Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 29th October 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –911 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 353p – J Metianu & S Aspital
Top price per head – £160.00 – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm

Close to 1,000 lambs penned this week and another very good trade throughout the entry with averages returned at 292p kg which was well ahead of all other centres around the country on Monday. I would suggest that well over 90% of the lambs on offer now are well finished and of good weights to satisfy the buyers as opposed to many other centres where leaner sheep are being presented and diluting their averages. Best fleshed sheep generally £3 kg, and above, with that figure depending on the shape. The overall price per head averaged over £130/hd and topped at £160 from W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm. Some very smart shaped Beltex cross lambs from J Metianu & S Aspital topped the price per kilo rankings at 353p kg, and also took second place at 333p kg.

32 – £88.00 (275p kg) – A Denning
36 – £91.00 (253p kg) – G L Harris
37 – £104.00 (281p kg) – Luandy Farming Ltd
38 – £134.00 (353p kg) – J Metianu & S Aspital
39 – £125.00 (321p kg) – R L Pack
40 – £124.00 (310p kg) – R L Pack
41 – £124.50 (304p kg) – P N & C Burden
42 – £129.00 (307p kg) – A K F Dod
43 – £134.00 (312p kg) – R L Pack
44 – £132.00 (300p kg) – R L Pack
45 – £144.50 (321p kg) – P N & C Burden
46 – £150.00 (326p kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
47 – £141.00 (300p kg) – I Strang
48 – £151.50 (316p kg) – P N & C Burden
49 – £156.00 (318p kg – W G Watkins & Sons
50 – £159.00 (318p kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
51 – £154.00 (302p kg) – Kinnear & Co
52 – £150.00 (288p kg) – R & S L M Smith
53 – £160.00 (302p kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
54 – £155.00 (287p kg) – P N & C Burden
55 – £158.00 (287p kg) – J Metianu & S Aspital
56 – £146.00 (261p kg) – Frederick & Son

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 70 – Top 353, Average 282.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 336 – Top 321, Average 290.9
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 412 – Top 326, Average 296.7
Over 52.1 kgs – 78 – Top 302, Average 288.8

Cull Sheep – 436 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £128.00 – R G Hobbs Farms – Ave. £68.29

Good numbers forward with the best fleshed ewes remaining in very short supply. All a good trade in reflection to the overall quality in the pens. The best ewes regularly £100 – £120 and to a top price of £128 from R G Hobbs Farms for strong Suffolk cross ewes. Medium sorts £70 – £90 on most occasions with the leaner grazing types plentiful and £45 – £65 throughout with only the very few smallest below these figures.
We have a good number of buyers forward every week for all grades of ewes so do not hesitate to get in contact for advice or get them to us on a Tuesday.

Top prices included:

Suffolk cross to £128 – R G Hobbs Farms, Texel cross      to £120 – I Strang, Beltex to £110 – J Metianu & S Aspital, Charollais cross to £98 – A K F Dod, Romneys to £91 – R Seymour.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  62 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Similar good numbers coming forward but a different complexion to the entry with less of the very best fed cattle and more cattle straight from the grass. Underlying trade still as strong as ever and leaner types supported by short term finishing trade.
Very best well over 300p kg with W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd selling Limousin steers to 313p, their heifers to 302p kg. Blonde cross steers from G L Boulden & Sons to 299p kg. Simmental cross steers and heifers from R C & J L Pickering sold to 287p, £1786, 284p, £1748 respectively.
The well fleshed dairy bred cattle remain a superb trade with Alan Down’s Limousin x Friesians to 289p, £1760 whilst the best of his Hereford x Friesians to 287p, £1782. Hereford x Friesian steers from R C & J L Pickering to 274p, £1559, heifers to 259p, £1706.
Another terrific run of well fleshed Aberdeen Angus cattle from A C Hulme & Sons much in demand, for flesh and cover, selling to 295p, £2017 and 297p (2), £1823 respectively. Grass fed Angus steers pushing to 250p, £1407, heifers to 245p, £1371 from A MacDonald.
Young bulls (10) A real mixture of bulls with another run of fabulous heavyweight Charolais from Highfields Park selling to 270p and grossing up to £2311; Lean Sussex to 224p, £1263 G A Innes.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 313p (£1750)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 299p (£1731)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 295p (£2017)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 292p (£1938)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 290p (£1925)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 302p (£1628)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 301p (£1548)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 297p (£1823)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus cross – 297p (£1809)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 293p (£1799)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 4 – Top 280p – Ave. 255p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 19 – Top 313p – Ave. 279p
Steers 651 + – 5 – Top 295p – Ave. 289p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 2 – Top 280p – Ave. 249p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 12 – Top 302p – Ave. 254p
Heifers 591 + – 10 – Top 297p – Ave. 282p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 45 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Disappointing not to have more cattle coming forward but a real reflection of just how short cull stock is up and down the country. Trade remaining at superb levels with the best fleshed cows dearer; The half meat types holding firm and competitive; whilst anything with feeding potential taken forward. A few very plain, very light or very full penalised.
The best young beef cows can still push on towards 250p kg with heavy fleshed cows of all breeds well over 200p kg and grossing up to £1857 for Aberdeen Angus from Jan Boomaars.
Few best feeders but they can top 200p, with ease, with the older leaner types 140-170p.
Beef Shorthorn 244p, £1571 Kinnear & Co; Sussex 217p, 197p, 186p, £1559, £1356, £1234 Chandler & Dunn, 170p, £1263 Kinnear & Co; British Blue x Friesian 210p, £1100 R G Nash & Son; Hereford 198p, 187p, £1445, £1106 Jan Boomaars; Hereford x Friesian 180p, £1427 R G Nash & Son; Aberdeen Angus 197p, £1857; Charolais 194p, £1480 Jan Boomaars; Simmental cross 188p, £1331 Miss N Osgood.
A short show of dairy culls and little flesh on offer, generally.
Good meat cows up over 180p but the plain steakers at 140-165p looking very well sold.
British Friesian 186p, 168p, £1345, £1240 B J Goodsell & Son; Holstein Friesian 179p, £1482 W F Farms; 166p, 165p, 159p, 156p (2), £1150, £1104, £1050, £1028 R C & J L Pickering; Jersey 119p, 100p, £681, £507 S E Lane & Partners.

Beef Cows – 24 Sold – Top 244, Average 175.4
Dairy Cows – 19 Sold – Top 186, Average 127.1

Store & Breeding Cattle -464 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

A very mixed show this week with different shapes and sizes to suit a wide variety of customers. A large number of the cattle forward  Sussex bred. Aberdeen Angus cows with Sussex calves from W T Kemp to £1300 and Blue Albion cows and calves to £1110 from Garratt & Mannering. Numbers of single suckled calves are starting to increase with a cracking run of 6 – 8 month old steers from Betchworth Estate saw the Simmentals to £1030 and Aberdeen Angus steers to £880. C Langridge 8 month Limousin heifers to £700 and a cracking pen of 7 month old steers from F S Husk to £1000, and heifers from the same home to £860. Birt Bros had a quality run of both Limousin and Blues which saw the older 21 month old steers to £1460 and 18 month old steers to £1375, with the heifers to £1235. M Wickens sold  strong Simmental steers 21 months to £1430 with Charolais heifers from the same home to £1185. We then moved onto some large runs of Sussex cattle and first up was J C & C Lewis with cracking 14 month old steers to £1120, followed by Thorsons Farms 18 month stronger steers this time to £1340. TGV Chapman had  18 month old Sussex steers to £1030 followed by West Court Farms with their steers 17 months to £1040 and heifers from the same home to £880. Angus x Friesian steers 24 months from B Sutton to £1390, Blue x Friesian steers from the same home to £1290 and the heifers to £1190.
There will be another sale of store and breeding cattle on Tuesday 5^th November with 400 plus expected for this day.

Principal Prices include:

Continental Bred Cattle

Limousin cross steers 21 mths – £1460 – Birt Bros
Simmental cross steers 21 mths – £1430 – M Wickens
British Blue cross steers 18 mths – £1350 – N Tong
British Blue x Friesian steers 24 mths – £1290 – B Sutton
British Blue cross heifers 18 mths – £1235 – Birt Bros
Simmental cross steers 7 mths – £1030 – Betchworth Estates
Limousin steers 7 mths – £1000 – F S Husk
British Blue x Friesian steers 16 mths – £880 – Birt Bros
British Blue x Friesian steers1 3 mths – £785 – R Fidler

Native Bred Cattle

Aberdeen Angus cross steers 19 mths – £1390 – Oxenford Farm
Aberdeen Angus heifers 25 mths – £1440 – B Sutton
Sussex cross steers 18 mths – £1375 – Birt Bros
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers 24 mths – £1305 – B Sutton
Sussex steers 18 mths – £1340 – Thorsons Farm
Sussex steers 17 mths – £1040 – West Court Farm
Sussex heifers 17 mths – £880 – West Court Farm
Aberdeen Angus steers 7 mths – £880 – Betchworth Estates
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers 16 mths – £730 – Stilwell Farms

Pigs -17 Sold

Auctioneer:James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474
A small entry of pigs as seen in previous weeks with the top spot taken by Brooker & Son once again to £182 per head followed closely by P J & P B Wade with their finished pigs to £180 per head. We had a selection of cull sows this week which remain hard to shift and majority of these around the 30p pk mark with a heavy gilt from S Scott & Son to 80p pk grossing at £136.

Please do inform me of any pigs you intend on selling with the next pig sale being on Tuesday 12^th November.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 5th November 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here