Farming and pets

Leek market TUESDAY, MARCH 29

A QUIETER day at Leek but some excellent prices achieved throughout the market. Barren cattle sold very well topping at 198p/kg and £1895.20 per head to average at 153.44p/kg overall!

Dairies continue to sell well to a top price of £2300 for fresh heifers and others over £2000.

Spring Lambs sold well on the day to top at 380p/kg and £164.61 per head. Butcher hogget’s sold to a top price of 330p/kg and £169.50. Cull ewes a fast trade with the best over £200 to top at £209.

An improved trade again this week in the Pig shed with some good prices achieved selling up to 135p/kg and £140.77 per head, with plenty of fat pigs 120p/kg and above.

Not enough calves forward for the demand on offer and selling very well up to £400 for a Simmental bull and heifers to £275.

BARREN COWS (37);

Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

An outstanding trade for barren cattle this Tuesday with prices better than ever. Top price of 198p/kg for a 780kg Angus cow from S Pennington & Son, Altrincham with a 645kg Stabiliser x from W N Tomkinson, Calwich to 189p/kg and a 760kg Hereford cow at 188p/kg for K Tart, Werrington.

A 750kg Limousin cow realised 186p/kg for B Higginson, Swythamley. Black & whites topped at 184p/kg three times for a 1030kg Holstein from DJ & KL Leadbetter, 795kg Holstein from J W Brandrick & Son and a 810kg Friesian from J Brough & Son.

Overall average of 153.44p/kg or £982.25 per head.

Top headage price of £1895.20 for a 1030kg Holstein from DJ & KL Leadbetter with Angus’ to £1768 and £1544.40, Holsteins to £1530.80 and £1462.80 and Herefords to £1428.80.

DAIRIES;

Selling time – 11:30am Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)

Trade continues to be very strong for the best topping at £2300 on Tuesday for a stylish heifer from Messrs Callwood of Knutsford.

Close behind at £2240 was a 27kg heifer from David Brailsford of Chesterfield.

Ian Ellis of Ashover saw his heifer make £2140 with others from D Davenport of Sandbach to £2070 and P J Williams of Middlewich to £2060.

Trade for bulling heifers was swift topping at £910 to average £894.

PIGS (149);

Selling time – 9:15am Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894).

An improved trade again on last week with averages stronger week on week. Pork pigs topped at 134p/kg for a 73kg pig from DH Poulson, Llangadog who also sold a pair of 70kg pigs for 133p/ kg and a 73kg pig for 124p/kg.

Cutting pigs topped at 133p/ kg for a trio of 78kg pigs from P J Saunders, Lichfield, with 75kg pigs at 132p/kg for J & B Fentem who sold others for 130p/kg twice. Massie Farms had another excellent run of pigs forward to 130p/kg for 80kg pigs and 129p/ kg 3 times and 128p/kg.

Bacon pigs sold up to 135p/ kg for 96kg pigs from J & B Fentem, with a pair of 102kg pigs at 132p/kg for Bernard Minshull and 130p/kg for 90kg pigs from Massie Farms who also sold pens at 130p/kg and 128p/kg. A 92kg pig from DH Poulson realised 129p/kg and others from the Fentems at 129p/kg and 128p/kg.

Heavy pigs topped at 130p/ kg for a 108kg pig from Laura Smith, Basford, with a pair of 89kg pigs at 118p/kg from J & B Fentem and a 110kg pig at 109p/ kg for PF & PD Parsons.

Just the one sow today selling very well at 106p/kg for a 184kg sow from Bernard Minshull, Buxton.

SHEEP SECTION;

Selling time 11:00am Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)

SPRING LAMBS (11);

A small entry met a solid trade to a top of 380p/kg from Ian & Andrew Wilson of Hollington (twice) with others at 362p/ kg from the Brough family at Monyash.

Overall average of 358.81p/kg and a top headage of £164.61.

*Easter Show & Sale on 12th April 2022*

BUTCHERS HOGGETS (550);

A good entry sold on a faster trade generally, particularly for the heavier goods. Top 330p/ kg for handy weight Texel’s and 313p/kg for heavies, and 300p/ kg for overweight’s. Best shaped lambs in very good demand, regardless of weight.

Top headage of £169.50, SQQ average of 273p/kg and overall at 260p/lg.

CULL SHEEP (268);

An increased entry saw a fast trade topping at £209 for the Plant family of Onecote for excellent Charollais ewes, and £202 for Beltex. Best Suffolks to £158 and best Mules to £130. Rams sold to £167.

Overall average of £109 per head.

CALVES (82);

Selling time – 10:00am Auctioneer - Oliver Hiles (07801 530899)

Less on offer but a solid trade for all sorts.

16 Continental Bulls

Where have they all gone? Trade for the bulls this week was outstanding. A smart Simmental from Chris Ball, Fulford sold at £400 with 4 Blues over £350.

13 Blues av £268 to £395 - R Wilkinson & Son

2 Sims av £345 to £400 - DG & JA Ball

1 Lim to £295 - DG & JA Ball 18 Continental Heifers

Plenty of trade for all commodities. Best Blues sold up to £275 with the top 10 all over £200.

9 Blues av £183 to £275 - R P Hill

4 Sims av £163 to £220 - M N Bailey

3 Lims av £213 to £240 - DG & JA Ball

2 Blonde av £214 to £218 - B E Wain

16 Natives

Strong trade for all.

7 Angus Bulls av £164 to £330 M N Bailey

2 Angus Heifers av £105 to £135 - Harehill Farms

3 Hereford Heifers to £115 - G J Tideswell

28 Black & White Bulls &

Heifers

Sold up to £98 for Friesians with the smaller bulls generally £10 - £30. A run of NZ style heifers sold up to £54.

3 Reared Angus Heifers

Looked well sold at £440 from Ian Gregson, Hanbury.

Entry of 15 Aberdeen Angus & British Blue x Weanlings out of British Friesian Cows (4-6 months)

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle – 10am

Entries Close Friday 1st April Also, Fortnightly Sale of Ewes with Lambs at Foot – Please advise of Entries

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Dispersal of the Entire Herd of approx. 30 Milkers, 9195kg Av, Cubicles & Abreast on behalf of A B Baskerville & Son, Lichfield.