Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 22nd October 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –947

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 335p – H V Link Partners
Top price per head – £166.00 – H V Link Partnership & P N & C Burden

A few more lambs penned this week after last week’s short entry, and the trade was just a little easier for the lighter leaner weights but on a similar level for the heavier fed lambs. Some good runs from H V Link Partners and P N & C Burden this week were the highlights on the day with headlines in both categories. Most of the better finished sheep are in the £3 kg region which for the time of year is very good and probably as high as we have seen it in October. Last year’s trade was in the 250-260p kg bracket. Nationally numbers are remaining very low which is boosting prices of the best lambs whilst the leaner types are consistent with the trade in the store ring.

36 – £104.00 (289p kg) – A Denning
37 – £100.00 (270p kg) – T Wenham
38 – £115.00 (303p kg) – H & J Noakes
39 – £121.00 (310p kg) – K & P M Sinden & Sons
40 – £133.00 (333p kg) – P N & C Burden
41 – £134.50 (328p kg) – P N & C Burden
42 – £130.00 (310p kg) – R L Pack
43 – £130.00 (302p kg) – H V Link Partnership
44 – £140.00 (318p kg) – H V Link Partnership
45 – £135.00 (300p kg) – J Farrant
46 – £147.00 (320p kg) – H V Link Partnership
47 – £130.00 (277p kg) – R L Pack
48 – £161.00 (335p kg) – H V Link Partnership
49 – £158.00 (322p kg) – H V Link Partnership
50 – £154.00 (308p kg) – P N & C Burden
51 – £155.00 (304p kg) – C R & G Daws
52 – £140.00 (269p kg) – G W & B Bridges
53 – £166.00 (313p kg) – P N & C Burden
54 – £120.00 (222p kg) – Mrs T Higgins
55 – £156.00 (284p kg) – H V Link Partnership
60 – £166.00 (277p kg) – H V Link Partnership

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 137 – Top 322, Average 269.4
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 526 – Top 333, Average 291.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 212 – Top 335, Average 290.3
Over 52.1 kgs – 54 – Top 313, Average 277.9

Cull Sheep – 636 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £129.00 – G W & B Bridges – Ave. £70.91

A much larger show of ewes this week with a large percentage being leaner grazing types which continues to pull overall averages down but customers are plentiful for these types. The best ewes regularly £100 – £120 and to a top price of £129 from G W & B Bridges for well fleshed Texel crosses. Medium sorts £75 – £90 on most occasions with the leaner grazing types £50 – £65 throughout. As mentioned before, the leaner ewes are plentiful but there are plenty of  buyers with the grass growing so strongly.
If you have ewes to sell in the coming weeks do not hesitate to get in contact, we have a good number of regular weekly buyers for all grades.

Top prices included:

Texel cross to £129 – G W & B Bridges, Suffolk cross to £124 – G W & B Bridges, Beltex cross to £118 – J Bull, Mules to £101 – G W & B Bridges, Romneys to £88 – Langdon Farm, Goats to £89 – K Loveridge.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  56 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another good quality entry of fed cattle from the yards which is exactly what the meat trade wants at a time of the year when the grazed, wet grass, stock are struggling to maintain enough condition.
The beef bred and fed types topping at 318p, £2140 and 306p, £1778 respectively from A J Thompson & Sons with the quality end of the market generally 285-295p kg with R F & E A Simmons getting a run of Limousin cross steers to 295p, £1919.
Alan Down’s fed Hereford x Friesian steers to 273p, £1635, whist his smart fed Limousin x Friesian steers sold to 287p, £1647. British Friesian steers from A J Down to 225p, £1336; British Friesian steers from B J Goodsell & Son to 225p, £1375; Holstein Friesian heifers from Leggat Farming to 227p, £1767.
A grand show of Aberdeen Angus cross cattle this week with A C Hulme & Sons leading the way with their quality homebred cattle. Their steers and heifers both sold well to 285p kg grossing to £1900 and £1593 respectively.
Young bulls (5) Purebred Charolais heavy weight bulls from Highfields Park Farm to 260p grossing to £2155. Leaner dairy types more difficult.

Top Steers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 306p (£1573)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 305p (£1857)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 304p (£2140)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 300p (£1797)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 299p (£1612)

Top Heifers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 318p (£1778)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 305p (£1462)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 285p (£1593)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 284p (£1644)
A C Hulme & Sons – Aberdeen Angus – 283p (£1511)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 4 – Top 306p – Ave. 283p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 28 – Top 305p – Ave. 271p
Steers 651 + – 7 – Top 304p – Ave. 279p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 2 – Top 305p – Ave. 288p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 8 – Top 318p – Ave. 283p
Heifers 591 + – 2 – Top 276p – Ave. 249p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 81 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Numbers, unsurprisingly, taking a lift after the recent appalling weather but with the ringside crowded with customers the cull trade maintains it strong level for both slaughter and feeding stock. Overall quality remains variable with a shortage of flesh, and a significant proportion (25%) over 10 years.
A few well fleshed beef cows up over 200p, with better half meat types 160-190p kg. Feeders able to top 200p if tidy but generally 140-170p kg. Few but the very plainest or lightest under 100p kg.
Beef Shorthorn 208p, 196p, £1300, £1297 (Non FA) H S Nicholls; Sussex 203p, 196p, £1428, £1251 Chandler & Dunn; British Blue cross 201p, £1424 E W & R E Hanks, 176p, £1090 (Non FA) L Palmer & Son; Limousin cross 196p, £1300 (Non FA) L Palmer & Son, 182p, £1025 D G & J W Gore, 171p, £1083 (Non FA) F W Hare & Son; Hereford 187p, 170p, £1187, £1184 (Non FA) B C Ginger; Piemontese cross176p, £1158 T Turner.
More cows from the dairy sector and only a handful showing real flesh, but all grades a strong and competitive trade throughout with only the plainest and ugliest below 100p. Strong steakers 160-170p kg and over £1500 with no real best heavyweights forward.
British Friesian 174p, £1353 R & J Ledger, 167p, 159p, 157p, £1282, £1173, £1110 G D & E  Field., 159p, £1046 B J Goodsell & Son; Holstein Friesian 171p, £166p, 159p, £1270, £1260, £1200 J Warnock & Sons; 166p, 159p, £1523, £1284 J W Boyd & Sons; 164p, £1210 P J Forknall; 163p, £1251 W G & T A Manford; Guernsey 136p, £806 W G & T A Manford.
Cull (12) Demands for flesh of all ages remains very firm. Sussex heifer OTM 258p, £1584; OTM Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 250p (2), £1547, £1060; OTM Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifer 226p, £1376; Beef Shorthorn 3+  heifer 239p, 234p, £1538, £1296, Traditional Hereford OTM heifers 164p, 156p, £801.

Beef Cows – 44 Sold – Top 258, Average 162.6
Dairy Cows – 28 Sold – Top 174, Average 145.4

Store & Breeding Cattle -450 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

What a show of cattle in the pens and what a trade to follow it with a large percentage of older shorter term finishing cattle. Top call of the day went to C & J Georgetti & Son for a superb pen of 20 month Limousin cross heifers to £1550 which were bought to breed.  R & H Vincent sold fantastic Angus steers to £1520 and £1455 with Limousin cross steers from C & J Georgetti  & Son to £1480 and Simmental cross steers from the same home to £1455. E W & R E Hanks had their annual run of unspoilt Limousin cross steers 16 – 18 months with the best to £1320 and majority of the run £1100 – £1300. W J Hurley had a run of Limousin crosses with the steers 17 – 18 months to £1170 and heifers to £1105 followed by their Sussex steers to £1130. Hereford cross steers 16 – 18 months from A G Dodd to £1175 and Angus x Fr steers 20 – 22 months from H & S Nesfield to £1230,  the heifers from the same home to £1075. Less Single sucked calves this week however a run of 7 – 8 months from Hill Farm Ltd looked well sold topping at £885 for Angus cross heifers and 7 – 8 months Beef Shorthorn heifers to £720.
There is a big entry of 440 plus stores booked for 29^th October already and if you have cattle to sell in the coming weeks please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Principal Prices include:

Continental Bred Cattle

Limousin cross steers 18 mths – £1480 – C & J Georgetti & Son
Limousin cross heifers 20 mths – £1550 – C & J Georgetti & Son
Limousin cross steers 13 mths – £1400 – C & J Georgetti & Son
Limousin cross steers 21 mths – £1400 – R J Husk
Limousin cross steers 17 mths – £1320 – E W & R E Hanks
Limousin cross heifers 20 mths – £1165 – J C & P C Dallaway
Charolais cross heifers 18 mths – £1160 – L Townsend
Simmental cross heifers 18 mths – £1105 – W J Hurley

Native Bred Cattle

Aberdeen Angus steers 19 mths – £1520 – R & H Vincent
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 22 mths – £1200 – B C Ginger
Sussex cross steers 17 mths – £1190 – G W Parkes
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 18 mths – £1130 – A J Thompson & Sons
Sussex cross heifers 20 mths – £1130 – W J Hurley
Shorthorn heifers 16 mths – £1120 – H S Nicholls
Hereford cross steers 15 mths – £910 – Pitcher & Cole
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 8 mths – £885 – Hill Farm Ltd

Calves -30 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A disappointing entry with neither number nor overall quality particularly high. The trade however was good and positive, and many more numbers needed to satisfy this level of trade.
A good proportion older, largely weaned calves with strong British Blue cross bull and heifer from W G & T A Manford up and over £300 head.
All calves wanted with Aberdeen Angus cross and Hereford cross very firm on the day.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 10 – Ave £211.50 – Top £340.00 – W G & T A Manford
Hereford cross – 1 – Ave £220.00 – Top £220.00 – Goddard & Son Aberdeen Angus cross – 2 – Ave £195.00 – Top £200.00 – Goddard & Son
British Friesian – 1 – Ave £70.00 – Top £70.00 – P J Forknall

Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 13 – Ave £134.77 – Top £300.00 – W G & T A Manford
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £170.00 – Top £170.00 – D G & J W Gore Aberdeen Angus cross – 1 – Ave £150.00 – Top £150.00 – Goddard & Son

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 29th October September 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here