Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 31st May 2022

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Sheep – 1634 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,138 Sold

Top price: 361p p/kg – T Masters
Top price per head: £170 T Masters

Just about 1200 lambs penned this week and what a trade! I would say for the time of year, one of the highest averages we have seen in terms of £ per head, with the whole entry averaging a shade under £140 and with lambs selling for up to £170 hd. Trade is certainly boosted by the planned festivities this weekend with wholesalers expecting to see big catering and domestic demand throughout the 4 day weekend. Top run of the day was, certainly, Tom Masters with 200 superbly finished lambs selling to average £160 hd and up to £170 on two occasions. Others from G H Dean & Co, Link Bros, L Stevens & Sons and G Tucker also sold in excess of £150 hd for several pens. With numbers certainly tight nationally, we can hopefully sustain this trade but when we reach these highs, it does become very volatile, and numbers will dictate trade.

Top Prices

35kg – £119.00 (340p/kg) – A W Vincent
36kg – £128.00 (265p/kg) – S W Batch
37kg – £133.00 (359p/kg) – A W Vincent
38kg – £133.50 (351p/kg) – Friday Street Farmers
39kg – £138.00 (354p/kg) – Wanstall Farms
40kg – £143.00 (358p/kg) – Friday Street Farmers
41kg – £140.50 (343p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
42kg – £146.00 (348p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
43kg – £151.00 (351p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
44kg – £157.00 (357p/kg) – Mrs K Tucker
45kg – £162.50 (361p/kg) – T Masters
46kg – £159.50 (343p/kg) – T Masters
47kg – £164.50 (350p/kg) – T Masters
48kg – £170.00 (354p/kg) – T Masters
50kg – £170.00 (340p/kg) – T Masters

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 354 – Top 359, Average 332.8
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 517 – Top 358, Average 335.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52kgs – 256 – Top 361, Average 341.7

Finished Hoggets – 496 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price: 310p p/kg – R L Pack
Top price per head: £168.00 W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm

A mixed entry of all sorts of end of season types with everything from 20kg to 70kg and everything in between. Trade for these is still very good with the best regularly going over £3 kg and over £150 hd with a top price this week of £168 from W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm. Many erupted teeth present also with these trading from £100-120 hd.

Breeding Sheep – 76 couples sold

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell 07712246474

Another good show of couples today with an overall average of £77.70 per life. A strong pen of Romney ewes and lambs to £228 (£91.20 per life) from D Light followed by K Lukehurst selling couples to £197 (£73.80 per life), £168 (£73.50 per life) and £210 (£70 per life) for mainly Suffolk cross ewes with the lambs. People are still looking for ewes and lambs so please do inform us with what you plan to sell so we can advertise them correctly.

Cull Sheep – 219 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell 07712246474

Ewes: Top £222 – M Friend, Average £108.41
Rams: Top £150 – S Pope, Average £126.67

Another cracking trade with more buyers in attendance. Grazing types much firmer after recent rainfall has pushed grass forward. Strong ewes were a little shorter in supply but still in strong demand with these types regularly  £120 – £150. Leaner sorts ranging from £70 – £110 with only the very few long term sorts below this bracket. A good selection of goats today sold to a top price of £138 and averaged a very strong £99.70. All grades of ewes are wanted and there is no better time to be thinking of selling them.

Top prices included:

Texel to £222 – M Friend, Charollais to £182 – G Tucker, Zwartbles to £157 – G Twyman, Suffolk cross to £155 – T Masters, Texel cross to £150 – B G & M A Tomsett, Romneys to £137 – D Thompson, Goats to £138 – A Wood

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle – 19 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A strong trade for a much-reduced entry of cattle with the best beef bred 250p plus and exceptional Limousin crosses from M B Farms topping both sections with steers to £1995 (272p) and heifers to £1776 (268p). Other top prices included runs from regular vendors W Alexander (Shoreham) and R F & E A Simmons.

Dairy bred cattle around 230p with Limousin x Friesian steer to £1515 (233p) and British Blue x Friesian steer £1418 (230p) from A J Down.

Only one native bred on offer an Aberdeen Angus cross heifer £1136 (219p) from W Alexander (Shoreham).

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

Top Steers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 272p/kg (£1995)
M B Farms – Limousin cross – 268p/kg (£1926)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 254p/kg (£1559)
W Alexander (Shoreham)– Limousin cross – 253p/kg (£1489)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 236p/kg (£1259)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 268p/kg (£1776)
M B Farms – Limousin cross – 256p/kg (£1456)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 258p/kg (£1509)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 246p/kg (£1426)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 242p/kg (£1328)

Average Prices (p/kg)

Steers up to 650kg – 8 Sold – Top 254 – Ave237.0
Steers over 651kg – 3 Sold – Top 272 – Ave 257.0
Heifers up to 590kg – 6 Sold – Top 256 – Ave 236.0
Heifers over 591kg – 2 Sold – Top 268 – Ave 260.0

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 19 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795200357

Disappointing not to have more cattle forward but perhaps not surprising in this Jubilee week that has undoubtedly caused some difficulties in the sector!

Trade remaining very firm for all grades, and with the grass racing away any long  term feeders have found increased demand.

Sussex 214p, 205p, £1391, £1185 J C & C Lewis; South Devon cross 206p, £1377 T Lyle & Ptnrs; Charolais 200p, £1516 Bullbridge Farm Ptnrs; Hereford 194p, £1372 (Non FA) C Yarnold; British Blue cross 184p, £1147 T Lyle & Ptnrs.

Holstein Friesian heifers 213p, £1360 J W Boyd & Sons; Holstein Friesian cows 174p, £1241 W F Farms.

Angus stock bull 118p, £1213. Sussex 147p, £1091.

Angus OTM steer 222p, £1763; Dexter steer 5year old 172p, £703; Sussex steer 4 year old plus 188p, £1179.

Beef Cows – 11 Sold – Top 214p/kg, Average 183.6p/kg
Dairy Cows – 4 Sold – Top 213p/kg, Average 183.0p/kg

Breeding Cattle – 5 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Plenty of interest in the small entry of beef breeding cattle with a Limousin cross cow with smart Parthenais cross calf at foot selling at £1560 from S Marsh and in calf South Devon cows to £1180 from T Lyle & Ptnrs.

Store Cattle – 91 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A small entry of store cattle at the end of the season were well received with plenty of customers at ringside and competitive bidding throughout. Strong well framed Sussex cross steers topped the market at £1175 from E T Ledger & Son Ltd closely followed by 14 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steer to £1135 from K W Marchant.

A run of Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers sold well with majority £930 plus and up to £1080 from R W Goddard & Ptnrs. Hard done British Blue x Friesian steers and heifers £880 and £890 from E & J H Maylam.

Principal Prices

14 months Limousin cross steer – £850 – Miss J J Butcher
15-18 months British Blue x Friesian steer – £880 – E & J H Maylam
15-18 months British Blue x Friesian heifer – £890 – E & J H Maylam
14 months Aberdeen Angus cross steer – £1135 – K W Marchant
14-15 months Aberdeen Angus cross heifer – £1080 – R W Goddard & Ptnrs
24 months Sussex cross steer – £1175 – E T Ledger & Son Ltd

Store & Finished Pigs – 27 Sold

Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

A very short entry for this sale but the market continues to show signs of strengthening. The auction is very much the spot market but for local retailers and small wholesalers it is essential and provides a clear monitor of supply and demand. A lot of sows are still being killed nationally and this must eventually play out into a shortage of pigs to supply pork and pork product demand. Are these the green shoots of recovery we are seeing?

The entry of finished pigs saw one run from T Russell make 132 to 152p per kg and gross £95 to £127.

No cull pigs were offered. Two days of bank holiday this week meant supplies were always going to exceed space on the slaughter lines.

The 3 pens of store pigs saw 50 kg feeders (gilts) make £71, £80, and £81. One young in pig sow (not the biggest) made £81

Finished good-p per kg – 12 – Top 152 – Average 141.3
£ per head – Top £126.67 – Average £131.18
Strong stores-£ per head – 14 – Top £81.00 – Average £78.00

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 7th June 2022

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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