Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 25th February 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets –1,832 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 385p kg – P Ashlee.
Top price per head – £189.00 – B J Baker.

A few less on offer this week and not quite the same quality of sheep with the exception of a few runs of lambs from S B & A E Martin, Alton, Paul Ashlee, W Pynn Contractors Ltd, Canterbury, B J Baker and Peter Gorringe, Henfield, just to name a few who were well rewarded with top prices. The overall average was a little lower than last week despite my opinion that the trade was actually improved throughout due to lower numbers. Top spots were some super Beltex crosses from Paul Ashlee at 385p kg and £189 from B J Baker for some heavy weight Charollais hoggs. Trade is stable and at a level where both buyers and sellers are happy, which is a rarity in any of the finished sections of the market.

34 – £111.00 (326p kg) – R T J B & I Lockwood
36 – £110.00 (306p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
37 – £120.00 (324p kg) – Dan Mackelden Ltd
38 – £140.00 (368p kg) – S B & A E Martin
39 – £150.00 (385p kg) – P Ashlee
40 – £139.00 (348p kg) – S T Phillips
41 – £149.00 (363p kg) – P Ashlee
42 – £147.50 (351p kg) – C Ballard
43 – £147.00 (342p kg) – Miss E Ashlee
44 – £155.00 (352p kg) – P Gorringe
45 – £163.00 (362p kg) – P Ashlee
46 – £165.00 (359p kg) – Beslee Farms
47 – £174.00 (370p kg) – P Gorringe
48 – £157.00 (327p kg) – D Thompson
49 – £160.00 (327p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
50 – £162.00 (324p kg) – W Pynn Contractors Ltd
51 – £174.00 (341p kg) – W Pynn Contractors Ltd
52 – £165.00 (317p kg) – G A Mitchell & Son
53 – £164.50 (310p kg) – F J White & Sons
54 – £164.00 (304p kg) – P Gorringe
55 – £169.00 (307p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
56 – £181.00 (323p kg) – W Pynn Contractors Ltd
57 – £185.00 (325p kg) – B J Baker
62 – £183.00 (295p kg) – Master Joey Burden
66 – £176.00 (267p kg) – Beslee Farms
68 – £189.00 (278p kg) – B J Baker  

Averages (p/kg) 

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 252 – Top 368, Average 312.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 776 – Top 385, Average 326.9
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 632 – Top 370, Average 328.4
Other 52.1+ kgs – 172 – Top 325, Average 305.8

Store Hoggets – 467 sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

We seem to be getting towards the end of the 2024 crop of hoggets that will be sold as stores. We will have good numbers for many weeks yet but most of the bigger runs have now been sold and minds have now turned to this year’s crop. Tops are still in line with what they have been in recent weeks; there is just less of them on offer. Top on the day to £140 from T Lyle & Partners, Tonbridge and the overall average was improved at £105 head.

In-Lamb Ewes – 195 sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A flock reduction saw a big run of in – lamb traditional Romney 2-4 lamb ewes scanned at 132% to both Charollais x Beltex and Texel rams. There was a wide variation in these with the best topping at £200 per head with the majority of the others £130 – £180 per head. If you have any breeding sheep to sell, then feel free to get in contact for any advice with plenty of positivity in the sheep industry currently.

Cull Sheep – 526 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewe: £220.00 – B J Baker. – Ave. £134.18
Top price ram: £350.00 – J Warnock & Sons. – Ave. £186.76

 

An absolute flyer with a larger percentage of well fleshed ewes in the pens than we have seen for a while pushing averages well up. The best ewes regularly £140 – £170 and to a top price of £220 for strong Charollais from B J Baker with his whole run averaging over £190 per head. Cracking purebred Texel rams from J Warnock & Sons topped at £350 with these averaging £225 per head. Medium ewes £100 – £130 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £60 – £80 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.
More ewes are wanted with regular weekly buyers forward every week for all grades of ewes.

Top prices included:

Charollais to £220 – B J Baker, Texels to £200 – Beslee Farms, Border Leicester’s to £189 – B J Baker, Texel cross to £186 – Beslee Farms, Suffolk cross to £179 – G H Dean & Co, Romneys to £160 – Kingwood Farmers Limited, Mules to £148 – K Loveridge.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  26 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A short offering this week with less quality overall in terms of shape and finish. Trade holding very strong but not moving further forward as we have seen in recent weeks. This level will hold as the shortage of cattle is not short term so realise your cattle`s potential with good finish.
William Alexander took double honours with Limousin steers to 380p, £2277, heifers to 384p, £1918 with tidy cattle regularly 360-380p. Plenty of steers and heifers grossing over £2000.
A higher proportion of natives from beef and dairy backgrounds and great returns continuing. Sussex steers to 341p, £2332 from A B Jones & Partners, heifers to 347p K & P M Sinden & Sons whilst Angus x heifers from John Berryman sold to 346p, £2004.

Top Steers

W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 380p (£2277)
Leggat Farming Ltd – British Blue cross – 371p (£2038)
A B Jones & Partners – Sussex cross – 341p (£2332)
K & P M Sinden & Sons – Sussex – 336p (£1694)
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 324p (£1973)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 384p (£1918)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 382p (£1869)
W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd – Limousin cross – 381p (£1922)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Limousin cross – 264p (£2145)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Simmental – 359p (£1936)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 2 – Top 371p – Ave. 354p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 4 – Top 380p – Ave. 333p
Steers 651 kg + – 1 – Top 341p – Ave. 341p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 5 – Top 384p – Ave. 353p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 12 – Top 381p – Ave. 347p
Heifers 591 kg + – 2 – Top 358p – Ave. 341p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 50 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Verbal superlatives barely do justice to the strength of the trade for this sector of the meat trade, and for the feeding cattle from both beef and dairy sectors that grow into providing more flesh for the processing industry.
Plenty of buyers could have done with more cattle! Certainly, more flesh in general, and some good young feeders on offer.
Best of the meat and feeders well over 300p and despite no particularly big cows on offer returns pushing close to £2100. Very little under 200p.
Limousin x 332p, 320p, £1856, £1757 A Boyd & Co, 316p, £1625 R Martin, 270p, 261p, £1900, £1693 L E Humphreys & Son, 269p, 252p, £1906, £1748 R F & E A Simmons; Angus x 310p, £2089 S G & G T Orpin, 246p, £1508 B G & M A Tomsett; Simmental x 292p, £1691 H & S Nesfield; Devon 269p, £1866 Gillshaw Farms; South Devon 258p, £1908 H & S Nesfield; Sussex 257p, £1975 Gillshaw Farms, 250p, £1622 W J Hurley; Beef Shorthorn 254p, £1635 Kingswood Farmers; Hereford x 246p, £1326 H W Clayson.
Only a small show from the dairy sector but a serious trade for a range of shapes and sizes.
British Friesian 250p, 245p, £1895, £1859 R & J Ledger, 240p, £1521 Parrett & Son; Holstein Friesian 249p, 238p, £1690, £1544 J W Boyd & Sons; Holstein 240p, 237p, 228p, £1700, £1608, £1577 W G & T A Manford; Dairy Shorthorn 246p, £1547 Parrett &Son; Guernsey 213p, £1211 W G & T A Manford; Jersey 186p, 152p, £928, £758 Hickson Bros.
Overage (15) Some good meat in this section today and producers rightly feeding stock to gain good finish with an awareness of age recognising that 3 years, rather than 30 months, is the more critical of ages.
Sussex OTM heifers 359p, 350p, 340p, 336p, 335p, 330p, £1974, £1972, £1918, £1852, £1779; Holstein Friesian OTM steers 316p, 308p, 305p, £1779, £1707p, £1688; Limousin x 3yo+ steer 271p, £1393.

Beef Cows – 21 Sold – Top 332, Average 262.9
Dairy Cows – 15 Sold – Top 250, Average 216.2

 

Store & Breeding Cattle – 308 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Our biggest show of stores seen so far this year with plenty of quality cattle in the pens and buyers forward in abundance. A marvellous trade for all, big and small, quality and ugly, saw a total sale average just short of £1300 per head. This sale was streamed live on Marteye for the first time which created plenty of interest with over 440 people viewing throughout the course of the sale. Trade on fire for all grades and to kick off the day we had a Limousin cross cow with a Limousin cross calf 4m old to £2900 from Newline Learning, Maidstone. Beef Shorthorn steers 11 mths to £1235 from Mrs H Harmer and Aberdeen Angus cross steers from the same home to £1150. J P J Wanstall, Hawkinge had hard Angus x Friesian steers 18 – 20 mths to £1250 followed by Simmental cross heifers 10 -12 mths from Mrs L Townsend, Tunbridge Wells to £1210 and Angus cross heifers from M J Ashworth 10 – 12 mths to £1420. Rhino Plant Hire had Charolais cross heifers 14 mths to £1400 and Angus cross heifers to £1285 with younger Limousin cross steers from R J Parsons, Wadhurst to £1110. A super run of Charolais and Simmental cross steers 10 – 12 mths from M & C Farms, Rye topped at £1550 with others £1525 and £1370. A quality run of stronger Limousin and Simmental cross steers 12 – 14 mths from C & J Georgetti & Sons, Cranbrook saw the strongest to highs of £2080 with the whole run of 50 averaging over £1680 per head. Smart Limousin heifers 20 mths from R A Wade to £2010 then Angus cross steers from J Hooker & Son, Tenterden 23 mths to £1650. P J S Farms, Dover had a run of well warmed up types 18 – 20 mths with Angus x Friesian steers to £1745 with a single 19 mths to £2280 followed by British Blue x Friesian steers to £1720 and Blue x Friesian heifers to £1430. F J Butler, Uckfield  had a large number forward which were mainly Angus x Friesian 21 mths, not overgrown for age, but looking very well sold with the steers to £1190 and the heifers to £1110.
Store cattle sales will be held weekly going forward with a good number already entered for Tuesday 4^th March.

Principal prices include:

Continental Breeds:

Limousin cross steers 14 mths – £2080 – C & J Georgetti & Sons
Limousin cross steers13 mths – £1700 – C & J Georgetti & Sons
Limousin cross heifers 20 mths – £2010 – R A Wade
Limousin cross heifers 20 mths – £1880 – PJS Farms
Charolais cross steers 11 mths – £1550 – M & C Farms
Limousin cross heifers 11 mths – £1490 – M J Ashworth
Charolais cross heifers 14 mths – £1400 – Rhino Plant Hire
Simmental cross steers 11 mths – £1160 – L Townsend
Limousin cross heifers 10 mths – £965 – R J Parsons
Native Breeds:
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 19 mths – £2280 – PJS Farms
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 23 mths – £1750 – S E Ginger
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 21 mths – £1800 – R A Wade
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 11 mths – £1285 – Rhino Plant Hire
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 12 mths – £1420 – M J Ashworth
Shorthorn steers 11 mths – £1235 – H Harmer
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 21 mths – £1190 – F J Butler
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers 21 mths – £1120 – F J Butler
Hereford x Friesian heifers 12 mths – £1100 – H W Clayson

Cattle Passports

We remind producers that on no occasion should the details on a cattle passport be changed other than by returning it to BCMS.
If details are incorrect return and advise BCMS or advise the auctioneers on market day without writing on the passport.

Store & Finished Pigs – 28 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A larger show than usual with a good selection of finished pigs forward. The best to 190p pk, £180 per head from Lucketts Farm. Brooker & Son had their usual show with smart 104kg gilts to 160p pk and £167 per head followed by R Padfield with well covered crossbreds, 115kg and topping at £178 per head. For best results finished pigs need to be 85 – 100 kg and the better bred they are the more desirable they will be. Just a few stores with native bred types from A Bussey to £45 per head.

Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have pigs to sell.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 4th March 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here