Weekly Sales News – 5th April 2022

Top price per kilo – 324p – T Husk

Top price per head – £159 -T Husk

Report on trade: A good quality entry of hoggets this week sold on an improved trade with averages just beginning to creep up week on week, with the number of export weight hoggets on offer in decline nationally. Heavier types were also improved on the week with best quality up by £5 hd and roughly 10p kg. Some super quality on offer to a top price of £159 for superb Beltex cross hoggets form T Husk at £159 and 324p for the same pen. Others to note this week include Langdon Farms with export types to 311p and A J W Smith at £140 for some heavier continentals. Numbers do seem to be diminishing across the country with the main bulk of the farmed sheep now almost finished This should help to maintain trade at the current levels with Easter and Eid al-Fitr to be celebrated within the next month.

Two early consignments of new season lambs this week with 44 lambs on offer. Mostly falling into the heavier category top price was taken for some super Charollais lambs at £139 from Katie Tucker. The overall average was just a shade below £3 kg. Demand for these may increase next week with Easter forthcoming, so please inform us of any new season lambs you may intend to send.

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: £190 – T Husk                                         Overall Average £123

Top price ram: £180 – S Broad                                      Overall Average £126

Report on trade: A fantastic show of sheep and a superb trade throughout with averages up once again on the previous week. A tremendous run of well finished, mainly, Texel cross and Suffolk cross ewes from T Husk peaked at £190 and the whole run averaged £150 with B J Baker to £177, W G Vant & Sons to £160 and M Furey to £158. Many others not far behind and very few ewes sold under £100. We continue to see consistent numbers which is necessary given the current demand for ewes so if you have cull ewes now is a good time to be thinking of selling them.

Top prices included:

Continentals                         £190 T Husk

Border Leicester                  £157 B J Baker

Suffolk cross                         £157 T Husk

Mules                                     £141 T Husk

Romneys                               £135 A R Dunlop

Report on trade: Less on offer this week as the season moves on. Trade is still hard to believe with the overall average for all on offer being £97 hd and with several pens over £100 topping at £113 from Wanstall Farms.

Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Report on trade: A few more lambs forward this week but buyers slightly thinner on the ground and more selective. Lambs made from £5 to £28 with a run of 10 Suffolk x Mules from E & M E Brundrett making £10 to £20 and top call for a continental ewe lamb from Pynn Contractors at £28. The whole sale averaged £12.50, not quite on a par with last week!

Report on trade: The beef trade continues to firm slightly almost weekly with prices now at their highest level since 2014. With a much-improved entry this week’s trade was brisk throughout with best handyweight butcher types selling readily in excess of 245p. Native, dairy bred, and heavier sorts generally ranged in the 220 to 240p bracket.

A superb Limousin cross heifer topped the market a £1460 (259p) from D W Ferguson Ltd and heavyweight British Blue cross steer topped the gross price at £1775 (244p) from K & P M Sinden & Son.

Native bred cattle keenly sought after with the highlights including an Aberdeen Angus cross steer £1703 (222p) from Leggat Farming Ltd, an Angus x heifer £1447 (234p) from D W Ferguson Ltd and purebred Sussex steer £1604 (242p) from K & P M Sinden & Son.

More cattle could be sold at similar favorable prices. Support the Live Auction for open competition and long term sustainability.

Average prices

Steers up to 650kg                              18           185 to 246p          Av 223.50p

Steers over 651kg                               10           216 to 244p          Av 230.00p

Heifers up to 590kg                             18           203 to 259p          Av 238.35p

Heifers over 591kg                                4           186 to 234p          Av 213.40p

Report on trade: Another extraordinary trade for all culls this week. From some of the very best overage clean heifers right through to the minority breeds of Longhorns, Highlands, Belted Galloways and Dexters there were customers aplenty ready to give record prices to secure stock.

No outstanding cows forward but good meat readily 180-220p and very little below 160p. Everything wanted!

Limousin cross 214p, 187p £1270, £1222 J Berryman,  203p, 190p £1367, £1279 R J T Farm Lands; Belted Galloway  210p £985 (Non FA) G McKie; Charolais 204p £1475 (Non FA) M Grady; Simmental cross 199p £1459 C R Cook, 195p £1610 (Non FA) P M Thomas, 180p £1220 A Smith & Son; Aberdeen Angus cross 193p, 180p £1642, £1484 (Non FA) V & C Smith, 192p, 184p £1551, £1119 (Non FA) K Vincent, 185p(2), 184p £1430, £1273, £1153 (Non FA) P J S Farms; Longhorn 183p £1195 C R Cook; Hereford 178p £1172 (Non FA) Mrs S Ginger, 176p £1167 (Non FA) B C Ginger; Highland 177p; Dexter 134p.

A small show of dairy culls and many more wanted. Similarly, outstanding!

Holstein 174p (2) £1482, £1449 P J Forknall; Holstein Friesian 178p, 166p £1393, £1200 J W Boyd & Sons; 176p, 167p £1240, £1185 W F Farms; 166p £1283 W S Furnival Ltd; Dairy Shorthorn 166p £1026 (Non FA) Swanley Farms.

Stock bulls very much wanted. Charolais 181p £1541; Limousin 168p £1910; British Blue cross 136p £1230.

An outstanding show of, generally, heavyweight overage steers and heifers met a marvellous trade with age and weight no barrier to the range of customers around our ring.

British Blue cross heifers 249p (2) £1913, £1585 R J T Farms, 218p £1359 (Non FA) N C & C G Hedges; British Blue cross steers 241p, 238p £1769, £1650 RJT Farms; Hereford x heifer 235p £1442 J Berryman; Limousin cross steer 200p £1287 J Berryman

Keep Finding Them. Many Thanks.

Report on trade: A quality show of cattle met an exceptional trade throughout with probably some of the best prices ever achieved at Ashford Market and reflecting the record returns in the finished section. The top-quality Continental beef bred yearlings took the pick of the trade with best steers selling readily at £1100 plus and heifers in excess of £1000.

Undoubtedly the prize run of the day comprised 36 Limousin cross steers and a single heifer from P N & C Burden whilst topped at £1430 and averaged an impressive £1322 overall.

Strong outwintered cattle with age are in short supply these days, but when available are keenly sought after. A run of 17 24mths, mainly Hereford cross, steers and heifers sold exceptionally well topping at £1480 and averaging £1373 from W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm.

The majority of younger 5 to 8mths stores for the long-term looking well sold in the £500 to £800 bracket.

Keep the cattle coming. We have the buyers and strong competition throughout.

Store cattle

Principal prices include:

12 mths Sussex steer                                         £875                       C E & W S Millen

10-11 mths Blonde cross steer                          £940                       J Prior & Son

11 mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifer            £845                       J Prior & Son

12 mths Limousin cross steer                            £1430                    P N & C Burden

12 mths Limousin cross heifer                          £1185                    P N & C Burden

12 mths Limousin cross steer                            £1230                    S & D Broad

12 mths Limousin cross heifer                          £1150                    S & D Broad

12 mths Limousin cross steer                            £1150                    M J Ashworth

12 mths Limousin cross heifer                          £900                       M J Ashworth

12 mths Limousin cross steer                            £1180                    H & S Nesfield

12 mths Limousin cross heifer                          £935                       H & S Nesfield

13 mths Charolais cross steer                           £1085                    R D E Spencer

13 mths Charolais cross heifer                         £1045                    R D E Spencer

15 mths British Blue cross steer                        £1300                    N C & C G Hedges

15 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steer              £1090                    P T & S J A Beale

16 mths Aberdeen Angus cross steer              £1200                    Wood Farm Partnership

19 mths British Blue cross steer                        £1300                    K M Goddard Agri Cont

23 mths Charolais heifer                                    £1400                    R V A Stannard

24 mths Simmental cross heifer                       £1480                    W & P New

24 mths Hereford cross steer                            £1460                    W & P New

24 mths Bazadaise cross steer                         £1450                    W & P New

Three in Calf Belted Galloway heifers  met strong demand with a top price of £760.

Store and Finished Pigs – 38 sold   Auctioneer: Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Report on trade: We can, at last, report improvement in values for pigs today but unfortunately not enough pigs in the pens for buyers to really get going and fill orders. Best quality types were almost completely absent. The cull section took another lift as has been seen nationwide.

The entry of finished pigs saw one pen from P J & P Wade made 100p per kg with the rest 50p to 93p reflecting weight and quality. No records broken this week on gross prices.

The cull trade again improved strongly. The best making 50p and heaviest grossing £157.50 – what a change from as recently as 6 weeks ago!

Just one pen of stores, which were young almost show quality Welsh pigs from D Finch which made £40 to £50.

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 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

Notices – Jim Aikman, Appledore

Family and friends have asked us to report that Jim suddenly passed away on Wednesday 23^rd March.  His funeral is on Wednesday 13^th April at 3pm at Appledore church. Jim was regularly seen in market with his many friends talking prices, talking tractors and talking farming over a spoofed cup of tea!!