Weekly Sales News – 19 July 2016

Top price per kilo – 210p – Mrs C Worley: Top price per head – £93.50 – D G & J W Gore

 Report on trade: This week saw another big entry of lambs, despite nationally easing prices, and our overall average of 184p per kg was in line with the days national figures. Good premiums were available for the best continental cross export grade lambs and well fleshed heavier weights. Many of the top priced lambs, principally  Beltex crosses and ¾ bred continentals sold readily around 200p with 39kg Beltex crosses topping the market at £82 (210p) from Mrs C Worley closely followed by 38kg Beltex crosses at £79 (208p) from G H Dean & Co. Well fleshed heavier weights were in short supply and found plenty of competition with the best making £85 plus and these held their value better than the lighter leaner sorts.

The majority of light weight lambs made £60 to £65.

We would draw producers attention to the fact that a few lame sheep have been consigned to the market in recent weeks which have come to the attention of Trading Standards Officers.  All animals must be able to support weight on all four feet to be deemed fit for market and to travel.  

Report on trade: A smaller entry of ewes were in the pens this week and they met a trade that was slightly back from previous weeks. We have been seeing a very strong trade recently and this was unlikely to be sustained throughout the summer period.

Grazing sorts were best sold on the day with genuine grazing ewes selling in excess of £60 and many buyers were present for these leaner sorts to farm on. We would recommend marketing these sorts in the coming weeks.

Top prices included Charollais ewes to £82 from D G & J W Gore, Suffolks to £80 from S T Phillips and Romneys to £65 from Langrish Farmers

Report on trade: This week saw a similar strong trade for finished cattle with the best butcher types making around 210p per kg and commercial sorts generally ranging from 170p up to 185p. The weekly consignment of  continental cross heifers from W S Furnival (Brookland) took the pick of the trade with a handy weight Limousin cross topping at £1073 (220p) and grossing up to £1173 (210p). Other cattle to gross well included continental cross heifers at £1188 (182p) from R F & E A Simmons, £1167 (195p) from S Marsh and £1105 (185p) from Harbourne Farms.

Very few native breeds were on offer with a Sussex steer at £1024 (173p) from B G & M A Tomsett and a Sussex heifer at £928 (176p) from Harbourne Farms

Report on trade: This was again a very decent entry considering that it was an out and out haymaking day across the country! Quality was certainly more variable overall with many more dairy culls on offer. Trade remains very strong particularly for the fleshed cows with the leaner dairy culls just a shade steadier.

No the very best beef cows on offer this week but good fleshed crossbred beef cows, if assured, regularly made 115p – 135p per kg. These included Simmentals at 138p and 137p and grossing £1107 from Freshfield Farms and 122p R L W Parrett; Charolais 122p Freshfield Farms, Aberdeen Angus 119p and and MRI 118p.

Flesh was wanted amongst the dairy culls with the best up over 120p. These included Holstein Friesians to 124p and 118p  and £1105 from M W Goddard, 118p and £928 R Torrance & Son, 116p Hall Place Farms, 115p and £916 J E Scutt & Sons; British Friesians 122p(2) and £860 and  121p and 120p; Norwegian Reds 113p and Jerseys 81p, 79p(2) and 78p.

A Limousin stock bull grossed £1050 (106p).

Report on trade: Young, in calf to a Sussex bull, beef cross cows made to £840 from D Budd and a Guernsey cow, bn 2010  with Aberdeen Angus cross calf (in calf again to a British Blue bull) looked very well sold at £1070.

Report on trade: A big entry of store cattle for this time of year met a strong trade throughout with a good attendance of potential buyers been to purchase all on offer. The abundance of keep throughout the South East and the recent improvement in prices for finished cattle has further boosted confidence around the store cattle ring.

Smart youngsters sold particularly well with the pick of the prices including 6 mths Charolais cross steers at £795 from S W Batch and 9 mth Aberdeen Angus cross steers at £825 from R Brown & Daughter.

Forward stores to finish short term attracted competitive bidding with the best making in excess of £1000 and up £1100 for Aberdeen Angus cross steers consigned by A G Young & Son.

Report on trade: A larger entry of calves after a number of short sales a while the entry was mixed in quality beef crosses meet a strong demand but dairy bulls were less money than recent sales. The strong demand for store cattle through this summer will encourage rearers in the coming months to keep numbers up on their farms and beef cross calves will be wanted. Please keep your entries coming to our sales. We have regular customers looking for supplies.

In the beef lines A & W J Hitchcock kicked off with a Limousin bull at £250 and then Aberdeen Angus crosses to £315 (7 bulls av £276 ) and heifers to £245 (7 av £193) all of which were May and early June born. W & C J WEstacott sold similar aged Aberdeen Angus crosses to £310. Simmental led the way from H O Champneys with a bull making £358 and their British Blue bull £368.

Dairy bulls were a more selective trade then recent sales with the bottom end and young modles £10 to £40, better fleshed young rearers £35 to £70 and stronger, near reared to £130. British Friesian types from R L W Parrett made £145 and £125 at 3 weeks old.

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.

Store and Finished Pigs – 100 Sold
Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

Report on trade: The trade here took another quite large step in the right direction for producers with 15  to 25p per kg added to the returns for the best fininshed pigs offered today in a short entry. 6 Individuals purchased store pigs again for a relatively small entry.

The best  finished pigs all made 100p per kg to 131p and just  few others 70 to 75p. P W & P Sims regular 12  all made 123p and averaged £92.55 while C B Hopes 18 made to 131p, grossed to 103.32 and averaged £97.15.

No cull sows and boars were penned but indications are these are a better trade

In the store pig pens well bred medium feeders made £50 twice from P & R Marshall and a pen of just weaned sorts £16.

Our pig sales are held once a fortnight and now we are well into the summer we are seeing some confidence in the pig sector again. Please keep in touch with us here in Ashford if you have pigs to sell.

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

Our next Auction Sales are ……

Store and Breeding Sheep sale

Friday 29^th July at 11am

This our first of 14 late summer and autumn sales and will incorporate the Southdown Sheep Societies Early Premier Breeders Show and Sale of breeding sheep – see first page of this report for a summary of Southdown entries.

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 5^th August at 9.30am. Entries close this Friday 15^th July

New & newly near mowers & garden machinery

New tools, farm & agricultural equipment, timber plus large selection of miscellaneous items.

Horse & Saddlery Sale

Thursday 18^th August at 10am. Entries close Wednesday 3^rd August   

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

Special Vehicle sale

Monday 29^th August from 10am

This auction of cars will include a special sales of 4 X 4, Diesel, sports and high performance, commercial and general vehicles. Upto 500 vehicles will be on site and in the sale.

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

Upto 500 lots of shrubs and garden plants and hedging and trees will also be offered

General news

Updated 19^th July 2016

Wanted – a small number Beef Shorthorn breeding females for a farm in East Kent

For Sale ex farm 3 in pig Saddleback Sows due in the next month to six weeks from an East Kent farm

Pedigree British Blue bull bn 10/2014 from a mid Kent farm

Upto 10 late spring calved pedigree Sussex cows. Hertfordshire – TB Low.

Quantity of 2015 made clamped maize silage in the Tonbridge area. Ring 07771 657402“

Sunday 17^th July – Singleton Rare Breeds Show, Chichester. Full details available from the museum on 01243 811348.

Wednesday 27^th July – Sheep 2016. This National Sheep Association promoted event will be held at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire. For sponsorship and trade stand enquiries contact Helen Davies on 01938 590535, 07976 803066 or helen@nationalsheep.org.uk or visit http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk for details

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

Monday 1st August  at 7.30pm – visit to Trottenden Farm, Lidwells Lane, Goudhurst, Cranbrook. TN17 1ES to view their Pedigree Sussex Cattle.

Farmers Weekly Awards 2016 – we congratulate 2 nominees, who have connections with the market and Hobbs Parker, who have reached the final stages of these competitions (top 3). Andrew Howard from Hothfield in Arable Farmer of the Year and  Peter Brown from Bicester in Beef Farmer of the Year.

Sunday 4^th September – Romney Marsh Ploughing and Cultivation Society Ploughing Match at Scotney Court Farm, Lydd, Romney Marsh. TN29 9JP. For all details email: romneyploughing@yahoo.co.uk or ring Chairman Alan Higgs on 07785 783662.

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