Weekly Sales News – 13th September 2016

Top price per kilo – 205p – G H Dean & Co: Top price per head – £99 – R Montgomery

 Report on trade: A smaller entry of lambs forward this week that sold on a slightly stickier trade as a result of the conclusion of the Muslim festival and therefore slightly less demand for the lighter weight lambs in particular. Best quality continental cross lambs were still sold for in excess of 200p per kg but with noticeably less of these sorts on offer this week top run were super consignment from G H Dean & Co which sold to 205p and several other pens sold in excess of 200p. Heavy weights were well sold also but again not quite the levels we saw last week but these sheep would still look well sold for September in comparison with the last few years. Heavy weights topped at £99  for 50kg lambs from Mr R Montgomery.

Report on trade: Just as we saw earlier in the lambs, trade was slightly more difficult than we have become used to in the last few weeks. Undoubtedly this was due to the Muslim festival being underway already on our day of sale. Several lean sorts were on offer once again with many farmer buyers present to buy these to farm on for an expected drop in numbers after Christmas.

The best meated sorts were sold a little less than last week but the best still made in excess of £90 to a top of £95 from Mr R Lyle.

Top prices included continental ewes to £95 from Mr R Lyle, Suffolk crosses to £83 from K & P M Sinden, Mules to £60 from Mr J Drew and Romneys to £64 from G Horne & Son.

Report on trade: A disappointing entry considering the recent strong trade and more could have been sold today at favourable prices. A superb Limousin cross heifer topped the market at £1366 (256p per kg) from M B Farms while other top prices included Limousin cross heifers at £1302 (225p) and  £1201 (225p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and P Burgess respectively. Continental cross steers to £1278 (215p) from Mrs S M Bexvar, £1271 (212p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and £1230 (209p) from D J Miles.

Native bred cattle were wanted with Aberdeen Angus cross steers £1207 (191p) and £1191 (206p) from G Stokes and a Sussex heifer at £988 (171p) from Wright Farm Ptns.

Please confirm entries so we can notify the purchasers.

Report on trade: Good numbers once again, though this week dominated by the dairy sector with a light showing of beef cows. Trade good but not up to last weeks exceptional rates with numbers nationally just beginning to pick up. Confidence still high amongst the feeders and young empty cows a massive premium over their slaughter value.

Best of the beef cows 130 -150p with a quality British Blue cow from MB Farms topping at  £1081(156p) with a young Angus cow not far behind at £942 (155p) from Goddard & Son. A run of mixed age Charolais cows from Foyle Farmers 120-142p, with a heavy Charolais from M J Booth to £1086 (129p). Simmental 138p Foyle Farmers; Sussex 130p £900 Chandler & Dunn.

More variability amongst the dairy culls. Meat cows 100-120p with heavyweights to £1100 Goddard & Son; steakers still strongly competitive but the lean boners certainly easier.

Report on trade: A small entry of store cattle met a similar strong trade. Strong 2 yr old Charolais Cross topped the market at £1030 from S M Mountfort while 17 mths Simmental Cross steer sold well at £985 from D M Brown and a yearling British blue Cross heifer at £680 from Valley Park Community School.

Report on trade: The largest entry of the season was well received by a select group of buyers and a strong trade resulted. It was good to see at least 4 dairy farmers who had not sold regularily for sometime returning to the Ashford ring. Lets hope we can keep this volume of calves coming forward in the autumn months this year.

Headlines in the sale included

Simmental bulls to £400 at 7 weeks from H O Champneys Ltd

British Blue bulls to £335 at 5 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd

British Bull heifers to £315 at 6 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd and at 10 days P J Forknall

Aberdeen Angus steers to £405 and heifers £400 at 22 weeks from W P Hope & Sons

Aberdeen Angus bulls to £305 at 4 weeks (5 av £286) from S Reynolds

Aberdeen Angus heifers to £245 at 4 weeks (5 av £206) from S Reynolds

Holstien bulls to £152 and £140 at 14 weeks from Hadlow College

Sussex  to £162 at 4 weeks from J Warnock & Son

21 sellers and 13 buyers for calves today – the auction system working to produce a tremendous trade for the stock offered

Please keep your entries of calves coming. At our fortnightly sales we expect to have plenty of enquiries for all shapes, sizes and ages of stock. Thank you all for texts and messages with early notice of your entries for forthcoming sales – it does help.

Report on trade: Demand for pigs was off the peak we saw two weeks ago but prices achieved still look respectable against nation quotes and the cull sows and boars still look very well sold compared with the whole year until now. The store and feding trade did not stand up to the summer months either

The best  finished pigs made to 115 to 118p per kg for P W & P Sim’s run of 17 with other well bred pigs 100 to 110p from Miss J Judge, S J M Evans, C B Hope and S Scott & Son with these all grossing £80 to £100.

The entry of cull sows and boars saw 11make 50p and the heaviest grossing £125 to £163 for a boar .

In the store pig pens £5 to £46 covered all the pigs offered with, it is fair to say, a shortage of well bred feeders and weaners noted by many customers. Wee need more good stores to sell.

Our pig sales are held once a fortnight and with the summer now we are seeing plenty of competition and more confidence in the pig sector after very low levels which prevailed for about 3 months in the spring. Please keep in touch with us here in Ashford if you have pigs to sell.

Lairage bookings for Monday and Thursday evenings

Please ring David Martin on 07860 114650 to confirm when you are delivering stock to the market for overnight lairage.

South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines

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

In addition our Property Consultants Outlook for Autumn 2016, which was in last months edition, is still available hare in the . Articles looking at current issues affecting many aspects of land ownership make interesting reading for all landowners and occupiers.

General news

Updated 14^th September 2016

For Sale – up to 70 acres of standing maize (estimated 20 tonne per acre crop) which was direct drilled and with good access in West Kent. Contact Elwyn Davies on 07710 803901 for details

Wanted – winter stock housing. Have you the buildings, the food and the time to have up to 200 beef cattle this winter in ideally a TB4 area? Enquiries will be treated in confidence. Please contact Peter Kingwill.

Grass keep available – 12 month grazings near Andover for smart shorn Romney ewe lambs third week Sept start. Will accept multiples of 200 but would prefer 600 as a lot. Contact Ted Sclater 07785793450 or 01264736420 to discuss.

Kent Herdsmans Club – For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Sandra Brown on 01233 502796 or Jo Masters 01580 240568

Saturday 17^th September – Weald of Kent ploughing match at High Tilt Farm, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, Kent. Full details available from secretary Karen Wheeler 01580 753206 or on www.wkpma.co.uk.

Saturday 24^th September – East Sussex ploughing match at Broad Farm, Hellingly. BN27 4DU. Full details available from on www.espms.co.uk.

Wednesday 28^th September – East Kent Ploughing Match in Nonington near Dover. Full details available from secretary, Sarah Moir on 07802 974 838

Saturday 8^th October – Harvest Supper, Amos Hall, Ashford Market, TN24 0HB. For all details on RABI fundraising in the South East contact Charles Tassell 01622 858733, David Chantler 01622 850207 or Sally Field on 01903 882741.

**********************************************************

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales are…….

Commercial Vehicle sale

Thursday 22^nd September at 3.00pm

A wide selection of up to 40 vehicles are generally offered in these sales

Abbots Court Farm, Burmarsh

Thursday 29^th September at 11am

A complete farm dispersal sale on instruction of A Frith & Sons from 1500 acre arable unit to Include:-

2011 New Holland CR9070 Combine Harvester;2011 John Deere 7930 4WD Tractor;2009 John Deere 6930 Premium 4WD Tractor;2003 John Deere 8520 4WD Tractor;4 other John Deere & Ford Tractors

2001 New Holland LM410 Telehandler; 2005 Bateman RB25 Self Propelled Sprayer

2010 Richard Western 16T Grain Trailer; 3 Richard Western 14T Grain Trailers

2009 Vaderstad Rapid A 600 S Drill; 2013 Vaderstad Rexius Twin 450 Press; Sumo Trio 3 TR 103 Cultivator; Wide range of Simba Rolls, Packers, Disc harrows, Cultivators &  Presses; 2006 Bomford Kestral Hedge Cutter; Kuhn TBE 210 Shredder; Ploughs, Subsoilers, Power Harrows, Grain Handling, Grain Store & Workshop equipment

Further items entered from local farms include a Quivogne 4.8m Tinemaster cultivator, 3 Marstons and Cooks grain trailers, Bomford Triblade 3000 topper, 2006 New Holland 30’ vari feed header, 2 sets of Claas and Krone Triple front and rear mowers, set of Simba 6.6m Cambridge rolls, Amazone ZA-M 2200 fertilizer spreader, Ifor Williams 14’ trailer with sheep container, Simba 4m CultiPress, Massey Ferguson 700 quad bike and many other lots

Romney and Sussex Day shows and sales

Friday 30^th September at 11am

Sponsored by Elanco Animal Health and Farmers Guardian – full details of entries will be available next week

Chilli Farm Machinery sale

Saturday 1^st October at 9.30am

Large entries of tractors, trailers, vehicles, arable equipment, haymaking equipment, tractor attachments & spares, livestock kit, garden machinery, workshop tools and a large and varied selection of rural bygones are expected

Up to 500 lots of shrubs and garden plants and hedging and trees will also be offered.

Forthcoming store and breeding sheep and cattle sale days in Ashford Market

Romney and Sussex Day

Friday 30^th September here in Ashford Market

3,000 head already entered – Special sale day for ewe lambs and breeding sheep of the Romney breed including the Breeders Society’s annual show and sale of ram tegs.

Competitions for the best pens of ewe lambs and ewe tegs.

Annual Autumn Show & Sale of pedigree Sussex cattle

75 Head entered including 10 bulls, 16 cows 18 in calf heifers and 28 maidens

Entries expected of bulls, mature females and maiden heifers

A summary of entries, listed by breeder, will be available as soon as entries close

The full catalogues will be prepared for circulation prior to the sales.

Sponsored by Farmers Guardian and their “Marts at the Heart” campaign