Weekly Sales News – 12th May 2020

Top price per kilo – 279p – P Gorringe; Top price per head – £120- L J & J P Bolton

Report on trade: Another good entry of hoggets this week with good quality on offer and numbers holding up for the moment while the demand is strong. Heavier sheep prices have recovered and the home trade is certainly more buoyant then we have seen in the past month with top spot taken by L J & J P Bolton at £120 for some super white faced hoggets at 60kg. Export grade hoggets were also in great demand this week as numbers of these nationally has begun to dry up, the very best were a similar trade but the rest of the entry was considerably dearer, bringing the SQQ figure up to 223p per kg. Top spot was taken by P Gorringe for the second week running at 279p for some very smart Beltex 39kg hogs at £109.

New Seasons lambs

Top price per kilo – 292p – Friday Street Farmers; Top price per head – £119.5 – R F & E A Simmons

Report on trade: New season lambs followed the trend of the hoggets and both weight sections were up exactly 17p on average on the week. Numbers are still are tight in this section as the early lambs had a bad start to life with the wet winter but these are starting to come forward now, in limited numbers. Top spot was just a shade under 300p for some super lambs from Friday Street Farmers 40kgs at £117. Smart continentals from D Isaac sold to 274p for three pens in a row and to £115.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could “help us to help you” by arriving earlier to assist with appropriate sorting and penning of sheep. Lairage facilities are available from 2 to 6pm every Monday and we can accept stock from 6am every Tuesday.

Sales here in Ashford are supported by buyers representing a large cross section of abattoirs throughout the country. Please ensure your FABBL status is up to date and if you are not FABBL assured seriously consider becoming so – certain buyers are restricted to the purchase of only farm assured stock.

Report on trade: A small entry of ewes again this week, a lot less than needed and more could be sold but at this time of year we are seeing a very mixed entry of lambing chuck outs and leaner sorts with few quality runs of ewes to come until we see weaning in the next couple of months. Trade is good for the ewes on offer with leaner sorts in strong demand with grazers trading from £50-65 and longer term ewes below that level. Best meated sorts sold to £107 from Ms F Underwood with second place taken by Luandy Farming at £97.

Top prices included Suffolk crosses to £83.50 from C Sargent, Texel cross to £98 from B Foy Ltd, crossbred to £107 from Ms F Underwood and Romneys to £82 from C Sargent.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: Mrs P M Walker offered Suffolk x Mule ewe tegs for the second week and the best made £85. Late season feeders made £49.50 to £76.

Report on trade: A good competitive trade for finished cattle with 10 successful individual buyers ensuring strong prices throughout. The best of the clean cattle made in excess of 195p with Limousin cross steers grossing well at £1300 (196p) and £1251 (196p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and Limousin cross heifers £1061 (199p) from G L Boulden & Sons. Slightly lesser sorts made from 180p to 190p notably Limousin cross heifers £933 (193p) from R F & E A Simmons,  £1055 (190p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd and £1111 (180p) from A J Thompson & Sons.

The best of the native bred cattle made around 180p with an Aberdeen Angus cross heifer £953 (187p) from A J Thompson & Sons and purebred Sussex heifer looking well sold at £936 (178p) from J G & D G D White.

Highlight of the day was two top quality yearling British Blue bulls at £1342 (228p) and £1296 (224p) from A Price.

Report on trade: A great day in the cow section with well over 100 penned and the best trade we have seen for a very long time. Drawing this level of numbers at this time of the year is a great achievement and a reflection of the strength of our buying support. Certainly the easing in some lockdown restrictions and the restart of takeaway and drive through food outlets is a catalyst to stronger demand.

All slaughter cows very much dearer on the week and the confidence that this gives to the feeders and grazers ensures a red hot trade for all grades. Plenty of beef meat cows were making 130p to150p per kg whilst the feeders regularly 140p to 180p. Best fleshed and shaped dairy culls 120p to135p with half meat models all over 100p and only the leanest and lightest below 100p. In fact 14 made under 100p and 16 over 140p!

In the beef stakes Blonde cross 183p £933 (Non FA) A J Britton and 127p £1088 (Non FA) J H Jury & Son; Limousin cross 174p, 148p £1154, £1099 W S Furnival (Brookland), 169p £917 (Non FA) A Boyd & Co, 166p, 153p, 149p, 140p £1092 Campbell Bros, 163p £918 (Non FA) J H & A H Godden, 149p £1071 A J Thompson & Sons and 148p £950 (Non FA) J Thomson & Sons; Charolais cross 145p £881 R Brown, 143p £809 (Non FA) D E Hodges and 128p £1051 Campbell Bros; Simmental cross 144p £1019 A J Thompson & Sons, 140p £1102 Campbell Bros and 138p, 128p £1026 W Hurley; British Blue cross 144p £983 High Chimney Farm, 133p and 128p £966 W S Furnival (Brookland); Sussex 138p, 136p, 135p(3), 134p(2) £974, £955, £921, £915 J C & C Lewis, 136p(2), 130p, 129p £840 H W Richards, 130p £1153 D J Spanton and 128p £835 W Hurley; Lincoln Red 137p, 132p £779 R Brown; Beef Shorthorn 135p, 132p £874 (Non FA) A R & J MacDonald and 128p £751 (Non FA) M Britton; Aberdeen Angus cross 126p £899 (Non FA) J Thomson & Sons and 124p £765 Garuara Estates.

In the dairy lines Holstein Friesian OTM Heifer 138p £942 W S Furnival; British Friesian cows 134p, 129p(2), 124p £996, £993 Debden Court; Holstein Friesian 133p, 130p, 127p, 124p, £1198, £1154 Ledger Farms; 130p, 128p, £1133, £1038 Oncoland Ltd and 124p, 119p, £942 Goddard & Son; Norwegian Red 121p E P Knight; Flekvieh 119p Westnedge & Knight and Dairy Shorthorn 119p Parrett & Son.

Bulls remain a good trade if well fleshed. Limousin 112p, 107p, £1185, £1065; Sussex 111p, 94p, £960 and Aberdeen Angus 104p £1075.

Report on trade: Another very decent entry of cattle for the time of year with a complete range of quality and age and a relatively large percentage of native bred cattle on offer. Again trade was brisk throughout and more cattle could have been sold at favourable prices with the number of keen buyers at ringside.

The best of the continental cross yearlings made in excess of £800 and up to £850 for a smart Limousin cross steer from J Bower while strong cattle to finish short term made in excess of £1100 notably Simmental cross steer £1160 from Gillshaw Farms Ltd and Limousin cross heifers £1105 from J C Loveridge.

A good selection of native bred cattle were keenly sought after with yearlings looking particularly well sold notably from L A Charman & Ptnrs and R Brown & Daughter. A run of Beef Shorthorn stores sold well from fresh vendor Mrs J Marshall while purebred Sussex heifers attracted interest from breeders with quality sorts up to £950 from L Stevens & Sons and £880 from P Wheatley.

Report on trade: Our first offering of breeding stock following the easing of restrictions on their sale by auction, was welcomed by all and nearly all the stock offered was sold to strong demand at good prices.

We opened the sale with bulls with Ellis & Gottschalk selling Young Limousins to £2,600 and a second one at £2,300. A Blonde made £1,700 from G L Boulden & Sons and a well-bred 2015 born Parthenaise £2,400. Crossbreds however took the pick of the trade with Limousin x British Blues £2,750and £2,500 from Ms K Husk.

Cows and calves to graze for the summer found plenty of bidders keen for units. Raveningham Farms, Norfolk offered 7 Aberdeen Angus cows with Aberdeen Angus calves, bn 2013 to 2016, which made to £1360 and averaged £1257 while A W Vincent sold Lincoln Red cows, bn 2006 to 2014 to £1090 averaging £947.

Our sale on Tuesday 26^th May will include further consignments of breeding stock. Please ring now if you are considering selling. There are plenty of customers for your stock

Report on trade: An absolute flyer of a trade for calves of all types this week, many more could have been sold to vendor’s advantage!

Continental calves a bullish trade from the off this week with not a single one sold for under £130. A quality run of bulls on offer today sold to £385 for a British Blue from J E Scutt & Sons. Simmentals well represented today from H O Champneys Ltd to £365 (x2), and younger Simmentals also selling well from Parrett & Son to £340. The heifer trade was no less exciting with top price from J E Scutt & Sons of £360 for their run of British Blues. Other notable prices include Parrett & Son’s Simmentals to £250, and B J Goodsell & Sons Limousins to £245.

Only a handful of natives forward this week with vendors being rewarded for making the journey. Aberdeen Angus bull calves to £315 from A & W J Hitchcock and H O Champneys Ltd. Heifers to £280 from A & W J Hitchcock. More native calves required to satisfy buyers demand!

Dairy calves improve yet again from the previous sale, these generally £30 per head dearer on the fortnight! Plenty of calves with size and frame forward, vendor’s patience with these calves has paid off. Trade was topped in this section by a run of well framed calves from Ledger Farms which sold to £160 (x2).  Second grade calves £60 – £75, only a single Jersey bull sold below £60.

6 Aberdeen Angus cross weanling steers from Langdon Farms sold to £240. Plenty of buyers still looking for weaned cattle, please do contact me if you have any to sell to make the most of the demand whilst it is still here!

Notices – David Fifield, Hallett & Co, Ashford

Family and friends have asked us to announce that David passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last week. David was much respected and greatly valued personally and professionally by his colleagues and clients. David was well known to many market users representing Hallett & Co in their office here in the market on Tuesdays since the retirement of Charles McDonald.

Miscellaneous livestock and general goods and services for sale and wanted ex farm

Wanted – 2 Male farm kittens, any colour bar white. Ashford area. Ring 07710803902

Wanted – Sheepdog puppy required. Ashford area. 01303 812775 (evenings only)

For Sale – 5 working collie puppies, 4 dogs and 1 bitch, ready end of May. North Kent. Ring 07979 802044

Wanted – All types of fencing work which will be carried out to a high standard at very competitive prices. Small family run company based near Maidstone. For a free quote please phone 07710567395