Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 29th November 2022

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 933 Sold

Supreme Champion Lamb – Andrew Town
Reserve Supreme Champion Pair – Mrs J Heathcote 

Top price per kg: 588p – Andrew Town
Top price per head: £300 – Andrew Town

The 150^th Ashford Cattle Show was very well supported in the sheep department with over 80 pairs shown and nearly 250 lambs included in total. The champion pair of Beltex lambs shown by Andrew Town were 51 kg and sold to Mr Brian Wilson for £300 hd, with the Reserve Champion pair from Mrs J Heathcote, which were also native bred champion, sold to the same buyer for £160 hd. It was a great sight to see all the young farmers and local schools showing such pride in their lambs and we would like to thank all that supported the show both Ruth Vant and Miss Amy Hedges who offered up the proceeds on one of their lambs to the chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
In the commercial side of the market, we saw a super trade all through with many lambs selling in excess of 260p kg with a run of well finished lambs from James Wayman topping the day with a top price of £150 and an average of £132 hd for 150 head. Lambs are in demand now in the run up to Christmas as it may be chosen as an alternative to the ever increasingly expensive turkey currently and we anticipate this trade to hold for a couple more weeks yet. If you have lambs that are finished, please give us a call to discuss marketing options. We will be holding a market every Tuesday throughout the Christmas period.

Top Prices

37kg – £93.00 (270p/kg) – G P King
38kg – £111.00 (292p/kg) – G P King
39kg – £136.00 (349p/kg) – Homewood School YFC
40kg – £118.50 (296p/kg) – J Wayman
41kg – £127.50 (311p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
42kg – £114.00 (271p/kg) – Mrs R Vant & J Claringbould
43kg – £140.00 (326p/kg) – Snowfields Academy
44kg – £139.00 (316p/kg) – A Denning
45kg – £146.00 (324p/kg) – S W Winchester
46kg – £160.00 (348p/kg) – Mrs J Heathcote
47kg – £155.00 (330p/kg) – S W Winchester
48kg – £161.00 (335p/kg) – N C & C G Hedges
49kg – £155.00 (316p/kg) – N C & C G Hedges
50kg – £150.00 (300p/kg) – J Wayman
51kg – £300.00 (588p/kg) – A Town
52kg – £165.00 (317p/kg) – A Town
53kg – £162.00 (306p/kg) – North School Farm YFC
54kg – £150.00 (278p/kg) – T Lyle & Ptnrs
55kg – £150.00 (273p/kg) – A Denning
56kg – £160.00 (286p/kg) – A Town
57kg – £143.00 (251p/kg) – A Town
58kg – £168.00 (290p/kg) – A Town
59kg – £153.00 (259p/kg) – J Hooker & Son
62kg – £150.00 (242p/kg) – Westlands School

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 167 – Top 349, Average 258.6
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 306 – Top 326, Average 271.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 384 – Top 588, Average 269.4
Over 52.1 kgs – 50 – Top 306, Average 255.3

Cull Sheep – 250 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewes: Top £140 – Jack Ayling, Average £85.46
Rams: Top £130 – S Farrington, Average £114.57

Less numbers penned today as a result of the Ashford Cattle Show however trade remained strong all round. Best fleshed ewes £95-£120 and to a top price of £140 from Jack Ayling for some smart Texel ewes. Medium sorts £65-£85 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £45-£65. Plenty of buyers forward every week for all grades of ewes.

Top prices included:

Texel to £140 – Jack Ayling, Beltex to £138 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Texel cross to £130 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Suffolk cross to £127 – J & M Carr, Woodland White Face to £120 – The Earl of Onslow, Mules to £109 – M E Carlton, Romneys to £102 – Dan Mackelden Ltd

Store and Breeding Sheep – Friday 25th November

2,600 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A strong trade late in the season with an abundance of keep and improvement in the returns for finished lambs boosting confidence at ringside. A pen of fleshed Texel cross topped the market at £113 from S Howland while the best stores attracted prices in excess of £90 and a favourable overall average of £84.
Romney wethers again looking well sold with the best to £92 and only small long term sorts below £70.
Next sale Friday 16^th December. Please contact with entries now.

Principal prices included

Suffolk x Mule – £96 – L E Humphreys & Sons
Suffolk x Romney – £90 – E J & A I Fenton
Beltex cross – £88 – Ms C Cox
Beltex cross – £87 – Agripal Ltd
Texel cross – £113 – S Howland
Texel cross – £94.50 – P Reeve
Texel cross – £92.50 – H J Brown & Son
Texel cross – £92 – Maytham Wharf Farm
Texel cross – £91.50 – G F Day & Son
Charollais cross – £96 – L E Humphries & Sons
Charollais cross – £96 – J H & A H Godden
Charollais cross – £92 – M Wickens
Southdown – £94 – The Wildlife Trust
Romney wether – £92 – A R Dunlop
Romney wether – £92 – A J Thompson & Sons
Romney wether – £88 – Langdon Farms

Average prices

Suffolk cross – 201 – to £96 – Ave £86.80
Texel cross – 464 – to £113 – Ave £88.70
Charollais cross – 588 – to £96 – Ave £87.20
Crossbred – 579 – to £94 – Ave £80.50
Lleyn – 60 – to £74
Romney – 708 – to £92 – Ave £81.10

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 76 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

The Ashford Christmas Cattle Show retuned to its usual format after several years of disruption to celebrate the special 150^th year. The show was well supported with entries from regular vendors, the usual local schools and Young Farmers clubs and our regular buyers competed well for all on offer with big premiums for the top prize winners.
Superb continental cross heifers from S Marsh took top honours winning both Supreme and Reserve Supreme Champion prizes with overall show Champion topping at £2793 (471p) and purchased by P C Turner Ltd, Farnborough while Reserve Champion sold at £2303 (435p) and purchased by Simon Husk, Dover. Other top prizes included Champion steer again from S Marsh which sold for £2206 (340p) and purchased by Beredens Farm Shop, Upminster, top native purebred Sussex heifer from Chandler & Dunn Ltd selling at £1746 (330p) to Kent College Canterbury and top YFC beast, a Limousin x Friesian heifer £1408 (259p) from Homewood School YFC and purchased by Hartshead Meats, Mossley.
In the pair section Aberdeen Angus cross steers from Gallagher Farms took 1^st prize and sold for £1619 (258p) and £1479 (260p) and purchased by R J & K Thornby, Bethersden while a pair of Limousin cross heifers topped the Continental section and sold for £1879 (287p) and £1860 (285p) from W S Furnival Ltd and purchased by S K Hutchings Butchers, Partridge Green.
A good entry of commercial cattle sold well with a smart Limousin cross heifer topping the section at £1481 (280p) from D W Ferguson Ltd and A J Down’s run of Limousin x Friesian steers ranging 230p up to 245p and grossing up to £1622.
Top native bred cattle included Aberdeen Angus cross steers at 230p plus and grossing to £1682 from F Sole & Sons, Aberdeen Angus cross heifers £1615 (228p) from Cowdray Home Farms and £1204 (234p) from S Marsh.

Top Steers

Champion: S Marsh – Limousin cross – 340p/kg (£2206) purchased by Beredens Farm Shop
2^nd: Snowfields Academy – Limousin cross – 276p/kg (£1754) purchased by Hartshead Meats
1^st: W S Furnival Ltd – Simmental cross – 270p/kg (£1697) purchased by John Howe Farm Butchers
1^st: W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 270p/kg (£1603) purchased by N E Dyson & Sons
2^nd: Gallagher Farms – Limousin cross – 265p/kg (£1732) purchased by Beredens Farm shop

Top Heifers

Supreme Champion:

S Marsh – British Blue cross – 470p/kg (£2793) purchased by P C Turner Ltd

Reserve Supreme Champion:

S Marsh – Limousin cross – 435p/kg (£2302) purchased by Simon Husk
1^st: Chandler & Dunn Ltd – Sussex – 330p/kg (£1746) purchased by Kent College, Canterbury
2^nd: S Marsh – Limousin cross – 325p/kg (£1882) purchased by S K Hutchings Butchers
1^st: W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 287p/kg (£1879) purchased by John Howe Farm Butchers

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 18 sold – Top 265p – Ave 220p
Steers over 551kg – 23 sold – Top 340p – Ave 248p
Steers over 650kg – 8 sold – Top 265p – Ave 233p
Heifers up to 590kg – 17 sold – Top 435p – Ave 267p
Heifers over 591kg – 10 sold – Top 470p – Ave 258p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 12 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Sadly, very short an entry of cattle on Show Day and certainly more will be needed in the coming weeks as processors switch from Christmas primal work to manufacturing beef for the New Year season.
Prices fully maintained and all grades well sold.
Nice OTM Parthenais cross steer sold well at £1519 (229p) from M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd.

Store and Finished Pigs – 66 sold

Auctioneer:Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished Pigs – (38) A tremendous entry of both show and commercial pigs forward for sale in the finished section today. Show pigs of course leading the way with a selection of well-bred and turned out exhibits which were a real credit to all exhibitors. Ringing the bell today was a Welsh pair from D J Finch weighing 92 kgs selling to 210 pence or £193.20. Reserve Champion pair from Snowfields Academy YFC weighing 77.5kgs to 165 pence or £127.88. Champion single from Snowfields Academy YFC to 155 pence or £120.90 with the reserve single from D J Finch another tremendous Welsh example to 126 pence or £176.40.
A decent entry of commercial pigs on offer with top price to J & M Carr for 85 kg white gilts at 124p or £105.40. As every fleshing and a little size, the order of the day, keep the well fleshed pigs coming.
Cull (4) – Trade for well fleshed culls stronger with a top of £149 (48p) for a Saddleback sow from P Hart, feeding sows harder work but price reflecting quality.
Stores/weaners – (24) A entry of mix and match types with no real style, quality or size forward which very much reflected upon todays trade. Better stronger stores required to fill orders.

A polite reminder to pig vendors to please ensure pigs are tagged or slap marked prior to leaving your holding.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 6th December 2022

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here