Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets – 1,598

Top price per kg: 367p – O’Neil Smith Ltd
Top price per head: £180.00 – O’Neil Smith Ltd

A few less on offer, but what we lost in numbers we gained in quality with some tremendous sheep on offer. And what a trade we saw! Two outstanding runs of sheep from West Sussex, from O’Neill Smith Ltd and Mr Peter Gorringe, who both sold sheep over £170 head.  Matt O`Neill took the gold medal with £180 per head, not once, not twice, but three times! Handier weighted lambs are, generally, in excess of £3 kg now for anything continental but interestingly this week the heavy weights (45-52kg) averaged the same price per kg as the SQQ weight bracket (32-45kg). Long may it all last with the overall average price per head this week at £143 head!

35kg – £108.00 (309p/kg) – K Loveridge
37kg – £100.00 (270p/kg) – E & J H Maylam
38kg – £98.00 (258p/kg) – I Jones
39kg – £109.00 (279p/kg) – H F & J Glover
40kg – £130.00 (325p/kg) – C D Millen
41kg – £120.00 (293p/kg) – D Thompson
42kg – £134.00 (319p/kg) – S J Reeve & Son
43kg – £136.00 (316p/kg) – S J Reeve & Son
44kg – £137.00 (311p/kg) – M R Woodroofe
45kg – £156.00 (347p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
46kg – £145.00 (315p/kg) – M R Woodroofe
47kg – £165.00 (351p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
48kg – £165.00 (344p/kg) – O’Neil smith Ltd
49kg – £180.00 (367p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
50kg – £179.00 (358p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
51kg – £170.00 (333p/kg) – P Gorringe
52kg – £164.00 (315p/kg) – P Gorringe
53kg – £160.00 (302p/kg) – P Gorringe
54kg – £180.00 (333p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
55kg – £175.50 (319p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
56kg – £176.00 (314p/kg) – P Gorringe
58kg – £154.00 (266p/kg) – H G Allen & Sons
60kg – £178.00 (297p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
61kg – £170.00 (279p/kg) – T Husk
62kg – £167.00 (269p/kg) – N C & C G Hedges
63kg – £173.00 (275p/kg) – B J Baker

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 34 – Top 309, Average 280.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 255 – Top 347, Average 302.2
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 697 – Top 367, Average 299.6
Over 52.1 kgs – 539 – Top 333, Average 273.5

Store Hoggets – 340 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A few less on offer this week but it is now May so numbers should be in decline! But, as we saw in the finished section, trade is flying high with stores over £120 head again and to a top of £130 from James Goffin, and an overall average of £98.50.

Get them cleared up now!

Cull Sheep – 931 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £208 – O’Neil Smith Ltd, Average £98.91
Ram: Top £164 – G B Richards & Son, Average £95.92

Big numbers in the pens and a superb trade throughout. The best ewes regularly £100 – £140 and to a top price of £208 from O’ Neil Smith Ltd for some cracking Texel ewes. Medium sorts generally £70 – £100 with leaner grazing types £40 -£70 throughout as buyers rightly see confidence in grazing. We have plenty of buyers in attendance every week for all grades of ewes so please inform us if you have big consignments of ewes coming to Ashford so that we can advise buyers.

Texel to £208 – O’Neil Smith Ltd, Charollais to £162 – N C & C G Hedges, Texel cross to £140 – G Lawrence & Son, Suffolk cross to £137 – G Lawrence & Son, Mules to £114 – G L Harris, Romneys to £125 – A J W Smith & Son

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  38 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Cattle prices holding very firm at the recent high levels with another superb run of Limousins from M B Farms selling at 308p plus and topping at 325p (£2093). Other top entries included Blonde heifers £1900 (307p) and Limousin cross steer £1809 (290p) from G L Boulden & Sons and Limousin cross steer and heifer at £1863 (294p) and £1619 (295p) respectively from W Alexander (Shoreham).
A similarly strong trade for dairy bred cattle with Limousin x Friesian steer £1596 (258p), Hereford x Friesian steer £1544 (260p) and Purebred Friesian steer £1588 (246p) from A J Down.
Fewer native bred cattle on offer this week with a quality Sussex steer topping at £1619 (266p) from W S Furnival Ltd; Aberdeen Angus cross heifer to £1539 (257p) and Hereford cross heifer £1398 (248p) from R C & J L Pickering & Sons.

Top Steers

M B Farms – Limousin – 325p/kg (£2093)
M B Farms – Limousin cross – 316p/kg (£2098)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 294p/kg (£1863)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 290p/kg (£1809)
R C & J L Pickering & Son – Limousin cross – 275p/kg (£1482)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin – 320p/kg (£1821)
M B Farms – Limousin – 315p/kg (£1887)
M B Farms – Limousin – 313p/kg (£1906)
M B Farms – British Blue cross – 308p/kg (£1906)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde – 307p/kg (£1900) 

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 16 sold – Top 325p – Ave 267p
Steers over 651kg – 1 sold – Top 316p
Heifers up to 590kg – 11 sold – Top 320p – Ave 270p
Heifers over 591kg – 8 sold – Top 315p – Ave 287p
Bulls – 2 sold – Top 243p – Ave 240p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 37 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Small numbers but another outstanding trade for every cow of every grade.
Best beef cows up to 275p kg and heavyweights grossing up to £1988. Dairy culls grossing up to £1740.
Limousin x 275p, £1620 P N & C Burden, 249p, 239p, 225p, £1988, £1562, £1527 (Non FA) M B Farms; South Devon 215p, 210p, £1644, £1624 Gardners; Aberdeen Angus x 210p, £1686 (Non FA) P J Goldsmith, 208p, £1172 (Non FA) J H & A H Godden; Simmental x 190p, £1241 P N & C Burden.
Holstein Friesian cows 196p, 188p, £1740, £1434 P J Forknall; 185p, 183p (3), 180p, £1291, £1278, £1232, £1110, £1077 R C & J L Pickering & Sons; 179p, 178p, £1285, £1260 M S Clifford-Baynes.
Overage (4) Another intense trade. Limousin x OTM heifers 261p, 260p, £1446, £1414 D G & J W Gore; Hereford x OTM steer (Non FA) 241p, £1888 A Gillem Bussey; Limousin x heifer 3 year old + 246p, £1964 G Bates.
Bulls (1) Lean Limousin x Blue 149p £1500.

Beef Cows – 14 Sold – Top 275, Average 209.6
Dairy Cows – 18 Sold – Top 196, Average 165.1

Store Cattle – 12 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Only a small show this week after the May Day Bank Holiday but trade remaining on fire.

Limousin x Friesian steers 24 mths £1200 D Ward; Aberdeen Angus cross steers 14 mths £1170 J & A Lyon; Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 26 mths £855 R M Vidler.

Pigs –  48 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished – (48) A decent entry of more commercial finished pigs in the pens this week with buyers keen to fill orders; returns looking promising! Tops of 162p from B G & M A Tomsett (£162) and C B Hope (£150) for Baconers. In the lump strong gross figures again very much reflective of the time of year and, generally, tighter supply with C B Hope selling heavy boars to £193 (122p). As ever, flesh the order of the day with Porkers to 162p or £134.46 from C B Hope, averaging £95.81, cutters to 162p or £150 from the same vendor and averaging £126.14, Baconers as above and averaging £162 with heavies topping and averaging £179!

Sows – (0) No sows this week, more needed for orders!

Stores (0) Unfortunately none forward but very much required, please do get in touch to meet the demand!

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 – 9th May 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here