Weekly Sales News – 17th April 2018

Top price per head – £134.50 – H Rivers; Top price per kilo – 277p – C A Worley Farming

Report on trade Another entry of over 2000 finished hoggets was penned and we have seen a return to reality this week after last weeks record returns. Despite the drop in averages in comparison to last week, we must look at each week on its own merits and see that the trade was still very strong throughout with once again a big number of the hoggets on offer selling in excess of £100 and several large runs of sheep not dropping below that level. The best of these heavier sorts were sold to a top price of £134.50 from H Rivers for some super Charollais cross hoggets at 53kg which was closely followed by M Banham at £130 (56kg). Best continental sorts on offer traded up to 277p per kg from C A Worley Farming Ltd for some very smart 38kg Beltex lambs at £104.

A small entry of new seasons lambs on offer this week met with a slightly slower trade than we have seen in so far this season with many buyers reluctant on these as their customers are not ready to switch from hogget meat yet. It is anticipated that this trade will show signs of improvement in the coming weeks as numbers of hoggets begin to decrease. Top spot was taken by Mrs V McDonald at £112.

Producers please note – For top results please present well fleshed lambs which are preferably dry and clean. Lairage facilities and dagging 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 big entry on offer this week and a trade that was still very good but as we saw in the hogget section, it didn’t quite follow last weeks record breaking levels. We still saw a super pen of Texel ewes from J Warnock & Son sell to £158 which may be a record for cull ewes in Ashford. Many other meat sorts sold in excess of £100.

Top prices this week included Texel ewes to £158 from J Warnock & Son, Suffolk crosses to £125.50 from C Moss & Sons, Mules to £103.50 from D Moss and Romneys to £103 from Les Ramsden.

Report on trade: Strong trade continues for store hoggets with the best £85 plus and only very small sorts below £70. Averages 381 sold to 109 aver £79.11

A run of Mule ewe hoggets sold well up to £112 from T Crick and Suffolk x Mule ewe hoggets to £107.50 from C M Gillett. Averages 294 sold to 112 aver £109.23

A small entry of ewes and lambs sold up to £107 (£45.50 per life) from Miss P Watts. Averages 67 couples sold to £107 aver £102.30 (£44.79 per life)

Report on trade: Very much a stand on report to last week with the best big lambs selling to £32, other nicely bred and reared younger lambs generally £16 to £25 and the smaller, generally triplets £5 to £15. Average £14.87.

Report on trade: An improved trade on the week with the few smart butcher types selling exceptionally well. A Limousin cross heifer topped the market at £1078 (230p) from R F & E A Simmons and other Limousin cross heifers made to £1250 (218p) and £1044 (218p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and Gillshaw Farms Ltd.

Quality cattle with weight grossed well notably a British Blue cross steer to £1396 (209p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons, Blonde steer to £1356 (206p) from G L Boulden & Sons and Limousin cross steers to £1336 (203p) from W Alexander (Shoreham).

A run of continental x Friesians topped at £1087 (195p) from A J Down while Sussex steers sold well at £1135 (198p) from J G & D G D White and £1012 (199p) from Cobtree Young Farmers.

A small entry of bulls saw with the pick make up to £1298 (205p) for a Blonde from G L Boulden & Sons.

Report on trade: A real “tidy up” day before turnout produced a rather mixed entry – good in numbers but not in quality! Over 60% of the entry was dairy culls and we were very short of meat amongst the beef cows where the grazing types were well received and sold to another terrific trade. The trade overall held very firm though the plain dairy culls certainly were less after last weeks exceptional trade and as more of these types come forward across the country prior to turn out.

Only a handful of fleshed beef cows included a heavyweight Blonde making 150p and £1269 (Non FA) from G L Boulden & Sons; Aberdeen Angus 147p £1090 B G & M A Tomsett; Beef Shorthorn 143p £1197 J Howie and Limousin cross 142p R J Husk.

Grazing cows again a marvellous trade and more wanted by a larger crowd of purchasers. Age obviously a factor but there are customers for all with the grass now rushing forward. Farm Assurance makes no difference here so time to take advantage. British Blue crosses 178p Boty Farms; Sussex 153p, 146p, 138p(2) Chandler & Dunn and 150p Beaute Agri; Aberdeen Angus 150p P Court; Limousin cross 137p Beaute Agri and South Devon 137p, 135p H & S Nesfield.

A large show of dairy culls but there was little meat on offer except for a few notable exceptions. Lean and plain cows were less money but it still is not taking much to get to 100p. The trade for fleshed sorts however held firm.

Quality fleshed British Friesians made 138p, 137p, 136p(2), 135p, 134p(2) and grossed £1161, £1076, £1038, £1035 from PHR Farms; 137p £983 R F & E A Simmons and 135p Westnedge & Knight; Holstein heavyweights to 129p £1240 P J Forknall; Ayrshire 133p, 131p £853 J Howie; Swedish Red 127p £934 R P Kent & Son and Jersey 100p £523 S E Lane & Ptnrs.

Report on trade: Another great show of store cattle with several runs of top quality continental and Aberdeen Angus cross yearlings on offer. Again all our regular customers for these bigger sales were in attendance ensuring competitive returns throughout and on a par with recent weeks.

A quality run of over 100 single suckled yearlings from Burden Bros were well received with the majority of Limousin cross steers around £1050 and up to £1150 while the Aberdeen Angus crosses sold exceptionally well up to £1170. Other top runs saw the best cattle making in excess of £1100 and these included Limousin crosses from L E Humphreys & Sons and P N & C Burden. A smart pen of Limousin cross heifers sold well at £980 from L Smith.

A relatively large percentage of native bred cattle on offer later in the sale attracted lots of interest and favourable prices with Aberdeen Angus cross steers grossing up to £1195 from J K W Alexander Ltd and Hereford cross steers to £985 from G J Ostridge.

Large entries are now expected for the next 6 to 8 weeks ­- if you have cattle to sell please ring any of our team of auctioneers and fieldsmen for advice and to ensure cataloguing and proper advertising within our sales.

Principal prices include:                                                                                                                  

Report on trade: This seasons second focused breeding day featured an entry of young bulls from 9 breeders and all bar one found new breeding homes. Top investors were H & J Noakes, Brookland who purchased and Ellis & Gottschalk, Waltham Abbey bred pedigree Limousin Bowtells Maynard for £4050 and their 3 other bulls made £3,000, ££3,300 and £3550. H Hawkins sold a large Simmental foor £1850, R Colemand & Son a Limousin for £2900 while 2 pedigree British Blue stock sires, born 2013 and 2014 made £2500 each from Miss P Marsh. Other Essex breeders also sold bulls including Messrs Gardners (Alex & Gemma Sell) a South Devon £2000 and W A Ketley & Son a Limousin at £2800 and a Limousin x British Blue £2900.

Grass is now growing very quickly and there were plenty of bidders for females – North Devon bulling heifers made £975, in calf Sussex heifers to £1020 and young cows to £920. Cows and claves all close to £1000 and beyond with a hard farmed Simmental 2014 cow and fresh Limousin cross bull calf £1140.

Something different for this weekend

Ashford Young Farmers Club

Sunday 22nd April  – All are welcome to join them at their Lambing Open day at Hope Farm, Wittersham TN30 7NP from 10am to 4pm

If you would like more information please contact Amy Langdon 07733 481473

Marathon man!! This year Mark Cleverdon.

On Sunday our Mark is hoping to fulfil a personal ambition to complete the London Marathon. The British Legion have provided him with his charity place and he has collected a huge amount in sponsorship for them. Further donations to support Mark and the British Legion can be made by logging into to his charity page – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-cleverdon , Texting CYMA56 £10 to 70070 or passing your donation to Mark himself or adding your name to his sponsors form here in the market.

His running number is 50520 and you can follow him around the course on the Virgin London Marathon website or iphone app

For up to date information on all livestock sales please contact

Elwyn Davies (Sheep) 07710 803901 or 01233 861263

Peter Kingwill (Cattle & Sheep) 07795 200357

Martin Crowhurst (Sheep & Cattle) 07710 803903 or 01797 343936

Simon Husk (Sheep & Cattle) 07885 968077 or 01304 842393

Mark Cleverdon (Rams, Breeding Cattle, Pigs & Calves) 07748 202688

John Rossiter (Cull ewes & store sheep plus commercial vehicles) 07557 392903

British Wool Board announcement re Wool sheets

Corrected – Tuesdays 17^th and 24^th April – Wool sheets will be available here in Ashford Market for farmers and smallholders to collect.

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

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

Saturday 21^st April – Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent; Penshurst, Kent. TN8 7DD – 2pm

Saturday 28^th April – Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray; Parham, West Sussex. RH20 2ER – 2pm

** Rearranged fixture. Sunday 6^th May – East Kent: Aldington, Kent. TN25 7EJ – 2pm.

Original complimentary tickets will still be valid for this meeting **