Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 5th September 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,199

Top price per kg: 291p – G H Dean & Co
Top price per head: £143 – T Lyle & Partners

A few more on offer than last week, which was also the situation nationally on Monday. Demand for the product has remained consistent but with more on offer it has had a negative impact on the overall trade and prices on Tuesday were down 15-20p per kg. Saying this the best finished lambs this week were still rewarded with prices that are very favourable for the time of the year when traditionally the finished price comes under pressure. Top price for the lambs this week was taken by T Lyle and Partners with heavy Texel Lambs at £143, closely followed by R J Horsman and P N & C Burden at £140 and £139 respectively.

Important.

Please keep us informed regarding entries over the coming weeks so we can notify buyers with accurate numbers.

37kg – £90.00 (243p/kg) – A Campbell
38kg – £110.50 (291p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
39kg – £104.50 (268p/kg) – J H & A H Godden
40kg – £111.50 (279p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
41kg – £103.00 (251p/kg) – D Thompson
42kg – £108.50 (258p/kg) – T Lyle & Partners
43kg – £120.00 (279p/kg) – T Lyle & Partners
44kg – £119.00 (270p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
45kg – £118.50 (263p/kg) – Bosney Farm
46kg – £130.00 (283p/kg) – R J Adams
47kg – £126.50 (269p/kg) – H V Link Partnership
48kg – £130.00 (271p/kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
49kg – £129.50 (264p/kg) – G H Dean & Co
50kg – £127.00 (254p/kg) – Bosney Farm
52kg – £143.00 (275p/kg) – T Lyle & Partners

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 180 – Top 291, Average 245.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 553 – Top 279, Average 252.8
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 419 – Top 283, Average 254.3
Other 52.1+ kgs – 45 – Top 265, Average 253.5

Cull Sheep – 875 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £120 – Barleybrook Farm, Average £62.85

A larger number of ewes on offer today, in comparison to recent weeks, with the majority being plainer grazing types with very few meat ewes on offer. The best ewes still regularly £100 – £115, to a top price of £120 from Barleybrook Farm for strong Suffolk cross ewes. Medium sorts £65 – £80 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £45 – £60 throughout. Overall a fair trade with a good number of buyers present. 

Please do inform me of any large numbers of ewes that you intend on selling in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Suffolk cross to £120 – Barleybrook Farm, Texel cross to £114 – R Woods, Texel to £113 – H F & J H Glover, Mules to £86 – Barleybrook Farm, Romney to £85 – P H & P E Skinner, Goats to £106 – E Martin

 

Store & Breeding Sheep – Friday 1st September – 3,489 Sold

Auctioneers: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901 & James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price per head store lamb – £99.50 – Ross Farms
Top price per head breeding ewe tegs – £168 – J Taylor

Another cracking trade with a good attendance of buyers ensuring competitive returns for all on offer.
Best crossbred stores sold readily in excess of £90 while only small long keeping lamb sold below £75, and a favourable overall average of £82.30. Top run of the day included 385 Suffolk x Mule wethers from R Price & Sons topping at £97 and averaging £89.40.
A few more Romney wethers looked relatively well sold up to £85 with the smaller, longer keeping lamb in the £75 to £78 bracket.

Top prices include: 

Charollais cross to £99.50 – Ross Farms
Charollais cross to £95.50 – J Dinnis & Partners
Charollais cross to £87.00 – Wanstall Farms
Texel cross to £95.00 – T Mitchell
Texel cross to £92.00 – Luandy Farming, G Lawrence & Son
Texel cross to £91.00 – Fairtrough Farms
Texel cross to £90.50 – D Wimble
Texel cross to £90.00 – N A Vincent
Beltex cross to £88.50 – Rhona Thompson
Suffolk x Mule to £97.00 – R Price & Sons
Suffolk x Mule to £91.50 – W J Hurley
Suffolk x Romney to £87.50 – S G & G T Orpin
Suffolk x Romney to £85.00 – W Stewart Wood
Southdown cross to £82.00 – R W & P A Jury
Romney wethers to £85.00 – R W & P A Jury 

Principal lamb and breeding sheep prices include: 

Charollais cross – 422 sold – Top £99.50 – Ave £84.70
Texel cross – 1,652 sold – Top £95 – Ave £82.80
Beltex cross – 65 sold – Top £88.50 – Ave £88.50
Suffolk cross – 704 sold – Top £97 – Ave £86.50
Crossbred – 295 – Top £95.50 – Ave £72
Romney – 205 – Top £85 – Ave £77
Suffolk x Mule ewe tegs – 125 – Top £168 – Ave £162

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  51 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Another good entry and trade very much on a par with last week. The best 260p plus with a run of quality Limousin cross heifers from A J Thompson & Sons taking top honours with the pick around 285p and grossing up to £1891. Grand quality from W G Vant & Sons selling in the 265p to 270p bracket with smart steers grossing well at £1878.
A run of Simmental x Sussex steers from J Hooker & Son attracted prices around 240p and grossed well up to £1562.
The best of the dairy bred cattle around 240p notably Angus x Friesian steer £1436 (246p), Hereford x Friesian steer £1460 (240p) and Limousin x Friesian steer £1518 (236p) from A J Down.
The pick of the native bred cattle included Angus cross steers £1586 (239p) from G L Boulden & Sons, £1574 (239p) from Leggat Farming Ltd and £1419 (254p) from G Stokes, while a Stabiliser cross heifer sold at £1316 (242p) from W S Furnival Ltd and a run of handyweight purebred Sussex heifers ranged in the 235p – 240p bracket and grossed up to £1316 from D W Page & Son.

Top Steers

W G Vant & Sons – Limousin – 267p/kg (£1878)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin – 265p/kg (£1639)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 259p/kg (£1460)
G Stokes – Aberdeen Angus cross – 254p/kg (£1419)
A J Thompson & Sons – Aberdeen Angus cross – 252pkg (£1408)

Top Heifers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 287p/kg – (£1761)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 285p/kg – (£1891)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 277p/kg – (£1534)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 270p/kg – (£1751)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 264p/kg – (£1739)

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 22 sold – Top 265p – Ave 241p
Steers over 651kg – 5 sold – Top 267p – Ave 244p
Heifers up to 590kg – 17 sold – Top 277p – Ave 250p
Heifers over 591kg – 7 sold – Top 287p – Ave 260p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 69 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Into September, and with most of the schools back in business, the increased entry of cows was readily taken up by an eager and increased company of buyers. Mostly dairy culls but noticeably more flesh on offer than recent weeks and the small entry of beef cows were also carrying good cover.
No best beef cows but good commercial types 155p – 185p whether assured or not. Competition certainly sharper. Angus x 183p £1177 R F & E A Simmons; Limousin x 179p £1160 G L Boulden & Sons; South Devon x 178p £1500 G L Boulden & Sons; Sussex x 178p 169p 168p 166p 161p £1374 £1236 £1213 £1127 £1109 (Non FA) M B Burgess; Hereford x 158p 157p £1127 £1118 (Non FA) M B Burgess.
A tremendous trade for the black & whites with some very good cows on offer and best from Appleton Farms grossing up over £1600. Good keen competition throughout and the lean half fleshed cows look very well sold at 130p – 150p per kg.
Holstein Friesian. 182p, 169p £1150, £1078 JW Boyd & Sons; 172p 167p 165p (2) 164p 159p 157p (2) £1629 £1355 £1307 £1259 £1252 (2) Appleton Farms; 167p 156p 149p £1415 £1244 £1153 J Warnock & Sons; 167p 154p £1365 £1144 P J Forknall; Jersey 105p 96p £496 £487 S E Lane & Partners.
Stock bulls (2) – good fleshed bulls wanted.  Sussex 155p £1483; British Blue 146p £1491.
Overage (14) – as strong as we have seen for some months as consumer practices return to normal and demand for a cheaper product continues. OTM Holstein heifers 226p 212p £1703 £1483 Appleton Farms; OTM Holstein steers 220p (2) 215p 213p 211p (2) £1613 £1569 £1505 £1498 £1491 £1474 E T Ledger & Son Ltd.

Beef Cows – 14 Sold – Top 183, Average 161.8
Dairy Cows –38 Sold – Top 182, Average 145.9

Store and Finished Pigs – 29 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished (12) More numbers needed to satisfy demand with those forward selling on a strong trade once more. Trade toppers today were a pen of well fleshed cutting pigs from P J & P B Wade which reached 229p or £200.38 per head. The same vendor also seeing the rewards for their Porkers with 222p or £183.15. Bacon pigs to 175p or £192.50 with heavier boars to 120p or £147, both from I M Symonds.
Sows (4) – A better quality entry this week although still no real top commercials, best 68p from C Higgins.
Stores (9) – Two pens of forward OSB this week from D Cox to £70.

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 – 12th September 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here