A festive Tuesday for the Christmas Pedigree Dairy Show & Sale which saw a superb entry of stock from regular vendors. The Supreme Champion was awarded to Norman Mellor & family of Earl Sterndale for a third calver which sold for £2700, but the Reserve Champion topped the day at £3500 for a heifer shown by Easom & Sons of Oakerthorpe. Read the full report below.
Away from the dairy shed, we saw a good entry of stock throughout for the pre-Christmas Sale. A good entry of sheep forward, with 900 butchers lambs selling on a firm trade, up to 290p/kg or £170.40/head. Cull ewes also in demand, seeing the best to £200.
Pigs were a strong trade, with an excellent quality entry selling up to 218p/kg for bacon pigs and topping at £212 per head.
A small entry of barren cattle sold well, with a mainly dairy entry, sold up to 150p/kg or £1200 per head.
A good number of calves forward for the time of year and a selective trade with a mixed quality entry. The best sold to £295 twice for Blue bull calves.
BARREN COWS (23);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A small entry and mainly dairy types, selling up to 150p/kg for a 800kg Holstein from V Moss & Sons, Rushton Spencer, and a 600kg Friesian realising 149p/kg for D & J Moseley Ltd, Caverswall. A 595kg Hereford sold for 148p/kg from S Beswick, Batham Gate and other Holsteins to 146p/kg twice for a 695kg from WG & J Clark, Bradnop and for a 580kg cow from D & J Moseley Ltd, who sold another 840kg Holstein for 140p/kg.
139p/kg for a 740kg Holstein from G B Millington, Wincle and 138p/kg for a 650kg Holstein from N E Goodwin & Son, Upper Hulme.
Top headage price of £1200 for a Holstein from V Moss & Sons, with other Holsteins at £1176, £1028.60 and £1014.70.
Overall average of 125.62p/kg or £808.05 per head.
DAIRIES (110);
Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
Christmas Pedigree Show & Sale Tops at £3500
35 Over £2000
There was a heart-warming festive atmosphere at the Christmas Pedigree Show and Sale with on-lookers treated to a real quality show of milkers.
With every standing full, the Judges Bill and Will Bradbury had an unenviable task, however after much deliberation they pulled out an outstanding third calver Braemarhouse Superpoll Davina from the Mellor family of Earl Sterndale to stand first in the Cow Class and eventually be awarded Supreme Champion. Giving 46kg having given 11447kg in her second she caught the eye of George Swindells of Chelmorton who eventually clinched her at £2700.
Regular vendors Messrs Easom of Oakerthorpe saw their heifer Broomhouse Leap Lilac 7224 take first in the heifer class and Reserve Champion. Only 2 years and 2 months old this stylish heifer met spirited bidding and was eventually knocked down to the judges at £3500.
Michael Wainwright of Buxton showed a fantastic heifer by Hoogerhorst DG OH Rubels-Red. Displaying a superbly attached udder and real stature she reached £3100 to Andrew Hulme of Basford. He also saw his second heifer by Nihao make £2900 to the Baileys of Brown Edge.
The Shepherd family of Bakewell produced a quality line up of heifers which saw the best to £3000 for a Kimball daughter which went to Andrew Neville of Matlock and a second to £2920 again to Messrs Bailey.
The commercial class was led by Andrew and Marcus Callwood of Ollerton, Knutsford who saw their first placed heifer reach £2750 to David Curtis of Basford.
Time and time again heifers were hitting £2500-£3000 with 35 passing £2000.
Thankyou to all sponsors of the Show and Sale and most importantly to all vendors and purchasers who attend throughout the year, your continued support is much appreciated. Wishing you all a happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year, see you in 2023!
PIGS (117);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
An excellent trade throughout for pigs this week and some good quality forward with plenty 200p/kg plus.
Pork pigs sold up to 201p/kg for a pair of 73kg pigs from Alan Worth, Marton. 194p/kg for a pair of 74kg pigs from J Ball, Betchon and 193p/kg for 72kg pigs from J & B Fentem, who sold others at 176p/kg.
Cutters topped at 204p/kg for a pair of 80kg pigs from J Ball, Betchon and 196p/kg for a trio of 82kg pigs from P J Saunders, Lichfield, and 194p/kg, 186p/kg and 179p/kg for cutters from J & B Fentem & Sons.
Bacon pigs were well sought after, with an average of 202.57p/kg overall!! Top prices of 218p/kg for a pair of 97kg pigs from J G Belfield, who also sold 95kg pigs for 214p/kg. Massie Farms sold a run at 213p/kg, 211p/kg twice, 210p/kg etc. 212p/kg for a trio of 86kg pigs from Bernard Minshall, Buxton and 209p/kg for 91kg pigs from J G Belfield.
Just a pair of heavy 106kg pigs this week selling at 200p/kg for J G Belfield, Sheen.
A small entry of sows were a selective trade, seeing a 235kg sow top at 38p/kg for Alan Worth and a 242kg sow at 32p/kg for P J Saunders, Lichfield.
Pig Averages.
Pork Pigs (25) av 175.64p/kg or £115.15/head
Cutting Pigs (17); av 188.17p/kg or £150.87/head
Bacon Pigs (69); av 202.57p/kg or £184.25/head
Heavy Pigs (2); av 200p/kg or £212/head
Cull Sows (4); av 30.14p/kg or £64.50/head
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
LAMBS (900);
A good entry for the last sale of 2022 and a solid trade throughout. Best lambs in very good demand and plenty at 280p and better.
Heavy weights topping at £170.40/head or 282p/kg.
Overall average at 260p/kg or £114/head.
Thank you for vendors and buyers for their support throughout the year and also the staff for making it all happen.
Sample prices;
277p 32kg A Shaw, Sturston
290p 38.4kg A J Gilman, Elkstones
290p 36.3kg Red Earth Farms Ltd, Rudyard
287p 39kg Mosley & Son, Wormhill
281p 37.7kg M S Lancaster, Congleton
288p 40.8kg M S Lancaster, Congleton
286p 43.8kg D Williams, Basford
285p 40kg Red Earth Farms Ltd, Rudyard
285p 41kg A Shaw, Sturston
282p 46.3kg D & CJ Redfern, Church Broughton
280p 46.1kg D & CJ Redfern, Church Broughton
275p 49kg D & CJ Redfern, Church Broughton
261p 57kg H White, Snelston
259p 56kg H G Nutter, Grindon
259p 55kg H White, Snelston
CULL SHEEP (309);
Another good entry selling on a brisk trade throughout. Best ewes to £200 from Jack Belfield. Plenty of heavy ewes at £150 plus and a good average at £103/head.
Best Mules to £128 and plenty at £100.
Best Texel ewes to £164.
CALVES (138);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
Good numbers for the last sale of the year but a few absent buyers led to a selective trade.
37 Continental Bulls
Well presented calves still attract a premium but a number of calves that were shown young are less money. Two lovely bulls from Brian Goodwin found many admirers and topped at £295/head to two different Yorkshire buyers.
20 Blues av £147 to £295 – N E Goodwin & Son
14 Sims av £163 to £290 – DG & JA Ball
47 Continental Heifers
All shapes and sizes. I fully accept that rearing calves with the weather as it is hard work but it paus to present them in full bloom. A couple of better Blues topped £200 and sold to £212 for Messrs Myatt, Blythe Bridge.
27 Blues av £123 to £212 – A J & T Myatt
17 Sims av £67 to £175 – H & E Bailey & Partners
3 Lims av £136 to £195 – J C & D Hudson
37 Natives
Bulls ok to sell but heifers hard work.
3 Hereford Bulls to £160 – B E Wain
14 Angus Bulls to £170 – Garnett Farms
7 Hereford Heifers to £38 – B E Wain
13 Angus Heifers to £50 – Garnett Farms
15 Black & White Bulls
Predominantly smaller calves today from £12 – £30.
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SATURDAY 7TH JANUARY
Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle
Entries Close Friday 30th December
Next Sale: Saturday 21st January
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SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY
Catalogued Sale of Store & Breeding Sheep
Including In-Lamb Sheep
Also, Derbyshire Diamond Texel In-Lamb
Show & Sale
Entries Close Friday 6th January
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SATURDAY 21ST JANUARY 2022
Sale of Store & Breeding Pigs – 10.30am
Sale of Store & Breeding Goats – 11am
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News from The Farming Life Centre
Farm for the Future
The next round of the Prince’s Countryside Fund ‘Farm for The Future’ programme has begun! If you have not yet signed up there is still time to do so, participants from last time may take part again. Please get in touch to join.
Our first event will be taking place in January starting with an Environmental Workshop from Chris Seabridge of Seabridge Associates on how policy changes will affect your farm, tools and advice for moving forward, plus financial and practical opportunities within ELMs. There are two dates and venues for this talk: The Bentley Brook Inn at Fenny Bentley at 7pm on 12th January 2023 or The George Inn at Tideswell at 7pm on 18th January 2023.
Contact Alice on 07904 691 457 or email alice@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk to join the programme or book your place at the above event.
Low Carbon Agriculture Show
We will be running free coach transport and entry to the Low Carbon Agriculture 2023 show at the NAEC Stoneleigh on Wednesday 8th February (Pick-up and drop off Buxton Market Place and Ashbourne Market Place). The event will help you explore ways to make on-farm improvements through renewable energy, low carbon technology and carbon and environmental land management. If you would like to book a place please call 07483 373 435 or email lorna@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk.
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