Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 7th February 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets – 1,809 Sold

Top price per kg: 296p – P Gorringe
Top price per head: £140.00 – M L Wilson & Son Ltd, H V Link Ptnsp and P Tampin

Again, a small entry of finished hoggs for the time of year but this seems to be commonplace around the country as finishing has been exceptionally hard this year. This, in turn, brings a lot of lightweight lambs to market at one time, boosting the price of the heavier sorts and keeping prices of these light types under pressure. This week is a typical example of this trade with just 20% of the entry over 45kg. In recent years we have seen this over 60% when conditions have been more helpful. The best on offer today topped at £140 head three times from different vendors, being M L Wilson & Sons, Mr P Tampin and H V Link Partnership with other heavies of note from P Gorringe topping out at 296p kg.

Presenting lambs in a clean and dry condition is fundamentally important when the trade is this hard and selective. We strongly recommend keeping hoggets shut in the night before the sale with our lairage facility available for this every Monday.

Less stores about today and a similar trade to where we have seen it with the top end up towards £90 but some of these going to the abattoir. Genuine stores topping in the £80 region with longer term types £55-65.

Top Prices

36kg – £86.00 (239p/kg) – B & M Coleman Ltd
37kg – £97.00 (262p/kg) – I Lucas
38kg – £99.00 (261p/kg) – S B & A E Martin
39kg – £92.50 (237p/kg) – L Furnival
40kg – £98.00 (245p/kg) – H & J Noakes
41kg – £108.00 (263p/kg) – S B & A E Martin
42kg – £107.50 (256p/kg) – H & J Noakes
43kg – £108.00 (251p/kg) – P Tampin
44kg – £116.00 (264p/kg) – I Lucas
45kg – £111.00 (247p/kg) – I M Symonds
46kg – £111.00 (241p/kg) – P Tampin
47kg – £139.00 (296p/kg) – P Gorringe
48kg – £128.00 (267p/kg) – P Gorringe
49kg – £129.00 (263p/kg) – M L Wilson & Son Ltd
50kg – £117.00 (234p/kg) – Bowley Farm Ltd
51kg – £122.00 (239p/kg) – A Jull
52kg – £117.00 (225p/kg) – A Jull
53kg – £127.00 (240p/kg) – P Gorringe
58kg – £140.00 (241p/kg) – P Tampin
62kg – £140.00 (226p/kg) – M L Wilson & Son Ltd
65kg – £123.00 (189p/kg) – H V Link Ptnsp
70kg – £140.00 (200p/kg) – H V Link Ptnsp

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 415 – Top 252, Average 230.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 588 – Top 264, Average 226.1
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 304 – Top 296, Average 239.6
Over 52.1 kgs – 62 – Top 255, Average 228.2

Cull Sheep – 646 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £178 – P Loveland, Average £79.35
Ram: Top £117 – Wye Community Farm, Average £59

A larger number of ewes penned with a good number of better fleshed ewes in comparison to previous weeks. Trade has taken a slight lift, particularly for the best fleshed ewes which were regularly £90-£120. Top price of the day £178 for some superb Texel ewes from P Loveland.  Medium sorts £70-£90 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £30-£60, with very few being sold below these figures.

Texel to £178 – P Loveland, Texel cross to £134 – P N & C Burden, Suffolk cross to £130 – G H Dean & Co, Mules to £108 – T Hope, Romneys to £107 – H G Tompsett & Sons Ltd

Breeding ewes – 41 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

The breeding section saw a consignment of Texel x Lleyn ewes In Lamb to a Southdown ram from P Smith to a top price of £135 with the whole run averaging £126.22.
Please do inform us of any breeding sheep you intend to sell soon.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  44 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

With 8 cattle up over 300p from 4 different vendors this says everything about the state of our finished trade as tight supplies puts pressure on abattoirs and retailers to secure stock. Records are there to be broken and W Alexander (Shoreham) set the NEW RECORD at 311p with a Limousin heifer, and another at 309p (where were you David?). Just behind at 310p, £2074, and 304p were Limousin heifers from M B Farms whilst an outstanding trio of Limousin heifers from D W Ferguson Ltd sold at 308p, 306p and 301p. Completing the roll of honour G L Boulden & Sons sold their Blonde cross heifer at 303p.
A J Down saw his Limousin x Friesian steers to 275p grossing up to £1855 whilst their good British Friesian sold at £248p, £1436.
W S Furnival Ltd topped the natives with Sussex steers to 276p, £1667 whilst a nice run of handyweight Sussex from N A Balcomb & Son saw steers to 264p, heifers to 254p. Aberdeen Angus cross steers from Leggat Farming at 266p, £1487, others from P W & P Sim & Son at 258p, £1764; Aberdeen Angus cross heifers to 266p, £1580 from W S Furnival Ltd. Holstein steers from E T Ledger & Son to 222p, £1318, heifers from Leggat Farming to 209p, £1303.
Well Done Everyone!

Top Steers 

K & P M Sinden & Sons – British Blue cross – 287p/kg (£1776)~
K & P M Sinden & Sons – British Blue cross – 282p/kg (£1829)
W S Furnival Ltd – Sussex – 276p/kg (£1666)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 275p/kg (£1797)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 268p/kg (£1832)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 311p/kg (£1925)
M B Farms – Limousin – 310p/kg (£2073)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 309p/kg (£1542)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 308p/kg (£1660)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin – 306p/kg (£1726) 

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 6 sold – Top 264p – Ave 254p
Steers 551 to 650kg – 10 sold – Top 287p – Ave 259p
Steers over 651kg – 8 sold – Top 275p – Ave 258p
Heifers up to 500kg – 2 sold – Top 309p – Ave 281p
Heifers 501 to 590kg – 9 sold – Top 308p – Ave 279p
Heifers over 591kg – 9 sold – Top 311p – Ave 281p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 76 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another outstanding trade for all grades of cull and overage cattle. Rates very similar overall with noticeably more older, plainer beef cows and significantly less dairy culls this week.
Highlight, without doubt, was a RECORD price for a native cow with an enormous South Devon cow from Alex & Gemma Sells realising £2085 and a RECORD dairy cull return for a British Friesian cow from D Murdoch & Sons at £1659
Beef cows regularly topping 200p with nothing fancy on offer this week. Demand for feeders and grazers remaining outstanding.
Aberdeen Angus cross 216p, 196p, 193p,  £1427, £1379, £1376 P Parkes, 190p, 183p, £1232, £1223 G W Bridges; Sussex 208p, £1245 P Taylor, 202p, £1118 West Court, 192p, 188p D A Innes, 190p £1649 A H Hoad & Son, 186p, £1122 N A Balcomb & Son; Charolais cross 204p, 199p, £1519, £1313 (Non FA) N Morgan; South Devon 198p, 186p, 185p, £2085, £1725, £1333 Gardners; Limousin cross 198p, 191p, £1372, £1146 R F & E A  Simmons; Hereford 186p (3) £1558, £1243, £1132 (Non FA) A R Ambrose; Dexter 176p, 168p (2) (Non FA) Kent Wildlife Trust.
Similar rates on the dairy front with good, fleshed cows 170-190p and the half meat cows looking particularly well sold.
British Friesian cross 189p, £1659 D Murdoch & Sons; Holstein Friesian 183p, 180p, 179p, 178p, £1624, £1496, £1483, £1464 Appleton Farms, 175p, 174p, £1448, £1345 D Murdoch & Sons; Brown Swiss 179p, £1500 J Howie; Ayrshire 176p, 175p, £1167, £1141 J Howie; Jersey 90p (2) £465 M S Clifford- Baynes.
Overage Clean (7) Outstanding! Limousin cross OTM heifer 268p, £1458, Sussex OTM heifer 231p, £1164, Simmental cross OTM steer 218p, £1120, British Blue cross heifer 3yo+ 198p, £1067, Holstein steer 3YO+ 196p £1535.
Keep Finding Them! Many Thanks.

Beef Cows – 45 Sold – Top 216, Average 178.1
Dairy Cows – 21 Sold – Top 189, Average 153.5

Store Cattle – 32 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Only a small show of cattle this week before the bigger catalogued sale next week.
Trade outstanding as customers look to secure livestock knowing that numbers are short the country over! Shorter term strong cattle are leading the way, but the yearling types are very much wanted. In fact, everything is wanted!!
Simmental x Frisian steer O/W 23 mths £1465 J Claringbould; British Blue X Friesian heifer O/W 23 mths £1155 J Claringbould; Stabilizer cross steers 20-22 mths £1280, £1270, £1090 Lee House Farm; Hereford steer O/W 29 mths £1265 D Mosdell; Hereford steer O/W 22 mths £1175 D Mosdell; Limousin cross steers 22 mths £1115 J H & A H Godden; Aberdeen Angus cross steer 26 mths £1035 J H & A H Godden; Limousin cross steers 10 mths £770, heifers £610 J Bower; Dexter cross steers 18 mths £415, £375, heifers £250 Brede Valley Farm.
Good Trade.

Pigs – 70 sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished 45– A similar trade to last time out with anything over 80 kgs well followed, with particularly strong demand, as ever, for best meat and shaped pigs. These would have been generally 120 to 140 pence with tops today from P J & P Wade who sold a tremendous pen of well-shaped porkers to 165 pence or £140.25 per head, with a second pen to 153 pence or £126.23. C B Hope with a significant amount of today’s entry topped at 155 pence or £139.50. Nice Saddlebacks from Kingswood once again to 140 pence this week. Lighter pigs lacking style and confirmation harder work as with previous weeks. Buyers report the need for more weight, flesh and conformation where possible and so I would encourage vendors to try and ensure finished pigs are sold heavier to suit market conditions.
Cull 19 – Spark in the cull trade again with tops of 55 pence from C B Hope or £137.70 from P R Lanham. Sows generally 40 – 50 pence with a good selection of Boars not far behind.
Stores 6 – A handful of Kunekunes in the store section so no records broken.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 14th February 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here