Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 2nd July 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 1,945

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 370p – Jan Boomaars
Top price per head – £170.00 – Jan Boomaars

Another increased entry with lambs really starting to spring forward in the better weather. Just a shade under 2,000 penned this week and, unfortunately, the trade has taken the inevitable slump that we see each year. Despite this year`s prices having been very strong already; it feels a little harsher than in previous years. Lambs now are averaging £3/ kg roughly but there is large variance in the trade with more leaner lambs off grass pulling average prices back, as the majority of the well finished fed lambs are selling from 320p -340p kg and topping at 370p kg for some super Texel lambs from J Boomaars. We will hopefully be able to maintain this level, which despite the drop is still a very good price for lambs for this time of year and is still ahead of last year. Numbers on offer will dictate what happens here and with some of the earlier flocks coming to the end of this year’s crop, numbers may tighten again and bring us back up to, maybe, 350p kg.

The overall quality of the lambs on offer yesterday was a standout for me, with some tremendous runs of lambs from M J Ashworth, Masters Farms, G H Dean & Co, C & J Georgetti & Sons and LE Humphreys & Sons to name just a few vendors who penned almost 200 lambs each. We would like to thank all our vendors, big and small, for their weekly support, for without your support we could not operate.

33 – £100.00 (303p/kg) – R Mair & Son
34 – £103.00 (303p/kg) – Lovejoy Farm Partnership
35 – £104.00 (297p/kg) – C Woodhead
36 – £109.00 (303p/kg) – J H & A H Godden
37 – £117.00 (316p/kg) – D Isaac & Holly Chandler
38 – £128.00 (337p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
39 – £125.00 (321p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
40 – £124.00 (310p/kg) – M J Ashworth
41 – £128.00 (312p/kg) – Mrs C Wimble
42 – £138.00 (329p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
43 – £140.00 (326p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
44 – £147.00 (334p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
45 – £157.00 (349p/kg) – G C Tucker
46 – £170.00 (370p/kg) – Jan Boomaars
47 – £146.00 (311p/kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
48 – £154.00 (321p/kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
49 – £159.00 (324p/kg) – M J Ashworth
50 – £166.00 (332p/kg) – M J Ashworth
52 – £160.00 (308p/kg) – Masters Farms

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 583 – Top 337, Average 286.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 981 – Top 334, Average 300.3
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 381 – Top 370, Average 318.1

Cull Sheep – 414 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £170.00 – Jan Boomaars – Ave £97.02

Trade remains firm with more numbers and a consistent trade from start to finish. The best ewes regularly £110 – £130 and to a top price of £170 for cracking Texel ewes from J Boomaars. Medium sorts £80 – £100 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £50 – £70 throughout and only very few sold below these figures. Please do inform me of any large consignments of ewes that you intend on selling in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Texel to £170 – Jan Boomaars, Charollais to £150 – Jan Boomaars, Suffolks to £130 – N A Balcomb & Son, Suffolk cross – to £130 (twice) – Masters Farms, Crossbred to £130 – M J Ashworth, Romneys to £110 – N A Balcomb & Son, Mules to £110 – Masters Farms.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  40 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Decent numbers; respectable quality; plenty of flesh; and another excellent trade with the very best still up over 300p and gross returns topping at over £2000.
M B Farms led both sections with Limousin heifers to 306p, £2016, steers to 302p, £1839. The smart beef bred cattle still regularly over 280p with Dan Mackelden Ltd to 303p for British Blue x steers and Lawrence Smith and R F & E A Simmons selling Limousin heifers to 294p and 293p respectively.
Alan Down`s dairy bred Limousin x sold to 268p, £1771, whilst his Hereford x to 269p, £1726. Friesians to 254p, £1610.
Angus x steers sold to 265p, £1706 Dan Mackelden whilst a heavyweight from W S Furnival sold to £2086. Angus x heifers to 269p, £1423 W S Furnival.

Top Steers

Dan Mackelden Ltd – British Blue cross – 303p (£1770)
M B Farms – Limousin – 302p (£1839)
M B Farms – Limousin cross – 290p (£1621)
L Smith – Limousin cross – 282p (£1717)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Limousin cross – 276p (£1736)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin – 306p (£2016)
M B Farms – Limousin – 300p (£1857)
L Smith – Limousin cross – 294p (£1512)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 293p (£1594)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 284p (£1531)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 1 Sold – Top 276p – Av 276p
Steers 551 to 650kg – 21 Sold – Top 303p – Av 266p
Steers 651kg + – 6 Sold – Top 274p – Av 263p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 9 Sold – Top 294p – Av 268p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 3 Sold – Top 306p – Av 284p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 65 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A marvellous entry midsummer met another great trade with buyers still holding strong orders both for the meat cows of all grades, and the feeders with a shortage of beef very much the developing situation. The Olympics in Paris will have a positive effect on the beef trade this summer alongside all the regular features of our trade.
Nothing particularly flashy amongst the beef cows but better types 190p+ with heavyweights grossing up over £1700.
Limousin x 203p, 187p, £1399, £1387 (Non FA) A Boyd & Co, 195p, £1702 (Non FA) J Batchelor & Ptnrs, 193p, £1425 R F & E A Simmons; Sussex 202p, £1531 W J Hurley; Angus x 198p, £1629 (Non FA) G Hosmer & Son, 186p, £1311 A C Hulme & Sons, 179p, £1437 J Batchelor & Ptnrs; Charolais 196p, £1046 Bullbridge Farm Ptnrs; Simmental x 188p, £1266 W J Hurley; Hereford x 185p, £1448 (Non FA) P Ashlee.
More, Black & Whites on offer today after a busy few weeks of silaging. Mostly wet bagged cows from the parlour but a few well fleshed heavyweights also forward and selling regularly up over 180p, and up to £1568.
British Friesian 192p, £1427 Parrett & Son; Holstein Friesian 186p, £1549 Goddard & Son; 185p £1568 W F Farms; 180p, 174p, 169p (2) £1436, £1399, £1397, £1340 J Warnock & Sons; Holstein 176p, £1369 P J Forknall; Jersey 139p, £769 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Stock Bulls (9) A tremendous run of stock bulls and a superb trade with some good shaped younger, and well fleshed types up over 200p.
Stabiliser UTM 227p, £1789; Limousin OTM 218p, £1631; Limousin Older (4+) 194p, £1490, 157p, £1729, 148p, £1593; Angus 160p, £1619, 152p £1674; Blonde 145p, 136p, £1264.
Overage (2) Wanted, as always! Limousin x Sussex OTM heifer 243p, £1407; Blue x Friesian OTM heifer 240p, £1413.

VAN Numbers – This is definitely recommended as cow beef does go abroad and producers should contact their vets to provide them.

Farm Assurance – Whilst Red Tractor does have a role in parts of our industry, I think, and certain sectors like the milk industry and the bigger grain producers are locked in to inspections and box ticking it is clear that many people cannot see value in the process. More and more are leaving both Beef and Lamb schemes as costs and demands from Inspections and Inspectors continue to rise and, sadly, most of us cannot see where any benefit comes to producers. Time for schemes to do something for their money ?

Beef Cows – 24 Sold – Top 203, Average 171.3
Dairy Cows – 30 Sold – Top 192, Average 140.9

Store Cattle – 15 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Only a small entry of store cattle but interest in everything on offer, and a very good trade.
Limousin x bulls 9 mths to £910; Sussex steer 16 mths £980, heifers 16 mths £975; Limousin x steers 17 mths £1460; Angus x Friesian steers 34 mths £695, heifers 34 mths £710.

Please do inform us of any store or breeding cattle that you intend on selling in the coming weeks.   

Calves – 71 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

A decent entry once more today with demand remaining strong with buyers reporting a shortage of good quality calves available elsewhere.
Bulls to £360 for strong Blues from W G & T A Manford with others to £335 from Hickson Bros and £320 from Goddard & Son. Angus bulls particularly well sold with some lovely younger calves from J W Boyd & Sons to £280 and £270 (x2). A few Sussex about this week with tops of £230, £220, and £200 from W G & T A Manford. Herefords, with just one example, selling well from Goddard and Son to £190.
Strong demand for heifers with perhaps just the Channel Island breeding being not quite as strong. Blues to £300 from W G & T A Manford with younger calves from Appleton Farms to £225. Angus to £190 (x2) from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd. Herefords to £140 from Goddard & Sons with Sussex to £145 from W G & T A Manford.
Dairy calves a serious trade with limited numbers on offer. Tops of £130 from Goddard & Son.
Please note, we have a number of customers looking for registered sired native breed calves, please remember to record the sire ear tag on the birth registration to ensure it appears on the passport!

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 20 – Ave £229.75– Top £360.00 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus – 5 – Ave £241.00 – Top £280.00 – J W Boyd & Sons
Sussex – 13 – Ave £160.77 – Top £230.00 – W G & T A Manford
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £190.00 – Top £190.00 – Goddard & Son

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 13 – Ave £191.15 – Top £300.00 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus cross – 7 – Ave £160.00 – Top £190.00 – J W Boyd & Sons
Sussex – 6 – Ave £121.67 – Top £145 – W G & T A Manford
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £140.00 – Top £140.00 – Goddard & Son

A polite request to all vendors, please do advise of entries on the Monday morning before a sale to ensure we can communicate numbers to buyers.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 9th July 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here