Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 3rd December 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –978 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 542p – Miss Amy Hedges
Top price per head – £320.00 – Miss Amy Hedges

The full report of Ashford Primestock show 2024 will be issued in next week`s report.
A busy week in Ashford this week with the show taking place, but still just about 1,000 lambs on offer, with some superb lambs on display for sale. The commercial section lacked quality a little this week in comparison to recent weeks, but the show pens certainly made up for it with the overall show champion being presented by Miss Amy Hedges of Cinderbank Farm, Staplecross. A very popular win outside of the ring with a few tears shed inside the ring when the sash was handed over! This pair of Texel lambs were 59 kgs and were sold for £320 head. The reserve champion lambs were put forward by T Lyle & Partners and sold for £220 at 60 kg in weight.
The lamb trade, overall, was similar to recent weeks with averages around the £3 kg mark once again but with the best meated sorts well over that and often over 330p kg. Meat is in demand around the country and is in short supply for the Christmas period which is keeping prices well above the normal levels that we have been used to at this time of year. Lambs that have been concentrate fed over the past month have been well rewarded which is satisfying following the turbulent time we have had regarding store sales this autumn. Top price in the section was £170 head from Barleybrook Farm with several other selling in excess of £150.
We will be holding normal markets for two more weeks before Christmas, being the 10^th & 17^th of December. We will also be holding a sheep only sale on Friday December 27^th, commencing at the normal times. It is very helpful if you can let us know what sheep you wish to send on these days so we can keep our buyers informed of anticipated numbers.

No Markets 24^th and 31^st December 2024.    Normal Market 6^th January 2025.

31 – £89.00 (287p kg) – Canterbury Oast Trust Ltd
32 – £90.00 (281p kg) – Louisa Taylor
33 – £107.00 (324p kg) – Canterbury Oast Trust Ltd
34 – £116.00 (341p kg) – N Blake
35 – £94.00 (269p kg) – D J Miles
36 – £119.00 (331p kg) – N Blake
37 – £120.00 (324p kg) – N Blake
38 – £138.00 (363p kg) – S W Winchester
39 – £127.00 (326p kg) – James Bull
40 – £132.00 (330p kg) – James Bull
41 – £139.00 (339p kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
42 – £141.00 (336p kg) – James Bull
43 – £174.00 (405p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
44 – £165.00 (375p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
45 – £174.00 (387p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
46 – £166.00 (361p kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
47 – £178.00 (379p kg) – G P King
48 – £180.00 (375p kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
49 – £167.00 (341p kg) – G P King
50 – £167.00 (334p kg) – G P King
51 – £163.00 (320p kg) – K T D Axell
52 – £195.00 (375p kg) – Lexie Taylor
53 – £171.00 (323p kg) – S W Winchester
54 – £205.00 (380p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
55 – £170.00 (309p kg) – Barleybrook Farm
57 – £180.00 (316p kg) – Joey Burden
58 – £152.00 (262p kg) – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
59 – £320.00 (542p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
60 – £220.00 (367p kg) – T Lyle & Partners
62 – £158.00 (255p kg) – C Watkins

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 125 – Top 363, Average 285.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 441 – Top 405, Average 299.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 336 – Top 379, Average 308.3
Others over 52.1 kgs – 72 – Top 542, Average 317.3

Cull Sheep – 325 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £187.00 – T Lyle & Partners – Ave. £103.17

A stronger trade, yet again, with a larger percentage of better fleshed ewes in the pens than we have seen in recent weeks. The best ewes regularly £120 – £150 and to a top price of £187 from T Lyle & Partners for cracking Charollais ewes. Medium sorts a better trade and £85 – £110 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £50 – £75 throughout and starting to get shorter. We have regular buyers every week with strong demands for all grades so do not hesitate to get your ewes booked in with us.

Top prices included:

Charollais to £187 – T Lyle & Partners, Texel cross to £178 – C Watkins, Suffolk cross to £148 – W G Watkins & Sons, Beltex to £142 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Mules to £132 – T Lyle & Partners, Romneys to £128 – Terry Thacker-Tahir.

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  58 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A very good Ashford Stock Show, and congratulations to all competitors who worked tirelessly to produce a quality entry of both led and penned show cattle which were offered together with good commercial entries from our regular supporters. All met a very strong trade throughout.
A big Thank You to our judge John Lyon from Lincoln who expertly worked his way through the range of entries before finding his very worthy Supreme Champion in a homebred Black Limousin x heifer from Jason and Sarah Wareham ultimately selling at 580p kg, £3477 to Ben Whiting of East Anglian Trailers Ltd to become a brood cow for future champions. Reserve Champion, another superb Black Limousin heifer, came from local quality producer, Sean Marsh with this 705kg beast taking a similar breeding route at 480p, £3380 to Ben Whiting. The Champion steer, a 680 kg Red Limousin steer from Tottingworth Farms sold at 400p kg, £2717 to weekly Primestock buyers Romford Meats. The Young Farmers Champion came from the Snowfields Academy, so ably led by Nick Cooper, with this 630 kg Limousin heifer purchased by Sean Hutchings for their retail butcher`s shop at Partridge Green, West Sussex.
Demand for the penned cattle saw many 300-342p kg with the Champion penned beast a Limousin x Blue steer produced by W S Furnival Ltd selling at 327p kg £2139 to Romford Meats.
Demand strong for the commercial entries with beef bred Limousin steers and heifers from W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd selling to 320p, and 317p, respectively. Alan Down`s Hereford x Friesian steers sold to 297p, £1749 whilst the natives were led by a Sussex heifer from J H & A, H Godden at 301p, £1518 with an Angus heifer just behind from WS Furnival at 300p, £1602.
A special mention to the Hereford x heifer fed by Sean Marsh with the proceeds passed to the Show Presidents charity, the RABI, that was purchased at £1200 by good supporter William Newman, of P C Turner of Farnborough.

Top Steers

Tottingworth Farms Ltd – Limousin cross – 400p (£2717)
S Marsh – Limousin cross – 380p (£2144)
Emily Wood – Limousin cross – 330p (£2059)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 327p (£2139)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 320p (£2109)

Top Heifers

J & S Wareham – Limousin cross – 580p (£3477)
S Marsh – Limousin cross – 480p (£3380)
S Marsh – Limousin – 390p   (£2045)
Snowfields Academy – Limousin cross – 380p  (£2391)
Snowfields Academy – Limousin cross – 342p  (£1673)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 4 – Top 296p – Ave. 281p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 23 – Top 380p – Ave. 294p
Steers 651 kg + – 4 – Top 400p – Ave. 336p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 5 – Top 342p – Ave. 280p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 14 – Top 390p – Ave. 311p
Heifers 591 kg + – 7 – Top 580p – Ave. 375p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 177 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A very small entry on Stock Show day which is always a shame when a product is in such demand. Rates fully maintained for a mixture of, generally, leaner, and older beef and dairy culls.
More cows required in the run up to Christmas as processors require the cheaper beef in the New Year period, and supplies will remain very short.
Limousin x 183p, £1031 (Non FA) R Coleman & Sons; Sussex 182p, £1071 D G & J W Gore, 169p, £1070 Torry Hill Farms; Angus x 161p, £1038 (Non FA) Huntingford Cottage.
Dairy culls a strong trade for all grades.
British Friesian 181p, £1354 R & J Ledger; Holstein Friesian 166p, £1183 W G & T A Manford; Guernsey 160p, £1013 W G & T A Manford; Imported Danish Red 131p, £972 Kingcott Dairy.
Stock Bulls (2) Good Trade. Sussex 158p, £1300. Limousin 130p, £991.

Normal Markets on 10^th and 17^th December.
No markets on 24^th and 31^st.

Beef Cows – 6 Sold – Top 183, Average 170.5
Dairy Cows – 9 Sold – Top 181, Average 145.8

Calves – 60 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357                    

A good entry of mostly younger, rearing calves met a good audience of farmer customers looking to buy numbers for the future!
Trade competitive throughout with Angus x calves dominating the entry with too few of the best strong Continentals forward.
Smart strong British Blue x bulls to £300, heifers £270, £245, £235 W G & T A Manford; younger bulls £235, heifers £170 J W Boyd & Son. Nice marked young Simmental x bulls £220, heifers £225 R & J Ledger. A big show of Angus were popular with medium bulls £150-£200 topping at £205 from J Warnock & Sons; heifers from Parrett & Sons to £185. Young Hereford x bulls to £172 Goddard & Son. Young Black & White bulls generally £40-£50.
Good interest in a few 4 mths weanlings from Oncoland with Angus steers to £335, Holstein Friesians to £190.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 6 – Ave £197.33 – Top £300.00 – W G & T A Manford
Simmental cross – 2 – Ave £207.50 – Top £220.00 – R & J Ledger
Aberdeen Angus cross – 15 – Ave £162.73 – Top £205.00 – J Warnock & Sons
Hereford cross – 2 – Ave £160.00 – Top £172.00 – Goddard & Son
British Friesian – 3 – Ave £71.67 – Top £115.00 – Parrett & Son

Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 5 – Ave £217.60 – Top £270.00 – W G & T A Manford
Simmental cross – 2 – Ave £198.50 – Top £225.00 – R & J Ledger
Aberdeen Angus cross – 16 – Ave £126.06 – Top £185.00 – Parrett & Son

Bull Weanling

Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £335.00 – Top – £335.00 – Oncoland Ltd
Holstein Friesian – 4 – Ave £190.00 – Top £190.00 – Oncoland Ltd

Calf Sales 17^th December 2024, and then 6^th January 2025

Pigs – 18 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474
A great selection of pigs in the pens for the Primestock Show of 2024 which was kindly judged by Mr Andrew Laver. Snowfields Academy took the Champion spot for a pair of cracking 86 kg Pietrain cross gilts bought by the Judge for £242 per head. Reserve Champions went to The North School this time with a single gilt 98 kg which made £220.50. Brooker & Son had a pair of Landrace gilts to £177 per head and Mary Godden with a pair of Pietrain cross gilts to £212 per head. Overall a great trade with a pig sale again next week on Last pig Sale of 2024 Tuesday 10^th December. Next Sale 13^th January 2025.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 10th December 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here