 275p/kg – (£1605)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 274p/kg – (£1572)

Average Prices

Steers to 550kg – 3 sold – Top 239p – Ave 231p
Steers up to 650kg – 12 sold – Top 247p – Ave 229p
Steers over 651kg – 2 sold – Top 236p – Ave 230p
Heifers to 500kg – 1 sold – Top 249p – Ave 249p
Heifers 501 to 590kg – 11 sold – Top 279p – Ave 265p
Heifers over 591kg – 2 sold – Top 252p – Ave 240p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 13 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A very quiet day but no difficulty with the trade.
Just three beef cows with a Sussex cow carrying flesh 180p kg, £1167 from Torry Hill Farm whilst lean continental feeding types 160 – 165p kg from Campbell Bros.
Not much flesh amongst the dairy culls though two heavyweight Non Assured British Friesian cows from V & C Smith sold to 167p and 159p, £1450 & £1273. Lean steakers 125 – 160p kg depending on flesh.
A well-shaped British Blue stock bull sold well at 175p, £1675.

Beef Cows – 3 Sold – Top 180, Average 168.7
Dairy Cows – 9 Sold – Top 167, Average 142.0

Store Cattle – 1 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Just the one but no problem to sell with several bidders. Beef Shorthorn steer 26 mths, £745.

Store & Finished Pigs – 28 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (25) – A tremendous quality entry of finished pigs this week and quite possibly the best overall run I have sold to date! Trade remains strong with almost all well over the 200p mark. Porkers, making up most of the entry, topped at 233p (£202) for a tremendous pen of Pietrain x gilts weighing 86kgs from Snowfields Academy. All porkers sold to average 224p or £188 per head. Cutters to 215p from Snowfields Academy and £208 from M Godden with averages of 200p and £184 per head. Bacon pigs a decent trade despite short numbers with average prices looking firm at 217p and £228 per head with tops of £225p and £231 from Snowfields Academy. Heavy pigs certainly nowhere near the quality of the rest of the entry with tops of £146 from C D Millen.
Culls (3) Only three forward today with plenty of flesh but perhaps lacking the weight, tops of 82p from Miss J Judge and £168.75 in the lump from Princess Christian’s Farm.

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 – 1st August 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here