Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 9th May 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets – 1,825

Top price per kg: 360p – P Taylor
Top price per head: £179.00 – R H Smith & Partners

A few less about this week with numbers now in decline, I would think. Many producers clearing all due to the trade and with the widespread onset of erupting teeth. Trade was at a very similar level to last week with, maybe, less of the top quality sheep on offer. Averages were, again, £3 kg pretty much for all on offer with a top price of £179 head, just £1 behind last week, from R H Smith & Partners. The handy weight export types this week would be, possibly, slightly dearer as they are becoming harder to find across the country for buyers who need these weights and who will be soon forced to switch to new season lambs. Top in this department this week was Mr Peter Taylor with some smart hoggs at 360p kg.

35kg – £96.00 (274p/kg) – J D Gribble
36kg – £105.00 (292p/kg) – I Lucas
37kg – £111.00 (300p/kg) – K Loveridge
38kg – £116.00 (305p/kg) – S J Martin
39kg – £122.00 (313p/kg) – S J Martin
40kg – £144.00 (360p/kg) – P Taylor
41kg – £134.00 (327p/kg) – D Hopper
42kg – £130.00 (310p/kg) – R Douglas
43kg – £146.00 (340p/kg) – Farmers Direct
44kg – £139.00 (316p/kg) – K Loveridge
45kg – £141.00 (313p/kg) – Miss V Wade
46kg – £155.00 (337p/kg) – M B Farms
47kg – £158.00 (336p/kg) – Farmers Direct
48kg – £149.00 (310p/kg) – A C Ellett
49kg – £151.00 (308p/kg) – R H Smith & Partners
50kg – £161.00 (322p/kg) – M B Farms
51kg – £149.00 (292p/kg) – B G & M A Tomsett
52kg – £174.00 (335p/kg) – T Archer
53kg – £160.00 (302p/kg) – S J Reeve & Son
54kg – £158.00 (293p/kg) – S T Phillips
55kg – £179.00 (325p/kg) – R H Smith & Partners
56kg – £157.00 (280p/kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
57kg – £152.00 (267p/kg) – T Archer
58kg – £169.00 (291p/kg) – M B Farms
59kg – £154.00 (261p/kg) – Freshfields Farm
60kg – £156.00 (260p/kg) – D Isaac
65kg – £177.00 (272p/kg) – T Husk

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 53 – Top 305, Average 280.4
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 480 – Top 360, Average 299.1
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 922 – Top 337, Average 294.2
Over 52.1 kgs – 288 – Top 335, Average 274.8

New season lambs – 116 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A few more out this week and numbers will now begin to build every week. Lambs are roughly trading at the same price as hoggets currently, which is a very good price. Best sheep upwards of £150 head to a top of £160 this week from K & P M Sinden.

Store Hoggets – 232 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

A smaller run again but still the trade keeps on going with stores to £130 head, and a £95 head average. Less will come forward each week now as we near the end of the season.
Get them cleared up now!

Cull Sheep – 528 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £190 – B J Baker, Average £107.80
Ram: Top £170 – H F & J H Glover, Average £137.00

Numbers keep coming with the trade on fire and averages up once again. The best ewes regularly £110 – £150, to a top price of £190 from B J Baker for some cracking Charollais ewes. Medium sorts £80 – £100 with leaner grazing sorts £50 – £70 throughout. Good numbers of competitive buyers present each week for all grades of ewes. Please do inform me if you have large numbers of ewes to sell.

Charollais to £190 – B J Baker, Texel to £192 C Moss & Son, Texel cross to £182 – Beslee Farms, Suffolk cross to £146 – C Moss & Son, Mules to £137 – G McKie, Romney to £120 – J F E Goodsell

Ewes & Lambs – 11 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Couples a good trade today from T Tilley with 4 ewes and 7 lambs to £188 (£68.36 per life).
Spring Fair on Saturday 13^th May. We will have a larger entry of ewes and lambs on offer to include a sale of commercial ewe tegs and rare and traditional livestock.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  46 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Best continental cattle 280p plus, with the cream up around 320p notably from M B Farms with both their steers and heifers grossing in excess of £2100.
Dairy and native bred cattle selling readily in the 240 to 260p, with well fleshed Limousin x Friesian steer £1641 (257p) and purebred Friesian steer £1411 (246p) from A J Down.
Purebred Sussex steers topped the native bred section at £1633 (264p) and £1543 (269p) from W S Furnival Ltd, with best Aberdeen Angus cross around 260p notably heifers to £1367 (266p) from R W Goddard & Partners and steers to £1532 (258p) again from W S Furnival Ltd.

Top Steers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 318p/kg (£2079)
M B Farms – Limousin – 317p/kg (£2104)
Gallagher Farms – Limousin – 298p/kg (£1814)
Gallagher Farms – Limousin – 290p/kg (£1650)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 284p/kg (£1729)

Top Heifers

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 321p/kg (£2163)
M B Farms – Limousin – 314p/kg (£1833)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 288p/kg (£1667)
W G Vant & Sons – Limousin cross – 278p/kg (£1762)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 268p/kg (£1444)

Average Prices

Steers up to 650kg – 26 sold – Top 298p – Ave 261p
Steers over 651kg – 3 sold – Top 318p – Ave 294p
Heifers up to 590kg – 12 sold – Top 314p – Ave 262p
Heifers over 591kg – 3 sold – Top 321p – Ave 286p
Bull – 1 sold – Top 286p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 53 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Fast and furious for another decent seasonal entry. Very few dairy culls on offer today but a good mixture of beef cows, with a bit more flesh on offer, though more older cows present.
Trade if anything a little stronger with 31 of the entry 200p or over, and 20 grossing over £1400.
Young feeding beef cows 220-270p with heavy meat cows generally 200-230p. A few, very old and awkward, 130-170p but strong competition for all on offer.
Limousin x 266p, £1407 P N & C Burden, 248p, 234p, £1683, £1471 (Non FA) M B Farms, 235p (2), 226p, £1536, £1511, £1407 Campbell Bros, 223p, £1313 (Non FA) L Townsend; British Blue x 248p, £1349 (Non FA) H W Coldbreath, 237p, £1348 (Non FA) S J Brown; Charolais x 232p, 218p, 217p £1725, £1425 R Brown; Simmental x 223p, 218p, £1925, £1780 C E & S M Stevens, 219p, £1573 Campbell Bros; Angus x 223p, £1558 Burden Bros, 216p, £1368 (Non FA) Gallagher Farms, 211p £1672 (Non FA) K Bugden, 208p, £1556 D G & J W Gore; Stabiliser x 219p, £1297 Burden Bros; Longhorn 190p, £1563 R Tebbutt; Dexter 180p, £933 (Non FA) G McKie.
Just a handful of dairy culls and more certainly wanted.
Holstein Friesian 199p (2) £1459, £1419 J S & M D Antrum & Son; 189p, 186p, £1373, £1329 Huddlestone Farmers
Few overage forward today but all wanted. Angus x 3yo+ heifer 235p, £1419, Charolais x 3yo+ heifer 217p £1364.

Beef Cows – 45 Sold – Top 266, Average 199.1
Dairy Cows – 6 Sold – Top 199, Average 178.8

Breeding Cattle – 5 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Good interest in Charolais x cows, due mid-June, at £1000 – £1500 from the late Gordon Brown.

Store Cattle – 490 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A large entry of stores late in the season comprising a high percentage of youngsters with dairy and native bred cattle dominating the stronger end of the scale. All cattle were well received with a good attendance of buyers competing well for all on offer with prices on a par with the peak of the spring trade.
Most of the smaller youngsters ranged in the £600 to £800 bracket while the better-bred yearlings attracted prices in excess of £1000 with well grown Aberdeen Angus cross steers topping the section at £1260 from R W Goddard & Partners.
As usual, strong cattle to finish short term sold exceptionally well with the continuing high prices for finished cattle boosting the confidence at ringside. The best of these stronger sorts sold in excess of £1500 and topped at £1695 for British Blue cross steers from both Gillshaw Farms Ltd and Messrs. J S & M D Antrum & Son.
Several runs of heifers, suitable for breeding, attracted a good premium notably a smart run of Aberdeen Angus x British Friesians from R Haydon & Partners selling in the £1235 to £1260 bracket.

Continental cross

11 mths Limousin cross steers – £890 – I G Pitcher
12 mths Limousin cross steers – £1020 – W J Hurley
12 mths Simmental cross heifer – £970 – W J Hurley
13 mths Simmental cross steer – £1120 – P M Thomas
13 mths Simmental cross heifer – £1120 – Lawrence & Sons
12 mths Limousin cross steer – £1090 – S J M Evans
12 mths Limousin cross heifer – £945 – S J M Evans
14 mths Limousin cross heifers – £1080 – M J Ashworth
16 mths Limousin cross steer – £1260 – I D Machin
16 mths British Blue cross heifer – £1140 – D & D Mullett
18 mths Limousin cross steer – £1480 – G D Black & Son
18 mths Limousin cross heifer – £1085 – G D Black & Son
20 mths Blue x Friesian steer – £1695 – J S & M D Antrum & Son
24 mths Limousin cross heifer – £1280 – J H & A H Godden
24 mths Limousin cross steer – £1580 – Gillshaw Farms Ltd
24 mths Blonde cross steer – £1605 – Gillshaw Farms Ltd
30 mths British Blue cross steer – £1695 – Gillshaw Farms Ltd

Native Bred

12 mths Sussex steer – £800 – Henry Moorhead & Co
14 mths Sussex cross steers – £880 – I G Pilcher
14 mths Sussex cross heifers – £810 – I G Pilcher
12 mths Angus cross steer – £970 – R Brown & Daughter
13 mths Angus cross heifers – £1015 – P Parkes
12 mths Angus cross steers – £1260 – R W Goddard & Partners
18 mths Angus x Friesian heifers – £1260 – R Hayden & Partners
18 mths Angus x Friesian steers – £1260 – J S & M D Antrum & Son
18 mths Angus x Friesian heifers – £1200 – J S & M D Antrum & Son
20 mths Angus cross steer – £1390 – D J & J L Isaac
20 mths Angus cross heifers – £1190 – D J & J L Isaac
24 mths Angus cross steer – £1470 – Kirk Vincent
24 mths Sussex steer – £1360 – Gillshaw Farms Ltd
20 mths Friesian steer – £1355 – T Haydon & Partners
22 mths Friesian steer – £1390 – J S & M D Antrum & Son

Calves –  36 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Calves – 33 sold. Certainly not a vintage day for numbers, or quality, with a smaller than hoped for entry and a lot of Channel Island crosses in the mix.
Bulls to £185 for Blues from W G & T A Manford, with Angus from J Warnock and Sons to £100. Heifers marginally better followed today demonstrating more abundance to help this. A top of £150 for Blues from Hickson Bros, with other Blues from W G & T A Manford to £130. Angus heifers to £110 (x2) from J Warnock & Sons.
Dairy bulls, mainly Jerseys, with one single Holstein to £40. Jerseys looking a little stronger trade wise but £5- £15 their trading range.
Weanlings – 3 sold. Two Jersey steers and an Angus cross heifer from G R Edgar & Son selling to £100 and £165, respectively. More weaned calves required to fulfil demand with yet another fresh buyer making enquiries this week.

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 5 – Ave £157 – Top £185 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus – 4 – Ave £87.50 – Top £100 – J Warnock & Sons

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 7 – Ave £121.43 – Top £150 – Hickson Bros
Aberdeen Angus cross – 3 – Ave £91.67 – Top £110 – J Warnock & Sons
Sussex cross – 4 – Ave £68.75 – Top £95 – W G & T A Manford

Steer Calves

British Blue cross – 1 – Ave £60 – Top £60 – G R Edgar & Son
Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £85 – Top £85 – G R Edgar & Son

Heifer Weanlings

Aberdeen Angus – 1 – Ave £165 – Top £165 – G R Edgar & Son

Steer Weanlings

Jersey – 2 – Ave £100 – Top £100 – G R Edgar & Son

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock -16th May 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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