Weekly Sales News – 30 August 2016

Next Store and Breeding Cattle Sale is on Tuesday 6th August at 1.00pm (please note earlier start time). Large consignment  of cattle next week and a catalogue will  be produced  for  this sale. Good entries received for Tuesday 6^th September. Producers are recommended to book in early for the future weekly sales through the summer.

Store Cattle entered already entered for Tuesday 6^th September include

15 Sussex steers, 11-15 mths

26 Sussex heifers, 11-15 mths

21 Aberdeen Angus cross steers, 10-11 mths

4 Limousin cross steers, 10-11 mths

5 Charolais cross heifers, 7 mths

Forthcoming Store and Breeding Sheep Sales Our fifth store and breeding sheep sale for the season will be this Friday 9^nd September at 11am and we have catalogued around 7,000 lambs, principally a ewe lamb sale with Charollais, Texel and Suffolk crosses plus Romneys from many of the regions major flocks together with early consignments of breeding sheep.

The South Eastern Texel Groups show and sale of pedigree sheep will also be held on Friday 9^th September.

Romney Day is Friday 30^th September. Rams of all breeds will be offered in ring sales on Fridays 23^rd September, 7^th October and 14^th October.

Further sales will be held on Fridays throughout September and until 21^st October. Store and breeding sheep sale entries close on Mondays 11 days before subsequent sales. Please ring any of our auctioneers and fieldsmen to discuss the expected trade and entries

Next Pig and Calf sale days will be held on Tuesday 13^th September and then the 27^{t h} September,  11^th October and 25^th October. If you are considering sending calves or pigs to market please ring Mark Cleverdon immediately for advice.

The TB exempt section will be offered again this coming Tuesday. We expect to offer this facility on all subsequent Tuesdays for the foreseeable future. We very much appreciate exempt cattle being booked in week by week to ensure that the TB exempt section will be available.

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Sheep sale entries – please ring immediately with entries for Friday September 16^th sale – we need all stock entered at the latest on Monday 5^th September.

Top price per kilo – 218p/kg – Mr DC Foy: Top price per head – £94 – GH Dean & Co

 Report on trade: A smaller entry in the pens this week which is quite typical of a Bank Holiday week with a similar trade to recent weeks despite a number of leaner sheep in the entry. Lambs this week averaged 179p/kg which is 29p/kg ahead and £10/hd ahead of the corresponding period in 2015. Best export sorts were once again in demand with the very best selling to 218p/kg (£89.50) from Mr DC Foy. Once again we have seen the heavier sorts selling above £2/kg with 47kg lambs from GH Dean & Co selling to £94/hd (47kg) and £90.50 (44kgs).

Report on trade A good entry of ewes this week with over 500 in the pens with an improved trade for the meat ewes as a result of the impeding Muslim EID festival. Grazing sorts were once again plentiful and there were several farmer buyers present to compete for these. Best meat sold up to £90 from Dan Mackleden Ltd and probably the best sold on the day would be the well fleshed Romney and Mule ewes that were sold to £78 and £74 respectively.

Top prices were as follows:

Continental ewes from Dan Mackleden to £90, Suffolk Crosses to £84 and Mules to £74 from Dan Mackleden Ltd and Romneys to £79 from RH Kingston

Report on trade: An increased entry of finished cattle met a similar strong trade with the best bred Continental Crosses taking the pick of the trade. A smart Blue Cross steer topped market at £1285 (230p) and Limousin Cross steer at £1302 (225p) from  M B Farms while regular consignment of Limousin Cross heifer from W S Furnival (Brookland) were well received with the best at £1078 (221p) and £1110 (214p).

Good runs of commercial cattle included Limousin Cross steer at £1119 (189p) from A J Down and grass fed Continental Cross steers at £1000 (182p) from H G Tompsett & Sons. Other top price included Simmental heifer at £1117 (184p) from R G Gibson & Son and a Sussex steer grossed well at £1136 (162p) from Wright Farm Partnership.

Several over 30 months on offer grossed up to £1017 for Blonde Cross steer from

C E Barling.

Report on trade: Desperately short after the Bank Holiday but those who supported the sale were rewarded with a flying trade well ahead of recent rates.

No real best cows but good commercial assured beef cows were regularly 120-145p and some big, but lean, dairy culls 110-125p!

Sussex 145p £997, Angus 139p £947 AB Jones & Partners; Sussex 134p, 132p DJ Miles; Sussex 129p, 128p W Hurley.

Holstein Friesian 123p, 121p, 120p £968 J Leggat & Son; 119p, 118p £918 MA&FW Owen. Hereford stock bull 100p.

Cull cows remain a strong trade and consideration must be given to culling policy now rather than in the wet and cold of November!!

Report on trade: A very short show of calves but what a trade! All beef calves dearly wanted with plenty of available customers.

Blonde x bull 8 weeks £310, Blue x heifer 7 weeks £252  Angus x heifer 4 weeks £202 WS Furnival; Angus x bull 8 weeks £250, heifers £200, £182 A&WJ Hitchcock; Beef Shorthorn x heifer 8 weeks £300 Henley Down; Angus bulls 5 4 weeks £305, £302, £300 S Reynolds.

Best of the Holstein calves over £100 but the small types not reared and generally £30-£45.

Another full-on demand for a mixed show of pigs with supplies tightening and the current weather helping the pig processing market!

Best pigs up over 130p/kg topping with smart white pigs from PW&P Sim at 136p/kg..The heavy fleshed commercial and coloured pigs all wanted at 90-110p/kg but the plain, bad bred continue very difficult.

A good entry of sows with the heavy 220kg+ sows a royal trade to 60p £177/head. Generally 55p and over!!

Store pigs probably just a little steadier with customers strong for the smart well bred young stores but less keen for the stronger feeders. Bad bred sorts remain difficult. A nice run of young pigs from S Scott & Son to £31, £30-50 and £30/head

Report on trade: The third Friday sheep sale of 2016 saw an entry of just over 4000 lambs penned and the first of our early breeding sheep offered for sale. A more mixed entry of lambs was on offer than we have seen in the first two sales with a good mixture of short term, strong lambs and longer term sorts in the pens. An overall average of £57/hd was returned to a top price of £69.50 from Mr RC Brown. Stronger stores were traded between £60/hd and £65/hd with only the long term lambs on offer selling below £55/hd.

The small selection of breeding sheep on offer were entirely Ewe tegs and these sold up to £140/hd for some smart texel ewes from E Chantler & Sons. The Suffolk crosses on offer sold to £118 form the same vendor.

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

Our next Auction Sales are…….

Store and Breeding Sheep sale

Friday 2^nd September at 11am

This is our fourth of 14 late summer and autumn sales and we will pen up to 5,000 principally store lambs plus an early entry of breeding sheep.

Commercial Vehicle sale

Thursday 8^th September at 3.00pm

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

Sale of Boats and Maritime items at Ramsgate Harbour

Saturday 17^th September

Large entries of tractors, trailers, vehicles, arable equipment,

Chilli Farm Machinery sale

Saturday 1^st October at 9.30am

Large entries of tractors, trailers, vehicles, arable equipment, haymaking equipment, tractor attachments & spares, livestock kit, garden machinery, workshop tools and a large and varied selection of rural bygones are expected

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

Horse & Saddlery Sale

Thursday 27^th October at  10am.  Catalogues now available

Entries expected of riding ponies, event horses and youngstock

New & nearly new saddlery & tack, grooming kit, yard equipment, rugs, harness

Riding boots, show jackets, jodhpurs, body protectors, yard clothing & boots

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 11^th November at  9.30am.

New & newly near mowers & garden machinery

New  tools, farm & agricultural equipment, timber plus large selection of miscellaneous items.

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South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines        

The August edition of this popular regional farming magazine is now available here in the market. Hobbs Parker are regular contributors to the editorial content.

In addition our Property Consultants Outlook for Autumn 2016 is available with this months edition. Articles looking at current issues affecting many aspects of land ownership make interesting reading for all landowners and occupiers.

General news

Updated 31 August 2016

Wanted – Working sheepdog, anything considered bay and east Kent farmer.

Grass keep available – 12 month grazings near Andover for smart shorn Romney ewe lambs third week Sept start. Will accept multiples of 200 but would prefer 600 as a lot. Contact Ted Sclater 07785793450 or 01264736420 to discuss.

For Sale – The remaining bitches from a litter of working sheepdog puppies – 8 weeks old  Ex farm on the Kent / Sussex borders. Ring 07976 255431

For Sale – 2 Dogs and 1 Bitch from working parents. Ring 01797 270303

Kent Herdsmans Club – For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Sandra Brown on 01233 502796 or Jo Masters 01580 240568

Monday 12th September at 7.30pm – visit to Brattle Farm Museum, Pinnock Lane, Staplehurst. The museum is signed by brown ‘tourist’ signs from main road through Staplehurst.

Sunday 4^th September – Romney Marsh Ploughing and Cultivation Society Ploughing Match at Scotney Court Farm, Lydd, Romney Marsh. TN29 9JP. For all details email: romneyploughing@yahoo.co.uk or ring Chairman Alan Higgs on 07785 783662.

Saturday 17^th September – High Tilt Farm, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, Kent. Full details available from secretary Karen Wheeler 01580 753206 or on www.wkpma.co.uk.

Saturday 8^th October – Harvest Supper, Amos Hall, Ashford Market, TN24 0HB. For all details on RABI fundraising in the South East contact Charles Tassell 01622 858733, David Chantler 01622 850207 or Sally Field on 01903 882741.

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Rams sales will be held through the ring on the following days with MV facilities available

Fridays 9^th and 23^rd September

Friday 7^th October

Ram tegs and young proven rams of all breeds will be offered in these 3 sales. No entry forms need completing (except for the Texel Show). Just ring Mark Cleverdon or any of our “Livestock” team if you have animals to sell or email details to mark.cleverdon@hobbsparker.co.uk

Over 600 rams were sold in the 2015 season

Romney and Sussex Day

Friday 30^th September here in Ashford Market

Special sale day for ewe lambs and breeding sheep of the Romney breed including the Breeders Society’s annual show and sale of ram tegs.

Competitions for the best pens of ewe lambs and ewe tegs.

Annual Autumn Show & Sale of pedigree Sussex cattle

Entries expected of bulls, mature females and maiden heifers

A summary of entries, listed by breeder, will be available as soon as entries close on Friday 2^nd September

The full catalogues will be prepared for circulation prior to the sales.

Sponsored by Farmers Guardian and their “Marts at the Heart” campaign and Elanco Animal Health