Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

After many days of fine weather and ideal harvesting conditions it is clear that sufficient has been gathered in to permit a trip to market.

With 500 cattle entered and 1,602 sheep on offer things were distinctly busier.

The only section short of numbers was the store cattle with only 192 on parade.  Trade was very strong especially for the short finish sorts.

No indication yet that a shortage of keep is influencing numbers or trade, but with parts of Derbyshire starting to look like Africa it can only be a matter of time unless rain arrives in quantity.

The 190 store & breeding cattle were well sold with steers to £2,500, heifers £2,420 and feeding bulls to £1,870.

Cows & calves to £2,320 and a mature Lincoln Red bull £2,150.

There was a useful entry of 126 finished cattle with a solid trade throughout, top figures 474p and £3,485.

The average for the 65 heifers was a healthy 359.7 pence or £2,144 per head.

A much larger entry of OTM Cattle with a total of 149 on offer.

Top figures 308p and £3,715.

The average at 248.9 pence was very similar to last week.

Calves 35 this week with prices difficult to comprehend, bulls to £750 and heifers a remarkable £940.

Over in the sheep department lambs have now begun to come in quantity with 1,310 on offer.

Difficult to gauge trade on a Monday, but top figures were 416p and £214.84 per head.

The SQQ average was 356.2 pence with the overall which includes the heavier sorts at 358.1 pence.

This means that a typical lamb in the 39-45kg range was worth £152.82.

A decent show of 278 cull sheep encompassed a wide range of quality with the best ewes to £242 and the average for a very mixed sample £138.87.

DISEASE PRECAUTIONS

The authorities have asked us to pass on the message to everyone to be vigilant with regard to Bio Security.

May we respectfully ask that you use the footbaths and boot wash in order to reduce the risk

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Forthcoming Fixtures

Thursday 23rd July – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Please note we have updated our policies regarding the unloading and loading livestock:

• Vendors/Hauliers are responsible for livestock until safely loaded onto the docks. It is the Vendor/Hauliers responsibility to chain and secure gates.

• Once unloaded, all livestock movements are under the direction and control of the Market Drovers.

• Vendors may assist with livestock movement at the discretion of the Drovers.

• Any assistance is voluntary, undertaken at the vendors own risk and must be in accordance with Drover instruction.

• We advise that Purchasers/Hauliers seek Drover assistance prior to loading cattle/sheep.

• If Purchasers/Hauliers choose to load livestock without Drover assistance, they do so voluntarily and at their own risk.

• It is the Purchasers/Hauliers responsibility to chain and secure gates.

• Please ensure that pass-out documentation matches animal identification prior to loading.

149 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 248.9 pence or £1597

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

About double the entry of the last few weeks with the drought and lack of grass obviously playing on the farmers minds.  Trade was very similar on the whole with a distinct lack of meat in some outside cows.  A trio of cows made 300 pence or more but 308p for a good shaped Limousin cow and 306p for a black Limmy, both being sold for further feeding.  Meated Charolais sold at 300p or £2850 for a strong cow from Lyndon Hazlehurst, Macc.  59 cows from todays entry sold further feeding to a host of different buyers at ringside, competition at its finest at Bakewell

Results:

Gross Prices:

54 Black & Whites averaged 229p/kg

Similar money on the week but a lot of leaner and parlour cows today.

Best fed cows 250-269p

Big Holsteins 235-250p

Parlour types 210-230p

Plainest end under 200p

The best today:

3 OTM Bulls

14 OTM Steers

126 FINISHED CATTLE Ave 334.5p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Good numbers and trade remains remarkable with an obvious upturn in trade and numbers looking tighter nationally.

24 Bulls Ave 358.56p

Similar numbers and the average a lot better, but generally a better run of bulls today.  The Wells family had the best of the trade with a stunner of a pure Limousin at 432p or £3205 with their other bull at 419p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

37 Steers Ave 343.1p/kg

Well sold again with 22 continentals, 13 natives and 2 B/W’s on offer, definitely something for everybody.

Suckler bred Limmy to 410p for John Kunica with Steven Jones at 394p and 387p and other good cattle 370p+.  Angus to 373p & Herefords to 355p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

65 Heifers Ave 359.82p/kg

The butchers cattle remain as dear as we have ever seen them with the buyers fighting for the handy weighted 520-580kg suckler types.  Jonathan Hall hit the very highest note today with his only entry selling at 474p (£2578) the highest price since Christmas.  Ben Langton made 456p and 437p, Misk Farm sold at 454p, George Blackshaw at 438p and Phil & Emma Watson at 435p.  27 native heifers saw Angus to 366p and Herefords to 350p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneers Alastair Sneddon & Meg Elliott)

Another small entry of 190 head with strong demand for all types and trade such that several buyers failed to secure any.

We could certainly do with some more to sell – if you have cattle tested and are unsure whether to market them give Alastair Sneddon a call on 07973 982441.

The sale commenced with a selection of Breeding Cattle:

Feeding cows selling between £1280 to £1680.

8 Feeding Bulls

Sample Results

93 Steers Averaged £1622

A useful selection with all types keenly bid for.

Everything sold well from the Holsteins of which there were several lots to the short finish £2000+ cattle.

Sample Results:

71 Heifers average £1521

Plenty of interest at all price levels with new buyers operating and some looking for suckler replacements, all in all a good day to sell.

Sample Results:

35 CALVES (Auctioneers Ivor Lowe & Tash Hall)

A slightly smaller entry of calves this week with trade for those best heifers better.  A lovely shaped Lim heifer made a whopping £940 (photo below) from JC Woolley.

The best bull at £750 for a British Blue x from JE & CM Fletcher.

Black & Whites to a top of £220, similar trade to last week.

Top 10 calves averaged £664.

Bulls

B Blue x              £750     JE & CM Fletcher

B Blue x              £695     GW & WL Neville

B Blue x              £665     GW & WL Neville

Lim                      £505     GS & L Wheeldon

Mont                   £450     J & J Walton & Sons

Hfrs

Lim                      £940     JC Woolley

B Blue x              £680     GS & L Wheeldon

B Blue x              £625     J & J Walton & Sons

AA                        £490     AP Critchlow

1324 Lambs & 278 Ewes & Rams

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

An increased entry of 1602 sheep included 1310 new season lambs, a two tier trade this week with the long dry spell and shortage of grass showing in some runs of lambs.  Best creep fed meated sorts in the 360-400p/kg bracket with a top of 416p/kg.  Plainer grass lambs were in the 300-340p/kg bracket.  Best big lambs look best sold on the day with a top gross of almost £215/head.  Overall average 358.17p/kg.

Leading Prices

Averages

Old Season Lambs to 320p/kg – ave 292.71p/kg

278 Ewes & Rams

Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift

Better numbers and bidders for all categories but trade steadier as the wholesalers see the product harder to sell.

Generally, there was a lack of power and best conformation and some pens of leaner ewes were showing the effect of the last month of hot, dry weather conditions.

The top 4 lots averaged £221 per head with Johnny Elkin topping the day at £242.  Plenty of strong meated continentals £185 -£205.

Better types and well fleshed horned ewes £115 plus, Mules to £162 for well fleshed types.

In the rams a strong trade with all the better meated tups £190 and above to a top of £252 for Charlotte Hadfield.

100% clearance in the ewes to average £138.87

100% clearance in the rams averaging £179.71