Weekly Sales News – 31st October 2017

Top price per kg – 211p – D C Foy; Top price per head – £89 – G P King

Report on trade: A small show of lambs on offer this week with a slightly improved trade throughout the entry. Generally too we had a better quality show of sheep on offer. Trade nationally on Monday was lacklustre but Tuesday’s average was slightly improved with Ashford’s figures just a little above the national figure.

Some of the best once again broke the 200p per kg price barrier with the top price of 211p to D C Foy for some smart continental lambs at 37kgs. Heavier offerings were sold on a similar trade to previous weeks with the majority trading between £82 and £88 to a top price of £89 from G P King.

Report on trade: A bigger entry on offer this week with a large show of grazing ewes, with once again the grazing men fighting for them to farm on until after Christmas. These grazers would be £3-5 up on last weeks prices. Meated ewes on offer this week sold to a top price of £84 from Ms H V Link with most ewes trading between £60-£75.

Top prices included Texel cross ewes to £84 from Ms H V Link, Suffolk crosses to £81 from Wanstall Farms and Romney ewes to £66 from L Wheeler & Sons

We are now have only 2 more Friday sales and bigger numbers will be coming forward on Tuesdays. Please prebook large consignments with our auctioneers or fieldsmen

Report on trade: This was another good trade for the best cattle with smart handy weight sorts 215p per kg plus. A Limousin cross heifer topped the market at £1223 (221p) from S Marsh closely followed by a Blonde cross heifer at £1185 (218p) from W Alexander (Shoreham). Heavier cattle attracted prices around 200p notably a Blonde cross steer at £1309 (196p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and a Limousin cross heifer at £1285 (198p) out of the TB exempt section from Gillshaw Farms Ltd.

An Aberdeen Angus cross heifer topped the native bred and grossed well at £1243 (196p) from D W Page & Son while trade eased slightly on the week for Friesian steers with the best grossing up to £891 (169p) from A J Down. Again several customers were in attendance for cattle suitable for further feeding notably Limousin cross steers to £1094 (216p) and £1078 (214p) from H G Tompsett & Sons Ltd.

Report on trade: An excellent number of cows forward today and with as many buyers around the ring for cows, bulls and overage stock another strong and competitive trade. Of course there are now more cows coming forward nationally so underlying rates are easing a little particularly for the plainer and older cows. the poor autumn weather and accompanying straw position in the north and west will make it a long winter for many so higher culling rates in these areas might not be surprising.

Fleshed cows and young feeders remain a marvellous trade with plenty 130-150p per kg. Farm assurance is making a difference on the slaughter cows.

Simmental cross 149p from D J Miles, £997 (146p) Dr RJ & CS Wratten and £1137 (129p) R Coleman & Sons; Blonde cross £960 (147p) A J Thompson & Sons and £1083 (144p), £1030 (136p) – non FA – O’Neil Smith Ltd; British Blue cross £1067 (146p), £1047 (142p) High Chimney Farms; Limousin cross 134p (non FA) P Burgess and 133p (non FA) B Townsend; South Devon cross £915 (135p) A J Thompson & Sons; Aberdeen Angus cross £886 (132p) R J & C M Greengrow and £938 (129p) – non FA – P Gorringe and Sussex 130p, 126p, £887 D J Miles.

Not much flesh on offer amongst the dairy culls today but competition strong throughout. We saw British Friesians 127p, 126p, 122p and £898(2) from Debden Court Ltd; 121p, 120p B J Goodsell; Holstein steakers 100-115p, lean steakers 85-100p, plain boners 70-80p; Jersey heifers 107p, 106p £559 and cows 88p £547 Hickson Bros.

Stock bulls remain a decent trade though flesh is required. British Blue cross 110p, 109p, £1070; Aberdeen Angus 105p, 97p, £0161, £1033 and Limousin 111p.

A sizeable entry of overage steers and a good trade throughout particularly with flesh and assurance and we saw Holstein steers 4yrs+ 130p, 129p(2) and £1100, £1063, £1042 from R W Jones & Son; Simmental cross steer 136p £1136, Charolais cross 135p £1009 R W Jones & Son and Holstein steers 30mths-42mths 145p, 142p, 132p, 126p, £1004 from E T Ledger & Son.

Report on trade: A great show of cattle with the majority continental cross beef bred sorts on offer including three major runs of 18mths Limousin cross steers and heifers notably 232 from Burden Bros. 60 from E W & R E Hanks and 58 from A J Bray.

The quality of the entry was an obvious attraction for major feeders with regular buyers in attendance from the eastern counties and midlands and a fresh buyer from the west country competing well with the local interest. In total there were 22 individual successful buyers and several others represented and while trade was slightly easier than 6 weeks ago prices were still very respectable and competitive throughout.

The best of the continental cross steers and heifers attracted prices in excess of £1000 and £850 with the former topping at £1140 for a pen of Limousin crosses from Burden Bros and a British Blue cross from S Theobold. Heifers made to £995 for a cracking pen of Limousin crosses from A J Bray while native bred sorts topped at £1095 for a smart pen of Aberdeen Angus cross steers consigned by P Gorringe.