A busy Tuesday to begin February, with a good show of sheep this week, with 594 hogget’s forward selling on a much improved trade up to 333p/kg and £149.85 per head to average 283.92p/kg. Cull ewes still a strong trade with the best to £174 per head.
Dairies sold on a bouncy trade with some good quality forward, selling up to £2210 for heifers with milkers selling between £1290 – £1720.
An increased entry of Barrens sold on a similar trade to last week, with a top price of 149p/kg or £1187.45. Clean topped at 222p/kg for a British Blue heifer.
More calves forward meaning something for everybody and still a strong trade with the best Blue Bull calves to £400.
Further improvement in the pig section this week with prices up to 92-125p/kg, topping at 129p/kg for Pork pigs.
BARREN COWS (36);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A slightly increased entry but plenty more could have been sold to vendors advantage with a good company of buyers bidding keenly around the ring for all types and sizes.
The top price of the day was 149p/kg paid for a 630kg Limousin cow from J S Hine of Biddulph Park with a 420kg Friesian heifer from Messrs Bennett of Whiston at 138p/kg and a Shorthorn cow weighing 765kg from Messrs Hooley of Macclesfield selling well for 138p/kg with other top prices as follows:
820kg Friesian from RG & AS Williamson of Wetley Rocks at 137p/kg, 780kg Holstein from WG & J Clark of Bradnop at 137p/kg, a 705kg Holstein from J & L Macpherson Limited of Yoxall Park at 136p/kg.
A 740kg Holstein from WG & J Clark of Bradnop at £134p/kg and a 935kg Friesian from BW Swindells at 127p/kg, a 925kg Holstein from Foker Grange Farm, Leek at 127p/kg.
Overall average throughout the sale was a very pleasing 119.82p/kg.
Top headage price of the day was £1187.45 for the 935kg Friesian from Brian Swindells of Onecote with Foker Grange Farm Limited receiving £1174.75 for a 925kg Holstein with a further 10 cows exceeding £1000 per head.
Overall average achieved was £811.47.
CLEAN CATTLE;
Selling time – 10:45am approx.
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A small entry of clean cattle but plenty of competition for those on offer with top price of the day being 222p/kg paid for a 615kg British Blue heifer from Nigel Gibbs of Butterton with a 445kg Angus from Robert Hall of Buxton at 215p/kg and a 540kg Simmental heifer from the same vendor at 210p/kg.
Steers sold up to 202p/kg for a 435kg British Blue x from Foker Grange Farm Limited.
Top headage price of the day was £1365.30 for a 615kg British Blue heifer from Nigel Gibbs of Butterton, with £1339.20 for a 720kg Simmental steer from Messrs Bower of Hyde with £1337.60 being paid for a 760kg Brown Swiss x steer from Messrs Shuker of Bosley.
DAIRIES;
Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
A very bouncy trade for the dairies on Tuesday saw five pass the £2000 mark topping at £2210.
Top honours went to Messer’s Suttton of Astbury, Congleton who saw all four of their heifers pass £2000 to average £2140.
Richard Lomas of Calow, Derbyshire saw his heifer reach £2060.
Shorthorn heifer calves from the Broadlane Herd of Gary Norbury were keenly sought after reaching £445.
PIGS (120);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A much sharper trade for pigs with four buyers actively bidding seeing pork pigs from J & B Fentem & Sons at 70kg sold up to 129/kg with a 73kg gilt from R & L Vernon of Rocester at 127p/kg
Cutters again from J & B Fentem & Sons sold up to 129p/kg with others at 125p/kg and 124p/kg and 123p/kg
Bacon pigs from Massie Farms of Stafford up to 126p/kg 123p/kg and 121p/kg.
Heavy weight pigs from Messrs Baddam of Bromsgrove sold up to 92p/kg at a weight of 111kg.
Top headage price was £105/head for cutting weight pigs with bacon weight pigs up to £112.46/head and Cull Sows selling up to £203.35/head from P J Saunders of Litchfield at a weight of 245kg with a 297kg sow from the same vendor selling at £196.02/head.
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
BUTCHERS HOGGETS (594);
A seasonal entry selling on a much improved trade, above expectations.
Best lambs seeing a very firm demand, topping at 333p, and more over 300p than seen for a number of weeks.
35 – 42kg very much in demand, and 48kg and over also good to sell adding up to some impressive headage prices. 44 – 47kg hoggs continue to be the best value for money, but still a very respectable trade.
More numbers are required each week to satisfy demand. Nine bidders today representing fifteen outlets, meaning strong competition to vendor’s advantage.
Average 283p/kg or £119.87/head!
Sample prices:
289p 31.5kg J Walker, Stafford
318p 38.25kg S Rushton, Cheadle
333p 45kg R & S Bailey, Cloudside
320p 44kg DJ & P Smith, Rushton Spencer
312p 42kg J M Robinson, Swythamley
308p 40.67kg Robinson Partners, Tatenhill
317p 46kg R & S Bailey, Cloudside
303p 54.2kg D H & J Lovatt, Rushton
CULL SHEEP (257);
A reasonable entry but not enough for the buyers’ requirements.
A very fast trade throughout. Best to £174/head, but a shortage of very best forward. Buyers able to give more for the right goods.
Second quality ewes the dearest on the week, with some lean mules looking very well sold at £70 – £90/head.
Average overall £112/head.
MORE SHEEP REQUIRED!!
CALVES (110);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
A tidy show of calves with something for everybody.
39 Continental Bulls
A few best bred bulls look well sold but the second and third quality bulls look good to buy at present. Now is surely the time to start to rear a batch. Blues peaked at £400 for Graham Myatt with others at £395 for Harrison Partners and £370 for Peter Gilman. Medium Bulls £170 – £250 with a few smaller bulls less.
20 Blues av £253 to £400 – G W Myatt & Partners
11 Sim av £189 to £290 – S & M Huxley & Son
6 Lim av £167 to £220 – J Kirkham
2 Blo av £212 to £300 – BE Wain
30 Continental Heifers
The same story as the bulls with perhaps more trade for the third quality than medium sorts. A smart Limousin made £320 with the best seven over £220. Medium heifers £150 – £200 with smaller heifers best sold but no records broken today.
15 Blues av £167 to £298 – NE Goodwin & Son
8 Sim av £170 to £280 – S & M Huxley & Son
3 Lim av £246 to £320 – S. Moss
4 Blo av £121 to £188 – BE Wain
17 Natives
Well enough sold on the day with heifers looking particularly good.
4 Here Bulls av £197 to £235 – PT Beswick
5 AA Bulls av£149 to £220 – FA & TM Cotton
3 Here Heifers av £137 to £200 – GT Tideswell
5 AA Heifers av £101 to £135 – GR & D Hawkins
17 B & W Bulls av £51.
British Frisians topped at £115 for Messer’s Knight, Horton with the rest generally £60 – £80 and smaller bulls £30 – £50.
7 Reared Calves
Limousin heifers (3⅟₂ months) sold at £430 with steers (3months) also at £420 for F Yates, Longford with the Gilman Family selling Blond Heifers (3⅟₂ months) at £400.
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SATURDAY 5TH FEBRUARY – 10AM
*FINAL ROUND UP*
Catalogued Sale of & Breeding Sheep
Including In-Lamb Sheep
Entries Close Friday 28th January
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SATURDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle – 10am
Sale of Store & Breeding Pigs – 10.30am
Sale of Store & Breeding Goats – 11am
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