Weekly Sales News – 20th February 2018

Top price per head – £119 – Mr H Rivers; Top price per kilo – 238p – Mr H Rivers

Report on trade: Once again, a tremendous trade. Smiles all round, even from some of the hardest faces to please! A similar number were penned to last week with 3000 finished hoggets on offer and the trade was on fire from start to finish. Overall average gross price of a finished hogget yesterday was £94 which must be as strong as we have seen in February for many years. This figure is £22 above the averages returned for the corresponding week of last year (almost 50p per kg).

All weights and types were in demand with the wholesale buyers battling to buy lambs and many of these not able to buy enough today to satisfy demand. Top of the tree once again this week was H Rivers with his hoggets being both top price per head and also per kilo at £119 and 238p respectively. Handy weighted lambs from C A Lee & Sons sold to £96 (43kgs at 223p) and 44kgs to £103 (234p) from S J Reeve & Son. Another notable run of heavier sorts came from P Gorringe with all of his offering selling at in excess of £106 to a top price of £113 (twice).

A noticeable premium was on offer once again this week for the sheep that were presented empty, clean and farm assured. It is our advice that vendors try and present their sheep in this way to maximise the potential buying audience.

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 smaller entry of ewes this week, as has been the case nationally in the past couple of weeks, with just under 500 ewes penned. Certainly more spark in the trade with averages just a little up on last week. This situation is certainly being helped by the drop in numbers but it also appears that there is more demand for the ewe meat, possibly caused by the lamb meat being a lot more expensive in the past few weeks than we have seen in the past few months.

Top prices this week included continental ewes to £109 from A C Hulme & Sons, Suffolk crosses to £100 from the same vendor, Mules to £82.50 from Leaconfield Farms and Romneys to £94 from G Homewood.

Report on trade: Another large entry of store hoggets with over 1100 selling to an exceptionally strong trade with Charollais cross topping the market at £89.50 from A J Jull and Texel cross up to £87.50 from Mrs V Frampton.

Generally all strong stores sold readily around £80 with only very small long keeping sorts below £65 and a favourable overall average of £71.70.

A small entry of in lamb ewes sold up to £106 for Texel x Romney tegs in lamb to a Texel ram and due 1^st April from T Wenham.

Report on trade: Although slightly back on recent weeks and in line with the national trend this was still a very decent trade. The best handy weights made around 210p per kg and up to £1183 (229p) for a smart Limousin cross heifer from W Alexander (Shoreham) and a run of Limousin cross heifers attracted prices around 210p from R F & E A Simmons. More commercial sorts made 185p to 190p with a Limousin x Friesian steer up to £1049 (193p) from A J Down.

Cattle with weight grossed in excess of £1200 notably a Limousin cross steer to £1256 (188p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and a Simmental cross steer £1210 (176p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd.

Several native bred cattle were on offer with the pick including an Aberdeen Angus cross steer to £1197 (185p) from A R Dunlop, a Sussex steer to £1057 (191p) from Gillshaw Farms Ltd and a Sussex heifer to £1041(177p) from J D Hickman.

Several OTM’s were on offer with the best to £1334 (175p) for a South Devon cross heifer from Burden Bros and an Aberdeen Angus cross steer at £1233 (173p) from A R Dunlop.

Report on trade: Yet another outstanding trade with prices advancing once again. A very decent entry in terms of numbers and quality were met by buyers all keen to secure numbers, flesh and potential. Whilst rates look certain to continue at these levels this is really the time to question your own doubts over non performers, empty stock and the bad tempered and awkward.

Some very good fed purebred beef cows at the top end readily made over 160p per kg and £1200 topping at 175p and 171p for Limousin cross slips from Burden Bros. Fed crossbred beef cows regularly made 140 to 155p with hardly a beef cow under 110p. Incredibly the beef culls averaged a staggering £998 including the 16yr old at £441!!

Examples of prices achieved included Limousins 175p, 171p, 162p, 161p(2), 156p and , £1335, £1247, £1204, £1189 from Burden Bros; 169p, 168p and £1189, £1127 L E Humphreys & Son and 166p and £1266  P N & C Burden; South Devon cross 149p, 148p, 147p, 145p, £1246, £1241, £1090, £1011 Burden Bros; Aberdeen Angus cross 149p, 148p, 146p, 145p(2), 144p(2), £1261, £1193, £1098, £1084 Burden Bros; Simmental cross 148p, 138p, 136p L A Charman & Ptrs and 144p £1105 Burden Bros; Charolais cross 149p, 136p, 135p(2), £1222, £1077 L A Charman & Ptrs; British Blue cross 146p £1075 O`Neill Smith; Stabiliser cross 146p £1019 Burden Bros and Sussex 133p (Non FA) N Tiller and 125p(2) (Non FA) G W Bridges.

Demand for the dairy culls similarly enthusiastic with all grades sharper than ever. Younger Holstein heavyweights 149p £1143 WF Farms; Dairy Shorthorn 141p R L W Parrett; British Friesian 138p, 133p, £1059 PHR Farms; 135p R L W Parrett; Holstein Friesian 135p(2), 133p, £1170, £1132, £1127 J Warnock & Son; 134p, £1041 Goddard & Son; 133p J Leggat & Son; 133p J W Boyd & Sons; Montbelliarde 129p R L W Parrett and Jerseys 110p(2), 109p, 98p(2), £597, £575 Hickson Bros.

A Sussex bull a phenomenal! 133p and £1385 from J G & D G White.

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Report on trade: A small show of stores this week but plenty of customers keen to buy and with a bit of dry weather and March around the corner we can anticipate more cattle and strong demand.

Hard coated Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 10mths from  A W Vincent £590, £555, £480 with their Lincoln Reds to £510. Simmental cross steers 22mths £920 and heifers £920 from L A Charman & Ptnrs.

Ashford Cattle Show News

The AGM will be held on Wednesday 28^th February at 7pm here in the market.

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

Vehicle parking on busy market days – Congestion in the bottom / livestock parking area

Please help us to help you. The upper car park on the top side of the market buildings is available for all cars and Land Rovers with trailers

All cattle vendors please note the following information regards Cattle Passports – it is very important

1. Under no circumstances change any details on the passport by hand.
2. Please check passports when you initially receive them to check details, particularly of sex, breed and sire details.
3. Any changes need to be notified to BCMS as soon as possible and well before any movement to market or abattoir, so that passports can be amended.
4. Incorrect details can all have a bearing on value back to you, the vendor, and are a part of your responsibilities to cross compliance.

Hay, Straw and fodder

For Sale – 47 round bales of 2017 season made haylage –  analysised. Buyer  to collect. 01303 840112

For Sale – up to 300 Class 4string rectangular bales of wrapped hayledge made for a 2^nd year seeds lay. Delivery can be arranged – mid Kent. Ring 07711167467

For Sale – Large quantity of 2017 ensiled forage maize – analysis available. East Kent. Ring 07739 490975

For Sale – 90 5’ round bales of 2017 season gathered spring barley straw and 100 similar sized bales of wheat straw, all stored inside – Kent / Sussex borders. Ring 07835 521800

For Sale – Organic Hay, Haylage & Silage, Big Square and rounds. All good quality – Available East Sussex/Kent border. Contact Buckhurst Estate: Sharon 01892 770220 or Warren 07836 378044

This register will now run until early May for further details please ring our auctioneers office on 01233 502222 or Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

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

For Sale – 22 Sussex in calf cows of herd ages and 10 bulling heifers on a Kent farm. Ring 07785968077

For Sale – Pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull, bn 2011 an ex Essex farm. Johnes and BVD free. Ring Mark on 07748 202688

For Sale – 25 Aberdeen Angus, Simmental and other beef cross heifers due to calve in April to a Limousin bull. East Kent. Ring Simon on 07885 968077

For Sale – 40 Sussex and South Devon in calf cows which have been scanned and are due from mid February to end of April to Simmental and Beef Shorthorn bulls on an East Sussex farm (TB Edge). Ring Peter on 07795 200357

For Sale – Mobile cattle handling system, Tony Binn’s design, with crush and large number of gates plus a Nixon steam cleaner – on a West Kent farm. Ring 07931 226490

RABI, FCN, Young Farmers Clubs and Kent Herdsmans Club News

RABI

Further fundraising events

Monday 26^th February 2018 – Plumpton Race Day, Plumpton Race Course, Plumpton Lane, Plumpton BN7 3AL

For further information on all RABI events in Kent ring Charles Tassell – 01622 858733, 07973 412179 or email charles@tassell.co.uk

Kent Herdsmans Club

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

Ashford Young Farmers Club

Wednesday 28th February – Laser Tag at Battlezone, Kingsnorth. TN23 3JD. 7-9pm £12.50pp

Wednesday 14 March – Golf at Great Chart. TN23 3BW. 7.30pm £8.50

Sunday 15th April – **Lambing Open Day** – Hope Farm, Wittersham TN30 7NP. 10am-4pm

For further information on all Ashford YFC events ring Chairman Amy Langdon on 07733 481473

Weald of Kent YFC

This relatively new young farmers club is promoting a further fundraising event.

Saturday 24^th February at 7.30pm for an 8pm start – The Big Farming Quiz at Marden Cricket and Hockey Club. Teams of up to six welcome and for more details email: eckleyfarms@waitrose.com.

Kent YFCs at South East Area competitions

Homewood School YFC won the Area Disco Dancing competition, and are now looking forward to a weekend in Blackpool at the National Final in the Winter Gardens in May!

In the other competitions, Kent also faired well: Junior Reading, 2^nd Weald of Kent YFC;

Under 26 Member of the Year, 2^nd Kate Sutherland, Canterbury YFC; Situations Vacant, 2^nd Mike Simmons, Canterbury YFC; Under 18 Member of the Year, 3^rd Ellie Husk, Canterbury YFC and Public Speaking, 4^th Cobtree YFC