Weekly Sales News – 21st November 2017

Top price per kg – 207p – C A Worley Farming Ltd; Top price per head – £90 – Mrs J Walker

Report on trade A larger entry of lambs on offer this week and despite the increase in numbers and the average being returned slightly less, the trade overall was at a similar level to last week with the best of the heavy lambs selling to £90 from Mrs J Walker. Overall quality of the lambs on offer this week was not quite as good as we have seen in recent weeks which drew the averages back but we also did see the very best continental lambs selling in excess of 200p to a top price of 207p from C A Worley Farming Ltd.

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.

Report on trade: Another large entry of ewes, the numbers keep on coming out week on week at the moment despite the good levels of grazing available across the South East, which thankfully has been there throughout the autumn to hold the prices of the leaner sorts up to a strong level. Meat ewes were slightly less than last week with the best of the ewes selling into the high seventies with the top being £79 from S Goodsell.

Top prices included Crossbred ewes to £79 from S Goodsell, Suffolk crosses to £74 from T Masters, Mules to £65 from Leconfield Farms Ltd and Romneys to £58 from S G Orpin.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: This small entry sold to a trade similar to recent Friday sales.

More lambs will come forward now on Tuesdays with only 2 Friday sales remaining. We expect around 4,000 lambs will be offered on Friday 24^th November and one more sale will be held on Friday 15^th December

Report on trade: Not the quality or the numbers of last week but with 13 successful buyers ranging from butchers to feeders trade was brisk and competitive throughout. A smart handyweight British Blue cross steer topped the market at £1084 (220p) from D W Ferguson Ltd while a regular consignment of Limousin cross steers around 600kgs grossed well in excess of £1225 and up to £1296 (208p) from W Alexander (Shoreham).

A big percentage of native breeds were on offer with an Aberdeen Angus cross steer topping at £1081 (205p) from C R Cook, a Sussex heifer made £947 (200p) from L Stevens & Sons, British White cross steer £947 (190p) from K I Lingham & Son and a British Friesian steer £905 (178p) from A J Down.

A few over age clean cattle were on offer making up to £1070 (188p) for a British White steer from Wye Community Farm.

Support the live market and compare deadweight returns. Buyers are in attendance every week for all qualities of finished cattle and specialist feeders competing well for cattle to feed

Report on trade: Outstanding!! Another good sized entry, though not with the overall quality of last week, met a quite exceptional trade with an incredible number of individual and company buyers around the ring to secure numbers for feeding and slaughter. Supplying the demand for cheaper processing beef remains the aim of all retailers and, with supplies tight, prices this autumn have stayed at particularly high levels.

Fleshed cows took a step upwards today with many good beef heavyweights 130-150p per kg and grossing up to £1337 from C & J Georgetti & Sons. Feeding cows take their lead from the slaughter trade and best young cows made up over 170p topping at 183p from J H Eagleton with plenty 125-150p.

Tight numbers, surprisingly, of dairy culls but no let up in trade here with all grades eagerly taken. Bulls also got another lift.

Examples of the prices achieved included British Blue crosses to 183p and £1086 (Non FA) from J H Eagleton, 149p, 138p, £1069, £1018 M A & F W Owen and 135p £1056 Dan Mackelden Ltd; Limousin crosses 173p (Non FA) J H Eagleton, 168p,148p(2), 145p, 144p £1064 Foyle Farmers and 137p £1126 Boyes & New; Charolais cross 153p, 139p £1106 Foyle Farmers and 138p £1099 Boyes & New; Simmental cross 149p, 138p, £1337, £1073 C & J Georgetti & Sons, 149p Foyle Farmers, 145p £1250 C R Cook, 145p D G & J W Gore nd 139p T Masters; Sussex 142p £1090 T Masters; Aberdeen Angus cross 138p £990 C & J Georgetti & Sons; Hereford 127p £929 (Non FA) D Mosdell, 126p (Non FA)  F Henderson, and 123p £1063 (Non FA) T J & S I Purchase and horned Highlands 80p(2) S C Gammon.

In the dairy lines Montbelliarde cross 138p £1079 D Murdoch & Sons; Holstein Friesians 131p G R Edgar & Son, 130p  £1081 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd and 125p £1096  Huddlestone Farmers with British Friesian 129p, 124p £1064 B J Goodsell & Son.

Bulls – Aberdeen Angus 106p £1181, Sussex £1059 116p, £938 (Exempt) 90p, £909 110p, £895 109p.

Cows will be wanted next week and will be sold after the primestock show stock – please help us put a good entry in front of buyers.

Report on trade: Another good entry comprising the full range of breeds, age and quality and while a few regulars were absent it was encouraging to see a few new customers around the ring. Despite the mixed entry there were customers for all sorts and trade was on a par with recent weeks.

Several enquiries already received from potential buyers for store cattle in December. Please enter now for the next sale on Tuesday 5^th December – Nearly 150 store and breeding cattle are already entered for sale. See front page of this report for details.

Principal prices include:                                                                                                                  

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: A herd reduction of cows from Foyle Farmers were well received by buyers. The big strong Charolais and Limouisn cross cows, all born 2007 to 2011 made to 1320 with calve4s at foot (July born Beef Shorthorn crosses) and £1050 as 4 to 5 mths in calf to the Beef Shorthorn bull. 10 in calvers averaged £941

Report on trade: Demand for calves to rear is in a good place still and while numbers were short bidding was very competitive for all types as the averages below reflect. Two more sales will be offered before Christmas and we kick off 2018 with a calf sale offered on Tuesday 2^nd January.

Aberdeen Angus crosses made the headlines in both the dairy bred and beef cross stirk pens. Boty Farms 3 September born bulls making £315 and £300 twice and 5 of the same age from A & W J Hitchcock £250 to £305. A J Thompson & Sons offered 6 bred out of beef calves and again September born which made £245 for a bull and £320 to £350.

Continental cross calves were young and mainly British Blue crosses with 4 week olds from J W Boyd & Sons to £275, 3 week old from W F Farms £270 and late September born £270 from J E Scutt & Sons. Heifers made to £215 from Scutts and £190 from W S Furnival Ltd and W F Farms.

Dairy bulls were a very competitive trade except for the very young. N J & G M Lambert saw their October borns £60 to £100 and August borns in the stirk pens £130 to £150.

Please keep your entries of calves coming – we have customers for all classes. 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.

Report on trade: Our brave words following the last sale come back to haunt us and todays sale saw much weaker demand and a resulting fall in prices.

The finished pigs penned were a good quality entry and the best 80p to 108p per kg with T Taler, S Scott & Son and C K Guest all seeing their pigs gross between £60 and £110 Demand for coloured and second quality sorts declined in line with the best.

The cull pigs were a limited entry with the best fleshed pig a Berkshire boar making 27p and a sow from the same farm 39p.

Store pig demand was a stand on trade to a fortnight ago. P & R Marshalls well bred sorts made £37 to £39, 4 Berkshire from the Canterbury Oast Trust £28 and a pen of young Oxford, Sandy Blacks £14.

Finished and cull pigs will be offered next Tuesday being those entered for the pre Christmas primestock show with further entries expected. Regular sales will then follow on 5^th and 19^th December.

We remind all pig farmers of the information below

Identification of pigs – again we draw your attention to the fact that it is essential all pigs have permanent identification when offered for sale in a market ie slap mark or ear tag. Please ensure you comply with this regulation.

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

Miscellaneous wanted and Livestock for sale ex farm

For Sale – Pedigree Limousin bull, bn 2013, fertility tested and weighing over 1,000kg – West Kent. Contact Mark Cleverdon for details – 07748 202688

For Sale – 15 Pedigree Holstien heifers – freshly calved at 24 to 30mths and cubicle trained from a herd averaging 11,500 ltrs. West Kent. Ring Elwyn on 07710803901

For Sale – 3 Pedigree British Blue bulls at 18 to 30 mths, one black and 2 blue and white – Suffolk – Contact Mark Cleverdon for details – 07748 202688

Wanted – a cattle yard (or part of) with or without grazing for a small herd of up to 20 head of stock in the Maidstone area. Contact Mark Cleverdon with details – 07748 202688

Kent Young Farmers Club News

Kent Young Farmers recently held their Beef Stock Judging competition, kindly hosted by Westlands School.  The master judge was Mr Steve Martin.

Winners were: Mini Juniors Alysia, Westlands School YFC; Maxi Juniors, Josiah, Westlands School YFC who was winner of the Hobbs Parker Trophy; Seniors, Callum Vincent, Ashford YFC and winner of the Miss Maplesden-Noakes Trophy

Also, the ever popular Night Hike, has been relaunched as the Navigation Challenge.  Cobtree YFC hosted 10 teams and Vigo YFC were named the winners.

RABI, FCN and Kent Herdsmans Club News

RABI – Forthcoming events were they will be represented or are promoting include:

Monday 27^th and Tuesday 28^th November – Ashford Cattle Show

Sunday 2^nd December Maidstone Symphony Orchestra charity evening in connection with George Jessel, High Sheriff at Mote Hall, Maidstone Leisure Centre. ME15 7RN

Tuesday 5^th December – Live nativity Carol evening at 6pm in the auction ring at Ashford market

Kent Herdsmans Club

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

December meeting is the Club Christmas Dinner so next business meet is on Sunday January 14th 2018 at 12 noon – a visit to Chandler & Dunn Ltd to view their cattle and some of the fruit storage at the farm, Lower Goldstone, Ash, Canterbury CT3 2 DY

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Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions run over 200 auction sales every year. Our next Auction Sales are ..

Commercial Vehicles

Thursdays 30^th November and 14^th December at 3.00pm

A wide selection of up to 40 vehicles are generally offered in these sales

Special Sports and High Performance Vehicle sale

Wednesday 29^th November at 6.30pm

This auction of cars will include a special sale sports and high performance cars with the normal car auction to follow

Ashford Cattle Show – It is Christmas Show time!!!

The Ashford Cattle Show of Primestock includes

71 Cattle, 312 Lambs, 46 Pigs, 77 Lamb Carcases

Show Day Monday the 27^th November from 2pm

Sale of Carcases & Poultry will be on the Monday at 6.30pm

Livestock Auctions on Tuesday the 28^th November from 9.30am

Free admission so bring the family for and afternoon an evening out in the Market.

Catalogue of exhibits and sponsors is available now from the secretary Julie Coney 07887 643002

Hobbs Parker and Ashford Livestock Market

We are the South East’s principle livestock market selling around 264,000 head of cattle, sheep and pigs in 2016.

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

Kent Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and FCN

Invite you to Carols at Christmas

For children and adults of all ages

Tuesday 5^th December at 6 for 6.30 p.m.

In the cattle ring here in Ashford Market

Courtesy of Hobbs Parker and the Ashford Cattle Market Co

Entry is free so come as you are (dress warmly) and enjoy

Free mulled wine and mince pies

Nativity play, with authentic smells,

including live animals, to be performed by Brockhill Young Farmers Club

Raffle- Christmas Hamper donated by Perry Court Farm Shop

Music and singing led by Bill Jones (Headmaster of Spring Grove School)

For further information contact Richard Beaugie 01233 732580 or randjbeaugie@gmail.com