Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 10th September 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 772

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 362p – G H Dean & Co
Top price per head – £171.00 – T R Holt

A small entry of finished lambs this week, with the bigger numbers now switching to a Friday sheep sale. With this in mind it improves the overall quality of the lambs we are offering on a Tuesday and averages were greatly boosted back over £3 kg once a again and up to a great price of 362p kg from G H Dean & Co for a large pen of Beltex crosses. The heavier lambs on offer across the country have rapidly declined in number and the high prices are easily maintained. With numbers of finished lambs declining, perhaps, it’s worth feeding a few to keep the supply coming while prices are high.?

34 – £114.00 (335p kg) – G H Dean & Co
35 – £113.00 (323p kg) – G H Dean & Co
36 – £122.00 (339p kg) – G H Dean & Co
37 – £134.00 (362p kg) – G H Dean & Co
38 – £121.00 (318p kg) – G H Dean & Co
39 – £138.00 (354p kg) – G H Dean & Co
40 – £137.00 (343p kg) – G H Dean & Co
41 – £136.00 (332p kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
42 – £126.00 (300p kg) – R G Stevens
43 – £134.00 (312p kg) – R G Stevens
44 – £136.00 (309p kg) – P N & C Burden
45 – £137.00 (304p kg) – P F Gilbert Ltd
46 – £130.00 (283p kg) – T R Holt
47 – £162.00 (345p kg) – P N & C Burden
48 – £163.50 (341p kg) – P N & C Burden
49 – £140.00 (286p kg) – S T Phillips
50 – £171.00 (342p kg) – T R Holt
51 – £166.00 (325p kg) – P N & C Burden
52 – £150.00 (288p kg) – S T Phillips

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 255 – Top 362, Average 321.1
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 307 – Top 354, Average 289.9
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 157 – Top 345, Average 304.5
Over 52.1 kgs – 27 – Top 288, Average 284.6

Cull Sheep – 755 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £161.00 – S P Howland – Ave £75.10

Large numbers of grazing ewes with a consistent trade from start to finish. The best fleshed ewes are short and remain a good trade being regularly £110 – £130 and to a top price of £161 for smashing Texel ewes from S P Howland. Medium sorts £70 – £90 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £50 – £70 and only very few sold below these figures. Please do inform me of any large consignments of ewes that you intend on selling in the coming weeks while the trade remains firm for all grades.

Top prices included:

Texels to £161 – S P Howland, Texel cross to £156 – J Carden, Suffolk cross to £139 – T Hope, Mules to £129 – Miss H Heathcote, Romneys to £109 – M J Morris.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  73 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A busy day in the finished section with another terrific entry of well fleshed beef and dairy bred cattle to put before an increased number of buyers swelled by customers coming down to the store sale, and keen for slaughter animals, as well, knowing just how tight supplies are everywhere.
Best beef bred cattle from several vendors 280-310p with top spot to Burden Bros for steers and heifers at 310p, £2027 and 299p, £1895 respectively. Another wonderful run from A J Thompson & Sons saw Limousin steers to 296p (2), £2024, with their heifers to 294p, £1749.
Dairy bred cattle were dearer. Alan Down’s Hereford x Friesian steers to 282p, £1773, Limousin x Friesian steers to 284p, £1772 and a smart Limousin x Friesian heifer to 286p. A British Blue x Friesian from George Sim at 282p, £1661.
Amongst the natives Angus cross steers from A J Thompson & Sons sold to 296p, £1921; 292p, £1938 Burden Bros whilst Angus cross heifers from A C Hulme & Sons led the line to 275p, £1592. Beef Shorthorn heifers from D R Thompson sold well to 276p, £1515, whilst Sussex sold, as well as always, with heifers to 273p, £1621 from M Moncrieffe.
Young bulls (9) just the one Continental bull, but a very good one, with 294p, £1761 from G L Boulden & Sons. The remainder Sussex at 245-255p topping at 258p, £1687 from Chandler & Dunn Ltd.

Top Steers

Burden Bros Farm – Limousin cross – 310p (£2027)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 296p (£2024)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 296p (£1921)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 294p (£1600)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 293p (£1931)

Top Heifers

Burden Bros Farm – Limousin – 299p (£1895)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 294p (£1629)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 292p (£1778)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 292p (£1749)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 292p (£1589)

Top Bulls

G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 294p (£1761)
Chandler & Dunn Ltd – Sussex – 258p (£1687)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 4 – Top 294p – Ave. 269p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 23 – Top 296p – Ave. 277p
Steers 651 + – 8 – Top 310p – Ave. 291p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 4 – Top 270p – Ave. 254p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 22 – Top 294p – Ave. 274p
Heifers 591 + – 5 – Top 299p – Ave. 279p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 54 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A few more cows and culls forward on a busy day and the trade certainly sharper amongst the better feeders and the slaughter cows with some flesh.
We will see more cows in the coming quarter but with herds, beef and dairy, having remained tidy over recent years there is no likelihood of any rush of numbers. Beef prices are firm and will remain so. Don’t let your cull cows lose their condition as night temperatures fall away and sell now or start feeding.
Nothing very flashy or fleshy about the entry but a young Sussex, calved but still UTM, sold to 265p, £1799 from B Luck Ltd whilst a good fed Limousin cross meat cow 219p. Older beef cows taken on their merits at 130-160p.
Sussex 265p, £1799 (Non FA) B Luck Ltd, 194p, £1171 (Non FA) H W Richards, 192p, 190p, £1264 Sussex Herd Company, 188p, £1341 (Non FA) A Hoad & Son; Limousin cross 219p, £1595 R F & E A Simmons; Aberdeen Angus cross 188p, £1359 (Non FA) A J Strand & Sons, 185p, £1190 (Non FA) P Ashlee; Lincoln Red cross 180p, £1104 A J Thompson & Sons; British Blue cross 176p, £1439 (Non FA) A Smith & Son.
A few more dairy culls in the entry and all keenly sought. A powerful Holstein Friesian OTM maiden heifer from Appleton Farms to 246p, £1743.
Holstein Friesian cows 195p, 164p (2), £1619, £1157 Appleton Farms; 186p, 177p, 173p, £1288, £1215, £1208 H O Champneys Ltd; 180p, 172p, £1201 J W Boyd & Sons.
Overage (5) A real mixture with a tidy OTM Aberdeen Angus cross heifer from Mrs S Ginger at 240p, £1293.
Stock bulls (1) An old Charolais bull sold well at 148p, £1689.

Beef Cows – 31 Sold – Top 265, Average 169.2
Dairy Cows – 16 Sold – Top 246, Average 162.6

Store & Breeding Cattle -370 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

What an entry of cattle for this early stage of the year with large numbers having no affect whatsoever on the trade and drawing a big crowd of buyers. A few breeding cattle were on offer to start the day with a 6 year old Limousin bull from R Martin to £1810 and Angus Heifers in calf to an Angus bull to £1230 from Boty Farm. Majority of the cattle were older, 16 month plus, sorts with plenty of frame which is what buyers want with the beef trade holding firm and sheds need refilling. There is no doubt that all ages are in demand with a run of mainly Limousin cross cattle 8 – 11 months from D J & J W Gore to £1180 for the steers and the heifers to £1085. Boty Farms Angus steers,6 – 8 months, to £870 with Sussex bulls 10 months from J D Hickman to £840. R A Wade had some cracking Limousin cattle 19 months with the best of these to £1680 for the steers and £1550 for the heifers. A super run from J S & M I Tilley with Angus cross steers 19 months to £1650 and the heifers 19 months also to £1470. Last but never least top call of the day which goes to C W Jones for a pair of absolute stonking Angus cross steers which made £1800 per head. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any store cattle that you are intending on selling in the coming weeks with ambitions to have another larger entry for 24^th September.

Principal Prices include:

Continental

Limousin cross steers 19 mths – £1720 – Miss E Wood
Limousin cross steers 19 mths – £1680 – R A Wade
Limousin cross heifers 19 mths – £1550 – R A Wade
Charolais cross 16 mths – £1400 – P Tassell
Charolais cross heifers 16mths – £1090 – P Tassell
British Blue cross steers 17 mths – £1200 – J Latham
Limousin cross steers 10 mths – £1180 – D G & J W Gore
Limousin cross heifers 10 mths – £1085 – D G & J W Gore

Native

Aberdeen Angus cross steers 29 mths – £1800 – C W Jones
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 19 mths – £1650, £1470 – J S & M I Tilley
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 19 mths – £1470 – J S & M I Tilley
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 16 mths – £1300 – W K Gutsell
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers15 mths – £1290 – G Lawrence & Son
Sussex cross steers 17 mths – £1275 – B Luck Ltd
Sussex cross heifers 17 mths – £1195 – B Luck Ltd
Hereford x Friesian heifers 25 mths – £1150 – I D Machin
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers 19 mths – £1140 – I D Machin
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 7 mths – £915 – Boty Farms

Please do not hesitate to contact Peter Kingwill or James Cook at any time.

Calves – 63 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Credit must go to producers for bringing forward an excellent show of calves, mostly Blues & Blacks with a few Black & White types which are so scarce nowadays. Buyers were ought in numbers and rewarded vendors with an excellent trade throughout.
Best British Blue bull calves £300+ with a top of £330 from Appleton Farms Ltd and good shapely well presented calves finding a trade from £270-320 from Appleton Farms Ltd, W G & T A Manford, D Murdoch & Sons Ltd and J W Boyd & Sons. British Blue cross heifers topping at £315 for a superb calf from Richard Manford, many others topside of £200.  Aberdeen Angus cross bulls wanted, with £290 from Kingcott Dairy whose heifers led the field at £220-£235.
Hereford cross bulls from Goddard & Son to £218, £208. Sussex cross heifers to £210 W G & T A Manford.
Some good potential in the Black & Whites’ with Norwegian Red cross selling to £170, £160 D Murdoch & Sons Ltd; Holsteins to £155, £145, £144 A & W J Hitchcock; £150 from J C & S K Williams.
Two smart 9 week old beef bred calves A J Thompson & Sons sold to £365, £295. Hereford 5 mths steer at £340 Mrs T Higgins.
A good day in the calf section. Well done to all.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 14 – Ave £279.21– Top £330.00 – Appleton Farms Ltd
Aberdeen Angus – 5 – Ave £219.40 – Top £290.00 – Kingcott Dairy
Hereford cross – 3 – Ave £205.33 – Top £218.00 – Goddard & Son
Norwegian Red – 4 – Ave £140.50 – Top £170.00 – D Murdoch & Sons Ltd.
Holstein Friesian – 6 – Ave £121.33 – Top £155.00 – A & W J Hitchcock
British Friesian cross – 1 – Ave £110.00 – Top £110.00 – P J Forknall

Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 12 – Ave £180.17 – Top £315.00 – W G & T A Manford
Aberdeen Angus cross – 11 – Ave £190.36– Top £235.00 – Kingcott Dairy
Sussex – 2 – Ave £165.00 – Top £210.00 – W G & T A Manford

Steer calf
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £365.00 – Top £365.00 – A J Thompson & Sons
Simmental cross – 1 Ave £295.00 – Top £295.00 – A J Thompson & Sons

Bull Weanling
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £340.00 – Top – £340 – Mrs T Higgins

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 17th September 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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