Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 7th May 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets -807

Top price per kg: 500p – T Husk
Top price per head: £230.00 – T Husk

A similar tale to last week! Averages were certainly improved but this is completely down to the quality of the stock on offer rather than the trade, itself, which is very strong for the best sheep, and slightly harder for the under finished and “also rans” in the entry. The best hoggets broke the £5 kg barrier again today and several sheep still making over £200. Trade will sustain for these better sheep all the way through now until the Eid al-Adha festival, providing the sheep are well finished as some have lost condition recently with the poor weather that continues to haunt us.

34kg – £104.00 (306p/kg) – T Husk
36kg – £124.00 (344p/kg) – S & V Bullock
38kg – £125.00 (329p/kg) – Murray Roos
39kg – £127.00 (326p/kg) – J Hooker & Son
40kg – £169.00 (423p/kg) – R L Pack
41kg – £175.00 (427p/kg) – R L Pack
42kg – £100.00 (238p/kg) – J Hooker & Son
43kg – £174.00 (405p/kg) – R L Pack
44kg – £188.00 (427p/kg) – R L Pack
45kg – £225.00 (500p/kg) – T Husk
46kg – £202.00 (439p/kg) – T Husk
47kg – £198.00 (421p/kg) – R L Pack
48kg – £198.00 (413p/kg) – R L Pack
49kg – £181.00 (369p/kg) – Frederick & Sons
50kg – £230.00 (460p/kg) – T Husk
51kg – £206.00 (404p/kg) – R L Pack
52kg – £188.00 (362p/kg) Frederick & Sons
53kg – £168.00 (317p/kg) – S J Reeve & Son
54kg – £177.00 (328p/kg) – R L Goodman & Son
55kg – £206.00 (375p/kg) – R L Goodman & Son
57kg – £176.00 (309p/kg) – Oliver Tilley
58kg – £200.00 (345p/kg) – Frederick & Sons
59kg – £153.00 (259p/kg) – Frederick & Sons
60kg – £215.00 (358p/kg) – R H Smith & Partners
61kg – £199.00 (326p/kg) – C Worley Farming Ltd
62kg – £216.00 (348p/kg) – R H Smith & Partners
64kg – £140.00 (219p/kg) – J & C Kellett
77kg – £183.00 (238p/kg – N A Balcomb & Son

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 10 – Top 344, Average 277.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 203 – Top 500, Average 403.3
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 357 – Top 460, Average 364.6
Other 52.1+ kgs – 219 – Top 398, Average 323.3

New Season Lambs -36 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A very small entry again but we are now beginning to get a few each week now and prices are very good for those that have got lambs ready for sale. They must be well finished and 36 kg plus to ring the bell, but all sold between 450-500p kg to a top price of 495p kg from S W Mount & Sons and £212 head from James Farrant.

Cull Sheep – 395 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £234 – T Husk – Ave £137.34

A marvellous trade with averages up once again and competition fierce for all grades. The best ewes regularly £140 – £170 and to a top price of £234 for cracking Beltex cross ewes from Tom Husk. Medium sorts £100 – £130 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £60 – £90 throughout with only very few sold below these figures. Numbers are wanted weekly to satisfy buyers demands with the upcoming Qurbani festival in June. Please get in touch if you have any further enquiries or if you wish to book any large numbers of ewes in with us.

Top prices included

Beltex cross to £234 – T Husk, Suffolk cross to £200 – G Lawrence & Son Texel cross to £190 – T Husk, Romneys to £165 – N A Balcomb & Son, Mules to £157 – O Tilley.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  38 Sold

Auctioneer:Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A few less forward after the Bank Holiday with a very similar level of trade with a bit more variation in quality.
Smart beef types up over 280p with top honours for steers and heifers to W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd at 281p and 293p, shared with R F & E A Simmons with their heifer at 293p. Several heavy bullocks again on offer with Limousin x steers from D Mackelden Ltd to £2196 (275p).
A few more from the dairy sector this week with Limousin x Friesian to 269p, £1759 from A J Down; Sussex x Friesian to 245p, £1504 E&JH Maylam; Holstein Friesian heifer 230p, £1515 J W Boyd & Sons.
Natives holding strong. Hereford x steers to 269p, £1517 W S Furnival Ltd; Angus x steers to 259p, £1693, heifers to 250p, £1460 W S Furnival Ltd; Sussex heifers 256p, £1354 W S Furnival Ltd; Belted Galloway 220p, £1021 C Kearl.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 281p/kg (£1655)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Charolais cross – 279p/kg (£1894)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Limousin cross – 275p/kg (£2196)
A J Down – British Friesian – 269p/kg (£1759)
W S Furnival Ltd – Hereford cross – 269p/kg (£1517)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 293p/kg (£1521)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 293p/kg (£1360)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 287p/kg (£1433)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 286p/kg (£1742)
W G Vant & Sons -Limousin cross -283p/kg (£1596)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 6 Sold – top 259p -Av 227p
Steers 551 to 650kg – 8 Sold – top 281p – Av 253p
Steers 651kg + – 4 Sold – top 279p – Av 270p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 3 Sold – top 293p – Av 286p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 13 Sold – top 293p – Av 257p
Heifers 591 kg + – 4 Sold – top 286p – Av 252p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 59 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another very good entry of culls for the time of year and, whilst not the overall quality of last week, rates remaining every bit as dear, with the Black and Whites dearer.
Only the one really good beef youngster which flew to 259p from AW Vincent but plenty of good commercial meat and feeding types around 200p, and meat generally 170-200p. Graziers and feeders favouring the younger cows but still very positive.
Limousin x 259p, £1215 (Non FA) A W Vincent, 213p, 203p, £1403, £1337, (Non FA) J C Loveridge; Sussex 209p, 179p, 172p (2) £1303, £1276, £1226, £1154 (Non FA) J C & C Lewis, 176p, 172p, 171p, £1255, £1245, £1217 (Non FA) Chandler & Dunn; Sussex x 195p, £1410 (Non FA) H F & J H Glover; Simmental x 189p, £1395 J H & A H Godden; British Blue x 189p, 180p, 178p, £1145, £1084 A J Thompson & Sons; Charolais 180p, £1696 (Non FA) A J Strand & Sons.
A fierce trade for all grades of dairy culls. Best knocking on the door of 200p and little under 150p.
British Friesian 193p, £1155 R F & E A Simmons; 186p, £1503 R & J Ledger; Holstein Friesian 186p, £1345 W G & T A Manford; 184p, 180p, 179p, £1319, £1241, £1238 A & W J Hitchcock; Guernsey 167p, £1082 W G & T A Manford; Jersey 112p, £563 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Stock Bulls (6) A few semen test failures now coming through at the critical time of the year. A good trade for the cull bulls.
British Blue 191p, £1429; Limousin 159p, £1498; Simmental 150p, £1615; Sussex 140p, 137p, £1624, £1479. Hereford feeder 176p, £842.

Beef Cows – 30 Sold – Top 259, Average 177.7
Dairy Cows – 20 Sold – Top 193, Average 159.1

Store & Breeding Cattle – 25 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Just a small selection of stores this week with a pen of Sussex steers 12 months old from H Moorhead to £785 and looking well sold on the day. Angus x Fr strs 18 months from Mr F Harber to £865, with the heifers to £870 from the same home.
We have a catalogued sale for next week 14^th May with 350 plus store cattle expected along with the Spring Fair this Saturday 11^th May for anyone looking to purchase any Rare and Traditional breeds.

Calves & weanlings – 37 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

A quieter day following the Bank Holiday with a smaller entry of calves forward meeting a firm trade.
An abundance of younger Channel Island bred bulls forward but best Blue x Friesians from P J Forknall to £225 and £200 from Appleton Farms Ltd. A single steer of the Meuse Rhine Issel breed topped today`s trade at £310 from Freshfield Farms, with both Angus and Limousin topping at £190 from Appleton Farms Ltd.
Heifers topping at £170 for Blues from both Appleton Farms Ltd and Hickson Bros. Meuse-Rhine-Issel to £270 from Freshfield Farms to finish the entry of heifers.
Quite a few enquiries about weaned calves over the last couple of days as graziers look to make the most of plentiful supplies of grass, it would be worth considering making the most of this demand whilst it is there!

Please note, we have a number of customers looking for registered sired native breed calves, please remember to record the sire ear tag on the birth registration to ensure it appears on the passport!

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 17 – Ave £169.41 – Top £225.00 – P J Forknall
Limousin cross – 2 – Ave £190.00 – Top £190.00 – Appleton Farms Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £190.00 – Top £190.00 – Appleton Farms Ltd

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 14 – Ave £120.00 – Top £170.00 – Hickson Bros
Meuse Rhine Issel – 2 – Ave £240.00 – Top £270.00 – Freshfield Farms

Steer Calves
Meuse Rhine Issel – 1 – Ave £310.00 – Top – £310.00 – Freshfield Farms

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 14th May 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here