Weekly Sales News – 26th November 2019

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Top price per head – £150 – Andrew Town, Show Champion: Top price per kilo – 319p – Andrew Town, Show Champion

Report on trade: The annual pre-Christmas livestock show was well supported by regular exhibitors and a large crowd at ringside on Monday night for the judging by Chris Beck (Halesworth). The lambs on show were generally of a high quality standard and the judge had the arduous task of selecting the prize winners for all the various classes.

The eventual Supreme Champions were again a tremendous pair of Beltex cross lambs presented by the master show man Andrew Town which sold for £150 and were purchased by Simon & Cara Kemp of Kent Farm Gate Foods while the reserve champions were a pair of Charollais crosses from Miss Amy Hedges & Danny Whyman which sold for £125 and were purchased by H F & J H Glover, Farmshop butchers, Dartford. The top Young Farmers prize was awarded to Finn Selby-Green, a Valley Park YFC member for a pair of Beltex crosses selling for £125 and purchased by Tony Fulk, Pirbright and the top untrimmed prize went to a pair of Texel crosses from Dr Stuart and Claire Winchester selling for £100 to B Wilson, La Vallee Farm, Hockley.

The best pen of 5 commercial lambs were kindly judged by Peter Gorringe (Henfield) who awarded the top prize to Andrew Denning for smart Beltex crosses selling at £91 and the reserve prize again to Hedges & Whyman which sold for £96.

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.

Cull Ewes and Rams – 420 Sold     

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: A similar trade to recent weeks with best Crossbred ewes up to £82 for continental crosses from P Ashlee and meat Romney ewes up to £63.00 from C B Hope. The majority of plain ewes for grazing generally ranging from £30 to £50.

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: A similar trade to recent weeks with best Crossbred ewes up to £82 for continental crosses from P Ashlee and meat Romney ewes up to £63.00 from C B Hope. The majority of plain ewes for grazing generally ranging from £30 to £50.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: A bigger entry this week with best stores selling to £70 from R Douglas and with E J Clough in second place at £67.50. The overall average being returned at £58.60 and only the very longest term sorts selling under £50.

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: Again a good selection of cattle covering most breeds and sizes were placed before our judge for the show, Guy Grimstone (Ringmer) who spent several hours on the Monday evening selecting the best cattle on show for the various prizes.

The eventual Supreme champion beast was a smart Limousin cross heifer from regular vendor Miss P Marsh which sold for £1986 (340p) and was purchased by P C Turner, Farnborough while the Champion steer in the show was a British Blue cross presented by M B Farms and purchased by Romford Halal Meats for £1584 (250p).

Other top prices included a British Blue cross heifer which won the Best YFC prize which was presented by The High Weald Academy YFC which attracted strong bidding up to £1490 (290p) and was purchased by E C Wilkes & Son, Cranbrook and a purebred Sussex steer topping the class from L Stevens & Sons which sold for £1307 (208p) and was purchased by J F Bishop (Uckfield) Ltd.

In the commercial section a Limousin cross heifer was awarded the Champion single beast again from Miss P Marsh and sold for £1243 (240p) and was purchased by A Head while best pair were Limousin cross steers presented by M B Farms selling to £1361 (210p) and purchased by Romford Halal Meats.

Report on trade: We never have a big offering on show day but trade followed a similar pattern to recent weeks with the fleshed animals finding good competition but the leaner lightly fleshed less appealing with cutting plants busy with Christmas prime work. No quality beef cows and no feeders forward with only a mixed offering from the dairy sector.

Best prices were Beef Shorthorn (Non FA) 93p per kg D & J Murray; Charolais cross (Non FA) 93p J B Marshall and Aberdeen Angus cross (Non FA) 82p.

Good fed Holstein cows made around the the 100p mark with leaner types 60-80p.

Holstein 107p, 100p, 97p, 90p (2) Huddlestone Farmers and 90p W G & T A Manford.

A Shorthorn Bull 88p  and £1015.

Report on trade: A good quality show of pigs came forward for this pre-Christmas event in Ashford with regular buyer Andrew Laver from Horley, Surrey asked to judge and Hadlow College producing champion pair of pigs for the second year. David Pope from Buckinghamshire showed a pair of lighter Pietrain crosses to take the reserve championship. Both pens were later bought by Andrew Laver for 170p per kg and 128p. The remainder better show pigs made 110p to 125p with the single pigs making to 160p for the best in the white pig section from Hadlow College again and purchased by Brian Wilson, Hockley.

First prize sow made 60p per kg and another good example 68p both purchased by Cheale Meats, Brentwood

Away from the show pens R Vidler sold nice Pietrain crosses to 134p and to a gross price of £128 while good fleshed, solid and heavy sows rang the bell to 68p over £200.

Lamb Carcasses – 40 Sold

Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Report on trade: These Lloyds Bank Agriculture sponsored classes attracted a very good entry of 43 with a large number of superb shaped and fleshed carcases displayed on the rails. Stephen Jones from Harvel near Meopham in North Kent, where the family run an on farm butcher’s shop, was our judge at the show. We also thank Hallett & Co, Mole Valley Farmers, P C Turners, L Buxton & Sons, Barratts Landrover and Barkers Animal Health who sponsored the classes.

In the show classes he picked 2 superb carcases as champion and reserve being a Charollais x Beltex from Holly Chandler and Dylan Issac, Hothfield and a Beltex cross from Graham King and family from Hawkhurst. Further 1^st prizes went to G L Boulden & Sons, Aldington in the Romney class, Stephen and Verity Bullock and young family, Chart Sutton, Maidstone with a Hampshire x Suffolk, Phil Martin, Detling with a Texel cross and Stuart and Claire Winchester, Bexhill their Southdown cross.

The sale on Monday evening was well supported and a very fair trade resulted. Romney carcases made 340p to 460p per kg grossing £70 to £101. Other native bred examples included Southdown crosses at 500p per kg with the best Southdown cross 510p which sold to judge Stephen Jones.

Texel, Beltex, Blue Texel and Charollais cross carcases attracted the most interest from buyers with the champion selling for 600p to Stephen Jones, reserve 560p to the same buyer and top price a Beltex cross from Andrew Denning, Marden making 660p to Pat Burke, Marden.

Charity note: The presidents charities fundraising was boosted by a generous donation of a carcase on the lines from Ruth Vant and family (Vant & Claringbold). This was purchased by Don Masters, Iden Green for £96.

Christmas Cakes – 11 Sold

Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Report on trade: 11 Cakes (4 traditional and 7 novelty) were baked, exhibited and then sold in this ever popular section and in total £2060 raised for the presidents charities. Thanks goes to the bakers and also the buyers – Messrs Tassell, Light, Marsh, Marchant, Masters, Horne, Ashlee, Kerr, Denyer, Goldsmith, Grimstone and Worley

Clare Stevens best traditional made £250, Jo Masters 3^rd prizewinner sold twice (£300 and £320) with the Vincent families novelty cake £200 to Digby Light and grandson.

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers livestock sales catalogues are always available online on the auctioneers pages of our website www.hobbsparker.co.uk All entries are listed on these regularly updated pages

Ashford Livestock Market has its own Facebook page where news and reports are now being posted on a regular basis www.facebook.com/AshfordLivestockMarket/

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers email a livestock market short report on the afternoon of every livestock sale day. To receive this email report you need to log on to the auctioneers pages of our website www.hobbsparker.co.uk and click the link to email alerts.

To ensure you continue to receive the email it should be opened on a regular basis.

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

RABI – copies of a summer newsletter are available here in the market.

Tuesday 3^rd December 6 for 6.30pm – live nativity service here in the market. More details soon

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.

Monday 9th December, Annual Christmas Dinner

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

Ashford Young Farmers – copies of their August / September newsletter are available here in the market.

For all details on Ashford Young Farmers please contact Amy Langdon at amy.langdon1234@hotmail.co.uk

Tonbridge Young Farmers – Debbie Broad and friends in the area have reopened this club.

For all details of plans for the future please contact the Broads through Debbie’s Facebook page or email tonbridgeyfc19@gmail.com

Hay, Straw, Fodder and Forage Crop for sale and / wanted

For Sale – Dry barn stored big round and square bales of wheat, oat and barley straw from £10 per bale ex farm Etchingham. Hay, silage and bulk whole oats also available. Transport arranged if required. 07768 771933.

For Sale – 100 2019 Haylage bales from a Kent farm. Contact 01303 893183 or 07775 794556

Livestock for sale by private treaty – ex farm

For Sale – fresh calved Holstein Friesian heifers by known sires from a recorded herd – available when calved. East Kent

For Sale – 2 pedigree polled Hereford bulls, 17 mths on a West Kent farm.

Romney Sheepbreeders News

The Society Flock Competition was judged in November by Helen & Claire Langrish. They had a very strong entry for the competition this year with over 12 entries.

Class 1 – Pedigree flock of under 50

1. Adam Rawlinson, Hawkhurst
2. Martin Holgate, Battle
3. Les Ramsden, Appledore

Class 2 – Pedigree flock of over 50

1. Hugh Skinner, Sissinghurst

Class 3a – Commercial small

1. Andrew Dunlop, Hastings
2. Les Ramsden, Appledore
3. G & H Bates, Brookland

Class 3b – Commercial large

1. Tony Pierce T/A J Saunders & Son, Rye
2. Langrish Farmers, Rye
3. W M Cooke & Son (Farmers) Ltd, Rye

Class 4 – Upgrading

1. G & H Bates, Brookland
2. B C Ginger, Sutton Valence

Overall Champion – Adam Rawlinson – small flock, 50 and under

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.

Disabled bays – please would market users please respectfully only use these bays if displaying the recognized blue badge

Please remember it is essential we have an early indication from all sellers of stock numbers you wish to sell week by week – we phone and send text messages to buyers and agents every Monday evening and an accurate indication of numbers coming forward is essential with many buyers travelling substantial distances to attend.