Weekly Sales News – 22nd November 2016

Top price per kilo – 204p – N Balcomb & Son:  Top price per head – £93.50 – Mrs J Walker

Report on trade: A quality entry of lambs were penned this week with more meat and less leaner sorts on offer than last week with the overall average returned over 12p per kg ahead of our figures for last week. Numbers on offer across the country on Monday were down by 17% on last week and therefore it was a case of short supply and strong demand helping us on Tuesday.

All grades of lamb were in demand this week with the best continental export grade lambs selling to 204p per kg for 39kg lambs from N Balcomb & Son. The heavy weight lambs were also very well sold to a top price of £93.50 from Mrs J Walker for some smart 53kg lambs.

We would again strongly advise that sheep vendors obtain farm assurance status on their stock as some buyers are now restricted to only purchasing lambs with this certification.

Important Notice – next week is Christmas show here and with a slight change to sale times we will sell the commercial finished lambs at 09.30am followed by the sale of show lambs.

It would be much appreciated if vendors could let us know what lambs they will be sending and attempt to get them to the market as early as possible.

Cull Ewes and Rams – 755 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: Another large entry of culls were on offer with nearly 800 in the pens selling to a similar trade to last week with several leaner sorts forward once again. Best meated sorts were better sold than last week to a top price of £87.50 from Miss L Bacon. Grazing sorts were still competed for but maybe not quite as strongly as we have seen through the autumn due to the definite change in the weather over the past week. Grazers traded generally between £30 and £48.

Top prices included Suffolk crosses to £87.50 from Miss L Bacon, continental ewes to £82 from A Denning, Romneys to £60 from J Vine and A Body  and Mules to £64.50 from J Wickens

Report on trade: A small entry of stores this week with mostly long term sorts on offer which sold to a top price of £49 from the Woodlands Farm Trust closely followed by some lambs from A S Neaves & Son at £48.50.

Report on trade: This week saw a similar trade for finished cattle with the best butchers cattle making 210p plus and up to £1157 (221p) for a smart Limousin Cross steer from D W Ferguson Ltd while the majority of commercial types made between 170p and 190p.

Other top prices included Limousin cross steers and heifers at £1277 (210p) and £1142 (216p) respectively from a run consigned by W Alexander (Shoreham). A Blonde Cross heifer grossed well at £1215 (195p) from Boyes & New, British Blue cross steer at £1118 (178p) from K E Budd and British Blue cross heifer at £1144 (170p) from F Sole & Sons.

Native breeds made up to £1082 (189p) for a Sussex steer from L Stevens & Sons.

Over 30 months cattle saw well fleshed sorts making between 110-120p with the plainer types selling at cow prices. J Paine Farms Sussex made to 119p and their heavy steers grossed to £790.

Cull Cows – 81 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Report on trade: We can report an improved trade for the cows overall though it has to be noted that it is the best that are getting dearer and the very worst that are getting less. Competition and demand is stronger for processing beef but we had too many cows carrying weight but no flesh. Trade for anything with meat, whether farm assured or not, was certainly firmer and we will see this trend accentuated after the Christmas primal work has passed through and retailers concentrate on New Year marketing.

A few very best beef cows made around 130p per kg but generally 100-115p if assured, and maybe 15-20p less if not. Farm assurance status is not however affecting the younger feeding types which remain in strong demand for new year finishing. Charolais made 147p,131p and 128p and grossed to  £1157 from J Boomaars; Limousin cross 131p and 130p A J Bray; 129p E Chantler & Son and 115p Bob Luck Ltd; Simmental (Non FA) 111p D Lazell; Sussex (Non FA) 110p (twice) and 105p Mrs B Spratt and fleshed, exempt, and non FA 107p, 105p and £815 fro0m C Hinde & Son.

Dairy culls firmer but with little real meat on offer and a few better types over made 100p  but plenty 70-100p and the plain cows 40-60p and some less depending on weight. Holsteins made to 108p and grossed £769 from J E Scutt & Sons.

Report on trade: Breeders offered included an in calf Sussex cow, bn 2010 which made £690 and 3 young Aberdeen Angus x Hereford in calf heifers which made to £730.

A large entry of store cattle for this time of year included a big percentage of native breeds. Although late in the season there were plenty of potential customers ring side competing well for all on offer. Young cattle sold particularly well with 10 mth Limousin Cross steers up to £760 from P G & N L Brightling while the majority of stronger sorts made £800 plus and up to £1060 for an 18 mth Charolais Cross steer from E W & R E Hanks.

The native bred stores met a firm trade with majority of the better sorts in excess of £800 with a Hereford Cross steer at £895 from E W & R E Hanks and aged Aberdeen Angus Cross steer and heifers to £1080 and £988 respectively from B W C Brooks.

See store cattle report above

Report on trade: For another sale numbers forward were not quite as many as we would expect for this time of year and the entry was again more than 50% dairy bulls.

Demand was again very strong with plenty of potential customers present particularily for the beef crosses with especially the younger calves making very good prices. Dairy bulls are coming forward in large numbers all over the country and prices achieved reflect the supply.

From the main runs of beef cross calves offered the headlines were

British Blue cross bulls at 9 weeks old to £380 and heifers £385 from H O Champneys Ltd

Simmental cross bulls at 11 weeks old to £470 and heifers £375 from H O Champneys Ltd

Simmental cross bulls at 8 weeks old to £385 from H O Champneys Ltd

Aberdeen Angus cross bulls at 6 weeks to £290 from J E Scutt & Sons

Aberdeen Angus cross steers at 12 weeks to £370 from A J Thompson & Sons

Limousin cross bulls at 3 weeks to £220 from J W Boyd & Sons

British Blue bulls at 6 weeks to £405 from Ledger Farms and their heifers to £385.

October born Sussex cross bulls to £205 from W S Furnival Ltd

The black and white lines again lacked quality with killing sorts anything from £5 to £50 and those with rearing potential selling between £50 and £100. M W Goddard’s 12 week old Holsteins made to £120.

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 – 189 Sold
Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

Report on trade: The best  finished pigs are in short supply  both nationally and were very short in Ashford this sale and what a trade we saw for them – see the table of averages below. P W & P Sim had just 2 forward which made 160p per kg and £163; Castle Farm Ptnrs sold 11 pigs to average £103 and the best 150p and £125 and a single pig from Valley Park YFC sold at 156p and £142.50. Mrs L Gotto had a pen of saddleback gilts which made £158 which will live to breed.

Second quality sorts made up a large percentage of the entry and demand was limited for these but they all were sold. More pigs could be well sold next week – see note below

Sows and boars made to 52p and 50p respectively with a heavy boar grossing £185 and sow £155.25. There is currently a good trade and we could sell more next week – see note below

A small offering of store pigs saw S Scott & Son sell strong weaners at £31 looking a good buy. The rest of the entry were small coloured pigs which met limited demand.

Buyers have indicated they want good finished pigs and cull sows and boars next Tuesday 29^th November (Christmas show week) . If you have pigs to sell please consider this option

Lairage bookings for Monday and Thursday evenings

Please ring David Martin on 07860 114650 to confirm when you are delivering stock to the market for overnight lairage.

News from Kent / South East RABI

The South East RABI would like to say “Thank you for supporting the recent harvest supper here in the market. Over 160 people attended and we all had a wonderful meal prepared by the Stock Pot and over £6,000 was raised in aid of R.A.B.I.

Dates for your diary include Tuesday 13^th December at 6pm for 6.30pm – Carols at Christmas will be held again in the Cattle Sales ring here in Ashford Market.

Livestock entry forms, FCI declarations and movement licences

It is essential that these forms are fully completed for every consignment of stock brought to the market. Please help us to provide you with the high level of service you expect from us by getting this right.

It is a legal requirement that entry form and food chain declarations are competed correctly.

We regularly notice that the information is missing from forms. Please can you ensure that all information is completed in future.

It would be very useful to market staff and thereby help with the speed of processing your stock, if a few further simple rules were followed on entry forms particularly for larger entries.

• Steers and heifers are listed separately
• Passports are presented in numerical order
• Breeds are listed separately – for example Aberdeen Angus away from Limousin

General news

Updated 15th November 2016

For Sale – a working pedigree Lincoln Red bull on an East Kent farm

For Sale – well bred pure Limousin bull, 20 mths old by a top Scottish bred sire on a west Kent farm

For Sale – Up to 12 autumn calved pedigree Sussex cows in West Sussex.

Wanted – Up to 15 hardy bred type in calf beef heifers due to calve in spring 2017. East Sussex farm

Wanted – Up to 12 spring calving Sussex cows (not necessarily pedigree).

Kent Herdsmans Club – For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Sandra Brown on 01233 502796 or Jo Masters 01580 240568. Meetings at the Conningbrook Hotel, Ashford.

Monday 10th December at 7.30pm – Christmas dinner and results of the annual photography competition.

News from Kent / South East RABI

The South East RABI would like to say “Thank you for supporting the recent harvest supper here in the market. Over 160 people attended and we all had a wonderful meal prepared by the Stock Pot and over £6,000 was raised in aid of R.A.B.I.

Dates for your diary include Tuesday 13^th December at 6pm for 6.30pm – Carols at Christmas will be held again in the Cattle Sales ring here in Ashford Market.

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

Our next Auction Sales are…….

Special Vehicle auction

Wednesday 30^th November from 6.30pm

This auction of cars will include a special sale of sports and high performance vehicles