Weekly Sales News – 17th March 2020


Headlines this week – the sheep pens were filled at close to capacity this week. Trade was well maintained throughout with the two cull sections in particular producing impressive returns. Read on for this weeks reports….

For forthcoming sales information – www.hobbsparker.co.uk/auctioneers/livestock-marketing/forthcoming-sales/

 


Finished Sheep

3,289 Sold

Top price per kilo – 308p – T Husk; Top price per head – £148 – A Neaves

Report on trade: What a day and what a trade we saw. Many theories and opinions being branded around but with supermarket shelves and butchers counters being emptied rapidly, the prices we saw today were fantastic. Hogget trade average was on a par with last week but the top prices we saw were improved considerably, breaking the 300p per kg barrier for the first time this season from T Husk who sold some super Beltex hoggets at 308p.

Top prices in the lump this week were well ahead of last week with several pens over £140 to a top price of £148 from A Neaves which was followed by MB Farms at £143 and R H Smith at £141. The trade is currently in a good place but there is no way to predict what the next month has in store. As always it is business as usual here at the South Easts premier livestock market.

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.

                                                     Hoggets
KgsTop PriceAve PriceTop Vendorp per kg
3591.0084.48S B & A E Martin260.0
3697.0088.51A J Skinner & Son269.0
37104.0094.55N A Balcomb & Son281.0
38109.0095.10Miss H Dent287.0
39120.0096.50T Husk308.0
40110.0097.05T Husk275.0
 41110.0099.47N A Balcomb & Son268.0
42113.50101.04J Wayman270.0
43116.00102.68D Isaac270.0
44120.00108.35T Husk273.0
45119.00108.19T R Holt264.0
46130.00112.45T Husk283.0
47130.00113.08T Husk and M B Farms277.0
48125.00115.80T Husk260.0
49120.50109.08D Isaac246.0
50126.00119.24I Strang252.0
51115.00113.82I T Henshaw& Son225.0
Hoggets – pence per kg
Weight RangeNumberTopBottomAverageNational Av
Superlight 17 to 25.4 kgs10130.00.013.0191.8
Light 25.5 to 32 kgs3207.0200.0204.6224.2
Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs669308.0143.0250.5245.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs1,457275.0214.0242.1253.3
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs953283.0212.0239.3244.2
Other over 52 kgs196270.0142.0222.6230.8

Cull Ewes and Rams

854 sold

Report on trade: The dearest they have ever been. There isn’t much more to say than that. Overall average of £111 and up to £169.

Top prices included continental ewes to £169 from A Neaves, rams to £160 from D G Long, Suffolk ewes to £152 from N A Balcomb & Son, Romneys to £135 from J Hobden and Mules to £140 from W Mandry Ltd

Store and Breeding Sheep

1,426 Sold

Report on trade: A larger than expected entry met an exceptional trade with best stores making in excess of £90 and a favourable overall average of £83. Only very small sorts below £75.  Averages 1,426 sold to £96, aver £83.

If you have stores to sell you would be well advised to take advantage of these strong prices.

Principal prices included:               
Suffolk cross£96.00P Gorringe/W J Hurley
Suffolk cross£95.50J Wayman
Suffolk cross£95.00M & R Morton
Charollais cross£95.00S B & A E Martin
Charollais cross£95.00Gore Court Farms
Charollais cross£92.00J Wayman
Charollais cross£90.00Small Bros
Texel cross£91.00J & M Carr
Texel cross£90.00D Stephens and G W Fuller & Son
Down cross£93.50Beaute Agri
Down cross£90.00J R Collins
Romney wether£91.00A J Thonmpson & Sons
Romney wether£90.00S B & A E Martin

Sock Lambs

10 Sold

Report on trade: A smaller entry of lambs selling on a firmer trade which topped at £32 from S W Mount and Sons Ltd. Average £25.50

Finished Cattle

45 Sold

Report on trade: This week saw a reduced entry of smart continental cross handyweights which attracted prices around 190p per kg notably a Limousin cross heifer to £1108 (190p) from R Price & Son and Blonde cross heifer at £1044 (187p) from G L Boulden & Sons.

An increased entry of native bred cattle were on offer with a run of Aberdeen Angus crosses from Wooladon Farm Ltd selling well on this trade with steers to £987 (193p) and heifers to £1065 (189p) while a heifer sold at similar level £975 (188p) from T Kemp.

Heavier cattle made around 170p with Sussex steer £1195 (175p) and British Blue cross steer £1174 (165p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons.

A Blonde topped the bull section at £1285 (173p) from G L Boulden & Sons.

Finished cattle averages – pence per kg
ClassificationNoTopBottomAverage
Light bulls (370 – 550kg)1131.5131.5131.5
Medium bulls (551 – 650kg)2140.5121.5131.0
Heavy bulls (over 650kg)4172.574.5122.8
Light steers (370 – 550kg)4192.5175.5183.0
Medium steers (551 – 650kg)3176.5169.5173.8
Heavy steers (over 650kg)3178.5164.5172.5
Light heifers (330 – 500kg)7180.5167.5173.5
Medium heifers (501 – 590kg)12189.5148.5178.3
Heavy heifers (over 590kg)6169.5142.5153.0
Leading steer prices
ProducerWeightAge and breedP per kgGross £
Wooladon Farm Ltd51324 mths Aberdeen Angus193.0990
G L Boulden & Sons54021 mths Limousin185.0999
Wooladon Farm Ltd48624 mths Aberdeen Angus180.0875
K & P M Sinden & Sons65923 mths British Blue179.01180
G L Boulden & Sons63524 mths Limousin177.01124

 

 

Leading heifer prices
R Price & Son58517 mths Limousin190.01112
R Price & Son56516 mths Limousin189.01068
Wooladon Farm Ltd56524 mths Aberdeen Angus189.01068
T Kemp52022 mths Aberdeen Angus188.0978
G L Boulden & Sons56023 mths Blonde187.01047

Cull Cows and Bulls

43 Sold

Report on trade: Not surprisingly it is processing beef that is flying off the shelves in these difficult days. Supplies are tight and nothing much can be done to change that. Please look carefully at the non-performers, as always. Buyers all want stock and prices were strong. Best feeders were a real trade with cows regularly 130p to 150p per kg, assured fleshed beef cows 120p to 145p, half meat dairy 105p to 115p and bulls dearer.

IN the beef lines Aberdeen Angus crosses made 153p, 138p, 130p and grossed £824, £816 for R Brown and Daughter and 111p £884 (Non FA) Barfrestone Court Farms; Charolais cross 146p, 137p, 134p £1113, £1001 R Brown again; Limousin cross 142p £1081 W G Vant & Sons; Sussex 124p £826 F Sole & Sons; Lincoln Red 120p A W Vincent; British Blue cross 117p A J Thompson & Sons; Hereford cross 116p £832 A J Thompson & Sons and 116p (Non FA) M Russell.

Dairy best included Holstein Friesian 113p, 109p £873, £842 M A & F W Owen; 112p, 106p £848 Kingcott Dairy; 110p £881 P J Forknall and 109p (2) £895 Leggat Farming with Brown Swiss (Foreign) 100p £771.

Bulls included Sussex 102p, 93p £990 and a Dexter 90p £550.

Cull cattle section – pence per kg
ClassificationNoTopBottomAverage
Beef cows28152.561.5111.3
Dairy cows13112.574.599.1
Bulls3101.589.594.5

 

Store Cattle

363 Sold

Report on trade: A much different catalogue to last week with a higher percentage of dairy and native bred cattle on offer and while there were fewer potential customers ringside the general trade was competitive throughout.

In the continental cross section the stronger cattle took the pick of the trade. Notably steers to £1150 from The Montreal Estate and heifers to £1120 from R P Kent & Son with smart 15 mths Simmental cross steers selling well at £995 from P T & S J A Beale.

A good selection of native bred cattle saw the best of the yearlings making to £780 for Hereford cross steers £780 from F Pearce & Sons and quality 24 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers selling exceptionally well at £1160 and £1125 from P R Lanham and Barfrestone Court Farms respectively.

More cattle are now entered for forthcoming weeks and we do not expect any shortage of customers keen to restock empty yards and looking for cattle to graze this summer.

Principal prices included:               
Continental Cross
7-10 mths Limousin cross bulls£755L R & Sons
10 mths Simmental cross heifers£810F S Husk
12 mths Charolais cross steers£785S Goodsell
12 mths Limousin cross heifers£750E Stretton
15 mths Simmental cross steers£995P T & S J A Beale
15 mths Simmental cross heifers£920P T & S J A Beale
15 mths British Blue x Friesian steers£695J G Jenkin & Sons
15 mths British Blue x Friesian heifers£655J G Jenkin & Sons
15 mths Simmental cross steers£810Siggs Farms
16-18 mths Simmental x Friesian steers£1070R P Kent & Son
24 mths Simmental x Friesian heifers£1120 R P Kent & Son
24 mths Simmental cross steers£1150The Montreal Estate
24 mths Simmental cross heifers£1010The Montreal Estate
Native Bred
10 mths Hereford cross steers£770High Chimney Farms
12 mths Hereford cross steers£780F Pearce & Sons
12 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£750R Brown & Daughter
14 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£920P T & S J A Beale
14 mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers£755P T & S J A Beale
18 mths Sussex x British Blue steers£950Blythe Model Dairies
18 mths Sussex x British Blue heifers£975Blythe Model Dairies
18 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£910Ross Farms
22 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£970K Vincent
22 mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers£985K Vincent
24 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£1125Barfrestone Court Farms Ltd
24 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers£1160P R Lanham
22 mths Sussex heifers£830Raveningham Farms
24 mths Beef Shorthorn heifers£750S C Gammon

 

Breeding Cattle

0 Sold

Calves

116 Sold

Trade a little easier than the previous fortnight but the right goods still selling well.

We saw fewer continentals about this week but demand very much still there for all types. Bulls sold to £290 for a British Blue from T Castle & Son and notably younger British Blues from J Warnock & Son to £230. Medium types made around the £150 mark with the smallest around £100. Heifers were a little harder to place this week selling to £200 for a British Blue from T Castle & Son and Limousin’s to £160  from W S Furnival Ltd.

Plenty of natives about this week with a total of 25 sold. Top price bull through the ring was an Aberdeen Angus from A & W J Hitchcock at £260 and younger calves generally £140 to £170. Native heifers similar to the continentals in being a little easier averaging £80 and topping at £110 for an Aberdeen Angus from A & W J Hitchcock.

A stand on trade for the dairy sired this week with an entry comprising mainly younger Holstein Friesians. Oncoland Ltd topped the section with calves to £44 while processing types made £15 to £25 and bobbies around the £8 mark.

A fantastic entry of weanlings and plenty of buyers to match with continental heifers particularly sought after. A pen of 6 well marked and well grown August born British Blue heifers sold to £500 from East Hill Farm while other British Blues sold to £380 again from East Hill Farm.

Harder type continentals with more age sold well on the trade including Limousin steers to £340 from J Latham and J Hughes.  A handful of natives with the pick being a 5 mth old Aberdeen Angus steer which sold to £350 again East Hill Farm.

There was plenty of demand for weanlings with buyers still looking to fill up. Should you have weanlings to sell, please do get in touch and make the most of this demand.

We remind all calf sellers and buyers of the information below

Calf sellers and buyers should be aware that welfare regulations state that while an animal can be sold at 7 days old if they are offered at under 10 days old they cannot be transported more than 100km from the market. Buyers are notified from the rostrum when these calves are offered.

From a sellers view it is best not to present calves at under 10 days old to avoid possibly restricting the number of potential bidders for your stock.

Calf averages – £ per head
DescriptionNoTopBottomAverage
Continental bulls6290.0070.00175.00
Continental heifers10200.00100.00149.50
Native bulls14260.0080.00134.29
Native heifers11110.0050.0080.00
Friesian – 1st170.0070.0070.00
Friesian – 2nd1244.0022.0028.83
Friesian – 3rd and bobbies1720.006.0015.24
Stirks
Continental male5340.00240.00320.00
Continental female27500.00240.00349.26
Native male3350.00270.00306.67
Native female5350.00260.00296.00
Dairy bulls5270.00220.00260.00

Store and Finished Pigs

0 Sold

General information

Please remember it is essential we have an early indication from all sellers of stock numbers you wish to sell week by week – we phone and send text messages to buyers and agents every Monday evening and an accurate indication of numbers coming forward is essential with many buyers travelling substantial distances to attend.

British Wool Board announcement re Wool sheets

Tuesday 24th March – Wool sheets will be available here in Ashford Market for farmers and smallholders to collect.

Please note if you don’t wash out at Ashford

Drivers of vehicles leaving Ashford empty without cleansing and disinfecting MUST complete a declaration form obtainable from the Market Office.

You must then cleanse and disinfect as soon as possible and within 24 hours, or before using again for livestock.

This is a LEGAL responsibility and are subject to checks by Local Authority Animal Health and Welfare Officers

If you are affected by TB in any way you may wish to note that

Defra have relaunched the TB hub website, Visit the site at https://tbhub.co.uk/ to start exploring and hopefully understand better the efforts being made to deal with this problem.

Hobbs Parker and Ashford Livestock Market

We are the South East’s principle livestock market selling over 255,000 head of cattle, sheep and pigs in 2019.

Weekly sales throughout the year of all classes of stock, principally on Tuesdays, run by a fully professional team of auctioneers and support staff provide an unmatched level of service and commitment to the livestock farmer in the area. Come and see us on market day soon and bring your livestock for us to sell.

Hay, Straw, Fodder and Forage Crop for sale and / wanted

For Sale – Top notch barn stored round and mini-hesston bales 2019 hay. Bulk whole oats in half tonne bags also available. Delivery arranged. East Sussex. 07768 771933.

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

For Sale – Border Collie puppies – 4 dogs and 2 bitches – in the Ashford area. Ring Tom on 07707 879642

Local Agricultural Show and ploughing match dates and news

Heathfield Agricultural Show is on Saturday 23rd May at the Heathfield Showground, TN21 8UE. Livestock schedules available from here in the market. Now cancelled

South of England Show – Thursday to Saturday 11th, 12th and 13th June – All show enquiries please ring 01444 892700 or visit seas.org.uk – schedules available from here in the market

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

From the point to point racing Co website “This is a formal announcement to confirm that the British point-to-point season is closed for this season”

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions

run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales are ……

Car and Commercial Vehicle sales

Friday 27th March at 12.00

Spring classic car auction

Thursday 2nd April at 3.00pm

Commercial vehicle sale

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 3rd April at 9.30am.

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

Catalogues will be available about a week before the sale. This sale is now cancelled

Pedigree Sussex Spring Show & Sale

Friday 17th April

This is the Sussex Cattle Societies sale of breeding bulls and females

Sale of Boats and Maritime items at Ramsgate Harbour

Saturday 25th April

A good large entry of boats and other maritime items

Shenley Farm Machinery sale

Saturday 16th May 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