Weekly Sales News – 14th February 2017

Top price per kg – 204p – A M & S J Lerwill; Top price per head – £87.50 – Mr J Wayman

Report on trade: A smaller entry of sheep on offer this week and an improved trade to compliment the quality of the sheep on offer in the pens. Several runs of good quality lambs were on offer with the overnight lairaged sheep that were belly shorn rewarded with a price premium. Nationally on Tuesday numbers were down in comparison to previous weeks and compared with February 2016 and it is encouraging to see the trade lifting.

Heavy weight hoggets traded between £80 and £87.50 for continental crosses from J Wayman with almost 40% of the entry coming into this category. Lighter weights were also improved on the week with best sorts in excess of £2 per kg and once more to a top of 204p from A M & S J Lerwill.

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 strong trade for ewes again this week with another £3 added to the average from last weeks improved figure. The most improved trade was for the top end ewes which again broke the £100 barrier to a top of £110 for Texels from Kingswood Farmers. Leaner ewes were at a similar level to previous weeks with only the poorest types below £30. Numbers have dropped back somewhat nationally and this in turn has improved the trade for ewes

Top prices included Texels to £110 from Kingswood Farmers and £95 from Mrs C A Worley, Suffolk crosses to £94 from G H Dean & Co, Mules to £71 from  J Hecks & Son and Romneys to £78 from A Body.

Auctioneers: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901 and John Rossiter

Report on trade: Another large entry of store hoggets and although trade was not at last weeks exceptional levels the prices were very fair and reflecting the returns available in the finished section. Best stores were making in excess of £60 with Charollais crosses topping the market at £66.20 from C H Ellis. Texel crosses made to £64.50 from N Vincent and Southdown crosses to £63 from Woodhill Farming. Medium sort were selling readily around £55 and only very small long term sorts made below £50. Average: Top £66.20 to £7 (aver £52.50)

Another entry of in lamb ewes were penned this week  with some better quality on offer in the 4 different flock dispersals/reductions of over 400 ewes penned. Top price on the day was £90.50 for some Suffolk cross ewes in lamb to Charollais rams from E Morris & Son. A pen of young Suffolk Ewes in lamb to Charollais rams from C F Fuggle made £89. Average: Top £90.50 to £61.00 (aver £74.28)

Report on trade: First of the season, a black ram lamb which made £20

This section will be sold at 10.30am every week through the season – please ring with entries so we can advise purchasers of likely numbers week by week.

Report on trade: A disappointing entry with buyers failing to fulfil orders and more could have been sold to this strong trade. Generally trade was on a par with recent weeks. Best butcher types made in excess of 200p per kg with a British Blue cross heifer topping at £1072 (215p) from F S Husk and top steer, a Blonde, at £1288 (205p) from W Alexander (Shoreham). Other top prices included a Limousin cross heifer £1183 (210p) from L E Humphreys & Son, Blonde cross steer at £1206 (192p) from G L Boulden & Sons and a Limousin cross steer at £1308 (180p) from W Alexander (Shoreham).

Report on trade: As dear as we have seen the cows this year! All buyers were strong bidders around the ring and with supplies nationally beginning to tighten prices firmed for all grades. This week we we were very short of best fed beef cows but had a good show of dairy culls. Feeding men, taking confidence from the state of the trade, see prospects looking good and want stock adding to the competitive trade. It is a good time to have a look at your non performers!

Best meat cows made 125-145p per kg  and only the very oldest and plain made below 100p. Charolais 148p from D Blowey; Limousin 144p and £997 from G Bates, 137p O`Neil Smith Ltd, 136p J D Foster and 134p (Non FA) A C Ellett; Simmental 137p, 135p £1015, £1003 from G Bates; Sussex 128p from Exceat Farms and 124p, 123p Earl de la Warr and British Blue 122p, 120p O`Neill Smith Ltd.

In the dairy lines we saw a fierce trade for the big fleshed cows but all grades moved forward and plain steakers look very well sold. British Friesian heifers made to 138p and £1073 from PHR Farms; Holstein heifers 124p, 122p, 121p from G A & H Vicary & Son; Friesian cows 129p, 127p, 125p and £983 PHR Farms; 127p(2), 123p, 122p and £1107 Ledger Farms, 125p P J Forknall, 125p, 121p £990 Huddlestone Farmers, 122p £1027 W S Furnival, 122p R & J Ledger, 121p J W Boyd & Sons and 120p £1081 M A & F W Owen. Guernseys 90p W G & T A Manford and Jersey 94p Hickson Bros.

A Limousin bull 109p £1231 with a Sussex (Non FA and Exempt) 92p and £864

Report on trade: A similar entry of store cattle saw a high percentage of native breeds on offer which were well received with competitive bidding for all. A single Limousin cross steer topped the market at £1050 from R W T & T Haines while the best of the youngsters topped at £820 for 10mth Simmental cross steers from D M Brown.

The native breeds were again keenly sought after with stronger sorts at £900 plus and up to £990 for an Aberdeen Angus cross steer from Priors Byne Farm and yearling Hereford cross steers looking well sold at £775 from B C Ginger.

Principal prices not already mentioned include:

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies

Report on trade: Just 2 forward in this section and both were in calf Aberdeen Angus cows, born 2007 and 2009, in calf again to an Aberdeen Angus bull and due in May. They made £725 and 665.

Dispersal sales of Sussex and Galloway cows will feature in our sales over the next month – see the forthcoming sales information at the front of this report for more details.

Report on trade: 16 Individual buyers secured calves today and healthy, competitive bidding produced again very fair prices for all calves offered. Large numbers of calves can be sold regularly at our fortnightly sales. The good beef trade and strong demand in the store ring is giving confidence to rearers looking for regular supplies of calves to work with. Please help us to supply this demand by consigning your calves to the market and allowing the proven auction system produce a fair result. The entry this week was about half and half beef crosses and dairy bulls and both categories found plenty of bidders.

Highlights this week included:

British Blue Bulls to £330 at 9 weeks from H O Champneys Ltd and £270 at 2 weeks from P J Forknall.

British Blue Heifers to £275 and £268 at 9 weeks from H O Champneys, £210 at 2 weeks from P J Forknall and £198 at 3 weeks from J W Boyd and Sons Ltd.

Simmental bulls £370 and £365 and heifers £345 at 7 weeks from H O Champneys Ltd

Aberdeen Angus Bulls to £300 at 4 weeks from P J Forknall, £290 twice at 7 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd, and £232 at 3 weeks from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.

Aberdeen Angus heifers to £270 at 10 weeks from W S Furnival Ltd and £265 at 6 weeks old from P J Forknall

Limousin bulls £230 at 2 weeks old and £155 for heifers at 3 weeks from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd

Holstien steers and bulls to £156 and £150 for September and October borns from Squerryes Estate (15 averaged £142), young Holstein bulls all £50 to £100 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd, Boty Farms, J Warnock & Son, W G & T A Manford, W S Furnival Ltd, J Gormley and S Reynolds.

Brown Swiss bull £270 at 8 weeks from S Reynolds

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: A short entry of very mixed quality met a fair trade in the finished pens, cull pigs were again a fair trade and demand for good stores is strong with feeders looking for regular supplies.

In the finished pens Saddlebacks made to 96p per kg from Kingswood Farmers, and good shaped pigs 120p from J Sanders. Many more pigs could have been well sold.

The best heavy cull sows made to 52p from Mrs P Banks and P W & P Sim. The rest bar the very plain 45p to 47p. A very good heavy boar made 48p.

In the store pens S Carey sold young Pietrain crosses for £32 with Berkshire weaners £20 and Tamworth feeders £30 from Canterbury Oast Trust

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.

DEFRA and our Local Authority trading standards officers egularly remind us of our responsibilities regarding unfit animals. No unfit animal should be exposed for sale in a market.

We have been reminded by the Local Authority that it is against current Welfare and Market Regulations to move stock to market, or any other holding,  in the final stages of pregnancy ( final 4 weeks). Please be careful with dates on breeding stock and cull stock that might turn out to be in lamb or in calf.

All animals should be fit to travel. All in milk cows should to be milked out prior to movement to market. Do not present lame sheep or those, for any reason, which are not fit to be transported.

Thanks for your attention to these matters.

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.

For information on all livestock sales please contact at anytime

Elwyn Davies (Sheep) 07710 803901

Peter Kingwill (Cattle) 07795 200357

Mark Cleverdon (Pigs/Calves) 01233 506288

John Rossiter (Sheep) 07557 3929033

Martin Crowhurst (Cattle/Sheep) 07710 803903

Simon Husk (Cattle/Sheep) 07885 968077

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Notices – Nick Husk

The family have asked us to advise the very sad and untimely passing of Nick after a fight with illness. Nick was well known within farming circles in East Kent and market community here in Ashford and will be terribly missed, particularly by family and close friends.

There will be a service at Barham Crematorium on Wednesday 1^st March at 12 noon.

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Livestock for sale by private treaty – ex farm

Updated 14th February 2017          

For Sale 700 Suffolk x Mule shearlings, on Heptavac system, which have run with Charollais and Texel rams from 5^th November – to be scanned. On an East Anglian farm. Contact 07710 803901.

12 Various cross beef cows (herd ages) and due to calf from mid march to Aberdeen Angus bulls on an East Kent – TB Low

South East Point to Point Meetings (www.pointingse.com)

Updated 14^th February 2017            

The fixture list for the season has been circulated with this report recently. Further copies are available here in the market

Sunday 19^th February – South East Hunts Club; Charing, Kent. TN27 0JS – 12noon

Sunday 5^th March – Mid Surrey Farmers Drag; Godstone, Surrey. RH9 8DB, Surrey – 1pm

Saturday 18^th March – Crawley & Horsham; Parham, Storrington, West Sussex. RH20 2ER – 1.45pm

Sunday 26^th March – Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent; Penshurst, Kent – 1.30pm

Sunday 9^th April – Southdown & Eridge; Godstone, Surrey. RH9 8DB at 2.15pm

Saturday 15^th April – Ashford Valley; Charing, Kent. TN27 0JS – 2pm

Monday 17^th April – East Kent: Aldington, Kent. TN25 7EJ – 2pm.

Hay, Straw and fodder

Updated 14^th February 2017

For Sale – 300 Round bales of 2016 meadow hay. Hurst Green, East Sussex. Stored under cover with good access to the A 21. Ring 07795 200357

For Sale – Large quantities of 2016 made and gathered organic hay, haylage and silage. Buckhurst Park, East Sussex. Ring 01892 770220 or email: office@buckhurstpark.co.uk

For Sale – 100 Mini Hesston 4 string bales of oat straw, 60 Mini Hesston 4 string and 200 4’ round bales of exceptional hay . Transport can be arranged get at cost. East Sussex. Ring 01580 819000 or 07768 771933

For Sale – 157 Massey Ferguson 8’ x 4’ 6 string bales of 2016 season gathered winter barley straw, stored dry. East Kent. Ring 07703 130575

For Sale – 2000 Conventional bales of 2016 season made meadow hay. East Kent. Ring 07885 305520.

For Sale – 150 Claas Quadrant 2016 season gathered winter barley straw, stored dry. Ashford area. Ring 07850 789113.

For Sale – upto 500 Conventional bales of 2016 season made hay. West Kent. Ring 07905 269113.

For Sale –200 Round bales of 2016 season made meadow hay. Maidstone area. Ring 07813 741636

For Sale – 50 Round wrapped bales of 2016 season made haylage from organically farmed grassland. Mid Kent. Ring 01233 756468.

For Sale – 500 bales of 5` long mini Hesston bales of July 2016 meadow grass haylage with delivery available at cost. Chiddingfold, Surrey. Ring 01428 654695 or 07966 452256.

For Sale – 300 to 400 wrapped 4 string bales of 2016 season haylage and 50 7’ long 6 string bales of meadow hay. Kent / Sussex borders. Ring 07773 384271 or 07973 634519.

For Sale – up to 1,000 tonnes of 2016 season clamped maize silage and large quantities of hay. Ring 07860 623196.

To advertise your stocks in this section please speak to Mark Cleverdon or Adam Leonard for details of our very reasonable charges

RABI, FCN, Kent Herdsmans, Ashford Cattle Show and YFC Club news

Updated 14^th February 2017

Fund raising events over the next few months include:

Breakfast – Wednesday 22^nd February. Poacher & Partridge, Tudeley. TN11 0PH at 8.30am. Ring Sheila Adams 01622 831429 or Charlie Chantler 07801138243. £12.50

Breakfast – Friday 24^th February. The Alma, Painters Forstal, Faversham. ME13 0DU at 8.30am. Ring Tish Neaves 01795 890515 or Charles Tassell 01622 858733. £12.50

Plumpton Race Day – Monday 27^th February. Charity race day in exclusive R.A.B.I marquee. 12.30 for 1pm. Lunch, afternoon tea, parking, full race card, bar and tote facilities. Ring David Chantler 01622 850207 or Sally Field 01903 882741. £65

Clay Pigeon Shoot – Friday 31^st March. West Kent Shooting School, Brenchley. TN12 7DG. 70 bird R.A.B.I Charity shoot. Ring Sally Field 01903 882741 or Charles Tassell 01622 858733. £75

Beef Dinner, British Beef Week – Saturday 22^nd April. London Beach Hotel, Tenterden. TN30 6HX. Limited to 100 tickets. Ring David Chantler 01622 850207

Kart Racing – April or May, date TBC. Buckmore Park. Ring Charles Tassell 01622 858733

Elmley Bird Sanctuary private tour and barbeque  – Sunday 14^th May. Emley, Isle of Sheppey. ME12 3RW. Ring Roger Pickard 01227 832045 for full details

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

Kent Herdsmans Club

Monday 13th February at 7.30pm. AGM followed by Mark Cleverdon speaking about his experiences as an Auctioneer – at the Conningbrook Hotel, Canterbury Road, Ashford. TN24 8QR. For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Sandra Brown on 01233 502796 or Jo Masters 01580 240568

Ashford Cattle Show

The recent prize giving was well attended and a cheque for £3,680 was presented to Macmillen Cancer Support by our president Bryan Judges.

The Annual General meeting will take place on Wednesday 22^nd February at 6pm here in the Market.

Weald of Kent YFC – a new club

This new young farmers club is being launched and the trustees are promoting an initial fundraising event.

Saturday 25^th February at 7.30pm – The Big Farming Quiz at Marden Cricket and Hockey Club. Teams of upto six welcome and for more details email: eckleyfarms@waitrose.com.

General news

Updated 14^th February 2017

Wanted – Plumpton College are currently seeking a professional, enthusiastic, well organised and experienced tractor driver / relief stockperson to form an integral part of our new farm team on our 800 hectare mixed farm.

The ideal candidate will need to:-

• Be both qualified and experienced in a wide range of field work and machinery operations.
• Be well organised and have the drive and enthusiasm to work with students as part of their daily work.
• Have the interest and ability to support a variety of livestock enterprises at certain times of the year.
• Be a good communicator, have good IT, literacy and numeracy skills, and be able to work as part of a small farm team with a flexible approach to work.
• Hold a full clean driving & trailer license.

As well as a competitive salary, you can also look forward to a great range of benefits including 26 days holiday plus bank holidays, membership of the Local Government pension scheme, child care voucher scheme and free on-site parking.

For further information about the role including job description and application please visit the vacancies section of our website www.plumpton.ac.uk.  Alternatively contact the HR department at

Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Plumpton, East Sussex, BN7 3AE.  Tel : 01273 890454, email:hr@plumpton.ac.uk

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Agri Expo 2017

Hobbs Parker Property Consultants are  pleased to announce they will be attending this major event in the farming calendar on Wednesday 1^st March.

Full details are available on http://www.agri-expo.co.uk or from Karen Wheeler on 01622 815356

New stall here in the market on Tuesdays –

Gail Thomas trading as “In the Country” will be attending the market with a range of Hunting, Shooting and Outdoor clothing and associated itmes for sale. From Badlesmere Gail has a retail outlet in the village and her web address is www.inthecountry.co.uk and she can be contacted on 01233 742700.