Weekly Sales News – 9th April 2019

Top price per kilo – 273p – P Gorringe: Top price per head – £130 – O’Neill Smith Ltd

Report on trade: Another large entry of hoggets on offer again with consignments from all across the South East in the pens. Some entries of superb quality on show selling up to 273p per kg and £130 which are some of the highest levels we have seen this season. The podium for the Beltex offerings was occupied by O’Neill Smith Ltd, P Gorringe and Miss Rosie Russell with sheep sold at £130, £119.50 and £119 respectively. Overall the trade was on a par with last week in terms of the averages with the heavier offerings just a few pence up on the week. Several of these sheep were sold in excess of £100 from M A Piper & Son Farms, C & J Georgetti & Sons and H G Allen & Son.

Just a handful of new season lambs on offer this week with two vendors bringing some early offerings, selling to a top price of £104.50 (261p) from J Farrant.

Dagging service is available on all Monday afternoons, please advise us of the number you wish to send.

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 sheep on offer this week and improved trade for the meated sorts in the lead up to the impending Muslim festival. Best meated sorts were selling in around the £100 mark to a top price of £121 from R Banks. Overall average price was  around £70 with a handful of grazing ewes selling between £35-55.

Top prices included crossbred ewes to £121 from R Banks, Suffolk crosses to £99.50 and Mules to £81 from R L Goodman & Son with Romneys to £73 from H Metcalf.

Report on trade: Fewer numbers available and trade as competitive as ever. Best store hoggets selling readily in excess of £80 and only very small sorts below £65.  Averages 433 sold to £87.00 and aver’ £70.75.

Ewes and lambs made up to £126 (£48 per life) for Romney ewes with lambs at foot from K Tapley.

Report on trade: Limited demand led to a fall in values with only the best bred young lambs getting to £10.  Averages 57 sold averaged £4.03

Sock lambs will be sold at 10.30am every week from now through the lambing season.

Report on trade: A disappointing entry in terms of quality with a large percentage lacking finish and purchased for further feeding. The few quality handyweights sold well with a smart Limousin cross heifer topping the market at £1204 (230p per kg) from S Marsh and Limousin cross steers to £1236 (210p) from D W Ferguson Ltd.

Heavier commercial sorts around 185p notably a Blonde cross heifer at £1190 (185p) from G L Boulden & Sons and a British Blue cross steer £1182 (185p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons.

The best native bred cattle up to £1181 (174p) for Beef Shorthorn steer from A & M Lyon.

Report on trade: Good numbers again but quality very mixed this week with little flesh on offer in either the beef or dairy cows. Strong numbers of grazing cows but age against many but certainly no shortage of customers for all grades and ages as cows go straight to growing grass. Trade is good and will stay good right through this spring and early summer period. Keep looking for the likely candidates!

Just a handful of fleshed beef cows were on offer but these met strong demand at 125-145p per kg with farm assurance definitely a help. Grazing cows wanted and assurance not an issue as finishers will achieve the 90 day residency before trade conditions change midsummer onwards.

Trade highlights included Limousin cross 144p, 142p, £1131, £1048 G Bates Ltd, 133p £975 A J Bray and 127p, 120p(2) (Non FA) F W Hare & Sons; Charolais 143p, 142p, 139p, 131p, £1019, £966, £948 (Non FA) J R Gunner; Charolais cross 138p £1019 Llewellyn Farms; Sussex cross 127p £993 Llewellyn Farms; Sussex 124p Torry Hill and 121p £880 (Non FA) B J Jack; Blonde cross 124p £915 (Non FA) K Clayson and Aberdeen Angus cross 121p £1004 (Non FA) M J Osenton.

A very mixed lot of dairy culls but a real trade and the lean half meat cows looking very dear.

Prices included British Friesian 130p £926 PHR Farms and 119p R & J Ledger; Holstein 119p £905 Kingcott Dairy, 119p £892 P J Forknall and 115p W G & T A Manford.

We saw a good trade for some well overage heavyweight dairy steers.

Hereford steer 6yr 136p; Ayrshire steers 5yr 133p, 130p, 129p £1006; Holstein steer 4yr 129p £1076; Holstein steer 7yr 109p £1019 and British Friesian steer 5yr 128p £1122 R W Jones & Son.

Stock bulls a decent trade for the lean types on offer with Sussex 120p £1027 and Simmental 110p £1046.

Please do not hesitate to ring at anytime for marketing advice.          

Report on trade: A real quality show of store cattle comprising mainly single suckled beef bred yearlings from top beef herds in the South East. Large annual consignments notably from Burden Bros (156), A J Bray (55), P N & C Burden (44) and M J Ashworth (37) were well rewarded with a good attendance of specialist feeders competing for all on offer.

A run of smart British Blue x Limousin cross yearling steers sold exceptionally well topping the market at £1260 from M B Farms while native bred cattle topped at £1100 for yearling Aberdeen Angus cross steers from Burden Bros.

Big numbers and particularly consignments of large numbers take time to sort and present properly in level lots. A big thank you goes out to all the hauliers and producers in getting stock to market early and thanks to all the staff who worked tirelessly all day.

Many more cattle will be sold over the coming weeks so please contact us with entries to ensure orderly marketing and cataloguing.

Stop press – on sale next Tuesday 16^th April

• nearly 600 cattle including 11 young breeding bulls
• 400 North Country Mule ewe tegs from T Crick

Summer events / meetings in the area of interest to farmers

Essex Young Farmers County Show at Boyton Hall Farm, Roxwell, nr Chelmsford – Sunday 19^th May – “A great one day Show with something for all the family”. Full details available from Show Secretary on 01245 360442 or email: essexyfc@btconnect.com

Heathfield Show – Saturday 27^th May – For all other show enquiries please ring Show secretary, Nicola Magill, on 01435 864587 or visit www.heathfieldshow.org

** Visit us on our stand – we are pleased again to be sponsoring both Sussex and commercial beef classes in the cattle section **

Surrey County Show – 27^th May – All show enquiries please ring Show secretary, 01483 890810 or visit surreycountyshow.co.uk

South of England Show – 6^th, 7^th and 8^th June – All show enquiries please ring 01444 892700 or visit seas.org.uk

Competition schedules are available for Heathfield and South of England shows here in the market

Fodder Crop for sale and / wanted

For Sale – quantities of silage, haylage, oat straw, wheat straw and barley straw ex an East Sussex farm. Also available loose whole oats and wheat in half tonne bags. Ring 01580 819000, 01580 819700 or 07768 771 933.

For Sale – Up to 50 4’ 2018 silage bales on a Kent farm. Ring 01233 756468

South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines

The April editions of these popular regional farming magazines are now available here in the market. Hobbs Parker are regular contributors to the editorial content.

South East Point to Point Meetings (www.pointingse.com)

Please see website for further details.

Sunday 7^th April – Godstone, Surrey. RH9 8DB.

Saturday 13^th April – Penshurst, Kent. TN8 7DD

Saturday 20^th April – Charing, Kent. TN27 0JS

Monday 22^nd April – Aldington, Kent. TN25 7EJ

Saturday 27^th April – Parham, Storrington, West Sussex. RH20 2ER

Saturday 11^th May – Peper Harrow, Godalming, Surrey. GU8 6LA

Romney Sheepbreeders News

The 123^rd Annual General meeting of the Society will be held on Thursday 2^nd May at 8pm in the orchard room at the Conningbrook hotel, Canterbury, Ashford. For all society information Julie Lukehurst can be contacted on 07538 938425

Notices – John Hooker, Woodchurch

The family have advised that John very sadly passed away recently. A regular market user for all of his long life he will be missed by his family and all who knew him.

His funeral will be held on Wednesday 17^th April at 14.40 at Charing Crematorium. No flowers please, but donations can be made to RABI. There will be a reception after the funeral at the Stock Pot in Ashford Market.

Notices – Terry Brown, Stockbury

The family and friends of Terry have asked us to advise that he sadly passed away recently. Trading as M B Farms two further generations have of the family have built a successful and diverse farming business in the area. Terry was well known and respected in both farming and village communities.

His funeral will take place on Friday 26^th April at Stockbury Church at 2pm.

Miscellaneous livestock and general goods and services for sale and wanted ex farm

For Sale – selection of pedigree Limousin young bulls and cows and calves on an Essex farm. Ring Mark Cleverdon for more information

For Sale – selection of British Blue and Limousin x British Blue young bulls on a Suffolk farm. Ring Mark Cleverdon for more information

Wanted – working sheep dog. Ring 01303 875265

RABI, Young Farmers Clubs, Kent Herdsmans Club and FCN news

Ashford YFC lambing day Sunday 28^th April at Hope Farm, Wittersham, TN30 7NP from 10am until 4pm by kind permission of The Lovejoy family, £2 per adult and £1 per child. Lots to see and do including live lambing, cuddle corner, sheep shearing demo, a BBQ and many others.

Ashford YFC welcomes new members every Wednesday and to all social events. Whether you’re on your own or come with a friend to a meeting anyone is welcome. Find us on Facebook or for more information contact Amy 07733 481473.

Kent Herdsmans Club

Monday 8th April at 7pm (note easrly start) – Visit to Willesborough Windmill, Mill Lane, Ashford. TN24 0QG.

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

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers and Car Auctions

run over 200 auction sales every year

Our next Auction Sales include……

Collective Machinery & Equipment sale

Friday 12^th April at 9.30am.

Catalogues are now available.

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

Headcorn Farm Machinery Sale

Saturday 11^th May at 9.30am

Lots will include tractors, trailers, vehicles, arable equipment, haymaking equipment, tractor attachments & spares, livestock kit, garden machinery, workshop tools, a large and varied selection of rural bygones.

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

Ashford Livestock Market has its own Facebook page where news and reports are now being posted on a regular basis www.facebook.com/AshfordLivestockMarket/

Hobbs Parker Auctioneers email a livestock market short report on the afternoon of every livestock sale day. To receive this email report you need to log on to the auctioneers pages of our website www.hobbsparker.co.uk and click the link to email alerts.

To ensure you continue to receive the email it should be opened on a regular basis.