A seasonal day at Leek and saw the Monthly Pedigree Dairy sale which attracted a great crowd and some excellent prices achieved with 3 at £3000.
A strong trade once again for Barren cattle, seeing the best to 220p/kg and £1716 per head. A shortage of best quality clean cattle, but Angus heifers sold at 254p/kg and 250p/kg.
Demand for pigs was on fire this week and an excellent show of quality, selling up to 220p/kg for cutters and plenty of pens 200p and above!
A seasonal entry of sheep and hoggs sold up to 301p/kg or £153.40 head with a mixed sample forward. Cull sheep a solid trade, to £170 with an average of £98.43.
Buyers galore for calves this Tuesday, especially searching for quality heifers. Top prices of £380 for Limmy bulls and heifers to £330.
BARREN COWS (22);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
An uplift in trade and a small entry sold very well. Top price of 220p/kg for a 780kg Simmental from Home Farm, Rushton Spencer. A 680kg British Blue realised 190p/kg for D & EA Jeffery, Roston. Black & white’s sold up to 190p/kg for a 685kg Friesian from R W Potter & Co, Yeaveley.
Other top prices;
187p 660kg Cross Bred – W G & J Clark, Bradnop
176p 595kg Hereford – J Salmon, Werrington
176p 600kg Longhorn – R W Potter & Co, Yeaveley
174p 675kg Friesian – W, A & PW Carbutt, Siddington
168p 660kg Holstein – Foker Grange Farm Ltd, Leek
Top headage prices of £1716 for the 780kg Simmental from Home Farm, Rushton, with Monty’s to £1369.20, Friesians to £1301.50, Blues to £1292 and Cross breeds to £1234.20.
CLEAN CATTLE;
Selling time – Following Barren Cows
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A mixed entry this week and stock looking well sold. Top price of 254p/kg for a 545kg Angus from Home Farm, Rushton Spencer, who also sold a 620kg Angus for 250p/kg.
Black & white bulls in good demand selling to229p/kg for a 590kg bull and 228p/kg for a 555kg Friesian from JE Archer & Sons, Hilston who also sold a 615kg bull for 225p/kg and 216p/kg for a 509kg bull.
Top headage price of £1550for the 620kg Angus heufe
DAIRIES (95);
Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
The trade for the best continues to hold with 26 passing the £2000 barrier on Tuesday and 3 reaching £3000. However the continued discussions of a milk price drop and the more definitive information coming forward from dairies about how much this will be is definitely impacting on the trade for third quality animals with purchasers being more particular about how they spend their money.
Dominating the top prices was the Weston family of Roston who saw 3 of their 7 heifers reach £3000 with others to £2900, £2860 and £2800.
A Nihao daughter from the Hughes family of Cheddleton reached £2580 with Messrs Cotton of Whiston seeing their Charming daughter make £2320.
Cows topped at £2620 for a second calver from Messrs Mellor of Earl Sterndale with another second calver from the Broadley family reaching £2400.
In-calf heifers from Richard Lomas reached £1920 with Procross youngstock from Halton Farms topping at £700.
PIGS (90);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer –Ed Groves (07964 510145)
Trade on fire today, topping at 220p/kg for 81kg pigs from PJ Barker, Charnwood. Similar numbers to last week with a lot more quality pigs on offer. Numerous pens over the 200p/kg mark today and long may it continue.
Porkers topped at 184p/kg for 72kg pigs from J&B Fentem, Allsop En-Le Dale, who had others to 183p/kg, 179p/kg x2 for 74kg, 70kg and 74kg pigs.
Cutters topped at 220p/kg for 81kg pigs from PJ Barker, Charnwood. Others to 212p/kg for S Bailey, Knypersley for 85kg pigs. J&B Fentem, Allsop En-Le Dale saw 84kg and 81kg pigs to 207p/kg and 197p/kg . DB Goldstraw, Meerbrook saw 195p/kg for 82kg boars.
Baconers were an incredible trade with numerous pens over 200p/kg. Top on the day at 216p/kg for Massie Farms, Stafford for 89kg pigs, others from the same home realised 214p/kg x2 and 212p/kg for 91kg and 89kg pigs. DB Goldstraw, Meerbrook saw 214p/kg for 92kg pigs. J&B Fentem, Allsop En-Le Dale had 206p/kg for 92kg pigs and S Bailey, Knypersley also had 206p/kg for 95kg pigs.
Heavy pigs topped at 193p/kg for a 105kg pig from M R Banham, Bromsgrove. P J Bowers, Mow Cop had a 112kg pig to 175p/kg.
A Pen of 22kg stores realised £28/head from C Wardle, Elworth.
Pig Averages.
Pork Pigs (11); av 181.38p/kg or £132.40/head
Cutting Pigs (21); av 195.01p/kg or £157.59/head
Bacon Pigs (49); av 197.50p/kg or £181.10/head
Heavy Pigs (3); av 177.61p/kg or £190.63/head
SHEEP SECTION.
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
HOGGETS (688);
Again, a seasonal entry with a number of runs of fed, well meated lambs and also plenty of lots of under finished types and even some big lambs lacking meat.
Best sorts very well bid for topping at 301p/kg or £153.40 per head. Best shaped meated lambs generally 260p and above.
Overall average of 233p/kg.
Sample prices;
301p 38.8kg H Hodgkinson & Sons, Earl Sterndale
248p 32.8kg I Walker, Stone
295p 42.8kg R & S Bailey, Rushton Spencer
280p 43.4kg H Hodgkinson & Sons, Earl Sterndale
280p 40.5kg FS & MJ Heath, Pipe Gate
264p 39.8kg J B Rowlinson & son, Gawsworth
272p 47.3kg FS & MJ Heath, Pipe Gate
254p 49kg FS & MJ Heath, Pipe Gate
260p 59kg H White, Snelston
CULL SHEEP (264);
A smaller entry met a solid trade. Although the average would be £5/head less, sheep for sheep, those on offer would be dearer than the previous week.
Best Texel’s at £170, best Mules at £100.
Overall average at £98.43.
CALVES (137);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
Trade on fire this week with the continental heifers, in particular as dear as we have seen them for a long while.
34 Continental Bulls
A super trade throughout with the spring rearer’s starting to appear and looking for calves. 10 better bulls sold over £300 with a smart Limmy from Messrs Salt at £380. Mediums better sold at £210 – £280 with smaller calves perhaps needing another week on the cow.
23 Blues av £219 to £370 – JC & ME Moss & Son
6 Sims av £300 to £350 – H & E Bailey & Partners
4 Lims av £262 to £380 – RJ & KA Salt
32 Continental Heifers
Wow, what a day for the heifers with buyers out in force with the Blue heifers actually dearer than the Blue bulls. 12 heifers topped £265 with 3 over £300 and a high of £350 for a Blue from Andrew Hulme. Mediums £200 – £240 with just 8 under £200.
17 Blues av £235 to £350 – D W & P Hulme
6 Sims av £216 to £325 – H & E Bailey & Partners
6 Lims av £222 to £330 – RJ & KA Salt
42 Natives
More about with the spring calving herd starting to show calves.
8 Hereford Bulls to £240 – P & H Botham
17 AA Bulls to £185 – F E Whittaker & Sons
3 Hereford Heifers to £135 – B E Wain
14 AA Heifers to £165 – GW & WL Neville
26 Black & White Bulls
Less money today with the majority £14 – £40.
3 Reared Bulls
British Blue Bull (7mths) – £500
2x British Blue Bulls (6mths) – £420
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SATURDAY 4TH MARCH
Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle
Entries Close Friday 24th February
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SATURDAY 4TH MARCH
Retirement Dispersal of Workshop Equipment
Including Woodwork Equipment, Tools, Memorabilia & Collectables
Sale Starts at 11am at Leek Auctions
Catalogue Available on our Website!
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SATURDAY 18TH MARCH
Sale of Store & Breeding Pigs – 10.30am
Sale of Store & Breeding Goats – 11am
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Peak Farmers Group
February
Our next meeting will take look at how genetic data can help give your farm the edge and will take the form of a farm walk and talk led by genetics expert Marco Winters, AHDB Head of Animal Genetics.
Join us to learn more about: How and why data is analysed for breeding characteristics, indexes and what goes into them (including the new Envirocow which supports environmental efficiency), new traits such as TB advantage, genomics and carcase traits.
This will take place on Tuesday 28th February from 10am – 12.30pm, followed by lunch, at Old House Farm, Friden, Hartington, SK17 0DY.
March
For our March event we will be exploring the benefits of the Annual Health and Welfare Review which is now open for expressions of interest. Charlie Mays of LLM Farm Vets and Farm Manager David Howlett will be helping us get to grips with what the new scheme entails and the benefits it will bring. This will take place at Dunsa Farm, Chatsworth on Wednesday 15th March, 10am-12.30pm, closing with lunch and followed by an optional farm walk at 1pm.
To book a place at either event please call 07483 373435 or email info@peakfarmersgroup.co.uk
