Weekly Sales News – 5 July 2016

Top price per kilo – 221p – G H Dean & Co: Top price per head -£97.50 – G H Dean & Co

 Report on trade: This was another strong trade with the weakening pound improving export demand. The best Beltex crosses & ¾ bred continental crosses took the pick of the trade at 200p plus with 39kg Beltex crosses topping the market at £86 (221p) from G H Dean & Co. Generally well fleshed lambs attracted the better prices while leaner sorts continue to sell at lower levels.

Within the sale a relatively large percentage of lean / underfinished grass fed lambs offered this week grossed well considering the lower costs involved making around £65.

Early arrival of lambs appreciated to ensure proper grading and sorting prior to sale.  Please keep us informed regarding entries so we can notify the buyers.

Cull Ewes and Rams – 650 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: A larger entry this week saw nearly 700 ewes in the pens and once again a very strong trade throughout to coincide with the conclusion of the Ramadan period this week. All grades of ewes were in demand but the best sold on the day would be the leaner sorts which were making in excess of £60. Best ewes made in the region of £100 and only the very leanest sorts below £50. With retail demand high for this week and numbers starting to increase around the country, it will remain to be seen if we can sustain this level of trade throughout July.

Cattle sales reports

Finished Cattle – 42 Sold
Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: This week saw an exceptional trade for finished cattle with a run of superb Limousin cross heifers from M B Farms selling from 224p to 229p per kg and grossing well up to £1393. The weekly consignment of Limousin cross heifers from W S Furnival (Brookland) attracted prices of 200p plus and up to 219p (twice) and grossed up to £1246.

A few native breeds on offer generally sold in excess of £900 and up to £1064 for a Sussex steer from Gillshaw Farms Ltd.

Heavy bulls grossed up to £1229 from Burden Bros.

With 11 successful buyers in attendance more finished cattle are wanted to satisfy current strong demand.

Cull Cows  – 69 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill – 07795 200357

Report on trade: A very decent entry on a day when, at long last, the mowers in the region were finally set into motion. Trade fully held with heavy fleshed cows in strong demand from processors and exporters. A superb run of assured fed beef cows from Burden Bros show the potential that fatteners, with the right feed, can achieve so other, non assured, producers are quite right to sell cows early to give the graziers and fatteners the time to achieve success with finishing and residency. Non assured slaughter cows were 10-15p behind but feeders no difference!! Surprisingly few dairy culls were forward and we shall see more of these steadily coming forward, as the year moves on. Drawing a few together now and letting your haulier do the work when you are busy must make sense with the trade as positive it is now.

Good assured meat cows made 120 to 40p per kg, feeders all in demand and generally scarce but the leanest and oldest non assured were below 100p. Simmental made 141p, 134p and £1082, £1039 from Burden Bros and 124p (Non FA) from Meyers & Davey; South Devon 139p, 126p and£1086, £954 again from Burden Bros; Aberdeen Angus 138p £1066 Burden Bros, 136p J & J Gowing and 106p £791 (Non FA) Meyers & Davey; Limousin 130p Burden Bros; Charolais 129p £925 Burden Bros and 107p,105p (Non FA) Thomsett Bros; Sussex cross 128p, 123p, 121p and £1007 Freshfield Farms and Sussex 110p (Non FA)    A H Hoad & Son and 107p (Non FA) from G A Verity.

Holstein Friesian 124p, 118p £944 from Goddard & Son and Jerseys 82p,80p,77p Hickson Bros.

South Devon stock bull 104p and £1236 from Horton park Farm

Store Cattle – 126 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

Report on trade: This was an exceptional trade for a mixed entry of store cattle with a good attendance of potential buyers ensuring competitive returns for all on offer.

Smart beef bred youngsters sold well with 6 mths Aberdeen Angus steers to £710 (250p) from G D K George and a 10 mth Charolais cross steer at £780 (230p) from Thomsett Bros. Older 12-14 mths stores attracted plenty of interest with the best making in excess of £900 and several customers in attendance keen for heifers suitable for breeding.

Strong cattle to finish sold in excess of £1000 and up to £1175 for a 24 mths Simmental cross steer from A J Thompson and Son. Several runs of Friesian steers on offer sold exceptionally well up to £680 from L Palmer and Son.

Native bred

Dairy bred

Report on trade: Still a smaller than expected entry with mowers, balers and spreaders the priority on dairy farms in the region. Those who came to market were rewarded with a useful trade with our local buyers to the fore and the demand for lesser quality dairy bulls still competitive.

Young beef crosses made to £295 for Blonde bulls and £205 for heifers while Aberdeen Angus crosses were also looking well sold. Three vendors sold Aberdeen Angus crosses, firstly W & C J Westacott whose bulls made £375, £350and £340 and heifers £300 twice. M Gammons bulls also made to £375 while S Reynolds younger bulls made £255 twice and heifers to £250.

Reared black and white bulls made to £170 from M Gammons and May borns to £100 from R & J Ledger while younger sorts made from £60 to £98 from W S Furnival, R & J Ledger and A L Betts Ltd.

Please keep your entries of calves coming. At our fortnightly sales we expect to have plenty of enquiries for all shapes, sizes and ages of stock. Thank you all for texts and messages with early notice of your entries for forthcoming sales – it does help.

Store and Finished Pigs – 146 Sold
Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

Report on trade: Quality was again not to the fore this week in the finished pens but those on offer made similar prices to recent sales. Cull numbers increased again and the trade improved and stores were required with buyers going home with not enough generally.

The best  finished pigs made to 108p per kg and then 103p for Pietrain crosses from P Paterson with C B Hopes run of 38 making 85p to 98p and grossing to £87.42. Again a sensible trade compared to that around the country.

Cull sows and boars made 44p twice with other heavy sows 34 to 38p with the best with weight boars grossing to £96 twice.

In the store pig pens well bred light feeders made £37 to £43 from P & R Marshall and a pen of just weaned Pietrain cross £34 From Mr S Carey.

Our pig sales are held once a fortnight and with spring and summer on the way we all hope the trade and confidence in the pig sector will rise again (from the very low levels prevailing for about 3 months on more now!). Please keep in touch with us here in Ashford if you have pigs to sell.

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

Our next Auction Sales are ……

Classic Car and Vintage, Veteran and Modern Tractors plus Rural Bygones sale

Friday 15^th July – lot listings are now online

Store and Breeding Sheep sale

Friday 29^th July at 11am

This our first of 14 late summer and autumn sales and will incorporate the Southdown Sheep Societies Early Premier Breeders Show and Sale of breeding sheep – see first page of this report for a summary of Southdown entries.

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 5^th August at 9.30am.

New & newly near mowers & garden machinery

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

Special Vehicle sale

Monday 29^th August from 10am

This auction of cars will include a special sales of 4 X 4, Diesel, sports and high performance, commercial and general vehicles. Upto 500 vehicles will be on site and in the sale.

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General news

Updated 5^th July 2016

For Sale ex farm 3 in pig Saddleback Sows due in the next month to six weeks from an East Kent farm

Pedigree British Blue bull bn 10/2014 from a mid Kent farm

Upto 10 late spring calved pedigree Sussex cows. Hertfordshire – TB Low.

Quantity of 2015 made clamped maize silage in the Tonbridge area. Ring 07771 657402“

Sunday 17^th July – Singleton Rare Breeds Show, Chichester. Full details available from the museum on 01243 811348.

Southern Shears – This years event will be held on Sunday 17^th July at Holmbush Farm, Faygate, Crawley, West Sussex (RH12 4SE). this is a shearing competition which will be run on BISCA rules with open, junior, novice, ladies and blades. Full details available from Mary Masters mary.m@btconnect.com, Facebook and Twitter (@southernshears) or www.southernshears.weebly.com

Kent Herdsmans Club – Monday 1st August  at 7.30pm – visit to Trottenden Farm, Lidwells Lane, Goudhurst, Cranbrook. TN17 1ES to view their Pedigree Sussex Cattle.

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.