Market Report Tuesday 19th March

An excellent day for the pedigree dairy sale with a top price of £3050 with plenty more passing the £2000 mark.

A bumper entry of sheep this week with 1290 hoggetts on offer, seeing a top price of 470p/kg and 393 Cull Ewes with a top price of £180/head.

Smaller entry of pigs on offer, seeing a top price of 207p.

Buyers were out in force in the calf shed and wanting to buy in big numbers with British Blue Bulls topping at £430 and a British Blue Heifer topping at £340.

BARREN COWS (26)

Selling time – 10:00am

Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

A very firm trade with some excellent prices achieved.

Barren cows topped at 207p/kg for a 615kg Holstein from GE Brookes & Partners of Uttoxeter with a 695kg Holstein from WH Townsend & Son of Ashbourne at 179p/kg and a 790kg Holstein, again from GE Brookes & Partners, achieving 177p/kg.

Other top prices:

176p    835kg   Angus             LAJ Turner & Son

174p    720kg   Angus              J Heath

170p    660kg   Stabiliser          DW Harrison

169p    795kg   Hereford          LAJ Turner & Son

Top headage price was £1469.60for the Angus cow from LAJ Turner & Son.

An 815kg Angus Bull, from EJ & DC Kidd, was very well sold for 185p/kg to £1507.75/head.

PIGS (61)

Selling time – 9:15am

Auctioneer – Ed Groves (07964 510145)

A smaller entry with 61 head on offer, trade sharper on the week topping at 207p.

Cutters topped at 198p from J&B Fentem, with others to 177p. R A Hughes saw 175p.

Baconers topped at 207p from J&B Fentem who had others to 203p. C Hine to 205p, PF+PD Parsons to 203p and J&B Minshull to 199p.

Heavies to 194p from PF+PD Parsons others to 180p. SJ Booth had Lops to 122p for 125kg pigs.

Pig Averages.

Cutting Pigs (13);  av 182.25p/kg or £149.30/head

Bacon Pigs (41);   av 179.08p/kg or £172.05/head

Heavy Pigs (7);     av 153.60p/kg or £175.11/head

DAIRIES (67)

Selling time – 11:30am

Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)

Dairies to £1780

LEEK PEDIGREE SALE TO £3050

A strong trade for milkers at the March Pedigree Sale, particularly the best, saw a top price of £3050 and many more passing the £2000 mark.

Topping the day was an exceptional heifer from the Needham family of Rushton. By Pine-Tree Pursuit she was sold giving 36kg and caught the
eye of Angela Bailey who took her home to Brown Edge at £3050. A second heifer by Augustus Red from the same home reached £2520 to Luke Neville of Tansley. All four heifers from the Needhams passed the £2000 mark to average £2423.

The Shepherd family of Hassop, Bakewell saw their two heifers reach £2440 and £2320, both by Siemers Darwin, they went to Andrew
Neville of Darley Moor, Matlock.

Cows reached £2420 for a second calver from the Cotton family of Whiston. By EDG Rubicon, she had given 7590kg as a heifer. Sold giving 47kg she too went to Andrew Neville.

SHEEP SECTION

Selling time 11:00am

Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)

HOGGETS (1290)

A bumper entry of Hoggetts met a solid demand, particularly for the best sorts. Lightweight and leaner types perhaps not quite as fast but still adding up very well.

Overall average at 380p/kg or £164.40. Generally, a more mixed show in terms of quality with vendors clearly trying to catch the trade.

Best Hoggs to
470p/kg for Beltex from Ron Tomkinson and plenty of pens at 420-450p/kg.

Best big Hoggs coming to £247.08/head.

Sample Prices: –

390p    32kg    S Wilton, Wetley Rocks

415p    36.8kg TW Fountain, Marston Montgomery

470p    37kg    R Tomkinson & Son, Butterton

453p    41kg    D Williams, Basford

432p    41.7kg DB Goldstraw, Meerbrook

432p    43.4kg SJ Pace & Co, Congleton

438p    44.6kg R&S Bailey, Rushton Spencer

440p    44.6kg D Machin, Rudyard

445p    45.1kg FS&MJ Heath, Pipe Gate

430p    46.2kg D Williams, Basford

418p    49.5kg CH Redfern, Onecote

425p    50.1kg FS&MJ Heath, Pipe Gate

412p    51kg    GH&M Torr, Bradnop

430p    56kg    J Belfield & R Deakin-Gallimore

402p    58kg    R&S Bailey, Rushton Spencer

CULL EWES (393)

A good entry selling on a solid trade, back on the week generally but the quality also not as good.

Best Texel Rams to £210 with others at £150 -£180.

Best Texel Ewes to £180 from Peter Jeffrey and Family and heavy Texels generally £160 and better.

Overall average £109/head.

CALVES (110)

Selling time – 10:00am

Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)

Spring is in the air and the buyers come out in force to purchase quality rearing calves.

28 CONTINENTAL BULLS

All shapes and sizes represented and buyers for them all at increased prices on the week. A superb British Blue X Bull topped the day at £430 for Andy Williamson
with the ten best over £320. Mediums £230-£290 and looked well sold with a few smaller bulls, out of cross-bred cows, under £200.

16 Blues av £233 to £430          RG&AS Williamson

2 Sims   av £320 to £350          TD & DA Higginson

9 Lims    av £232 to £350          DR & A Shuker

1 Blon                 to £295          BE Wain

26 CONTINENTAL HEIFERS

Strong money again with a new buyer in town wanting numbers and making the best and mediums a solid trade. A strong British Blue (3mths) made £340 with the best
ten fresh calves £270-£295, mediums £215-£250 with just six smaller heifers under £200.

14 Blues av £246 to £340          J Bailey & Sons

3 Sims    av £245 to £295          RG & AS Williamson

8 Lims    av £189 to £292          JC&D Hudson

1 Blon   
             to £228          BE Wain

38 NATIVES