Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 11th February 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets –2,084 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 376p kg – S B & A E Martin
Top price per head – £186.00 – D Isaac & H Chandler

A good entry of over 2000 hoggs with the endless wet weather, perhaps, encouraging a few more vendors to start to sell some sheep. Trade was just a fraction stronger, possibly based on the quality of the sheep on offer, as this week we had some marvellous hoggets penned and over 1400 penned overnight which were dry and empty. Heavier sheep are just a fraction easier in the trade as there are now more coming to the marketplace nationally. The 39-43kg offerings were a little dearer than we have seen them in the last fortnight, which boosts the SQQ average. We have seen a more stable trade in recent weeks than last year and the gut feeling does suggest that we are now in the price bracket that is going to stay and not fluctuate too severely. Top spots on the day were Dylan Isaac and Holly Chandler with a tremendous run of hoggets which topped at £186, whilst S B & A E Martin topped the price per kilo stakes at 378p and showed a run of over 400 hoggets that returned at 350p all included.

34 – £120.00 (353p kg) – S B & A E Martin
35 – £112.00 (320p kg) – P J & P B Wade
36 – £126.00 (350p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
37 – £139.00 (376p kg) – S B & A E Martin
38 – £138.50 (364p kg) – S B & A E Martin
39 – £146.00 (374p kg) – P Gorringe
40 – £149.50 (374p kg) – S B & A E Martin
41 – £146.50 (357p kg) – S B & A E Martin
42 – £151.00 (360p kg) – S B & A E Martin
43 – £158.00 (367p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
44 – £153.00 (348p kg) – S B & A E Martin
45 – £156.00 (347p kg) – P Gorringe
46 – £161.00 (350p kg) – H Rivers
47 – £170.50 (363p kg) – D Isaac
48 – £166.00 (346p kg) – P Gorringe
49 – £157.00 (320p kg) – P Gorringe
50 – £167.00 (334p kg) – D Isaac
51 – £158.00 (310p kg) – P Gorringe
52 – £165.50 (318p kg) – S King
53 – £170.00 (321p kg) – G P King
54 – £184.00 (341p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
55 – £177.00 (322p kg) – D Isaac
56 – £174.00 (311p kg) – D Isaac
57 – £159.00 (279p kg) – P Gorringe
58 – £145.00 (250p kg) – S J F Agriculture
59 – £186.00 (315p kg) – D Isaac                     

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 161 – Top 376, Average 340.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 829 – Top 374, Average 331
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 901 – Top 363, Average 309.2
Other 52.1+ kgs – 191 – Top 341, Average 292.3

Store Hoggets – 659 sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Several stores on offer again this week and, in the same way that we have seen a steady and consistent trade in the finished pens, the stores have followed and remained consistent each week with the best forward stores making £130-140, with prices averaging around £105.This varies with the quality on offer each week. With the prices of the heavier sheep not lifting as much as some may have hoped for, the appetite for the strong store hoggets has eased slightly, but the top prices are similar in cases where the sheep on offer are exceptionally strong and short term finishers. Mid-range hoggs sold from £100-115 and only long-term lambs below £100.

Cull Sheep – 751 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewes: £190.00 – M Furey – Ave. £111.48

Trade on fire with more numbers in pens, as to be expected with the trade remaining strong for all grades of ewes. The best ewes regularly £140 – £170 to a top price of £190 from M Furey for strong Suffolk ewes followed by E J Stanford & Sons, Canterbury and A J W Smith & Son, Birchington with Texel crosses to £180. Medium sorts plentiful this week and £95 – £125 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £60 – £80 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.

Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have ewes to sell with the trade the way it is more ewes are wanted to satisfy buyers demands.

Top prices included:

Suffolks to £190 – M Furey, Texel cross to £180 – E J Stanford & Sons and A J W Smith & Son, Suffolk cross to £178 – G Dallaway, Beltex cross to £170 – P Gorringe, Mules to £140 – P Gorringe, Romneys to £154 – Bosney Farm

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  41 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another marvellous trade, more impressive when realising that more than half of the entry were dairy bred cattle.
Producers are not shy in giving the grub in these times and well fleshed stock of all weights and grades are finding a superb trade.
Best end of the beef bred types pushing close to 400p with Paul Boulden taking steer honours selling Limousin steers to 385p £2653 with heifers from W Alexander (Shoreham) selling Limousins to a NEW HEIFER RECORD TOP PRICE of 390p £1840. Best cattle 350-390p.
A few more leaner types this week amongst the dairy bred cattle but pushed on firmly by the feeders. Well fleshed types saw Hereford x steers to 242p £2066, Limousin x steers to 242p £2032, and Friesian steers to 328p £1785 all from Alan Down. Hereford x heifers from North Kent College to 327p £1667, others to 326p £1741 from close neighbours, the Pickering Family.
Natives saw Angus steers from Leggat Farming Ltd to 358p £2181 (3 av £2130); Sussex heifers to 338p £1839 W S Furnival Ltd; Angus heifers 337p, 329p £2037, £1935 B G & M A Tomsett; Hereford x Devon heifers 330p £1713 Farrant Bros.

Top Steers

G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 385p (£2653)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 384p (£2646)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 380p (£2163)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Aberdeen Angus – 358p (£2181)
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 350p (£2027)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 390p (£1792)
G L Boulden & Sons – Limousin cross – 376p (£2178)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 372p (£1839)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 366p (£1608)
W S Furnival Ltd – Sussex – 338p (£1839)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 5 – Top 339p – Ave. 327p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 13 – Top 380p – Ave. 334p
Steers 651 kg + – 2 – Top 385p – Ave. 384p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 7 – Top 390p – Ave. 342p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 13 – Top 376p – Ave. 326p
Heifers 591 kg + – 1 – Top 329p – Ave. 329p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 89 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Sensational returns throughout with 12 over £2000; Charolais cows from Seymour Stevens to £2273 (278p) and Sussex bred cows from High Chimney Farms to £2133 (274p). An overall average of 225p, with a high of 300p for a Hereford x youngster and a bottom of 134p for a faithful 22 year old still returning a commendable £666!
Very few good beef youngsters this week but the sky is the limit, and competition brings maximum returns with feeders and processors competing for all grades to secure numbers. Good to see more tested cows coming forward from East Sussex and Hampshire taking advantage of the 16 successful buyers around the ring, and 4 others who did not succeed this week.
Hereford x 300p, 266p, 265p, 250p £2061, £2018, £1927, £1918, £1909 E W & R E Hanks; South Devon 290p £2128 Gardners; Limousin 284p £1871 W F Kirk, 278p £2095 L E Humphreys & Sons, 263p £1746 A J Thompson & Sons, 258p £1236 D Hurst, 239p £1813 L Palmer & Son; Charolais 278p, 274p, 268p, 263p £2273, £2265, £2026, £2000 Seymour Stevens Ltd; Sussex 274p £2133 High Chimney Farm, 270p £1698 West Court Farm, 238p £1579 Farrant Bros, 238p 237p, 220p £1495, £1482, £1447 Bosney Farm; British Blue x 254p (2) £1217, £1128 W Pynn, 244p £1936 R Douglas; Simmental x 250p £1734 R C & J L Pickering; Angus x 254p £1711 A R Dunlop; Saler 228p £1797 Seymour Stevens; Irish Moiled 222p £1362 Millers Ark.
Very short of dairy culls this week but outstanding, once again!
Holstein UTM 295p £1679 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd; British Friesian 237p £1753 Parrett & Son; Dairy Shorthorn 221p £1555 Parrett & Son; Holstein Friesian 218p, 204p, 194p £1533, £1465, £1316 R C & J L Pickering; 202p £1259 J W Boyd & Sons Ltd; Jersey 176p, £175p £951, £921 Hickson Bros.
Stock Bulls (3) Good bulls – Good price! Angus 220p, 202p £2030, £1934; Hereford 206p £2137.
Overage (7) Wanted! Sussex OTM steers 327p (2), 321p £2449, £2139, £1955; Sussex 3yo+ heifer 272p £1887; Horned Longhorn OTM steers 256p, 240p £1281, £1252.

Beef Cows – 67 Sold – Top 300, Average 228.7
Dairy Cows – 12 Sold – Top 295, Average 203.0

 

Store & Breeding Cattle – 191 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

What a trade for absolutely everything with buyers for all grades of cattle keen to get in on the action. The breeding section was the first of many eye openers with a herd reduction from Pynn Contractors which saw their 30 2021 born Blue x Friesian cows in calf to a Limousin bull to £2400 with majority of the others £2000 – £2200 per head. On with the stores and G D K George`s hard Hereford x 10 mnth to £900 followed by P J Goldsmith with stronger Hereford x 9 mnths to £1040. Limousin x steers 10 mnths from R Coleman & Sons to £1065 and heifers from the same home £1090 followed by cracking Charolais x steers 10 mnths from J C Loveridge Agri topping at £1530. A run from M J Ashworth of well done Limousin steers 11 mnths to £1510 with Angus cross steers from the same home to £1430. P Tassell had Charolais x steers 12 mnths to £1325 and the heifers to £1120, also Hereford x 8 mnths to £1050. We then moved onto older stores with Farrant Bros Hereford x steers 20 mnths to £1670 and heifers to £1420. Angus x 23 mnths from A R Dunlop to £1850 for the heifers and steers to £1760, with Dan Mackelden Ltd Angus x steers 21 mnths to £1730. W F Kirk had Limousin steers 16 mnths to £1880 followed by Limousin steers 19 mnths to £1700 from P M Langridge, and Charolais steers 23 mnths from Seymour Stevens Ltd to £1810.
There is no doubt that this is a marvellous trade and that if you have cattle to sell then do not hesitate to get in contact with buyers forward and keen for all grades of stores.

Principal prices include:

Native Breeds: 

Aberdeen Angus cross steers 23mths – £1760 – A R Dunlop
Aberdeen Angus steers 22mths – £1730 – Dan Mackelden Ltd
Hereford cross steers 21mths – £1670 – Farrant Bros
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 23mths – £1850 – A R Dunlop
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 23mths – £1580 – D Ward
Hereford cross steers 9mths – £1040 – P J Goldsmith
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 11mths – £1430 – M J Ashworth
Sussex cross steers 10mths – £770 – R Woods 

Continental Breeds:

Blue x Friesian steers 23mths – £2060 – J Claringbould
Limousin cross steers 16mths – £1880 – W F Kirk
Charolais cross steers 23mths – £1810 – Seymour Stevens Ltd
Limousin cross heifers 21mths – £1360 – P M Langridge
Charolais cross heifers 23mths – £1870 – J C Loveridge Agri
Charolais cross steers 10mths – £1530 – J C Loveridge Agri
Limousin steers 11mths – £1510 – M J Ashworth
Charolais cross steers 10mths – £1325 – P Tassell
Limousin cross heifers 11mths – £1090 – R Coleman & Sons

Store and Finished Pigs – 32 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

A mixed selection of pigs forward with something for everyone with top call on the day going to Brooker & Son at 180ppk £178 per head. C Higgins had finished pigs to £152 followed by C B Hope with 100kg gilts to £140. Duroc stores from A P & P C Rose to £58 per head and coloured stores from A J Sanders to £22 per head. Only very few cull sows which are remaining hard to shift.
Please do inform me of any pigs that you intend to sell on Tuesday 25^th February.

 

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 18th February 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here