Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 7th November 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 966 Sold

Top price per kg: 331p – Ms C Cox

Top price per head: £157 – T R Holt

We found a few more finished lambs this week with nearly 1,000 penned. This is still way less than we have customers for, as can be seen in the trade and the fantastic prices achieved for all weight brackets this week. Best finished lambs are short nationally and we luckily had a good percentage of these in today’s entry which topped with some heavy, quality lambs from Tom Holt which sold to £157 head. Lighter lambs have been selling on a different level in recent weeks with the heavies being the product in demand, but this week we saw a nice lift in this trade for these. With numbers really low in finished lamb markets around the country averages have risen, again, this week to just under 270p kg.

35kg – £116.00 (331p/kg) – Ms C Cox
36kg – £94.00 (261p/kg) – S J M Evans
37kg – £110.00 (297p/kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
38kg – £105.00 (276p/kg) – S J M Evans
39kg – £123.00 (315p/kg) – H & J Noakes
40kg – £100.00 (250p/kg) – Lovejoy Farms Partnership
41kg – £126.00 (307p/kg) – L Stevens & Sons
42kg – £120.00 (286p/kg) – Ms C Cox
43kg – £122.00 (284p/kg) – A Rivers
44kg – £128.00 (291p/kg) – H Rivers
45kg – £128.50 (286p/kg) – S King
46kg – £144.50 (314p/kg) – H Rivers
47kg – £135.00 (287p/kg) – S King
48kg – £146.00 (304p/kg) – H Rivers
49kg – £140.00 (286p/kg) – A Rivers
50kg – £139.00 (278p/kg) – A J Skinner & Son
52kg – £148.50 (286p/kg) – H Rivers
53kg – £142.00 (268p/kg) – P N & C Burden
55kg – £155.00 (282p/kg) – T R Holt
56kg – £155.00 (277p/kg) – T R Holt
57kg – £157.00 (275p/kg) – T R Holt 

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 38 – Top 331, Average 263.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 419 – Top 315, Average 265.2
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 389 – Top 314, Average 268.0
Other 52.1+ kgs – 106 – Top 286, Average 270.4

Cull Sheep – 530 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £146.00 – Chichester College, Average £66.24
Ram: Top £130.00 – A J Skinner & Son, Average £87.81

Better numbers penned this week after a dry day on Monday! With more buyers present trade was stronger from start to finish for all grades. The best ewes, which are in short supply, sharper and regularly £90 – £120, to a top price of £146 from Chichester College for superb Texel ewes. Medium sorts £70 – £85 with leaner grazing ewes £40 – £60 throughout. The better fleshed ewes look to have taken a slight lift as the weather impacts on so many and numbers will tighten. Please do inform me of any large consignments of ewes or contact me to discuss the trade.

Top prices included

Texels to £146 – Chichester College, Zwartbles to £117 – G Gribble, Suffolk cross to £115 – H Rivers, Texel cross to £113 – D Beadle, Romneys to £109 – G Homewood, Mules to £105 – H Rivers

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  71 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Quality in short supply this week with only cattle from W Alexander (Shoreham) and W G Vant & Sons in the top bracket and featuring in the leading prices.  A grand run of Continental heavyweights grossed well up to £1883 (average £1786) from R C & J L Pickering & Sons.
Dairy bred cattle not at last week`s exceptional levels but selling in the 240 to 250p bracket with Limousin x Friesian steers, £1608 (246p), £1558 (246p), £1534 (248p) and Hereford x Friesian steers to £1436 (234p) from A J Down.
The best of the native bred cattle 240p plus notably Angus cross steer £1474 (257p), Sussex heifer £1229 (244p), Angus cross heifer £1358 (243p) from W S Furnival Ltd; Angus cross heifers £1309 (243p) and £1377 (240p) from Russell Thomas, and Hereford cross heifer £1255 (242p) from Gary Stokes.
More cattle straight from grass and whilst some are ready for slaughter many finding strong demand from feeders to go back into the yards

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 286p/kg (£1798)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 282p/kg (£1632)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin – 274p/kg (£1832)
R C & J L Pickering – Simmental cross – 267p/kg (£1865)
S F G Wall – Sussex – 260pkg (£1531)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Bazadaise cross – 291p/kg (£1510)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 290p/kg (£1664)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 289p/kg (£1514)
W S Furnival Ltd – Sussex – 259p/kg – (£1292)
W S Furnival Ltd – Beef Shorthorn cross – 250p/kg (£1384)

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 9 sold – Top 256p – Ave 221p
Steers 551kg to 650kg – 14 sold – Top 286p – Ave 251p
Steers 651kg plus – 8 sold – Top 274p – Ave 249p
Heifers up to 500kg – 25 sold – Top 259p – Ave 217p
Heifers over 501kg – 15 sold – Top 291p – Ave 251p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 77 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Numbers continue to come forward up and down the country as the weather does little to help the winter housing period. Rates have eased but now appear to have settled with more conviction amongst buyers to secure stock.
A very mixed offering today with some very good feeding cows on offer; some very old plain feeding cows; some very small Hereford and Dexters; and a full range from the dairy sector. Customers for all grades with no fewer than 19 different customers to take stock – competition is fundamental to price!
Some good young beef feeders 190-236p, with best of the meat cows 140-170p kg and only 5 beef cows below 100p including 3 Traditional Hereford and a Dexter.
Limousin cross 236p, 228p, £1083 Campbell Bros, 196p, £1222 (Non FA) L Palmer & Son, 149p, £1077 (Non FA) B Luck Ltd; Charolais cross 227p, £1302 (Non FA) Goodsell Farm Partnership, 159p, £1149 (Non FA) N Morgan; Sussex 143p, 140p, £962 Kinnear & Co, 140p, £1018 (Non FA) R D E Spencer, 139p, £956 B Luck Ltd; Angus cross 138p, £1210 (Non FA) J & A Lyon, 135p, 133p, 131p, £1227, £1184 (Non FA) R D E Spencer; Hereford 168p, £896 D J Miles; Traditional Herefords 138p, 125p, £740, £687; Dexter 99p, £355.
Dairy culls were dearer with, in general, a little more flesh on all grades. Best 140-160p with returns still topping up and over £1200.
Holstein Friesian 159p (2), 146p, 142p, £1101, £1061, £1046 R C & J L Pickering, 158p, £1221 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd; Guernsey 144p, £1012 W G & T A Manford; Dairy Shorthorn 128p, £791 Parrett & Son; Ayrshire 130p, £978 J Howie; Foreign Swedish Red £520.
Overage and underage (17) this section does work well for the overage and the out of spec of any age. From overage Continental heifers to Jersey steers there are customers for everything.
Angus cross OTM heifers 218p, £1196; Sussex cross OTM  208p, £1069; Limousin cross heifers 3 year old + 190p, £1222; Blue cross heifer 3 year old + 184p, 1229; Holstein maiden heifers UTM 150-200p, £1250; Danish Red OTM heifer 178p, £1177.
Stock bull (1) Lincoln Red 129p, £1324.

Beef Cows – 45 Sold – Top 236, Average 137.7
Dairy Cows –16 Sold – Top 159, Average 129.4

Store Cattle – 478 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A marvellous trade for the biggest show of cattle this Autumn with buyers in attendance for all ages and quality on offer.
Trade was brisk throughout with quality youngsters particularly sought after with 2 runs of Continental cross bulls attracting favourable prices notably up to £920 (av £810) from Birt Bros and up to £840 from Betchworth Estates.
Of the stronger cattle large runs of heifers took the headlines with 54, 20 mths Charolais cross mainly £1100 plus and up to £1265 from Seymour Stevens Ltd and 66, 16 mths Limousin cross mainly off the North Kent Marshes £1000 plus and up to £1110 from E W & R E Hanks.
Top prices of the day, however, reserved for big framed Charolais cross steers from T Lanham and smart Angus cross steers from G Hosmer & Son, both lots topping at £1420.
Next sale Tuesday 14^th November – 250 already entered.

Principal Prices include:

Continental cross

6mths Continental cross bulls – £920 – Birt Bros
8-9mths Simmental cross bulls – £840 – Betchworth Estate Farms
8-9mths Angus cross bulls – £730 – Betchworth Estate Farms
7-8mths Limousin cross steers – £835 – K Clayson
7mths Limousin cross steer – £950 – N A Vincent
7mths Charolais cross steers – £820 – Goodsell Farm Partnership
7mths Charolais cross heifers – £740 – Goodsell Farm Partnership
8mths Charolais cross steers – £860 – M & C Farms Ltd
8mths Charolais cross heifers – £700 – M & C Farms Ltd
15mths Limousin cross steers – £1080 – W F Kirk
15mths Limousin cross heifers – £950 – W F Kirk
16mths Limousin cross heifers – £1110 – E W & R E Hanks
20mths Charolais cross heifers – £1265 – Seymour Stevens Ltd
22mths Charolais cross steers – £1190 – N Morgan
24mths Charolais cross steers – £1420 – T Lanham

Native Bred

7-9mths Beef Shorthorn cross steers – £860 – I D Machin
9mths Hereford cross steers – £900 – R Carr Partnership
7-9mths Hereford cross heifers – £725 – R Carr Partnership
18mths Angus cross steers – £1420 – G Hosmer & Son
18mths Angus cross steers – £1085 – R & H Vincent
18mths Angus cross heifers – £890 – R & H Vincent
18mths Beef Shorthorn cross steers – £1175 – Kinnear & Co
18mths Sussex steers – £1060 – Kinnear & Co

Calves – 32 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

A decent entry in terms of quality today but just short on a few numbers leaving a few buyers light for the journey home. Trade for those forward would look stronger overall with just perhaps the very best calves easier on the day.
Blue bulls to £225 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd with Hickson Bros selling their usual consignment to tops of £165. Charolais bulls from P J Forknall topped at £240 whilst a tremendous Simmental from D Murdoch & Sons changed hands at £255. Angus bulls selling on an improved trade with tops of £195 (x2) from B J Goodsell & Son. P J Forknall also worthy of a mention with a smart young Angus to £190.
In the heifer section a shortage of Blues topped at £210 from D Murdoch & Sons whilst Angus from Kingcott Dairy led the way also making £210.
Dairy bulls seeing a lift in trade with a few extra accounts open. Best trade for Swedish Reds from the cheese men at Kingcott Dairy with stronger calves to £195. Holstien Friesians generally £30-£50 with bobbies £15-£20. 

A polite request to all vendors, please do advise of entries on the Monday morning before a sale to ensure we can communicate numbers to buyers!

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 9 – Ave £133.89 – Top £225 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Charolais cross – 1 – Ave £240 – Top £240 – P J Forknall
Simmental cross – 1 – Ave £255 – Top £255 – D Murdoch & Sons
Swedish Red – 2 – Ave £152.50 – Top £195 – Kingcott Dairy
Aberdeen Angus cross – 6 – Ave £172.50 – Top £195 – B J Goodsell & Son

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 3 – Ave £178.33 – Top £210 – D Murdoch & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 6 – Ave £116.67 – Top £210 – Kingcott Dairy

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 14th November 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here