Weekly Sales News – 23rd April 2019

Top price per kilo – 242p – P J & P B Wade: Top price per head – £121 – P J & P B Wade

Report on trade: A smaller entry of hoggets this week as is often the case on the Tuesday that follows the Easter weekend, and the lack of numbers nationally has given the trade a boost back to the levels where we were at 2 weeks ago. Less of the top quality sheep on offer but those smart sorts that we did see were generally falling into the heavier weight bracket with the top of the honours taken by P J & P B Wade, E Bourne and B Head with sheep at £121, £118 & £117.50 respectively.

Handier weight hoggets were in shorter supply with only one third of the total number on offer falling into this weight bracket. The best of these export grade hoggets sold to 237p per kg from O’Neill Smith Ltd for 38kgs closely followed by Miss R Russell with 42kgs at 231p. Numbers appear that they will go a little tighter in the coming weeks as many finishers of hoggets have come to the end of their 2019 crop which suggests trade should stay strong in  providing they don’t start to show erupted teeth.

A few extra new season lambs this week and a very sharp trade for all on offer, with many of the 36 to 38kg lambs selling in excess of £100 and up to 292p from J Farrant. Lambs in this weight bracket look well sold and we have customers for these every week now.

Dagging service is available on all Monday afternoons, please advise us of the number you wish to send.

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 few extra on offer this week with 750 ewes penned which sold on a similar trade to last week with more quality to increase the averages by almost £6 per head. Best ewes on offer sold to £100 from J Hooker closely followed by M A Piper & Son Farms at £98.50. Less leaner sorts on offer this week with grazers trading between £45 and £55.

Top prices included continental ewes to £100 from J Hooker, Suffolk crosses to £98.50 from M A Piper & Son Farms, Mules to £80 from A J Lawrie and Romneys to £76 from P Ashlee

Report on trade: These were again very dear with the best making in excess of £80 and topping at £85 for a pen of Suffolk crosses from O’Neil Smith Ltd while Romney wethers look well sold up to £83 from S G Barten. Only small long keeping sorts made below £70.  Averages 316 sold to £85.00 and aver’ £70.11.

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Report on trade: An increased entry from the previous week saw demand from start to finish. Top price was shared at £20 between M & D Prebble and P G &N L Brightling for wether lambs. Ewe lambs topped at £18 from D & J Murray. Averages 42 sold averaged £16.33

Sock lambs will be sold at 10.30am every week from now through the lambing season.

Report on trade: This was a s similar trade to recent weeks with the best handyweights making in excess of 200p per kg. Top call was £1012 (208p) for a British Blue cross steer from D W Ferguson Ltd while quality continental cross heifers sold to £1155 (200p) from G L Boulden & Sons and £975 (200p) from W Alexander (Shoreham).

Heavier sorts grossed in excess of £1200 notably Limousin cross steers at £1241 (190p) from G L Boulden & Sons and £1215 (195p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and a British Blue cross steer at £1224 (166p) from P W & P Sim.

A few native bred cattle were on offer selling up to £1127 (174p) for a Shorthorn steer from A & M Lyon and the best of the OTM up to £1179 (158p) for a Limousin cross heifer from M A Piper & Son Farms.

Report on trade: A thoroughly respectable entry of cull cows and bulls for the Tuesday after Easter. Flesh remained in short supply with a high proportion of non assured beef grazing cows penned. A smaller proportion of culls from the dairy sector but these were reasonably fleshed. Stock bulls, if quality continentals, were a terrific trade with a new record price of £2068 (164p) set for a cull Blonde bull from M A Piper & Son Farms.

No very best beef cows today but meat cows generally made 125p – 135p per kg with grazing cows, even with age, readily to 120p. Highlights included Limousin cross 134p £1021 M A Piper & Son Farms and 125p £1002 (Non FA) Popping Hole Farm; Simmental cross 128p, 119p £950 (Non FA) P M Thomas; Sussex 127p (Non FA) D Light and 121p (2) £880 F A Starley; Lincoln Red 126p A W Vincent; Aberdeen Angus cross 125p £872 (Non FA) S C Gammon; Hereford 116p, 115p £721 (Non FA) B C Ginger and Longhorn 115p £769 (Non FA) Gate Street Farm.

A small show of black and whites but strong demand for all offered. A Holstein Friesian heifer made 137p £1017 from Huddlestone Farmers; British Friesian heifers 126p, 124p, 119p, 118p (Non FA) Jessel Farms; Holstein Friesian cows 123p, 122p £965 J S & M D Antrum & Son, 121p and 116p £946 J Warnock & Son.

Stock bulls a marvellous trade but some very good bulls on offer today as last week. Blonde bulls 164p £2068 and 125p £1379 with Limousin 146p £1411.

Please do not hesitate to ring at anytime for marketing advice.          

Report on trade: As per usual following the Easter weekend a much reduced entry of store cattle however trade was firm throughout with several potential customers in attendance bidding competitively for all on offer.

The best of the Limousin cross yearlings topped at £885 for steers from L Palmer & Sons. Best limousin cross heifers £770 from L J Osborne & Son and H & S Nesfield.

The best of the native bred cattle looked well sold at £995 for dairy bred Aberdeen Angus crosses from B J Goodsell & Son.

Many more cattle will be sold over the coming weeks so please contact us with entries to ensure orderly marketing and cataloguing.

Summer events / meetings in the area of interest to farmers

Essex Young Farmers County Show at Boyton Hall Farm, Roxwell, nr Chelmsford – Sunday 19^th May – “A great one day Show with something for all the family”. Full details available from Show Secretary on 01245 360442 or email: essexyfc@btconnect.com

Heathfield Show – Saturday 25^th May – For all other show enquiries please ring Show secretary, Nicola Magill, on 01435 864587 or visit www.heathfieldshow.org

** Visit us on our stand – we are pleased again to be sponsoring both Sussex and commercial beef classes in the cattle section **

A show press release is published elsewhere in this report

Surrey County Show – 27^th May – All show enquiries please ring Show secretary, 01483 890810 or visit surreycountyshow.co.uk

South of England Show – 6^th, 7^th and 8^th June – All show enquiries please ring 01444 892700 or visit seas.org.uk

Kent County Show – 5^th to 7^th July – All show enquiries to 01622 633051.

Competition schedules are now available and Hobbs Parkers are again pleased to be sponsoring cattle and sheep sections

Fodder Crop for sale and / wanted

For Sale – quantities of silage, haylage, oat straw, wheat straw and barley straw ex an East Sussex farm. Also available loose whole oats and wheat in half tonne bags. Ring 01580 819000, 01580 819700 or 07768 771 933.

For Sale – Up to 50 4’ 2018 silage bales on a Kent farm. Ring 07747 838653 or 01233 756468

South East Point to Point Meetings (www.pointingse.com)

Please see website for further details.

Saturday 27^th April – Parham, Storrington, West Sussex. RH20 2ER

Saturday 11^th May – Peper Harrow, Godalming, Surrey. GU8 6LA

Romney Sheepbreeders News

The 123^rd Annual General meeting of the Society will be held on Thursday 2^nd May at 8pm in the orchard room at the Conningbrook hotel, Canterbury, Ashford. For all society information Julie Lukehurst can be contacted on 07538 938425

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

Wanted – herdperson to work with 300 milking cows on a West Kent farm. Ring 07810 444218 for details

Wanted – Stockman/farm labourer wanted at Roundoak Farm Sutton Valence. This is a permanent position all aspects of stock care and maintenance plus ground maintenance. Clean driving licence essential. Please call 07967 009509 or email ruth.roundoak@gmail.com if interested

Wanted – working sheep dog. Ring 01303 875265

RABI, Young Farmers Clubs, 91 Club, Kent Herdsmans Club and FCN news

Ashford YFC lambing day Sunday 28^th April at Hope Farm, Wittersham, TN30 7NP from 10am until 4pm by kind permission of The Lovejoy family, £2 per adult and £1 per child. Lots to see and do including live lambing, cuddle corner, sheep shearing demo, a BBQ and many others.

Ashford YFC welcomes new members every Wednesday and to all social events. Whether you’re on your own or come with a friend to a meeting anyone is welcome. Find us on Facebook or for more information contact Amy 07733 481473.

Kent Herdsmans Club

The next meeting is on Monday 13th May 2019 at 7.30pm – visit to Mike Keeley’s Farm,

South Hill Farm, South Hill, Hastingleigh, Ashford. TN25 5HL

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

91 Club news

Do you fancy a 3 day trip from Wednesday 22^nd to Friday 24^th May to include visits to farming establishments and other rural businesses in West Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.??  If so please contact Pip Collick on 07885 933082 for more details.

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

Our next Auction Sales include……

Headcorn Farm Machinery Sale

Saturday 11^th May at 9.30am

Lots will include tractors, trailers, vehicles, arable equipment, haymaking equipment, tractor attachments & spares, livestock kit, garden machinery, workshop tools, a large and varied selection of rural bygones.

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

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 14^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.