Weekly Sales News – 18th April 2017

Hoggets: Top price per head – £91 – C Sargent; Top price per kg – 200p – Maythum Wharf Farm

Report on trade: A larger entry of hoggets came forward this week with almost 30% more in the pens than last week and finding an improved trade throughout. Averages were up by 8p per kg in many of the weight brackets with a large proportion, almost 70%, of the entry made up of the heavy weight  lambs. These heavy sheep were sold on a slightly improved trade per kilo but certainly were better sold per head with a top price of £91 achieved for some very heavy 62kg hoggets from C Sargent with these closely followed by H Rivers at £90 for 57kg hoggs. Best of the continentals sold were from Maytham Wharf Farms and C A Worley Farming Ltd with 200p per kg and 192p respectively.

A smaller entry of new season lambs this week with just two vendors showing lambs. The top price being 223p from J Farrant and to a top price of £84 from the same vendor. More lambs expected to come forward over the coming weeks.

 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.

Cull Ewes and Rams – 178 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: A small entry of ewes in the pens this week with many of our customers prioritising lambing and farming operations in this good weather. Top price on the day was taken by T Lyle and Ptnrs at £85.

Continental ewes to £85 from T Lyle and Ptnrs, Crossbreds to £83.50 from H Rivers, Mules to £78 from G & A  Wood and Romneys to £65.50 from Les Ramsden.

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: Another brisk trade for a reduced entry of stores with a pen of crossbreds topping at £70.20 from T Thacker-Tahir and Suffolk crosses to £67 from A Taylor. The majority of small stores sold in the £50 to £60 bracket.

A small entry of ewes and lambs topped at £130 (£52 per life) for continental cross ewe with lambs at foot from R Hayden while a pen of Mules with Suffolk cross lambs at foot sold well at £126 (£52.94 per life) from W T Kemp.

Report on trade: Numbers forward came back again this week – the trade for the young triplets imoproved by a couple of pounds with the majority making £11 to £15, stronger and better brwed young lambs were in short supply making £16 to £30 and older lambs £30 to £40. 31 lambs sold to £40 and averaged £19.96

Report on trade:  A cracking good trade for finished cattle with 11 individual successful buyers competing well for all on offer and rewarding our regular suppliers with some very favourable prices. The best of the cattle attracted prices around 210p per kg and up to £1203 (223p) for Limousin cross heifer from W Alexander (Shoreham), Limousin cross steer at £1142 (216p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd, and continental cross heifers grossing well around £1130 (210p and 200p) from D W Page & Son and a Limousin cross steer to £1305 (208p) from G L Boulden & Sons.

Commercial sorts made 180p to 195p notably £1334 (197p) from a run of Limousin cross steers from R F & E A Simmons, Charolais cross steer £1225 (195p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd and a British Blue cross steer £1128 (184p) from A J Down.

Several Aberdeen Angus sired cattle were on offer with the pick up to £1284 (188p) for a steer from A R Dunlop and a bull up to £1123 (175p) from C R Cook.

A run of Friesian steers topped at £881 (145p) from R Price & Son.

Report on trade: Demand for all grades of cows continues at outstanding levels and thanks to everyone for having a good look through their herds. Numbers are short everywhere but no doubting the strength of our trade with plenty of buyers around the ring.

Some good feeders were on offer today and readily made 140-170p whilst a handful of fleshed beef cows sold to 145p for Sussex from Chandler & Dunn.

Limousins made to  168p and £980 from P N & C Burden and 148p J Saunders; Blondes 167p, 162p, 144p D Lazell (Non FA); Sussex 145p, 144p and £1098 Chandler & Dunn and Sussex cross 139p K & P M Sinden & Son.

A few best meat cows topping out at well over 125p and £1100 per head  but generally leaner types from the dairy and all look well sold. British Friesians to 132p  and £1151 R & J Ledger; Holstein Friesian 129p £1015 W S Furnival, 127p £1175 and 123p R Torrance & Son, 120p J W Boyd & Sons Ltd while imported cows made to 100p £736. Jerseys 80p and 79p(3) from Hickson Bros.

Limousin Bulls to 130p and Holsteins 88p.

Report on trade: A reduced entry this week was of very mixed quality and included a wide range of  breeds and ages. Nevertheless plenty of buyers were in attendance and trade was brisk throughout.

If you have store cattle to sell you would be well advised to enter over this coming weeks while trade remains strong.

Principal prices included:               

Continental crosses                                                                                                                         

650 plus cattle are expected on Tuesday 25^th April – see front pages of this report or our website for a full listing of stock for sale next week.

Store cattle sales will continue with good numbers entered every Tuesday through this late spring and summer

Report on trade: Local bull sellers were well rewarded for bringing for bringing stock to Ashford this week. Limousin bulls from I Machin made £4400 (bred by C & A Atkins in Essex) and his homebred bull £1600. Ellis & Gottschalk sold their Bowtells bred bull for £4300. The Limousin line was completed by Messrs Vaughan who made £3000 and £3400 of their April and May 2015 born models.

Junior Simmental bulls made to £1350 from M W & L R Rix.

In the female lines 2 yr old pedigree Simmental heifers made to £1200 with 6 averaging £1094, North Devon heifers at 26mths £940 and a varied selection of commercially farmed cows and young calves £850to £1130.

Notice from Trading Standards on Sheep tags

Sheep producers are reminded that all sheep now require electronic tags, either single, double or re replacements. Please refer to Defra guidelines for the necessary type of tag required depending on the sheep you are presenting for sale.

Sheepdogs for sale

15mth old registered well bred collie bitch. Just broken sides and a stop and easy to handle video available. Also 3 5mth old registered collie dog pups whose breeding includes Ross Games Roy and Kevin Evans Sawmill Jess . Microchipped, vaccinated and very keen. Please ring 01403 864361 or 07718902953. West Sussex

RABI, FCN, Kent Herdsmans and Ashford Cattle Show  news

RABI Fund raising events over the next few months include:

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 8th May at 7.30pm – visit to Jane Wanstall’s Christmas Tree business at Christmas Tree Farm, Matfield. TN12 7JJ.

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

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions

run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales are ……

Car Auctions May Day Extravaganza

Monday 1^st May at 10am

Spring bank Holiday extravaganza sale for all classes of vehicles– well over 500 vehicles will be offered including a wide selection of 4 x 4 models.

Commercial Vehicles

Thursday 11^th May at 3.00pm

Commercial vehicle sale

Shenley Farm Machinery sale

Saturday 13^th 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

Spring Breeding Sheep and Livestock Equipment sale

Friday 19^th May at 11.00am

Up to 400 ewes and lambs from one Weald farm and a consignment of 80 lots of livestock farming equipment already entered. Further entries of both sheep and equipment are welcome

Horse & Saddlery Sale

Thursday 1^st June 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

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 16^th June 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.

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Young Farmers Clubs News

Please support local School and Open Young Farmers clubs forthcoming lambing events including

Ashford YFC’s event at Hope Farm, Wittersham on Easter Sunday; Swan Farm, Ashford on Easter Monday; North School, Ashford on Saturday 22^nd April and others

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DEFRA and our Local Authority trading standards officers regularly 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.

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 22^nd April – Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent; Penshurst, Kent. TN8 7DD – 2pm

Saturday 29^th April – Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray; Parham, West Sussex. RH20 2ER – 2pm

Saturday 13^th May – Surrey Union; Peper Harrow, Surrey. GU8 6LA – 2pm

Thursday 18^th May – Fontwell Park; United Hunts – 3pm.

Hay, Straw and fodder

For Sale – 60 Round wrapped bales of 2016 season madehayledge, stored undercover . East Kent. 07775 794556

For Sale – 400 4ft round bales of 2016 season made hay on a West Kent dairy farm. Ring 07769 697934.

For Sale – Large quantities of hay. Ring 07860 623196.

For Sale – Large quantity Quadrant rectangular bales of 2016 season made threshed ryegrass hay. Good quality. Romney Marsh. Ring 07885703458

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

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.

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

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Breeding Cattle for sale ex farm

Pedigree Limousin bulls from a Kent and an Essex farm

Crossbred Limousin / British Blue bulls from an Essex farm

2 Pedigree Limousin bulls, 18 mths from a Welsh farm