Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 21st January 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets –2,322 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 364p kg – N A Vincent
Top price per head – £169.00 – Barleybrook Farm & S King

A big sale today with over 4,000 sheep penned across all the sections of the sheep pens. With nearly 2,400 finished hoggets, it was one of the bigger entries we have seen for some months. Trade eased, just a bit, from last week’s high, but this is no cause for any concern or warning light to flood hoggets out onto the market immediately. An average price of 319p kg for the third week in January is unheard of and we must not lose sight of this level we are sitting at currently, quite comfortably, it must be said. Number surges will make the trade fluctuate weekly but with best heavies still £150-170 and handy weight hoggs 340-370p kg, it is still a tremendous trade and 40-50p ahead of the same time last year. Top prices today were taken by Mr Steve King with smart continental heavy hoggets to £169 and several others over £160. Empty and clean sheep sell for best prices.

33 – £120.00 (364p kg) – N A Vincent
34 – £120.00 (353p kg) – Mrs R Vant & J Claringbould
35 – £118.00 (337p kg) – Bagshaw Farming
36 – £129.00 (358p kg) – I Lucas
37 – £132.50 (358p kg) – Mrs R Vant & J Claringbould
38 – £123.00 (324p kg) – I Lucas
39 – £138.50 (355p kg) – I Lucas
40 – £139.00 (348p kg) – K T D Axell
41 – £144.00 (351p kg) – T Lyle & Partners
42 – £138.00 (329p kg) – R Haydon & Partners
43 – £143.00 (333p kg) – Mrs R Vant & J Claringbould
44 – £145.00 (330p kg) – Plumpton College
45 – £152.50 (339p kg) – Ross Douglas
46 – £155.00 (337p kg) – S King
47 – £154.00 (328p kg) – Ross Douglas
48 – £149.00 (310p kg) – D Barnwell
49 – £169.00 (345p kg) – S King
50 – £168.00 (336p kg) – N A Vincent
51 – £163.00 (320p kg) – S King
52 – £168.50 (324p kg) – S King
53 – £166.00 (313p kg) – Barleybrook Farm
54 – £167.00 (309p kg) – C Watkins
55 – £169.00 (307p kg) – Barleybrook Farm
56 – £159.50 (285p kg) – Masters Farms
58 – £167.00 (288p kg) – G W Fuller & Son

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 204– Top 364, Average 331.5
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 1162 – Top 316, Average 317.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 827 – Top 345, Average 307.7
Other 52.1+ kgs – 128 – Top 324, Average 293.1

 

Store Hoggets – 1,178 sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price: £145.50 – C H Ellis Ltd – Ave. £115.63

A big entry this week with almost 1,200 store hoggs penned and some superb quality on offer here today with big forward lambs selling to top out at £145 form C H Ellis Ltd with their run of over 300 stores selling for an average of £138 head. All forward hoggs over £100 with a huge average price of £115, all included. Less longer term sheep on offer today but these generally traded from £75-95. Stores are really in demand with a good number of regular buyers looking to secure numbers for later in the season, when it is anticipated numbers will come under more pressure.

Cull Sheep – 595 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Trade a little easier following the very strong trade over Christmas and the New Year that has brought more numbers forward nationally. The best ewes regularly £120 – £150 and to a top price of £160 for a Beltex cross from G P King. Medium sorts plentiful on the day with majority £90 – £110 on most occasions with the leaner grazing types £50 – £70 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.
Please do inform me of any large consignments of ewes you have to sell in the coming week with regular buyers forward for all grades.

Top prices included:

Beltex cross to £160 – G P King, Suffolk cross to £150 – Masters Farms & A E Daw & Sons, Texel cross to £140 – K & P M Sinden & Sons, Mules to £133 – Masters Farms, Romneys to £136 – S E Lane & Partners.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  53 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

It is difficult to continue finding fresh superlatives with which to describe the prime beef trade which continues to move forward! A good show of cattle overall with plenty of flesh on all grades. Too few of the best beef bred types forward, and a few more Black & Whites. All grades dearer.
Top price per kilo and gross returns for a homebred grey, Blonde x steer from Paul Boulden at 345p, £2166 whilst Paul Burden won`t have to tighten his belt further with his homebred Limousin x at 338p, £1789 topping the heifers. A short show of the best beef bred continentals generally 310-340p.
Dairy bred steers from Alan Down saw Limousin x to 318p, £1875, Hereford x to 312p, £1900 and Dairy Shorthorn x Friesian to 296p, £1714. A quality British Friesian heifer from Tom Castle sold to 300p £1947. Leaner Holstein steers around 250p topping at 258p, £1506 from Cameron Kearl.
Native bred cattle to another level. A good show of Angus steers with A C Hulme & Sons to 324p, £1942; W S Furnival to 319p, £2102; Leggat Farming to 319p, £1752; and J Tapley to 307p, £2146. Angus heifers 318p, £1715 Leggat Farming, 313p, £1609 W S Furnival and a strong heifer from J Tapley to £2054, 280p. Sussex steers to 317p from W Alexander, heifers to 308p W S Furnival.
Young Bulls (5) Quality heavyweights from Tom Castle saw British Blue x Friesian to 310p, £2058, Limousin x to 300p, £2171, and British Friesian to 289p, £1991.

Top Steers

G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 345p (£2101)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 339p (£2166)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 335p (£1790)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 330p (£1730)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 328p (£2129)

Top Heifers

P N & C Burden – Limousin cross – 338p (£1789)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Limousin cross – 325p (£1752)
Birt Bros – Limousin cross – 318p (£1937)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Limousin cross – 318p (£1889)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 318p (£1715)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 7 – Top 335p – Ave. 318p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 23 – Top 345p – Ave. 301p
Steers 651 + – 3 – Top 319p – Ave. 304p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 4 – Top 308p – Ave. 292p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 7 – Top 338p – Ave. 309p
Heifers 591 kg + – 4 – Top 318p – Ave. 302p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 93 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another excellent number of culls met another sensational trade with rates moving on again, particularly for the meat cows with 5 over £2000, to a top of £2292 from A C Hulme & Sons whose run of 11 Angus cows averaged £1804.
Buyers out in force and keen to secure cows of all grades. Certainly, supply cannot increase so this trade is here to stay.
Good feeding cows up around 300p but it was the meat cows whether best export types, commercial types, or ordinary breaking sorts, that was the trade to behold with plenty 230p-260p, and a few younger types going further!
Limousin x 298p, £1770 Price & Shelbourne, 256p, 252p, 248p, £1748, £1674, £1631 J C Loveridge, 254p, 252p, £2012, £1838 P N & C Burden, 247p, £1726 Birt Bros; Angus x 280p, 253p, 252p, 244p, 241p, £2292, £2163, £2078, £1996 A C Hulme & Sons, 240p, £1521 R J & C M Greengrow; Hereford x 270p, 240p, 224p, £1765, £1724, £1657 J Berryman; British Blue x 246p, 242p, £1817, £1739 J Berryman, 210p, £1288 J C Loveridge; Sussex 244p (2), 237p, £1802, £1656, £1596 N A Balcomb & Son, 221p, £1555 H F & J H Glover, 214p, £1388 N Tiller, 213p, £1392 Torry Hill, 208p, 204p, £1608, £1547 Bosney Farms; Simmental x 244p, £1705 H J Emery & Son, 210p, £1487 Lawrence & Son; Lincoln Red 226p, £1522 N Morgan; Blonde 220p, £1767 N C & C G Hedges; Devon 216p, £1207 A & H Edmonds; British White 172p, £926 D Light.
The uplift in the meat trade shone through in the dairy culls with all grades on fire! Best cows readily 200-220p and some of the leaner types looking unbelievable. Numbers short as the milk price remains positive but there is always a right time for a good look at some of the historically difficult, problematic, and lower performers!
British Friesian 219p, 215p, 213p, £1737, £1502, £1350 Debden Court; Holstein Friesian 212p, £184p, 180p, £1681, £1481, £1358 D Murdoch & Son; 209p, 203p, £1626, £1458 W G & T A Manford; 196p, £1513 J W Boyd & Sons; Montbeliarde 208p, £1297 W S Furnival; 206p, 194p, £1277, £1233 Parrett & Son; Guernsey 185p, 175p, £1187, £1033 W G & T A Manford; Brown Swiss 174p, £1327 Kingcott Dairy; Jersey 143p, £641 Hickson Bros.
Overage (7) Phenomenal! Limousin x OTM heifer 308p, £2076; Sussex OTM heifers 288p, 276p, £1797, £1722; Belted Galloway OTM steers 274p, 270p, £1590, £1477.
Stock Bulls (2) Dearer. Hereford 198p, £1886; lean Longhorn 142p, £1189.
Overall Cow Average 207.1p  £1366.79 per head

Beef Cows – 63 Sold – Top 298, Average 212.0
Dairy Cows – 21 Sold – Top 219 Average 180.3

Store & Breeding Cattle – 141 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

An absolute flying trade from start to finish for all grades with top call of the day going to K Loveridge for outwintered Hereford cross steers at £1670. To kick the day off was S E Lane and Partners with their Angus x Jersey steers 8 mths to £620, followed by A Smith & Son with superb Angus cross steers 11 mths to £1350. E J Gribble had the first part of their annual run with Angus x Friesian steers 16 – 18 mths which topped at £1360 and generally £1000 – £1250. Stronger steers 20-22 mths from K Loveridge saw Hereford cross steers to £1670 and Sussex cross steers to £1520.
We expect a similar entry of store cattle for next week so do not hesitate to get in contact if you have cattle to sell in the coming weeks.

Calves – 76 Sold
Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A small show of fresh calves, but more weaned types making up the overall numbers saw a good gathering of buyers and a strong trade throughout for all grades.
British Blue x bull calves to £345 from D Murdoch & Son whilst top heifer from P J Forknall sold to £260.  Medium Angus x saw bulls to £182 J W Boyd & Sons, heifers to £144 J Warnock & Sons. Simmental x heifer £202 from R & J Ledger.
Good interest in the weaned calves. Hereford x steers and heifers 8-9 mths from Stilwell Farms, West Sussex to £515 and £425; Angus x to £500 and £410 respectively. A big run of well reared Angus x Jersey from S E Lane & Partners found good interest with steers and heifers 3-5 mths to £208 and £160; 2-3 mths £170 and £135.

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 6 – Ave £230.00 – Top £345.00 – D Murdoch & Sons
Aberdeen Angus cross – 5 – Ave £138.80 – Top £182.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Sussex – 1 – Ave £118.00 – Top £118.00 – J Warnock & Sons

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 8 – Ave £197.25 – Top £260.00 – P J Forknall
Simmental cross – 1 – Ave £202.00 – Top £202.00 – R & J Ledger
Aberdeen Angus cross – 8 – Ave £121.25 – Top £144.00 – J Warnock & Sons

Steer weanling

Aberdeen Angus cross – 20 – Ave £208.40 – Top £500.00 – Stilwell Farms Ltd
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £515.00 – Top £515.00 – Stilwell Farms Ltd

Heifer Weanlings

Aberdeen Angus cross – 23 – Ave £152.65 – Top £410.00 – Stilwell Farms Ltd
Hereford cross – 2 – Ave £425.00 – Top £425.00 – Stilwell Farms Ltd

Forthcoming Auctions

Friday Livestock – 28th January 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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