With the weather starting to feel like Spring this week, many farmers are making a start on lambing and field work so numbers down slightly this week with 191 cattle and 806 sheep forward.
Some excellent prices achieved in the Dairy ring with heifers up to £2220 twice and cows to £1980.
Barrens are just as good of a price that we have become used to with the best to 202p/kg to average 135.55p/kg overall. Clean sold to 218p/kg.
First entry of Spring Lambs for 2022 with a top price of 348p/kg. Hoggs still continue to sell at a pace with the best to 330p/kg. SQQ or 280.5p/kg and overall 262p/kg. Cull ewes still in high demand with the best to £196.
A much improved trade in the pig section this Tuesday, with prices well up on the last few weeks. Best bacon pigs to 126p/kg and pork pigs to 128p/kg.
Calves sold up to £430 for British Blue bulls with the heifers topping at £350 for a Blue
BARREN COWS (25);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A small entry met a very strong trade with the best to 202p/kg and average of 135.55p/kg.
New vendor B A Charlesworth of Minshull Vernon sold a 610kg British Blue to 202p/kg and also a 525kg British Blue for 178p/kg. Herefords sold up to 168p/kg for a 600kg cow from G Bailey, Rushton and a 655kg Friesian sold at 160p/kg for DR & A Shuker, Bosley.
Other top prices;
159p 685kg Montbeliarde – E Morten & Sons, Barmoor
157p 610kg Hereford – E R Durose, Leigh
153p 695kg Holstein – MJ & J Rhodes, Crewe
150p 740kg Holstein – DR & BA Cotton, Whiston
149p 705kg Holstein – C H Ede & Son, Alkmonton
149p 675kg Holstein – MJ & J Rhodes, Crewe
Top headage price of £1110 for the 740kg Holstein from DR & BA Cotton, with Montbeliarde to £1089.15, Holsteins to £1063.35, “1050.45 and Blues to £1040.30.
CLEAN CATTLE;
Just one toady being a 560kg Limousin steer realising 218p/kg for Sam Clowes, Rudyard.
DAIRIES (36);
Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
A superb trade despite the mixed quality forward saw two heifers reach £2220. The first from Messrs Callwood of Knutsford giving 26kg and the second a Dairy Shorthorn from Rob Kite of Milwich giving 28kg.
Close behind at £2200 was a 26kg heifer from Messrs Ellis of Ashover.
Cows topped at £1980 for a second calver from Messrs Bradburn of Wigan.
Hayden Whitfield of Doveridge kindly donated a Jersey x heifer to the Ukraine Crisis. After spirited bidding the hammer eventually fell at £1420 to Phil Wilson of Ashover. Leek Auctions have matched this price and a total including many other donations given in recent weeks will be announced soon.
PIGS (134);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894).
A much improved trade for pigs this Tuesday with many over 115p/kg.
Pork pigs topped at 128p/kg for 69kg pigs from Massie Farms and 118p/kg for 71kg pigs from J & B Fentem.
Cutters topped at 126p/kg for 76kg pigs from J G Belfield, Sheen, with 82kg pigs at 126p/kg for J & B Fentem and 79kg and 82kg pigs also at 126p/kg for Massie Farms, who sold others 125p/kg twice.
Bacon pigs sold up to 126p/kg twice for 94kg and 86kg pigs from Massie Farms and two pens at 125p/kg also. 124p/kg for 86kg pigs from J & B Fentem, and 122p/kg for 92kg pigs from J G Belfield. 120p/kg for a single 91kg pig from J W Bailey.
Heavier pigs sold up to 105p/kg for a pair of 105kg pigs from Phil Kelsall.
A good show of sows this week and prices well up on the week topping at 100p/kg for a 303kg sow from MC & EA Bettie, 89p/kg for a 195k sow from Phil Kelsall, 88p/kg three times for a 288kg sow from Ray Rowlinson, a 202kg sow from P Shaw and a 266kg sow from the Beatties.
Averages;
Pork Pigs (10); av 115.92p/kg or £81.84/head
Cutting Pigs (39); av 119.34p/kg or £96.67/head
Bacon Pigs (56); av 107.45p/kg or £96.24/head
Heavy Pigs (11) ; av 82.78p/kg or £87.67/head
Cull Sows (17); av 70.21p/kg or £169.33/head
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
SPRING LAMBS (21);
First entry of the season saw a solid but steady trade topping at 348p/kg for 39kg lambs from R & A Williamson. The entry topped at £138.33 per head and averaged £135.
BUTCHERS HOGGETS (652);
A reasonable entry sold on a much firmer trade generally but also generally a better entry in terms of quality. Best sorts regularly over 300p/kg to top at 330p/kg.
Bigger weights generally a faster trade, topping at 298p/kg for heavies and 291p/kg for overweight. Top headage price of £164.04.
SQQ average of 280.5p/kg and 262p/kg overall.
Sample prices;
310p 31kg GW & MA Platt & Son, North Rode
321p 37.1kg GH & M Torr, Bradnop
316p 36kg GW & MA Platt & Son, North Rode
313p 37.8kg GH & M Torr, Bradnop
302p 37.6kg J Gilman & Partners, Bosley
330p 39.4kg JJA Venables & Son, Lower Withington
324p 42.5kg JJA Venables & Son, Lower Withington
315p 39.4kg H Hodgkinson & Sons, Earl Sterndale
315p 42kg J Gilman & Partners, Bosley
314p 40kg T R Lomas, North Rode
298p 51kg R & S Bailey, Cloudside
287p 46.6kg D B Goldstraw, Meerbrook
291p 55.6kg R & S Bailey, Cloudside
CULL SHEEP (133);
The smallest entry for some time with trade very strong! Best sorts to £196 from G T Worsley & Son, with others at £191 from R & A Williamson, Suffolks to £158 and Charolais to £174. Best Mules to £122/head.
Texel rams sold to £180.
Overall average of £122.52/head! MORE REQUIRED!
THIS SATURDAY – SALE OF BREEDING SHEEP & EWES & HOGGS WITH LAMBS AT FOOT. ENTRIES SO FAR INCLUDE;
• 60 Welsh Half Bred Hoggs Scanned In-Lamb to Charolais Ram – Due 10th April Onwards
• 10 Mixed Ewes with Lambs at Foot
• 30 Mule & Suffolk Ewes with mostly doubles at Foot (Lambs have had a Ovivac Jab)
• 4 Pure Bred Kerry Hill Ewes with lambs at foot
• 3 Kerry Hill Tup Lambs
• 7 Dutch Spotted & Badger Face Ewes with Texel x Lambs at Foot
CALVES (127);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
A bright and sunny spring day and calf buyers were out in force with recent good prices exceeded in many occasions.
34 Continental Bulls
The best as good a trade as we have seen recently but the second and third quality calves were dearer on the week. A upper Simy from Messrs Higginson, Mobberley sold at £430 with the top 6 over £340. Medium calves trade of the day £250 – £310 with only a handful of smaller sorts under £230.
21 Blues av £277 to £370 – J R Mosedale & Son
7 Sims av £295 to £430 – TD & DA Higginson
28 Continental Heifers
Certainly dearer on the week with additional buyers working hard to buy calves. Smart Blues topped at £350 for Andrew Hulme with only a couple of Blues under £210. Mediums generally £220 – £250.
18 Blues av £236 to £350 – DW & P Hulme
4 Sims av £206 to £255 – S & M Huxley & Son
6 Lims to £302 – S Moss, Cloudside
22 Natives
No overall quality but a superb trade for the good on offer.
8 AA Bulls av £123 to £255 – FA & TM Cotton
5 Hereford Heifers to £85 – G R Spink
5 AA Heifers to £95 – R Wilkinson & Son
37 Black & White Bulls
Friesians to £130 for D & LA Critchlow, Sheen with the majority of smaller calves £14 – £40.
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THIS SATURDAY 26TH MARCH
Sale of 818 Store & Breeding Cattle – 10am
Catalogues Available Online
Also, First Fortnightly Sale of Ewes with Lambs at Foot – Please advise of Entries
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