Weekly Sales News – 29th March 2022

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Top price per kilo – 310p – T Husk

Top price per head – £145.00 – T Husk

Report on trade: A slightly improved trade on the week for another large show of hoggets. Best handy weights took the pick of the trade at 280p plus with 41 kg Beltex cross topping the market at £127 (310p) for a superb run consigned by T Husk.

The overall average for the day was £116 with over 50% in the heavy and overweight categories averaging £120. Other top prices for quality heavyweights included £134 from T R Holt, £132 from H & J Noakes, £130 from R & W Brown and £127 O’Neil Smith Ltd.

Vendors Note – All consignments of sheep to Ashford must now be accompanied by a Sheep Entry Form, in addition to the AML1, to ensure we adhere to recent regulation changes. These are available to collect from the sales office, lairage and weighbridge or can be downloaded from the website.

Auctioneer: James Cook O’Connell

Top price ewe: £217 N C & C G Hedges                       Overall Average £114

Top price ram: £182 G & H Bates                                  Overall Average £133

Report on trade: Another good number of ewes forward. Despite more variation in the quality and size of the ewes the stronger trade resulted in higher averages.

Topping the day with their Texels at £217 head were N C & C G Hedges. Other headliners were Texels from V McDonald £196 and W Stewart Wood £184; Suffolks from N & D Attwood £176, P & N C Burden £156, D Napthine £154, P Ashlee £153 and J & M Carr £152.

We continue to see a strong consistent trade with a large entry of ewes week in and week out because of the competitive demand from our good number of buyers. Keep taking advantage of this level of trade by finding those empty ewes!

Top prices included:

Texel                      £217 N C & C G Hedges

Suffolk cross         £176 N&D Attwood

Charollais              £143 P&NC Burden

Romneys                £140 V McDonald

Mules                     £122 W Hurley

Report on trade: A larger entry of store hoggets late in the season and trade was brisk throughout and looks relatively strong compared to current returns in the finished section.

Best stores readily in excess of £100 with Suffolk cross £110 from W Stewart Wood and £108 from R & W Brown; Texel cross £110 from J R Lilley and K Tapley and £108 from S B & A E Martin and W J Hurley; South Down £104 from J Worsfold and Romney wether £108 from R C Fagg.

Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Report on trade: A few more lambs forward this week and 6 buyers shared them with all making £9 to £36. Ewe lambs were a premium as were the few proper black faced lambs whether ewes or wethers. Langrish Farmers run of 11 young Texel crosses averaged £20 and the whole sale averaged £22.10.

Report on trade: A short entry of cattle and trade slightly firmer on the week with the best selling readily at 245p plus and up to £1722 (268p) for superb Limousin cross steer from W Alexander (Shoreham) closely followed by two smart continental cross heifers at 259p from G L Boulden & Sons. Well fleshed dairy bred cattle in excess 225p and up to £1430 (245p) for British Blue cross from A J Down.

Again, native bred cattle looked well sold with Hereford x Friesian steers to £1454 (237p) and pure-bred Friesian steer £1321 (228p) from A J Down, Aberdeen Angus cross heifer £1359 (229p), £1217 (237p) and £1234 (225p) from A C Hulme & sons and pure-bred Sussex heifers £1472 (224p) and £1396 (224p) from K & P M Sinden & Son.

Average prices

Steers up to 650kg                              12           208 to 268p          Av 235.20p

Steers over 651kg                                 4           212 to 234p          Av 224.40p

Heifers up to 590kg                               7           223 to 259p          Av 238.49p

Heifers over 591kg                               5           224 to 259p          Av 234.90p

Report on trade: Simply sensational! All rates dearer, again, on the week with a good entry, in terms of numbers and quality, finding buyers eager to secure numbers.

Best beef cows now smashing readily through the 200p level with feeders to 229p kg and meat cows to 213p kg. Not a beef cow below 153p kg!! Beef cows sold to £1682 from High Chimney Farms and the beef cows averaged £1198 head throughout.

Angus cross 229p, 200p, 195p, 194p, 192p £1517, £1387, £1245, £1238 A C Hulme & Sons, 185p £1301 (Non FA) N C & C G Hedges; Limousin cross 213p £1604 (Non FA) N C & C G Hedges, 196p, 187p £1408, £1250 A C Hulme & Sons; Simmental cross 196p, 193p, 189p £1482, £1183 A C Hulme & Sons, 193p £1682 High Chimney Farms; Sussex 195p £1265 High Chimney Farms, 189p, 186p £1373, £1268 L Stevens & Sons, 183p £1130 (Non FA) J P J Wanstall, 176p £1220 (Non FA) Wright Farm Ptnrs; Blonde cross 194p £1538 G L Boulden & Ptnrs, 179p £1276 (Non FA) N C & CG Hedges; Salers 187p £1240 (Non FA) Mrs A Bott.

No less vigour in the trade for the dairy culls which remains outstanding with Holstein Friesian cows selling to new record levels topping at 186p £1510 from J W Boyd & Sons. Plenty of cows 150-175p with just two under 130p. An outstanding average of £1096 per head including those at £635 and £600.

Holstein Friesian heifers 190p (2) H O Champneys; Holstein Friesian cows 186p, 182p, 179p, £1510, £1369, £1241 J W Boyd & Sons; 175p, 167p £1475, £1309 M A & F W Owen; 174p, 168p, 165p, 164p £1360, £1251, £1249, £1166 J Warnock & Sons; 173p £1287 WS Furnival; 168p £1114 D Murdoch & Sons; Foreign Holstein cows to 152p £1053; Dexters 119p (2) £438.

Stock bulls wanted. Angus 173p £1240; Limousin (15yo) 156p £1477.

Report on trade: A smaller entry this week made up of more variable quality.

Trade remains strong with British Blue bulls topping at £260 from Hickson Bros, and Aberdeen Angus bulls to £245 from J W Boyd & Sons. Limousin’s to £325 from Freshfield Mill Farm. Heifers to £255 for Angus from A & W J Hitchcock and British Blues to £185 from Hickson Bros. Black and White trade remains firm with a top of £100 for British Friesians from D Murdoch & Sons and Holstein Friesians to £95 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.

Weanlings: – 13Sold

A mixed bag of weanlings today with a top of £490 for a Simmental cross bull from Freshfield Mill Farm. Angus steers to £350, heifers to £300 both from Price & Shelbourne. Black and White steers from Langdon Farms look well sold at £250.

A reminder that we can offer calves from Arla vendors under 56 days old subject to a declaration being signed by the purchaser. Any questions over this matter please do get in touch.

British Wool Board announcement re Wool sheets

Tuesday 12^th, 19^th, and 26^th April – Wool sheets will be available here in Ashford Market for farmers and smallholders to collect.

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

Wanted – Farm secretary to a local farming family. A knowledge of wages, Basic payment scheme, Farm assurance as well as Key and gatekeeper farm and accounts software. Please ring 07980 586020 for more details

Heathfield Agricultural Show Press Release

The 2022 Heathfield Agricultural Show, to be held on 28^th May, will be the 75^th anniversary of this much loved local agricultural show.

Show competition schedules are now available online at www.heathfieldshow.org – entries close on the 1^st April. Please contact the Show Secretary Secretary@heathfieldshow.org for further information.

Cattle Passports

We remind producers that on no occasion should the details on a cattle passport be changed other than by returning it to BCMS.

If details are incorrect return and advise BCMS or advise the auctioneers on market day without writing on the passport.

Cattle Producers, Please Note – Revised Advice Inconclusive Reactors

All IRs from high risk or edge areas that have had a negative (clear) result on retesting remain restricted on their holding for the rest of their life and can only move direct to slaughter or an approved finishing unit (AFU).

In a low-risk area if there has been a TB breakdown (i.e., with reactors) then again, any IRs that subsequently have a negative test are still only allowed to go direct to slaughter or an AFU, however if only IRs are identified in a low-risk area herd test then no movement restrictions are placed on those animals if they subsequently retest negative (clear).

Should any low-risk area producer have any doubts, about the position please do not hesitate to contact Peter Kingwill. 

Hay and Straw register

For a small charge we are quite happy to advertise your hay, straw, and fodder for sale in this register which will now run until early May for further details please ring our auctioneers office on 01233 502222.

For Sale – 1,000 Conventional bales of good quality meadow hay, barn stores in the Ashford area. Ring 07812 111130

For Sale – 3,000 conventional wheat straw bales from the Ashford area. 07876273254

For Sale – large quantities of hay, haylage and straw in the Ashford area. Ring 07707 879642

For Sale – large quantities of top-notch feed and bedding – Round bale naked hay, Round bale wrapped haylage, Mini Hesston bales naked hay, Round bale wrapped silage, Round bale naked wheat straw, Round bale naked barley straw, Round bale naked oat straw, Whole Wheat and barley in crane bags, Logs of all varieties, shapes, sizes and prices.

All from our own Red Tractor certified farms (with full field traceability) and keenly priced ex farm or delivered locally or nationwide. Richard Barnes (Farms) Ltd, Etchingham, TN19 7AZ.

01580 819000, 07768 771933

For Sale – 1500 Second quality conventional baled meadow hay, clean and thistle free, £2 per bale, ideal for cattle. Genuine enquiries only please, from a farm around the Tenterden area 07805847071.

For Sale – 200 8’ Meadow hay bales from a Kent farm. Ring 07787 150165