Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 6th June 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,525

Top price per kg: 362p – Eastlands Farm
Top price per head: £166 – M J Ashworth

More lambs now coming forward each week, but the trade is still holding strong at 320p for the overall average. There is something of a two-tiered market place becoming evident with the heavier, ad lib fed finished lambs selling on a higher price band to those that may be single lambs straight off grass. The grass lambs are selling on a, similarly, good trade, but not quite at the level of the fed lambs. Top on the day got to the heights of £166 from M J Ashworth, with other smart runs of sheep from Tom Masters and L Stevens & Sons topping at £163 and £159, respectively.

35kg – £110.00 (314p/kg) – S W Mount & Sons Ltd
36kg – £129.00 (358p/kg) – Eastlands Farm
37kg – £130.00 (351p/kg) – Luandy Farming Ltd
38kg – £137.50 (362p/kg) – Eastlands Farm
39kg – £125.00 (321p/kg) – A W Vincent
40kg – £138.00 (345p/kg) – M J Ashworth
41kg – £141.50 (345p/kg) – Link Bros
42kg – £148.50 (354p/kg) – K Tucker
43kg – £147.00 (342p/kg) – M J Ashworth
44kg – £149.00 (339p/kg) – T Masters
45kg – £147.00 (327p/kg) – Link Bros
46kg – £151.00 (328p/kg) – M J Ashworth
47kg – £158.00 (336p/kg) – T Masters
48kg – £166.00 (346p/kg) – M J Ashworth
49kg – £160.00 (327p/kg) – D J Morphett
50kg – £163.00 (326p/kg) – M J Ashworth
51kg – £159.00 (312p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
52kg – £164.00 (315p/kg) – T Masters

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 459 – Top 362, Average 311.4
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 784 – Top 354, Average 322.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 267 – Top 346, Average 322.2
Over 52.1 kgs – 8 – Top 315, Average 305.7

Finished Hoggets – 1,111 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Still several of these about with 1300 penned, and a very mixed bag in terms of quality. Hoggs trading from £20 to £182!
Numbers will begin to ease each week with the switchover to New Season very much in process with all wholesalers but many export orders still have a preference for hoggets which helps to keep the trade alive for the better fleshed and heavier types.

Cull Sheep – 376 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £171 – K Tucker, Average £92.96
Ram: Top £172 – C Ballard, Average £76.42

The smallest show seen for some time but as to be expected for the time of year. The best ewes regularly £100 – £130 and to a top price of £171 from K Tucker for some cracking Charollais ewes. Medium sorts £70 – £90 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £40 – £60 throughout with very few being sold below these figures. A good overall trade, please do inform me of any large numbers of ewes you intend on selling.

Charollais to £171 – K Tucker, Texel to £145 – C Ballard, Texel cross to £139 – M A Piper & Sons, Suffolk cross to £130 – L Stevens & Sons, Mules to £111 – E W & R E Hanks, Romney to £110 – Lovejoy Farm Ptnsp

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  31 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Finished cattle continue to be in short supply and the live trade holds firm despite reported downward pressure deadweight.
Again, best beef bred continental cross cattle in excess of 280p with a smart Limousin cross heifer topping the market at £1663 (303p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and a Limousin cross steer topped at £1852 (290p) from the same vendor.
Dairy bred and native bred cattle generally 250p to 265p with Limousin x Friesian steers to £1567 (264p), Hereford x Friesian steers to £1719 (259p) and purebred Friesian steers to £1380 (247p) from A J Down.
Angus cross dominated the native bred section with steers £1587 (265p) from B G & M A Tomsett and £1654 (259p) from W S Furnival Ltd. Heifers to £1573 (265p) again from the Tomsett family, while a Sussex cross heifer looked well sold to £1536 (261p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons.
A 22 mths Angus bull grossed well at £2081 (264p) from B J Goodsell & Son.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 290p/kg (£1852)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 290p/kg (£1708)
K & P M Sinden – British Blue cross – 286p/kg (£1798)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 280pkg (£1718)
K & P M Sinden – British Blue cross – 265p/kg (£1692)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 303p/kg (£1663)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 298p/kg – (£1532)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 288pkg (£1653)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 287p/kg (£1575)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 276p/kg – (£1694)

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 16 sold – Top 290p – Ave 265p
Steers over 651kg – 3 sold – Top 259p – Ave 254p
Heifers up to 590kg – 9 sold – Top 303p – Ave 281p
Heifers over 651kg – 2 sold – Top 276p – Ave 270p
Bulls – 1 sold – Top 264p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 57 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Decent numbers on a June day but we are seeing a far wider range of qualities with far more of the old and ugly now being rightly tidied up! It has to be said that the trade is holding very firm for all killing stock of all grades, all younger feeders that can go forward in the yards, and with only a slight easing in the older grazing cows which is a reflection of the year moving on, and the dry weather.
Best beef meat cows are in short supply but readily 220-240p, again without anything flashy on offer. Anything fleshed 180-210p and only the older awkward types down below 170p.
Angus x 237p, 234p, 220p £1460, £1434, £1249 P Parkes, 202p £1350 (Non FA) T J Dunkley, 191p £1305 (Non FA) T Hope & Son; Simmental x 235p £1759 E Chantler & Son; Blonde x 227p £1699 G L Boulden&Son; Limousin x 224p £1531 (Non FA) Cobtree YFC, 213p £1424 G L Boulden & Son; Sussex x 224p £1531, 213p £1424 K & P M Sinden & Sons; British Blue x  212p, 209p, 203p,196p £1491, £1439, £1388, £1357 (Non FA) O`Neill Smith; 197p £1189 (Non FA) E Tilley; Dexter 118p £441 M Hunter.
More lean cows than fleshed ones from the dairy sector but no letting up with demand. A good cow but not the best still able to get to 200p!
Holstein Friesian 200p, 196p £1427, £1426 J W Boyd & Son; 196p, 193p, 190p, 189p, 187p £1612, £1511, £1470, £1450, £1427 Appleton Farms; 185p, 184p £1375, £1321 Oncoland Ltd; Foreign Cows to £1100.
A strange mix under the stairs this week but all wanted. Friesian OTM steer 229p £1577; grazing awkward Blue x and Sussex x heifers either side of 30 months, either side of 200p up to 230p £1102.
Keep finding your cows and ask whether they really should go through another winter, and if so, don’t let them get to the bull!

Beef Cows – 29 Sold – Top 236, Average 189.1
Dairy Cows – 21 Sold – Top 200, Average 172.0

Breeding Cattle – 40 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A nice entry of bulls, cows and calves and in calf cows met another strong demand from a good attendance of buyers.
Bull trade selective with a nice Simmental 2yo from The Sulham Estate, Pangbourne selling at £2600 with a purebred Charolais 2yo from R V A Stannard making £2000.
Mostly older cows with good calves forward and well received. A Blue x cow and Lim x steer calf made £1360 from N A Vincent; a run of mostly Sussex x cows with Lim x and Charolais x calves from the Goodsell Farm Ptrs were generally around £1200 per unit; K Vincent with Blue x and Angus x cows and Angus calves were again £1200; and a nice Sussex outfit from T Wood also £1200.
In calf Lim x cows due August – November £860 – £910.

Store Cattle – 141 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A tremendous trade for all stores late in the season with all regular buyers keen at ringside and many more could have been sold at very favourable prices.
Quality 14mths Limousin cross steers topped the market at £1560, others at £1320 from T Martin closely followed at £1360 from J Prior & Son. A run of 22mths Blue x Friesian heifers from North Kent College attracted much interest for bulling and ranged in the £1190 to £1250 bracket while yearling Angus cross heifers looked well sold at £1020 from P Parkes.
Several pens of purebred Sussex steers sold well up to £1200 from Jane Austen and £1030 from J D Hickman.

Already entered for next week
18 22mths Blue x Friesian heifers from North Kent College

Principal Prices include:

Continental bred

13mths Limousin cross steers – £1360 – J Prior & Son
14mths Limousin cross steers – £1560 – T Martin
17mths Blue cross steers – £1200 – D & D Mullett
22mths Blue x Friesian heifers – £1250 – North Kent College

Native bred

12mths Angus steers – £970 – G H S Wilson
12mths Angus steers – £930 – P Parkes
12mths Angus heifers – £1020 – P Parkes
12mths Angus cross heifers – £865 – T Lyle & Ptns
14mths Sussex steers – £1030 – J D Hickman
14mths Sussex bulls – £815 – M Gibb
24mths Sussex steers – £1200 – Jane Austen

Calves – 34 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Calves – 27 sold

A seasonal entry with a mixed bag selling to a phenomenal trade!
Bulls to £235, £210 and £195 from Hickson Bros with their normal consignment of Blues. Angus to £160 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd and Herefords topping at £150 from Plurenden Partnership.
Heifers found strong demand to £235, £220 and £215 for Blues from Hickson Bros; Angus to £190 and Herefords to £210 from Plurenden Partnership.
Dairy bulls a much better trade with older British Friesians to £140, £85 and £40 from Plurenden Partnership and younger well fleshed Holstein Friesians to £48 from J W Boyd & Sons.

Weanlings – 7
A nice run of weanlings from H O Champneys Ltd selling on a tremendous trade with more demanded! Tops of £380 for Angus bulls and £390 for Blue heifers. A pen of 3 Angus heifers toped at £340.

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 3 – Ave £213.33 – Top – £235 – Hickson Bros
Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £160 – Top £160 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Hereford cross – 3 – Ave £128.33 – Top £150 – Plurenden Ptnsp

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 6 – Ave £209.17 – Top £235 – Hickson Bros
Aberdeen Angus cross – 2 – Ave £155 – Top £190 – Plurenden Ptnsp
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £210 – Top £210 – Plurenden Ptnsp

Bull Weanlings

Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £380 – Top £380 – H O Champneys Ltd

Heifer Weanlings

British Blue cross – 2 – Ave £375 – Top £390 – H O Champneys Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 4 – Ave £335 – Top £340 – H O Champneys Ltd

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 13th June 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here