Leek market
TUESDAY, MARCH 1
ANOTHER busy Tuesday sale with a shed full of sheep with 1164 forward, and 186 cattle. A good show of Dairies this week, with the next to £2120 twice for heifers with the dispersal topping at £1940.
Hoggs in good demand, especially 35-42kg with the best to 339p/kg or £163.88/head. Cull ewes in very strong demand with the best to £214 for Rams and £204 to Ewes to average £119/ head!
A strong trade for barren cows with the best to 176p/kg for a Charolais cow to average 136.35p/kg, with clean cattle up to 222p/kg.
Calves were in good demand with the best Limousin bulls to £398 and heifers to £302.
Pigs still difficult to sell, with only the best quality/weights selling better to 108p/kg. But mainly bacon & cutter pigs selling around 80 - 95p/kg.
BARREN COWS (37);
Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
More forward this Tuesday taking advantage of the excellent trade, with the best to 176p/ kg for a 595kg Charolais from S Kidd Farmers, Longnor, with a 690kg Simmental cow realising 174p/kg for JH & RH Ede, Fole. A 725kg Charolais cow sold for 163p/kg from C & EJ Whilock, Werrington.
Overall average of 136.35p/kg or £880.54/head.
Top headage price of £1214.35 for the 815kg Holstein from JC & D Huson, with Simmentals to £1200.60, Charolais to £1181.75, other Holsteins to £1137.10 and £1108.40.
CLEAN CATTLE;
Selling time – 10:45am approx. Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A small entry sold up to 222p/ kg for a 605kg Limousin bull from Chris Barnsley, Morridge and a 580kg British blue heifer sold for 191p/kg from Alcock Bros, Ford.
DAIRIES(43);
Selling time – 11:30am Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
Another exceptional trade for milkers in particular for the part herd dispersal on behalf of the Wilkinson family of Byley.
Topping the day within the commercial section were two heifers, the first from Messrs Shepherd of Bakewell and a second from Messrs Mills of Ratcliffe on Soar. Both reached £2120 and went to Messrs Bailey of Brown Edge.
Close behind at £2100 was a neat white heifer from Messrs Riley of Newtown.
There was plenty of interest for the part dispersal of cross bred cows from Steve Wilkinson and family of Byley. Trade topped at £1940 for a Friesian third calver to Messrs Higginson. Close behind was a 2017 born Shorthorn calved in December with her 4th at £1900. Other Shorthorns reached £1760 for a 2012 born cow. Jersey crosses also sold exceptionally well to £1680.
Next week we have the Herd Dispersal on behalf of the Brunt family, one not to miss. If you have stock to sell don’t hesitate to get in touch, ring Meg Elliott on 07967 007049.
PIGS (143);
Selling time – 9:15am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
More about this week with prices less than last week, as reflected in the averages below.
74kg pigs realised 96p/kg for
J & B Fentem with other 65kg and 60kg pigs at 84p/kg for W K Hurley, Macc Forest.
Cutters sold up to 108p/kg for 85kg pigs from David Goldstraw, Meerbrook, with 85kg pigs at 104p/kg for Steve Bailey, and the same price for 84kg pigs from J G Belfield, Sheen. Massie Farms sold a pen of 84kg pigs for 98p/ kg with the Fentem’s selling cutters for 93p/kg and 88p/kg.
Bacon pigs topped at 100p/kg for 89kg pigs from Massie Farms who also sold a pen for 97p/kg and 95p/kg. 87kg pigs realised 96p/kg for J & B Fentem, with a 90kg pig at 96p/kg for Bernard Minshull and 95p/kg for 86kg pigs from Dave Goldstraw.
Heavier pigs harder to sell with the best price of 74p/kg for a 119kg pig from Bernard Minshull and the same price for a pen of 108kg pigs from PF & PD Parsons.
Cull sows harder to sell also, with a top of 28p/kg twice for 225kg and 190kg sows from Bernard Minshull.
SHEEP SECTION;
Selling time 11:00am Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
BUTCHERS HOGGETS (904);
A good entry including some excellent quality runs, selling on a solid trade. SQQ average significantly up on the week, partly down to the quality and partly due to the excellent demand for 35 - 42kg hoggs. Best sorts regularly 300 - 320p/ kg to a top of 339p/kg.
Heavy and out-of-spec sorts see another difficult trade, both here and nationally, which creates a two-tier trade. Plenty of good hoggs at 45 - 48kg grossing £115 - £120.
SQQ average of 280.3p/kg, overall average 263p/kg or £115.10/head, top headage price of £163.88.
Thank you to the vendors for the excellent entry. Please keep numbers coming!
CULL SHEEP (257);
A similar entry and trade finding another level! Cull rams selling to £214 for an excellent Texel ram from Philip Smith. Best ewes selling to £204 from R & S Bailey, Cloudside, closely following by Messrs Venables at £202. Top 10% of the entry all exceeding £180 from 6 different vendors to average £191.
Best Suffolk’s to £176, best Mules to £128 and horned ewes to £92.
Overall average of £119/head. Many more could have been sold!
CALVES (104);
Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer - Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)
A very good days trade wise and buyers for every sector. The best particularly strong trade with plenty over £300 in the continentals.
Top price of £398 for a well grown Limousin bull 25days from Richard Emmott and family at Lyme Park who’s best 3 averaged £373 per head.
Blue bulls and heifers saw wide demand with the bulls topping at £370 for Peter & Angela Woodward and the heifers up to £302 for the Grays at Dungworth. Continental Bulls
13 Blues av £239 to £370 Woodward Partners
In the Natives, purchasers for everything and more Herefords particularly could have been sold on a solid trade.
Native Bulls
10 Angus’ to £280 for R S Gray to average £165. 3 Herefords to £162.
Native Heifers
7 Herefords to £178 av £117 11 Angus’ to £195 av £98 1 Longhorn to £50