Leek market
A QUIETER day at Leek on Tuesday, with many farmers taking advantage of the dry spell.
A strong trade was seen in the barren and clean sections with good support from buyers around the ring. Cows topped at 137p/kg with bulls at 148p/kg. Young bulls in the clean sold to 185p/kg and heifers at 184p/kg.
A full shed of dairy cattle again this week with a top of £1770 for a heifer from Andrew Weston, Litton.
Pigs were a very solid trade with averages up across the board! Top prices of 166p/kg and £174.59 per head.
Less sheep about but lambs a much firmer trade with prices up 5-7p/kg on the week. Top price of 198p/kg for 43.8kg lambs and ewes to £100.
Calves are still a sticky trade as buyers still being cautious of the lack of winter feed about. However, stronger calves sold well up to a top of £385 for a Simmental bull calf.
BARREN COWS (67);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A strong trade for barrens with plenty of buyers around the ring.
Top price of 137p/kg for a 575kg Simmental from A P Chaddock, Gillow Heath. A 535kg Limousin from Peter Beecroft, Grindon realised £135p/ kg with a 635kg Limousin from Colin
Lymer, Cheddleton realising 134p/kg. A 675kg Angus made 133.5p/kg from John Robotham, Swinscoe.
Overall average of 103.84p/kg or £664.26 per head.
Top headage price of £1128.75 for Simmentals with Holsteins for £1102.05 and £1050.90.
Overage steers sold to 161p/kg for a 450kg Charolais from DRH Agri, Poynton to gross £724.50.
Stock bulls sold for 148p/kg for a
1000kg Limousin from W Maskery & Son, Mappleton with a 895kg Angus to 120p/kg from Ray Turner, Rownall. These grossed £1480 and £1074 respectively.
CLEAN CATTLE (12);
Selling time – 10:45am approx. Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
Less about but a good trade for the cattle on offer with young bulls to 185p/kg for a 700kg Simmental from Rushton Spencer.
Heifers sold to 184p/kg for a 635kg Limousin from Mrs P Mitchell, Brown Lees who also sold a further two being 655kg and 615kg Limousins for 180p/kg and 170p/kg respectively.
Steers topped at 178p/kg for a 530kg Hereford from E T Simpson, Winkhill who sold another 515kg Hereford for 165p/kg and a 610kg Hereford at 161p/kg.
Top headage price of £1295 for the Simmental bull with heifers to £1179 and £1168.40 for Limousins from Mrs Mitchell and steers to £982.10.
DAIRIES (103);
Selling time – 11:00am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
A full shed again in the dairy section but a steadier trade than last week with many more taking the opportunity to get a cut of silage in.
Top call was £1770 for a 29kg heifer from Andrew & Bridget Weston of Litton. She went to John Moss of Rushton Spencer.
Close behind at £1700 was a heifer from
Messrs Davenport of Brereton. She went to Wetwood Farms.
The herd dispersal on behalf of Messrs Hall, Abbotts Bromley topped at £1600. First Quality Heifers to £1770 av £1735 Second Quality Heifers to £1570 av £1427 Second Quality Cows to £1570 av £1414
PIGS (82);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
Pigs were a good trade with extra buying power, and some good quality stock forward.
Pork pigs topped at 160p/kg for 71kg pigs from J& BF ent em& Sons, who sold others at 152p/kg for 72kg pigs, 142p/kg for 75kg pigs and 132p/kg twice for 74kg pigs.
Cutting pigs sold to 140p/kg for 80kg pigs from the Fentem family who sold a pair of 78kg pigs at 138p/kg.
Bacon pigs topped at 166p/kg for 87kg pigs from the Fentem family who sold a 90kg pig at 158p/kg. others sold to 130p/kg for 86kg and 88kg pigs.
Only a few heavy pigs today but topped at 158p/kg for a pair of 110kg pigs from Chris Hine, Biddulph who also sold 104kg pigs to 118p/kg.
No real quality cull sows about today but a 187kg sow from A Worth, Marton realised 45p/kg and a 360kg boar from JA Godber, Belper realised 28p/kg.
A few weaners about with a pen of 6 from
S Proctor, Longnor sold at £27/head with a pen of 6 off Rosie Watson also selling for £27/head.
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
LAMBS (573);
A much reduced entry saw a much firmer trade. The best saw spirited bidding to a top of 198p/kg from the Elliott family of Tideswell, with plenty of other pens at 190p/ kg and above.
Commercial lambs generally 5-8p/kg better than a week ago and the average coming in at 173p/kg.
Big lambs a very solid trade to top at 183p/kg or £93.72/head. More impressively the 45kg and above averaged £84 per head.
CULL SHEEP (160);
Again, fewer about sold on a very firm trade to top at £100 from David Williams at Basford. Best mules looked dearest on the day to £88 per head with plenty £80 plus!
Very lean ewes at £10 - £20/head, impacting on the average of £50/head.
CALVES (151);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899) Similar numbers but trade remains hard work with worries about winter forage playing on rearer’s minds.
40 Continental Bulls av £233.42
The best a superb trade with the top 6 over £375 to a top of £385 for one of a run from John Fernyhough, Swythamley. 10 over £320, mediums £220 - £270 with smalls either side of £200.
17 Blues av £259 to £378 - N G Mellor and RG & AS Williamson
11 Sims av £221 to £355 - J Fernyhough 10 Lims av £202 to £275 - N E Goodwin & Son
29 Continental Heifers av £157.33
A very similar story to the bulls with many calves looking good to buy. Blue heifers topped at £245 for Andy Williamson with the top 9 over £200. Mediums £150 - £200 with smalls under £150.
13 Blues av £169 to £245 - RG & AS Williamson
6 Sims av £179 to £210 - J Fernyhough 5 Lims av £128 to £180 - C H Witham
40 Native Hereford & Angus
A good trade generally, better than the continentals with Angus bulls to £295 and £275 for Messrs Cotton, Tean and Herefords to £272 for AG & SM Ward. Heifers saw Angus to £165 for Steve Ryder and Herefords to £150 for P J Davies.
26 Black & White Bulls av £66.34
A few more big calves on offer for rearing. Monty’s sold to £138; Friesians to £100 and Holsteins to £90. Processing calves generally £20 - £50 today.