Weekly Sales News – 13th June 2017

New Season Lambs

Top price per head – £118 – G H Dean & Co; Top price per kilo – 277p – A Town

Finished Hoggets

Top price per head – £126 – Giffords Farm & S Goodsell; Top price per kilo – 227p – P Gorringe

Report on trade: A big entry of new season lambs were on offer this week with over 3000 penned and these were a super show of quality, well finished lambs which met a very strong demand from start to finish. A large proportion of the entry sold in excess of £100 and returning an overall average price of 240p throughout the entry. There is a great demand at the moment for all grades of lamb on both the home market for the heavier types and on the export market for the lighter carcase lambs. This can be seen in the prices per kilo with some of the heavier sorts selling at a price almost similar to the level of the lighter lambs.

Top spot for the best continentals was taken by A Town with some 41kg lambs selling at £113.50 and closely followed by M B Farms with 40kgs at £109. Heavier sorts from G H Dean & Co sold to £118 for 46kg lambs which was closely followed by T Masters with a super run of sheep at £117, £116 and £114. Several leaner, possibly April born lambs, were presented straight from grass with no concentrate feed and weighing between 34–38kgs. These made from £72 to £80. This price must be appealing against the predicted price level  for stores later in the year.

A bigger entry of hoggets on offer than anticipated with nearly 900 penned with all sorts on offer from 30–60kgs. Several with erupted teeth and also a good number of leaner types were on offer. Despite this mixed entry, trade was similar to the strong level we have seen in previous weeks. The best meated and heavy sorts made up to £126 for some very heavy Suffolk cross sheep from Giffords Farm. With the increased numbers of lambs now beginning to come forward it is hard to see this price being sustainable.

Producers please note – For top results please present well fleshed lambs which are preferably dry and clean. Lairage facilities are available every Monday evening.

Sheep 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 smaller entry of ewes for the time of year and a similar trade to recent weeks, if not a touch stronger than last week due to a slight improvement in the quality of the ewes on offer. Best rams made to £101 from S Goodsell and grazing sheep traded between £45 and £55.

Top prices were rams to £101 from S Goodsell, Suffolk cross ewes to £92 from J Smith, Crossbred ewes to £90 from Ms H V Link , Mules to £84 from Hall Place Farms and Romneys to £74 from R Seymour.

Report on trade: A good steady trade with a run from regular vendor W Alexander (Shoreham) taking the pick of the prices with a smart Limousin cross heifer topping at £1147 (217p) and a Blonde cross steer grossing well at £1300 (185p).

Other top prices included a British Blue cross steer at £1277 (184p) from P R Miller, a Simmental cross steer at £1203 (190p) from A J Down and native bred cattle up to £1064 (175p) for an Aberdeen Angus cross heifer from J W Drew.

A strong trade for quality lean sorts for further finishing saw a Limousin cross heifer make £1049 (239p) from R J Husk.

Auctioneer: Richard Wood

Report on trade: A few less on offer with meat cows definitely better sold, steaking cows just about hanging on but plain sorts less money by 5 to 10p per kg.

A run of black Aberdeen Angus cross cows from R Brown & Daughter caught the eye with their under 30 mths heifer selling to £918 (230p), their 2012 – 2014 cows 149 – 157p and the 14yr old cows to 149p with a top gross price of £1330.

There were no top quality Friesian/Holstein cows offered, nevertheless the pick of the parade were 122 – 130p from W S Furnival Ltd and grossing to £938.

Grazers and feeders remain wanted.

Cull bulls were not in the best meat making 106.5p and 95.5p.

Report on trade: A very decent entry for the time of year and trade was firm throughout with 8 individual successful buyers. The pick of the cattle included a run of 15 mths Simmental crosses from Angmering Park Farms LLP with steers topping at £985 and heifers to £885.

Please keep in touch regarding future entries so we can contact potential customers.

Principal prices include:                                                                                                                  

Report on trade: Not the expected entry from Kent but a run of 2007 to 2013 Aberdeen Angus and Sussex cross cows with Aberdeen Angus cross calves made £940 to £1000 and similar bred 2009 born in calf (due 2 to 3 mths) cows £800 and £810.

Forthcoming breeding cattle sale – Tuesday 8^th August – 23 Simmental cows with November 2016 to January 2017 Simmental calves from an East Kent farm. Further entries are welcome and encouraged for this day.

Local beef farmers discussion group

If anyone would like to join a Kent Based Beef Group could you email your name and contact email address to hughr@john-lewis.com. We aim to have ‘Visits of Interest’, ‘Farm Walks’ and ‘Topic’ based debates or speakers. So please bring your ideas forwards as well please.

Breeding Cattle for sale ex farm

16 British Blue x Friesian heifers, 24 mths which have been scanned 5 mths in calf to a Limousin bulls on a mid Kent farm (TB low). Ring 07885 968077

2 Charolais bulls, 4 yrs old and proven from the Chesham herd. West Kent

3 Pedigree Sussex bulls – well bred and from a high health herd in Kent. TB Low. Mark Cleverdon can provide further details – 07748 202688

2 Pedigree Limousin bulls, 18 mths from a Welsh farm.

Local Agricultural Show dates

Wednesday 28^th and Thursday 29^th June – Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich. Full details  01603 748931 or visit www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk

Friday 7^th to Sunday 9^th July – Kent County Show, Detling. Full details available from Show Office 01622 630975. ** Hobbs Parker are again pleased to be sponsoring competitions in both the cattle and sheep rings **

Sunday 16^th July – Singleton Rare Breeds Show, Chichester. Full details available from the museum on 01243 811348.

RABI, FCN and Kent Herdsmans Club News

RABI Fund raising events over the next few months include:

Watch this space for details of more events next week and ongoing

Kent Herdsmans Club

Monday 3rd July at 7.30pm – visit to PHR Farms, East Brabourne, Ashford. TN25 5LD to view their dairy herd and other enterprises.

For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Alan Jull 07708283220 or Jo Masters 01580 240568

Livestock for sale

4 Maiden Boer nanny goats, 12 to 14 mths on an East Sussex farm. Ring 07946 640949

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Hadlow College open day

Saturday 17th June, 10am – 4pm. A free event, showcasing the huge range of the Hadlow College curriculum through a wide variety of lively demonstrations, informative tours and exciting activities.
With vintage farm machinery and workshop displays, cattle-showing, sheep-shearing, a host of exciting animal displays including falconry, sheep-dog demos, horse-riding, the local Police Dog Display team and a wide variety of industry trade stalls, there’s something to inspire everyone. Visitors can have a go at driving a tractor, making a bird box or bird feeder, or try their hand at pond dipping. There will be an area dedicated to rural crafts, including fun craft activities for children, and our student animal keepers will be delivering talks and conducting tours and animal-feeding sessions in our paddocks and Animal Management Unit, which houses 200 species.

Fly-fishing demonstrations and hatchery tours will be taking place at our Grove Farm fisheries site, whilst over at our Court Lane horticulture site, visitors can learn about tomato training, creating the perfect hanging basket, seed-sowing and rose pruning.

Come along, see our Outstanding facilities for yourself and let our inspiring, industry-experienced staff feed your ambition.

Ashford Cattle show summer competitions

Flocks For last minute entries and all information please ring Edward Langrish on 07973 977074. This competition will be judged by Larry Cooke (Rye) in the 3^rd week of June.

Beef herds For last minute entries and all information please ring Charles Bull on 07825 665498 This competition will be judged by Richard Georgetti and Don Masters the last week of June.

Crops For last minute entries and all information please ring Tim Porter 07919 196068.

South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines

The June edition of this popular regional farming magazine is now available here in the market. Hobbs Parker are regular contributors to the editorial content.

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions

run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales are …..

Special Auction Sale of Convertible Cars

Wednesday 14^th June at 6.30am

Special sale of convertible cars with the normal car auction to follow

Land & Property

Wednesday 5^th July

Classic car, vintage tractor and rural bygones auction

Friday 14^th July at  10am

Large entries expected in all sections.

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 4^th August at 9.30am.

Catalogues will be available about a week before the sale.

Lots will include new & newly near mowers & garden machinery. New tools, farm & agricultural equipment, timber plus large selection of miscellaneous items.

Horse & Saddlery Sale

Thursday 10^th August at 10am

Catalogues will be available about a week before the sale.

Entries expected of riding ponies, event horses and youngstock

New & nearly new saddlery & tack, grooming kit, yard equipment, rugs, harness Riding boots, show jackets, jodhpurs, body protectors, yard clothing & boots