Leek market
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
WHAT a difference a week makes with a very busy sale day last Tuesday with a full sheep shed of 1655 lambs and cull sheep.
Albeit a lesser trade than last week with the larger amount of lambs forward nationally. Top price of 189p/kg twice, and £126 for cull rams.
A nice entry of dairies forward being a good trade, with heifers to £1940 for a fresh Ayrshire, and a second calver Shorthorn to £1,920.
A better trade for barren cattle this week, especially for the good meated sorts, selling to 146p/kg for Blue cows, with clean to 210p/kg for a Limousin heifer.
A strong trade again for pigs this week, with a decent entry forward, selling to 148p/ kg for bacon pigs, and cull sows to 95p/kg.
174 calves forward with trade being less on the week and buyers nervous of future trading. Best bulls sold well on the day to top at £345 for a Blue calf and Blue heifer calves to £252.
BARREN COWS (52);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A better trade this week, with more about and some better quality cattle forward. Top price of 146p/kg for a 585kg British Blue cow from F & J Barlow, Froghall, with a 645kg Angus realising 128p/kg for K & A Gould, Thorncliffe.
Black & whites sold to 127p/kg for a 850kg Holstein from J G Curtis & Son, Basford.
Overall average of 107.48p/kg or £705.24 per head.
Top headage price of £1079.50 for Holsteins from J G Curtis & Son, and £976.95 for D & J Moseley, with Monty’s to £977.50 for Wes Clark, Bradnop.
CLEAN CATTLE (20);
Selling time – 10:45am approx.
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
More about this week which is good to see, and more quality about.
Top price of 210p/kg for a neat 450kg Limousin heifer from Mark Butler, Bagnall selling to J W Ash Butchers, Leek. Other heifers sold to 173p/kg for a 545kg British Blue from Reg Critchlow Grindon.
Steers sold to 180p/kg for a 660kg Angus from Reg Critchlow, Grindon, with others at 169p/kg for a 650kg Angus from K J White & Co, Swinscoe, and 160p/kg for a 765kg South Devon from the same home.
Black and white bulls sold to 160p/kg for a 615kg Friesian from J E Archer & Sons, Hilton.
Top headage price of £1224 for steers from K J White, £945 for heifers and £984 for bulls.
DAIRIES (37);
Selling time – 11:00am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
A lovely trade for the quality forward saw the best to £1940 for a fresh Ayrshire heifer from Messrs Platts of Bamford to David Moseley of Caverswall.
Hot in pursuit at £1920 was a Shorthorn second calver from Messrs Howe of Litton. Giving 34kg she went to David Clowes of Kingsley.
A powerful heifer from Richard Lomas of Calow reached £1900 to John Fernyhough of Swythamley.
Next week promises to be busy with 12 very genuine cows from one home (ceasing milk production) and 12 in-calf heifers also
from one home already entered along with a pedigree Limousin bull.
PIGS (102);
Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A good show of pigs this week and trade up on the week with averages up 10p throughout! Cutting pigs topped at 146p/ kg for an 82kg pig from PF & PD Parsons, Redbrook, with an 83kg pig from J & B Fentem, Alsop selling at 140p/kg with others from the Parson family at 134p/kg.
A particularly good trade for bacon pigs this Tuesday with a top of 148p/kg twice for 95kg and 92kg pigs from Chris Hine, Biddulph Park, with others at 144p/kg twice for 96kg and 89kg pigs from J & B Fentem.
Heavy pigs sold to 122p/kg for a pair of 105kg pigs from J W Bailey, Cloudside, with an 168kg pig from Chris Hine selling for 112p/kg.
Cull sows sold to 95p/kg for a 176kg sow from J Wheawall, Nobut, with a 311kg sow from S Bailey at 79p/kg, and a 318kg sow at 76p/kg from JA & EM Ratcliffe, Rodsley.
Store pigs sold to £51 for a pen of 10 weaners from J Ball, Betchon, and a pen of seven 22kg weaners sold for £30 from Angus Lockett, Rushton.
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
BUTCHERS LAMBS (1326);
Pleasing to have a large entry of lambs with store sales approaching many producers choosing to select the stronger types for the fat market.
Large numbers forward nationally had the usual effect on trade but having said that there was competitive bidding throughout, and all but one vendor selling all stock forward. It has to be said that trade got stronger as the day progressed.
Best on offer sold generally 180p and above, to top at 189p (twice). Also pleasingly there was very little at below 150p, except ‘rare breeds’.
Thank you to vendors, buyers and staff for making the day a success.
CULL SHEEP (319);
A good seasonal entry sold on a very solid trade from start to finish.
Best rams on offer saw £126 for Texel rams from Paul Johnson and £92 for a pure Suffolk from June Sherratt.
Best ewes sold to £113 for Texels from Roger & Simon Bailey and £108 for Texel’s from Paul Johnson.
Mules very good to sell to a top of £72 with the middle range looking best sold at £55 - £65/head.
Overall average a solid £60 for ewes and £87.67 for rams.
Similar numbers required weekly.
CALVES (174);
Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899) More on offer after the bank holiday last week and a few less around the ring with buyers nervous about future trading conditions.
35 Continental Bulls av £188.91
Possibly the best sold on the day would be the best bulls with the top 10 over £290 including 6 over £300 and a high of £345 (1st Conty in the ring) from Nigel Moss, Meerbrook. Mediums £170 - £250 with 12 smaller bulls under £150.
15 Blues av £236 to £345 - JC & ME
Moss, Meerbrook
4 Sims av £139 to £182 - GW & C Brassington
16 Lims av £157 to £315 - RG & AS Williamson
53 Continental Heifers av £130.35
They don’t look very dear and for anyone who fancies a batch, now is the time to put a few together for not a lot of money. 8 better sorts topped £200 and a high of £252 for Brain Wainwright, Meerbrook. 17 over £170 with 23 under £100.
31 Blues av £138 to £252 - B H
Wainwright
6 Sims av £123 to £208 - D Swinson 16 Lims av £92 to £250 - RG & AS Williamson
49 Native Bred Calves
Angus bulls from Pete Beswick sold at £230 and £190 with Herefords to £190 for A R Jackson. Better heifers over £100 with Herefords to £140 and Angus to £128.
27 Black & White Bulls av £25.75