Top price per kg – 210p – C A Worley Farming Ltd; Top price per head – £94.50 – Mrs J Walker

Report on trade A bigger entry of lambs on offer this week with 1500 penned due to prospects of a slightly better trade than last week and also a few larger consignors choosing not to send lambs on show week. Trade was slightly improved with a little bit of Christmas demand starting to help in both the home and export market place. This was most noticeable in the heavier lambs with all of these selling at around £80 and  most of the best examples £85 plus to a top price of £91.50 from Link Bros. The overall average this week was returned at 176p which is in turn £2 per head dearer than we saw on the corresponding week last year.

Producers please note – For top results please present well fleshed lambs which are preferably dry and clean. Lairage facilities are available every Monday evening.

Sheep sales here in Ashford are supported by buyers representing a large cross section of abattoirs throughout the country. Please ensure your FABBL status is up to date and if you are not FABBL assured seriously consider becoming so – certain buyers are restricted to the purchase of only farm assured stock.

Report on trade: A smaller entry of ewes on offer with very few stronger meat types which drags the averages back but trade would have been at a similar level to recent weeks. Once again many ewes are being brought down the country from the northern regions and Scotland due to adverse weather conditions, this is flooding the limited market place and causing the trade to have little spark.

Top prices included continental ewes to £71.50 from Langrish Farmers, Suffolk crosses to £76 from D Broad and Romney ewes to £64 from Chandler and Dunn

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Report on trade: No strong feeding lambs were penned but there is plenty of demand for longer term stores to graze and then feed.

More lambs will come forward now on Tuesdays with only 1 Friday sale remaining. We have catalogued around 2,000 store lambs for the final sale to be held on Friday 15^th December. Late entries are expected and welcome

Report on trade: A mixed quality entry of cattle saw the best attracting prices around 210p per kg and commercial sorts generally making from 180p to 190p. A run of continental crosses took the pick of the trade from W Alexander (Shoreham) with a Limousin cross steer up to £1225 (214p) while other top prices included a Limousin cross steer at £1267 (208p) from The High Weald Academy and a smart British Blue cross bull at £1110 (214p) from S Marsh.

Dairy bred cattle made in the 180p to 190p bracket with a run of British Blue crosses from K E Budd selling well with steers up to £1165 (184p) and heifers to £1112 (189p). Friesian steers grossed well up to £923 (170p) from A J Down.

The pick of the native breeds included an Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifer at £1139 (180p) from E J Gribble and Hereford cross heifer at £1024 (176p) from F Pearce & Sons.

Several OTMs were on offer with the pick of the prices including a Simmental heifer at £1309 (190p) from G Bates Ltd, Blonde cross heifer £1093 (170p) from T & A Lord and British Blue cross steer £1027 (200p) from S Marsh.

Support the live market and compare deadweight returns. Buyers are in attendance every week for all qualities of finished cattle and specialist feeders competing well for cattle to feed

Auctioneer: Richard Wood

Report on trade: A large entry of cows and trade was brisk throughout with 11 successful buyers competing for all on offer. Leaner cows with potential to feed were keenly sought after while the best fleshed cows attracted good premiums and grossed well and regularly in excess of £1000.

Top prices include:

Report on trade: Although a good number of store cattle for this time of year quality in the pens was very mixed and this was reflected in the overall trade. The better quality cattle on offer attracted premium prices while the second quality sorts proved more difficult reflecting the prices achieved in the finished section.

Undoubtedly the Aberdeen Angus crosses took the pick of the trade with smart youngsters making in excess of £700 from Bocketts Farm Ltd and A J Britton and stronger sorts attracted strong bidding up to £1280 from D J & J L Isaac, £1100 from K P Vincent and a heifer at £1090 from R Brown & Daughter.

Principal prices include:                                                                                                                  

Report on trade: A further herd reduction of young cows from Foyle Farmers was again well received by buyers. The big strong Simmnetal and Limouisn cross cows, all born 2010 to 2014 made to £1140 at 5 mths in calf to a Simmental bull. 5 Simmentals averaged £900 and 15 Limousins £1036.

An Aberdeen Angus cross cow, bn 2011 with Hereford cross heifer calf made £1030 and a young, pedigree bred Charolais bull £1190.

Report on trade: The beef trade is in a relatively good place giving rearers confidence and there were plenty of customers for calves from far and wide. As the averages show prices were good for what again was very much and entry of young, mainly 2 to 8 week old calves.

Ledger (Appleton) Farms kicked off the sale this week and saw young British Blue bulls make to £80 (7 aver’ £301) and heifers to £230 (7 aver’ £202). Aberdeen Angus crosses from A & W J Hitchcock made £290 for bulls and to £210 for heifers; out of beef cow calves made to £400 for Limousin cross bulls and £380 for heifers with and Aberdeen Angus bull making £345 all from A J Thompson; D Murdoch & Sons sold a British Blue bull at £365, M W Goddards October born black and white bulls made to £82 (11 aver’ £58.50), Simmental bulls made to £250 and heifers £300 from R L W Parrett and 16 farms sold calves in total.

Please keep your entries of calves coming – we have customers for all classes. 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.

Sales will be offered fortnightly without  interruption over Christmas and the new year on 19^th December and 2^nd January.

Report on trade: The pig trade is still difficult with plenty of pigs on offer over the country but again here in Ashford we found customers for a good sized entry this being the third week in a row we have offered a pig sale. Trade for good pigs was very similar to last weeks show pig offering with second quality and coloured, as always, a little more difficult. It was good to have 3 or 4 bidders for store pigs producing a fair trade in this section .

S Scott and Son had 17 best  finished pigs in the pens and these made to 112p per kg and averaged £78.76 with the rest of the good pigs making 86 to 103p.

The cull pigs two young gilts made 48p and sows to 47p.

Best Store pigs made to £46  for mid sized white models.

Sales will be offered fortnightly without  interruption over Christmas and the new year on 19^th December and 2^nd January.

We remind all pig farmers of the information below

Identification of pigs – again we draw your attention to the fact that it is essential all pigs have permanent identification when offered for sale in a market i.e. slap mark or ear tag. Please ensure you comply with this regulation.

Miscellaneous wanted and Livestock for sale ex farm

Wanted- shepherd to care for a flock of 800 Suffolk x Mules lambing in mid-april. Full time, part time or just lambing season availability considered. Must have a sheep dog and significant shepherding experience. Accommodation and vehicle available, work to start in the new year. All enquiries to: owenpiper@hotmail.co.uk

Grazing available in Hampshire for 300 Romney or Romney cross ewe lambs until mid September 2018. Ring 07785 793450

Grazing available – 40 acres of grassat Ryarsh near Maidstone. Hay aftermath which is fenced, watered and can be lookered. Ring 07787 566080

For Sale – Mitsubishi pickup with full years MOT, double cab, leather interior, loadliner, roller shutter top, tow bar and regularily serviced. Ring 07787 566080

For Sale – 10 Pedigree Holstien heifers – due to Aberdeen Angus bull and due in January and February. West Kent. Ring Mark on 07748 202688

For Sale – Pedigree Limousin bull, bn 2013, fertility tested and weighing over 1,000kg – West  Kent. Contact Mark Cleverdon for details – 07748 202688

For Sale – 3 Pedigree British Blue bulls at 18 to 30 mths, one black and 2 blue and white – Suffolk – Contact Mark Cleverdon for details – 07748 202688

Wanted  – a cattle yard (or part of) with or without grazing for a small herd of up to 20 head of stock in the Maidstone area.  Contact Mark Cleverdon with details – 07748 202688

RABI, FCN and Kent Herdsmans Club News

Kent Herdsmans Club

For all details on Herdsman’s Club events contact Chairman Alan Jull 07708283220 or Jo Masters 01580 240568

December meeting is the Club Christmas Dinner so next business meet is on Sunday January 14th 2018 at 12 noon – a visit to Chandler & Dunn Ltd to view their cattle and some of the fruit storage at the farm, Lower Goldstone, Ash, Canterbury CT3 2 DY

Welcome to Barkers Animal Health, our new tenant at unit 5 – Ashford Livestock Market

Barkers are a family business supplying livestock farmers throughout the South of England with a wide range of animal healtrh product including medicines, milks, minerals, farm and dairy hygiene, teat dips and forage preservation treatments.

Their shop will be open on market days at Ashford and the owner, Peter Barker will be present.  Their local representative, Stephen Skinner, will be calling on farm offering advice, competitive prices with next working day deliveries or even sometimes *same* day delivery.

Come and meet Peter in the market to discuss any health or nutritional problems within your flock or herd.

News from AHDB, formerly Eblex

Howard Bates from Brookland says “My tenure comes to an end in March after six years and it would be useful to have someone from the South East and a Market user on the Board”. Below is a press release from AHDB’s website.

Sector board members required – Your chance to make a real difference to the future of the English Beef and Lamb industry

The agriculture and horticulture development board (ahdb) is looking for beef and lamb producers and a processor from the supply chain to join the sector board of its English Beef and Lamb division.

As a new board member you will assist your chair in developing strategy. We are seeking industry specialists who will play an active role for the English Beef and Lamb industry and command the respect of their peers.

Sector board members are expected to make a time commitment of around two days per month and attend all board meetings, with additional requirements being agreed with the sector board chair. Appointments are for three-year terms with remuneration currently payable at £256.25 per day plus expenses.

We can offer a challenging opportunity for you to contribute to the english beef and lamb industry and make a difference to AHDB. You will need to be professional, flexible and adaptable in order to support the change that is required to develop the ongoing success of AHDB beef & lamb and AHDB.

An information pack with details of how to apply can be obtained from: Christine Sstandley, AHDB, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire. CV8 2TL. E-mail: Christine.standley@ahdb.org.uk. Closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 18 December 2017

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Hay, Straw and fodder

For Sale – Organic Hay, Haylage & Silage, Big Square and rounds. All good quality – Available East Sussex/Kent border. Contact Buckhurst Estate: Sharon 01892 770220 or Warren 07836 378044

This register will now run until early May for further details please ring our auctioneers office on 01233 502222 or Mark Cleverdon 07748 202688

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions run over 200 auction sales every year. Our next Auction Sales are ..

Commercial Vehicles

Thursdays 14^th December and  10^th January at 3.00pm

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

Special post Christmas car auction

Thursdays 28^th December at 4.00pm

A large and wide selection of up cars are expected to be on offer in this sale

Collective Machinery & Equipment Sale

Friday 23^rd February 2018

Catalogues will be available about a week before the sale.

Lots will include new & nearly new mowers & garden machinery. New tools, farm & agricultural equipment, timber plus large selection of miscellaneous items.

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Hobbs Parker and Ashford Livestock Market

We are the South East’s principle livestock market selling around 264,000 head of cattle, sheep and pigs in 2016.

Weekly sales throughout the year of all classes of stock, principally on Tuesdays, run by a fully professional team of auctioneers and support staff, they provide an unmatched level of service and commitment to the livestock farmers in the area. Come and see us on market day soon and bring your livestock for us to sell.