Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 31st October 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 616 Sold

Top price per kg: 320p – R L Pack
Top price per head: £140 – Monty Head & R L Pack

Another small entry and a very good trade for the finished sheep. Some well finished sheep with plenty of shape on offer this week which certainly helped the averages to push up to 260p kg overall with lambs over £3 kg on a few occasions to a top of 320p kg from R L Pack and £140 from Monty Head. Meated sheep are scarce across the country and hence why we are seeing these great prices for this time of year. This is unlikely to change in the run up to Christmas so if you have sheep with weight, and finished, it will certainly pay to sell now. For any marketing advice please do not hesitate to give me a call and we can discuss the options.

37kg – £90.00 (243p/kg) – T Hope & Son
38kg – £90.00 (237p/kg) – T Hope & Son
39kg – £101.00 (259p/kg) – A Jull
40kg – £128.00 (320p/kg) – R L Pack
41kg – £117.00 (285p/kg) – R G Stevens
42kg – £111.50 (265p/kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
43kg – £118.50 (276p/kg) – M Wenham
44kg – £134.00 (305p/kg) – M Head
45kg – £135.00 (300p/kg) – R L Pack
46kg – £130.50 (284p/kg) – R L Pack
47kg – £130.00 (277p/kg) – R L Pack
48kg – £121.50 (253p/kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
49kg – £140.00 (286p/kg) – Monty Head
50kg – £140.00 (280p/kg) – R L Pack
51kg – £110.00 (216p/kg) – R M Vidler
52kg – £129.50 (249p/kg) – C Woodhead 

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 84 – Top 297, Average 238.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 298 – Top 320, Average 267.2
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 177 – Top 300, Average 265.2
Other 52.1+ kgs – 40 – Top 249, Average 235.1

Cull Sheep – 261 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £158.00 – K V Potter, Average £64.44

Trade much the same with less numbers in the pens, and a good number being either half meat or grazing types. The best ewes £85 – £90 to a top price of £158 for superb Texel ewes from K V Potter. Medium sorts £65 – £80 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £40 – £60, and very few being sold below these figures. Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have any large numbers of ewes to sell.

Top prices included

Texel to £158 – K V Potter, Texel cross to £108 – A J Skinner & Son, Suffolk cross to £85 – R G Hobbs Farms, Mules to £82 – W J Waters, Romney to £77 – J A Buggs & Sons

Store & Breeding Sheep inc. Rams – Friday 27th October

6,644 Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903 and James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Another good entry of lambs this week with over 6,000 stores penned in what is likely to be one of the last big sales of store sheep this season. Trade has lifted a little this week in line with the finished prices and more demand for lambs was seen with a few new customers around the ring to secure some lambs for further finishing. The top end of the sheep, and most forward stores, sold over £100 head to a top price of £111 from C H Ellis who had a fine run of nearly 300 lambs which averaged £102 head. The average for the run of crossbred lambs was £88 which is £3-4 up on the previous sale and one of the highest averages in the autumn sales. The general running type of lambs were £75-83 with only longer terms types below this level.
Romney lambs were a less consistent trade, but also a less consistent entry in terms of quality. The best of these in strong demand with the top pen of the day from Harry Metcalfe selling to £92.50 with other strong sheep in the high eighties. More longer term sheep sold from £65-75 head.

Just a few pens of tegs this week with the majority already sold over the past few weeks. Top call went to T Husk for his well-bred Texel cross to £190, and in close attendance was Picketts Farm with their Texel cross to £178. Smart Romney tegs from Charlton Park to £156 with Suffolk cross from T J Bignell to £154. Although this is expected to be our last main sale of breeding sheep on a Friday please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have any further breeding sheep to sell.

A good selection of ewes forward with little time left for breeding stock to be bought ahead of the breeding season. A flock dispersal from Charlton Park saw their best Romneys to £141 and £135 for strong, mainly, young ewes. A flock dispersal from M R J Francis & Son saw their Texel cross to £116 and Mules to £95. Something different on offer from J Butchers with pedigree Zwartbles to £124 and £121 and Black Romneys from the same home to £91.

A large entry of rams, with a large number being older aged rams. The best of the rams regularly £250 – £300 to a top price of £510 from C F Fuggle for Texels. B J Baker sold Charollais to £480 with N A Balcomb & Son topping the Suffolks at £400. Romneys from H V Link Partnership to £400.

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  55 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Improved trade on the week with the best 290p plus with a run of handy weights from A J Thompson & Sons featuring in the leading price, and a top quality Limousin cross heifer from W Alexander (Shoreham) grossing well up to £1934.
In addition, to the quoted prices a Limousin cross heifer grossed well at £1886 (282p) from W G Vant & Sons and Blonde cross heifer £1679 (290p) from G L Boulden & Sons.
A run of well fleshed dairy bred cattle from A J Down again rang the bell with the pick of the Limousin x Friesian steers £1739 (266p) and £1688 (275p), Angus x Friesian steer £1633 (264p), Hereford x Friesian steer £1446 (266p) and Hereford x Friesian heifer £1339 (258p).

Top Steers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 306p/kg (£1374)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 297p/kg (£1719)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 295p/kg (£1855)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 293p/kg (£1872)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 290pkg (£1881)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 315p/kg (£1934)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 307p/kg (£1593)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 305p/kg (£1522)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 296p/kg – (£1403)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 296p/kg (£1344)

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 13 sold – Top 306p – Ave 246p
Steers over 551kg – 19 sold – Top 297p – Ave 266p
Heifers up to 500kg – 10 sold – Top 305p – Ave 252p
Heifers over 591kg – 13 sold – Top 315p – Ave 254p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 95 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Continued big numbers and more customers forward despite the lower prices prevailing.

Trading conditions, certainly, getting more difficult and exacerbated by the atrocious weather conditions up and down the country. Clean beef, over or underage, is holding firm; feeding cows, particularly the younger better shaped types remain a good trade with confidence shown by the feeders for the long term; but the killing cattle are caught between rocks and hard places as numbers increase, because of the weather, and the processing sector begin to move onto Christmas boning practices that will focus on prime beef leaving the cow beef towards the New Year!
Young beef feeding cows can still top 200p kg with the best of the fleshed cows 150p -175p kg but still relatively few under 100p kg except for the plainest, the oldest or the light weights.
Charolais cross 229p, £1314 (Non FA) C E Price & Son; Sussex 218p, 188p, £1106, £979     D A Innes, 164p, 159p, £1078, £1046 W J Hurley; Limousin cross 164p, £1112 (Non FA) J Tassell; Simmental cross 159p, £1054 (Non FA) C E Price & Son, 148p, £1047 Betchworth Estate; British Blue cross 150p, £957 (Non FA) C E Price & Son; Hereford 148p, 144p, £1224, £1005 M J Burton; Beef Shorthorn cross 149p (Non FA) I D Machin; Lincoln Red 146p, £1106 (Non FA) N Morgan; Angus cross 150p, £1091 Betchworth Estate, 147p, 142p, 140p (2), £1132, £1128, £1116, £1102 (Non FA) V & C Smith; Traditional Hereford’s 137p, 133p, 129p (2), £792, £722, £708, £707; Belted Galloway 144p, £818; Dexter 83p, £297, Water Buffalo 70p, £542.
Overage (20) Plenty of competitive customers to take this beef. Ideally, if going overage, do not let them go over 3 years old, and certainly not 48 mths, but there are customers for everything! Limousin x OTM heifer 257p, £1629, 238p, £1520 Limousin x steer 238p, £1449; Angus x OTM 224p, £1106, steers 222p, 216p, £1293, ££1196; Sussex OTM steer 218p, £1273; Holstein OTM steers 191p, 174p, 158p, £1232, £1134, £1124.
Stock bull (1) Just the one lean and older Limousin bull at 93p, £870.

Beef Cows – 57 Sold – Top 229, Average 139.9
Dairy Cows –15 Sold – Top 219, Average 127.1

Breeding Cattle – 7 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

A young Simmental x cow and her 3 mth steer calf found plenty of interest selling to £1350. A Sussex cow with fresh bull calf £930 whilst horned Sussex cows, running with the bull sold to £700.

Store Cattle – 360 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another exceptional trade for the best, particularly the stronger sorts, while young plainer sorts are proving more difficult to sell.
The few smart single suckled beef bred yearlings on offer attracted prices in excess of £1000 with a run of Limousin cross from Gardners taking the pick of the trade with steers and heifers topping at £1130 and £880 respectively.
Several runs of strong Continental cross stores were keenly sought after with superb run of 42 Limousin cross steers from G D Black & Son, East Anglia topping the market at £1550 with an impressive average of £1308. Other top runs included 42 Charolais cross steers topping at £1415 and averaging £1320 from Seymour Stevens Ltd and Charolais cross steers to £1390 from Matthew Wickens.
In the native section yearling Angus cross steers were well sold at £1000 from Gallagher Farms and quality beef Shorthorn heifer topped the section at £1480 from I D Machin.
Next sale Tuesday 7^th November – 450 already entered.

Principal Prices include:

Continental cross

12mths Limousin cross steers – £1040 – Gallagher Farms
11-12mths Limousin cross steers – £1130 – Gardners
11-12mths Limousin cross heifers – £880 – Gardners
15mths Blue x Friesian steers – £1100 – P J S Farms Ltd
15mths Blue x Friesian heifers – £880 – P J S Farms Ltd
18mths Blonde cross heifers – £1145 – Maytham Wharf Farm
18-20mths Limousin cross steers – £1550 – G D Black & Son
18-20mths Charolais cross steers – £1415 – Seymour Stevens Ltd
20mths Charolais cross steers – £1390 – M Wickens
20mths Charolais cross heifers – £1180 – M Wickens

Native Bred

12mths Angus cross steers – £1000 – Gallagher Farms
16mths Angus x Friesian steers – £950 – P J S Farms Ltd
16mths Angus x Friesian heifers – £810 – P J S Farms Ltd
15mths Hereford cross heifers – £850 – Kent Wildlife Trust
18mths Hereford steers – £1050 – M J Burton
20mths Angus x Friesian steers – £1060 – Mrs A Farris
19mths Beef Shorthorn heifer – £1480 – I D Machin

Store & Finished Pigs – 25 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (20) – Best pigs continue to see strong demand with trade well in excess of 200p for the right goods. Well fleshed coloureds also well sought after and relatively speaking well priced. Coloured and traditional pigs harder work with a lot of under fleshed and lighter pigs forward. Vendors are advised to ensure pigs are well fleshed and have plenty of size about them as the winter approaches and market demand changes for the season. Please try not to just go with the weight of the pig but consider whether it is fit to sell. Best pigs from C K Guest today to 238p or £226.10 per head for a lovely pen of white cutters. Lighter coloured porkers from Miss J Judge to 170p or £140.24 averaging 158.35p or £125.10 per head. Cutting pigs averaged 203p or £187.36 per head with Bacon pigs 150p or £118.75 from J Sanders.
Sows (5) – Sows a little easier this week with 5 forward averaging 56.26p or £136.14, topping at £162.50 or 66p.
Stores (0) – Unfortunately, no stores forward this week but entries for some quality weaners already received for a fortnight time. 

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 – 7th November 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here