A festive day at Leek with our Annual Christmas Show & Sale of Pedigree Dairies. An exceptional turnout of quality dairies on offer with the Overall Champion awarded to the Mellor family of Earl Sterndale with their heifer Braemarhouse Moutard Jane which went on to sell to £2520. 21 cattle sold of £2000 today. Thank you to everyone who supported the Sale this year.
Away from the show, the market was generally quieter as to be expected for the pre-Christmas sale. Barrens sold up to 138p/kg or £1072.60 per head.
A strong entry of butcher’s lambs and a super trade throughout with lambs topping at 336p/kg and £171.60 per head. Cull ewes a fierce trade selling up to £174 to average at £114!!
Plenty of pigs about again but trade not as dear as we have had he last few weeks with a couple of orders less, pigs topped at 130p/kg.
A solid trade expericenc in the calf shed with lots of buyers after calves. Top price today of £380 for a Limousin bull and £295 for Blue heifers.
DAIRIES (86);
Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
**TOP OF £2600** **21 Over £2000**
Vendors did not disappoint at the Christmas Pedigree Show & Sale at Leek with a tremendous show of cattle presented for sale.
Judge George Swindell did a superb job pulling out two exceptional animals to head the cow and heifer classes.
Messrs Easom of Oakerthorpe have been fantastic supporters for many years and it was their cow Broomhouse Jonas Lilac that clinched the cow class and went on to take Reserve Champion. A third calver by ABS Jonas, she had given 10,577kg in her second. Sold giving 48kg, she was purchased by Luke Neville of Tansley for £2140.
The Mellor family like the Easoms have shown quality animals from their Braemarhouse herd for many years at Leek. Their heifer Braemarhouse Moutard Jane caught the eye of the judge who put her first in the heifer class and then the Champion. By Delta Moutard-Red the judge George Swindell backed his judgment and clinched her at £2520 to join to Shepley herd at Chelmorton, Buxton.
However it was a heifer from the Easoms Broomhouse Achiever Garde by ABS Achiever that attracted most interest. Boasting 3 generations of EX she was eventually taken by the Bradbury family of Earl Sterndale at £2600.
Close behind at £2540 was a tremendous heifer from G J Sutton of Congleton. The framey heifer by ABS Zedabee giving 38kg caught the eye of Andrew Hulme who took her home to Basford at £2540.
They also saw their second calver by R-E-W Seaver reach £2420 to Messrs Seabridge of Barlaston.
Numerous animals were in that £2200 – £2600 bracket with 21 passing the £2000 barrier and the entire Pedigree entry average three pounds short of £1800 at £1797. The entire entry of 77 milkers including commercials averaged £1717.
Thank you to both vendors and purchasers for their continued support through a difficult year and above all our staff who have kept the ‘ship sailing’. Wishing everybody a very happy Christmas and hopefully we will see some of you on the 28th.
BARREN COWS (16);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A small entry today with the best to 138p/kg for a 705kg Holstein from WSW Mills, Ratcliffe on Wreake, with a 635kg Friesian at 138p/kg for D & G Tudor, Kingsley and a 740kg Holstein at 130p/kg for R &T Clowes & Son, Dilhorne. Other Black and Whites sold up to 128p/kg for a 645kg Friesian from S J Hooley, Butley who also sold a 605kg Angus for 120p/kg.
Two Holstein steers just over age sold for 151p/kg for a 580kg Steer and 146p/kg for a 665kg steer both from D & EA Jeffrey, Roston, who also sold a 865kg Hereford bull for 124p/kg.
Top headage price of £1072.60 for the bull with cows to £972.90 and £962.
PIGS (122);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A good entry forward but trade not as good as we have seen of late. Pork pigs sold up to 107p/kg for a pair of 69kg pigs from R Buckley, Sheffield.
Cutting pigs topped at 126p/kg for 84kg pigs from Massie Farms, with 84kg pigs at 122p/kg from J & B Fentem, and a pair of 85kg pigs sold for 118p/kg from PF & PD Parsons, with the Fentems selling others 117p/kg and 110p/kg.
Bacon pigs sold up to 130p/kg for a pen of 87kg pigs from Massie Farms who sold others for 127p/kg, 126p/kg, 125p/kg, 124p/kg (x3). A pair of 92kg pigs realised 129p/kg for PF & PD Parsons and a 86kg pig at 124p/kg for Bernard Minshull.
Heavy pigs sold up to 100p/kg for a pair of 111kg pigs from J & B Fentem, and a 118kg pig at 99p/kg for the Parsons who sold a pair of 109kg pigs at 72p/kg. A pair of 112kg pigs realised 72p/kg for J & B Fentem.
Averages;
Pork Pigs (14); av 70.42p/kg or £50.93/head
Cutting Pigs (23); av 114.11p/kg or £91.46/head
Bacon Pigs (70); av 108.26p/kg or £102.17/head
Heavy Pigs (15); av 69.3p/kg or £76.41/head
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
BUTCHERS LAMBS (698);
A smaller entry, likely due to the uncertainty about demand this close to the Christmas shut down. Trade solid again, with the best lambs nicely over 300p/kg and toping at 336p.
Heavy weights in very good demand, topping at £171.60/head and plenty more in that category could have been sold.
Overall average of 279p/kg or £118/head (the average up by 50p/kg on this time last year!)
Usual market next Bank Holiday Tuesday. Good demand anticipated but feel free to call for an update closer to the time.
Sample prices;
331p 36.7kg I G Forrester, Trent Vale
331p 35.5kg M Jones, Rudyard
336p 41.8kg R & L Vernon, Rocester
330p 42kg I G Forrester, Trent Vale
326p 43kg I G Forrester, Trent Vale
325p 42kg R & S Bailey, Cloudside
320p 41.1kg DJ & P Smith, Rushton Spencer
292p 46kg J H Mellor, Nantwich
279p 58.8kg N E Goodwin & Son, Upper Hulme
260p 66kg N E Goodwin & Son, Upper Hulme
CULL SHEEP (148);
A smaller entry but a fierce trade! Best Texel’s to £174 from Roger & Simon Bailey with the top 6 lots over £160/head. Overall average an eye watering £114/head including Rams up to £145.
More required next week.
CALVES (102);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
A super entry for the pre-Christmas sale with a big line up of buyers and a solid trade for all.
18 Continental Bulls
Only a few but a good price. A posh Limousin sold at £380 for Messrs Whittaker, Bosley with other good calver top side of £300.
10 Blues av £264 to £340 – DW & P Hulme
1 Char to £300 – S Bailey
1 Sim to £302 – D S Harrison
2 Lims av £307 to £380 – F E Whittaker & Sons
28 Continental Heifers
A few extra and all a good price with plenty of buyers looking for numbers to rear over the Christmas break. 10 best over £250 and sold to £295 for Andrew Hulme.
21 Blues av £217 to £295 – DW & P Hulme
4 Sims av £249 to £285 – D S Harrison
2 Lims av £225 to £260 – I Gregson
31 Natives
4 Hereford Bulls av £133 to £182 – B E Wain
7 AA Bulls to £188 – D S Buxton
5 Hereford Heifers av £135 to £175 – J & C & DN Tomlinson
15 AA Heifers av £106 to £210 – CS & J Prince
23 Black & White Bulls
A smart Friesian sold at £175 for Brooklyn Farm Products with the majority being smaller calves today for £27 – £60.
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SATURDAY 8TH JANUARY – 10AM
Catalogued Sale of Store & Breeding Sheep
Including In-Lamb Sheep
Entries Close Friday 31st December
Next Sale – Saturday 5th February
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SATURDAY 15TH JANUARY – 10AM
Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle
Entries Close Friday 7th January
Next Sale – Saturday 29th January
********************************************* SATURDAY 15TH JANUARY 2022
Sale of Store & Breeding Pigs – 10.30am
Sale of Store & Breeding Goats – 11am
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UPCOMING EVENTS WITH THE FARMING LIFE CENTRE;
The Farming Life Centre will be working with DEFRA and the Prince’s Countryside Fund to deliver a FREE programme of support to help you prepare your farm for the upcoming changes. Sign up by calling 01629 810903 or email rachelmetcalfe@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk. Participants will receive one-to-one support, an environment workshop, a business workshop plus additional events and resources.
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