Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 23rd April 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Finished Hoggets -1,238

Top price per kg: 467p – T Husk
Top price per head: £212.00 – R H Smith & Partners & D J Morphett

A smaller entry this week with quality very much more variable, as we enter the final stages of hogget season. Trade, certainly, came back down to earth following last week’s phenomenal trade but we do not need to all get depressed. The trade at 360-370p kg is still far beyond most producers’ wildest dreams. Hoggs still breaking £200 several times and over £4 kg but not the crazy average prices seen last week as export wholesalers have finally said ‘no’, and can no longer live with the prices we have been seeing recently. An inevitable downturn but by no means a disaster or cause for long faces.

36kg – £168.00 (467p/kg) – T Husk
37kg – £141.00 (381p/kg) – Mrs L Bernard
38kg – £132.00 (347p/kg) – I M Kirk
39kg – £128.00 (328p/kg) – Mrs L Bernard
40kg – £173.00 (433p/kg) – R L Pack
41kg – £148.00 (361p/kg) – R L Pack
42kg – £193.00 (460p/kg) – T Husk
43kg – £196.00 (456p/kg) – T Husk
44kg – £198.00 (450p/kg) – T Husk
45kg – £205.00 (456p/kg) – T Husk
46kg – £179.00 (389p/kg) – Jamie Watt
47kg – £178.00 (379p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
48kg – £185.00 (385p/kg) – T R Holt
49kg – £189.00 (386p/kg) – Jamie Watt
50kg – £195.00 (390p/kg) – R L Pack
51kg – £190.00 (373p/kg) – R L Pack
52kg – £208.00 (400p/kg) – R L Pack
53kg – £196.00 (370p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
54kg – £195.00 (361p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
55kg – £192.00 (349p/kg) – Jamie Watt
56kg – £190.00 (339p/kg) – O’Neil Smith Ltd
57kg – £179.00 (314p/kg) – P A Mummery
59kg – £189.00 (320p/kg) – George Dallaway
60kg – £172.00 (287p/kg) – A J Budd
61kg – £212.00 (348p/kg) – R H Smith & Partners
65kg – £201.00 (309p/kg) – M Friend
69kg – £212.00 (307p/kg) – D J Morphett

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 66 – Top 467, Average 366.5
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 334 – Top 460, Average 360.6
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 577 – Top 456, Average 357.2
Other 52.1+ kgs – 202 – Top 420, Average 338.7

Store Sheep -135 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Store hoggs are limited in numbers now and really are getting to the end of their season. Good framed bigger sheep can still sell very well, and todays topped at £158 head from A & B Carlton.

Cull Sheep – 230 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £199 – Mrs L Bernard – Ave £109.99
Ram: Top £220 – M Friend – Ave £123.42

Numbers in the pens are starting to decrease as is to be expected for the time of year. We had a very mixed show on offer but demand remains strong for all types with the best fleshed ewes being well rewarded. The best ewes regularly £125 – £150 and to a top price of £199 from Mrs L Bernard for smart Beltex cross ewes. Medium sorts £80 – £110 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £50 – £70 throughout, and only very few sold below these figures. Numbers are wanted to satisfy buyers demands so do not hesitate to get your ewes booked in with us.

Top prices included

Beltex to £199 – Mrs L Bernard, Texels to £165 – Beslee Farms, Suffolk cross to £163 – A A Palmar & Son, Texel cross to £158 – J H & A H Godden, Mules to £146 – G Dallaway, Romneys to £123 – J H & A H Godden

Ewes & lambs – 70 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

A better show of couples this week attracting a wider range of customers with spring now well underway.  Top spot was taken by Montreal Estate with their young Texel cross couples to £101 per life and the whole run averaging £96.72. M Hooker & Sons show of couples saw older ewes with young lambs to £208 and £198 for the outfit averaging £76.25 per life. We expect another similar entry of couples on 30^th April and are looking to produce bigger number for a sale on the 11^th May. If you have breeding sheep to sell do not hesitate to contact us.

Sock Lambs – 8 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Numbers slowing down this week with best lambs to £25 from C Burgess, smaller lambs more like £10 – £12 per head. Demand still there but starting to dwindle.

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  46 Sold

Auctioneer:Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A few less cattle and a slightly stronger trade overall though it is the best cattle that have taken more of a knock than the lesser quality goods which remain a strong trade. Good competition amongst buyers with anything lean competed for strongly by the feeders.
Best beef bred cattle 280-315p with MB Farms leading the steers at 316p £2177 whilst heifer honours went to a smart pair from S Marsh at 311p £1568 and 302p. MB Farms had a strong Limousin x heifer also at 300p grossing up at £2291.
Dairy bred cattle holding their rates well with A J Down`s Limousin to 265p, £1739, Herefords to 265p, £1627 and Friesians to 248p, £1436. Blue x Friesian steers to 256p, £1533 from E & J H Maylam, and 255p, £1692 Leggatt Farming.
Short of natives this week and demand strong. Sussex steers to 277p, £1673, D Mackelden Ltd, heifers 265p £1439 WS Furnival; Angus x steers 264p £1706, heifers 260p both W S Furnival Ltd, Hereford heifers 258p, £1427 W S Furnival Ltd.
Older young bulls forward today but selling well. Limousin 255p, £1871 A Boyd & Co, Angus 254p, £1698 B G & M A Tomsett.

Top Steers

M B Farms – Limousin – 316p/kg (£2177)
M B Farms-Limousin – 310p/ kg (£2105)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 298p/kg (£1711)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 296p/kg (£1492)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin – 294p/kg (£1849)

Top Heifers

S Marsh – Limousin – 311p/kg (£1568)
S Marsh – Blonde cross – 302p/kg (£1402)
M B Farms – Limousin – 300p/kg (£2291)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 297p/kg (£1720)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 288p/kg (£1667)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 3 Sold – top 296p – Av 262p
Steers 551 to 650kg – 13 Sold – top 298p – Av 273p
Steers 651kg + – 10 Sold – top 316p – Av 269p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 2 Sold – top 302p – Av 268p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 13 Sold – top 311p – Av 272p
Heifers 591 kg + – 2 Sold – top 300p – Av 263p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 65 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

More numbers this week but certainly a mixed offering! Trade every bit as strong and though averages are less this is purely a reflection of quality with a high number of plain lightweights.
Best of the beef cows for slaughter or feeding 200-240p; commercial meat 180-200p and grazing types very strong at 160-200p.
British Blue x 237p, £1715 (Non FA) MB Farms; Limousin x 208p, £1266 MB Farms, 180p, £1158 P N & C Burden; Sussex 200p, 195p, 187p, £1430, £1380 (Non FA) A H Hoad & Son, 186p, 180p, £1057 (Non FA) Price Whitehead, 176p, 174p, 170p, £1297, £1264 (Non FA) Wright Farm Ptnrs; Charolais 198p, 194p, £1748, £1645 (Non FA) N Morgan; Angus x 197p, £1474 Friday Street Farmers, 190p, £900 (Non FA) G F Hawkins; South Devon 196p, 194p, £1535, £1413 Gardners; Hereford x 185p, 182p, 180p, £1425, £1421, £1265 R G Nash & Son; Simmental x 180p, £1346 (Non FA) J Loveridge, 175p, £1100 (Non FA) C Langridge.
Mostly lean milking cows forward but again a famous trade at 130-150p, but anything with any flesh soon flying ahead with a few fleshed dry cows around 180p and over £1500.
Holstein Friesian 180p, 179p, 169p, 157p, £1544, £1508, £1432, £1159 J Warnock & Sons; 165p £1176 P J Forknall.
Stock Bulls (3) Not a very pretty selection with Sussex and Simmental 144p, lean Angus 114p.
Overage (14) Mostly overage grazing steers, heifers and slips selling well at 180-230p depending on style! Fleshed types wanted.
Blue x Fr OTM heifer 258p, £1815; Blue X Fr OTM steer 247p, £1775; Longhorn 3+ heifer 220p, £1087.

Beef Cows – 35 Sold – Top 237, Average 177.1
Dairy Cows –14 Sold – Top 180, Average 145.0

Store & Breeding Cattle – 459 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Another cracking show of cattle with a good balance of beef bred yearlings and some very good native bred cattle from both beef and dairy sectors. Plenty of customers from far and wide and there is no doubt that cattle are a very good trade indeed. Demand is high because numbers are short nationally and the beef trade remains positive.
Stand out of the day was a superb run of 80 homebred Angus x Friesian cattle from R Haydon & Partners who saw their strongest steers to £1450, and the heifers to £1240 with all being bought to go to the bull. Excellent runs of continental yearlings from G W Bridges, H & S Nesfield, S J M Evans, S & D Broad and P N & C Burden. G W Bridges topped at £1400 for their steers whilst P N & C Burden, with a run of open yarded cattle topped at £1490 for 12 month old steers.
Demand for the hard crossbred cattle remains very firm as stock goes straight to grass with top of the day going to W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm with outwintered 24 mths Hereford steers to £1660.
We have a good number, close to 300, already entered for the 30^th April with a selection of bulls and other breeding stock also entered for this day.
If you have cattle to sell going forward, please get in touch at any time

Principal Prices include: 

Native:

Hereford x steers 25 mths – £1660 – W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm
Angus x Fr steers 20 mths – £1450, £1375 – R Haydon & Partners
Angus x Fr heifers 20mths – £1240, £1180 – R Haydon & Partners
Sussex steers 26 mths – £1440 – Price – Whitehead Ltd
Angus x steers 22 mths – £1345 – B Sutton
Angus x heifers 22 mths – £1355 – B Sutton
Hereford x steers 13 mths – £920 – D & J Murray
Hereford x heifers 13 mths – £820 – D & J Murray
South Devon x heifers 13 mths – £1180 – P N & C Burden
Angus x heifers 12 mths – £1180 – P N & C Burden

Continental:

Simmental x  steers 13 mths – £1490 – P N & C Burden
Limousin x steers 12 mths – £1350 – S J M Evans
Limousin x heifers 11 mths – £1080 – S J M Evans
Limousin x steers 14 mths – £1350 – H & S Nesfield
Limousin x heifers 14 mths – £1100 – H & S Nesfield
Limousin steers   18 mths – £1400 – G W Bridges
Limousin x heifers 25 mths – £1240 – G W Bridges
Charolais x steer 18 mths – £1340 – C Langridge
Simmental x heifers 16 mths – £1085 – S J & Edmed Sons
Limousin x steers 12 mths – £1220 – S & D Broad

Calves & weanlings – 57 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

A lovely run of calves today with a nice spread of ages and quality to benefit a wide buyer pool.
Best Bulls from J C & S K Williams with a tremendous run of Blues topping at £340, £320, and £300. Younger calves of the same breeding to £220 from Appleton Farms Ltd with plenty of demand for both the stronger and fresher animals alike. A lovely Charolais from P J Forknall showing those best continentals always hit the money with the hammer falling at £300. Native bulls perhaps a little easier than we have seen offering more value with top honours shared at £180 from J W Boyd & Sons and Appleton Farms Ltd.
Heifers a decent trade with J C & S K Williams leading the way, again, with Blues to £350. W G & T A Manford selling a decent Blue to £310. Younger types generally looking well enough sold with most around the £150-£180 mark. A good run of Angus heifers from J Warnock & Sons topped at £170 with most selling in the £130 – £150 range.
A few weaned calves forward for the outside pens with Holstien Friesian bulls topping at £250 from J Warnock & Sons. A Sussex steer made £370, and a nice Blue heifer traded hands at £410, both from Kent Game Shooting.

Please note, we have a number of customers looking for registered sired native breed calves, please remember to record the sire ear tag on the birth registration to ensure it appears on the passport!

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 13 – Ave £231.92 – Top £340 – J C & S K Williams
Charolais cross – 1 – Ave £300.00 – Top £300.00 – P J Forknall
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £170.00 – Top £170.00 – Appleton Farms Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 7 – Ave £150.71 – Top £180 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 14 – Ave £188.21 – Top £350 – J C & S K Williams
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £140.00 – Top £140 – Appleton Farms Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 10 – Ave £127.00 – Top £170 – J Warnock & Sons
Bull Weanlings
Sussex – 1 – Ave £370 – Top £370 – Kent Game Shooting
Holstein Friesian – 3 – Ave £246.67 – Top £250 – J Warnock & Sons
Heifer Weanlings
British Blue cross – 1 – Ave £410 – Top £410 – Kent Game Shooting

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 16th April 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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