Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 8th October 2024

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –1,134

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 331p – D Isaac & Holly Chandler
Top price per head – £171.00 – Wanstall Farms

A few extra lambs on offer this week which was well received by the buyers as the numbers of well finished lambs are ever tightening around the country. Trade was at a similar level to what we have been seeing for a couple of weeks now, and the bigger and heavier they are the better they sell. Heavy lambs today topped at £171 head from Wanstall Farms with lambs over £160 head from M R Woodroofe, Dylan Isaac and Tom Holt. Less of the lighter weight export type lambs on offer this week but these were all in excess of 300p kg and topped at 331p kg from Dylan & Holly Isaac, again. A few lambs that might have come to us earlier as stores are now beginning to come forward as finished which is certainly a help to numbers, but we can sell more each week at the current levels.

36 – £118.00 (328p kg) – Wanstall Farms
37 – £114.00 (308p kg) – Wanstall Farms
38 – £112.00 (295p kg) – Wanstall Farms
39 – £123.50 (317p kg) – Wanstall Farms
40 – £129.00 (323p kg) – K & P M Sinden & Sons
41 – £129.50 (316p kg) – R L Pack
42 – £119.00 (283p kg) – J Howie
43 – £133.00 (309p kg) – L Stevens & Sons
44 – £143.00 (325p kg) – K & P M Sinden & Sons
45 – £145.00 (322p kg) – R L Pack
46 – £149.50 (325p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
47 – £150.00 (319p kg) – R L Pack
48 – £159.00 (331p kg) – D Isaac & Holly Chandler
49 – £158.00 (322p kg) – M R Woodroofe
50 – £140.00 (280p kg) – M A & F W Owen
51 – £160.00 (314p kg) – E Stretton
52 – £160.00 (308p kg) – A Denning
53 – £165.00 (311p kg) – D Isaac & Holly Chandler
55 – £110.00 (200p kg) – G W Fuller & Son
56 – £166.00 (296p kg) – M R Woodroofe
57 – £163.00 (286p kg) – T R Holt
67 – £171.00 (255p kg) – Wanstall Farms

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 213 – Top 329, Average 268.8
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 545 – Top 325, Average 286.6
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 254 – Top 331, Average 298.0
Over 52.1 kgs – 80 – Top 317, Average 289.4

Cull Sheep – 465 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Top price ewe: £119.00 – Mount Lodge Farm Ltd

Numbers are just starting to ease with most farmers having already cleared their culls in order to focus on their breeding sheep for the season ahead. The best fleshed ewes remain very short and if you can get them better fleshed this would be beneficial with a top price of £119 for Texels from Mount Lodge Farm Ltd. Medium sorts £70 – £90 on most occasions with the leaner grazing types making up a large percentage in the pens, and £45 – £65 throughout. All ewes are a great trade so do not hesitate to get them booked in with customers every week for all grade of ewes.

Top prices included:

Texels to £119 – Mount Lodge Farm Ltd, Texel cross to £113 – Wey Street Farm LLP, Suffolk cross to £109 – L Stevens & Sons, Romneys to £111 – E Stretton, Lleyn to £91 – R Whittemore.

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  53 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another very good trade for the well fleshed fed cattle though just possibly a few signs that the lesser grass types are easing a little.
Not quite so many of the very best shaped beef types overall but the best still up over 300p with A J Thompson & Sons selling heifers to 317p twice £1809, and steers twice to 300p, £1987. R F & E A Simmons shared in the steer honours at 300p, and George Sim had a nice Limousin x heifer at 303p. Generally, 280-300p and a very good trade.
Dairy bred fed steers from Alan Down saw his Limousin x Friesian to 283p, £1761 with his Hereford x Friesians to 275p, £1713.
Short of best natives this week. Smart Angus heifers from A C Hulme & Sons to 291p, £1679 with a very nice Sussex heifer from W S Furnival Ltd at 295p, £1546.
Young Bulls (6) Some fine heavyweight British Friesian bulls from T Castle & Son to 262p, £1765.

Top Steers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 300p (£1977)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 300p (£1947)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 300p (£1542)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 297p (£1987)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 294p (£1717)

Top Heifers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 317p (£1757)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 317p (£1646)
P W & P Sim & Son – Limousin cross – 303p (£1739)
W S Furnival Ltd – Sussex – 295p (£1546)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 295p (£1531)

Average Prices

Steers 200 to 550kg – 2 – Top 300p – Ave. 294p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 21 – Top 300p – Ave. 275p
Steers 651 + – 7 – Top 300p – Ave. 278p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 1 – Top 285p – Ave. 285p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 14 – Top 317p – Ave. 286p
Heifers 591 + – 2 – Top 290p – Ave. 288p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 37 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

More buyers; more trade; and we need more cows, particularly with flesh as predictions that meat, prime and processing, is in very short supply are borne out up and down the country.
Good younger Sussex meat cows up over 200p whilst smart feeding continentals over 225p and over £1500.
Limousin x 227p, £1518 P N & C Burden; Sussex 206p, 179p, £1295, £1267 (Non FA) H W Richards; Beef Shorthorn 190p, £1327 (Non FA) M Britton; Charolais x 179p, £1473 (Non FA) J Tapley; South Devon 166p, £1183 (Non FA) S M Scott; Longhorn 150p £882 (Non FA) KJ Marshall.
The entry from the dairy sector was “top drawer” with quality cows from Debden Court and J S & M D Antrum topping over 180p kg with outstanding returns to over £1600.
Holstein Friesian 185p, 182p, 181p, 178p £1615, £1561, £1552, £1476 JS&MD Antrum & Son; British Friesian 185p (2), 180p, 176p, 171p, 170p (2) £1384, £1338, £1166, £1158 Debden Court.
Overage (7) Sharp trade for some good, fleshed cattle.
Blue x Frisian OTM steer 250p, £1584; Sussex x Friesian OTM steer 247p, £1553; Holstein Friesian OTM steer 233p, £1465; Limousin x heifers 3yo+ 246p, 230p, £1343, £1277; Angus x hfrs 42 mths+ 210p, 205p, £1341, £1268.
Stock Bulls (2) A little easier for plainer types. Good meat wanted. Hereford 143p, £1169, Charolais 94p, £888.

Beef Cows – 14 Sold – Top 227, Average 171.9
Dairy Cows – 13 Sold – Top 185, Average 176.8

Store & Breeding Cattle -439 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

The biggest show of cattle so far this autumn with different shapes, sizes and ages to suit a wide variety of buyers demands. There was a very large number of the cattle on offer which were TB1 which is a limiting factor from a buyers point of view especially with the current Blue Tongue status restricting movement to some potential buyers and their finishing units. Top call of the day went to Masters Farms with tremendous Sussex cross steers to £1635, and what a pen of cattle they were. We saw a selection of breeding cattle with Angus cows and Limousin calves to £1400 from P J & P B Wade followed by Limousin cows and calves from Gallagher Farms at £1610 and again, with twins, to £1800. Single suckled spring born British Blue 6 – 8 months old calves from the late A J Britton sold to £970 for the steers with the tops of the heifers to £875. M Britton had a run of Beef Shorthorns steers 6 – 8 months old to £910 and yearling Angus x Friesians from Skinner & Son topped at £750 for the steers, heifers to £695. M J Burton had a fantastic run of purebred Hereford steers 18 months which topped at £1480 followed by Simmental x steers 17 months from R & S Vant to £1150. Quality Angus x British Friesian steers 13m from R Haydon & Ptnrs sold to £1145, £1140, £1090 & £1055. J & H Robinson had their annual run of both Angus cross and Limousin cross cattle forward with the best steers topping at £1250 for a pen of Angus followed by the heifers which were stronger again and topped at £1280. Langrish Farmers saw a second draw of cattle this week with 18 month old Galloway cross steers to £1240 and Charolais cross 16 -17 months to £970. Sussex cross steers from S H Gribble 17 – 18 months to £1000 and Limousin steers from P M Langridge 18 – 22 month to £1290.
We will be selling store cattle every week so if you intend on selling cattle do not hesitate to get in touch with an entry of over 400 already for Tuesday 15^th October.

Principal Prices include:

Continental Bred Cattle

Simmental cross steers 18 mths – £1400 – Wood Farm Partnership
Limousin cross steers 22 mths – £1290 – P M Langridge
Limousin cross steers 18 mths – £1200 – J & H Robinson
British Blue cross steers 7 mths – £970 – A J Britton
Simmental cross heifers 18 mths – £1300 – Wood Farm Partnership
Limousin cross heifers 18 mths – £1275 – J & H Robinson
Blonde cross heifers 18 mths – £1090 – J & H Robinson
Limousin x Friesian heifers 14 mths – £830 – T Castle & Son
British Blue cross heifers 7 mths – £875 – A J Britton

Native Bred Cattle

Sussex cross steers 19 mths – £1635 – Masters Farms
Hereford steers 19 mths – £1480 – M J Burton
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 22 mths – £1320 – E M & A R Roger-Smith
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 18 mths – £1250 – J & H Robinson
Shorthorn steers 8 mths – £910 – M Britton
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 12 mths – £750 – Skinner & Son
Aberdeen Angus x British Friesian steers 13mths – £1140 – R Haydon & Ptnrs
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 18 mths – £1280 – J & H Robinson
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 22 mths – £1220 – S & R Wright
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 18 mths – £1070 – H & J Noakes

Calves -35 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A few less calves on offer this week but no shortage of demand with a good attendance of buyers, and a good mix of younger and older calves.
Mostly Blues on offer with Bulls to £292 from J W Boyd & Sons, heifers to £275 M S Clifford- Baynes. Plenty of Blue bulls and heifers £180-250. Few Angus this week with medium heifers around £140. Strong Norwegian Red bulls to £200, £180 from D Murdoch & Sons; Holstein Friesians to £190 A & W J Hitchcock. Two 8 week Limousin x bulls off the cow at £325 and £315 from P N & C Burden.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 9 – Ave £194.56 – Top £292.00 – J W Boyd & Sons
Limousin cross – 2 – Ave £320.00 – Top £325.00 – P N & C Burden
Norwegian Red cross – 3 – Ave £171.67 – Top £200.00 – D Murdoch & Sons
Holstein Friesian – 1 – Ave £190.00 – Top £190.00 – A & W Hitchcock

Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 15 – Ave £187.73 – Top £275.00 – M S Clifford-Baynes
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave £208.00 – Top £208.00 – M S Clifford-Baynes
Aberdeen Angus cross – 3 – Ave £136.67 – Top £142.00 – J W Boyd & Sons

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 15th October September 2024

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here