Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

Decent numbers and a solid trade with 784 cattle and 1,705 sheep on offer.

Plenty to worry about with increased interest rates to add to the other concerns about costs, but the market continues to serve both vendors and purchasers keeping the wheels of commerce turning.

The store and breeding cattle were surprisingly busy with 441 head on offer.

A good spread of customers ensured that trade remained strong at all price levels.

Steers sold to £1550, heifers £1330 and feeding bulls £900.  Cows & Calves to £1580.

A few less finished cattle this week and a great trade for the 117 on offer.

Top figures 314p and £2,057 per head.  The 50 heifers averaged a remarkable 262p and £1,539 per head.

675 cull sheep this week with ewes to £168 to average £85.26

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 10^th November: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Monday 14^th November: Special Entry Store & Breeding Cattle.

Annual consignment from JW & RG Ede, Youlgreave.

38 in calf Heifers (PD to Ped Lim for Feb/March/April calving

32 Lim, 2 Sim, 2 Blue & 2 Angus)

Friday 18^th November: Store Sheep Sale

Saturday 19^th & Sunday 20^th November: English Winter Fair at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire Showground.

Sunday 4^th December: Bakewell Primestock Show and Carol Service

Friday 20^th January: HPLS Cattle Sale

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The Farming Life Centre

Need help navigating agricultural policy changes?  We are delivering Farm for the Future with The Prince’s Countryside Fund in the Peak District.

To take part in this free programme of events and support come along to our welcome meetings to sign up.  Participants from last time may take part again:

• Thursday 24^th November at Blaze Farm, Wildboarclough.  Arrival 7pm, food 7.30pm.
• Monday 28^th November at the Agricultural Business Centre, Bakewell (conference room) 10am – 2pm.  Drop in style event, lunch available.

Email info@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk or call 01629 810903 to book a place or for more information.

Peak Farmers Group

Next event: Getting to grips with new opportunities – tutorial with Trudie Cooper of Bagshaws LLP at The Winking Man, Upper Hulme, ST13 8UH on Wednesday 30^th November at 7pm.  Free to attend, hot beef bap and chip supper included.

Topics to be covered:

• New and existing grants and schemes
• Record keeping for grant compliance
• Navigating online mapping tools
• Opportunities relating to carbon

Booking essential.  Call 07483 373435 or email info@peakfarmersgroup.co.uk

136 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows overall average 156.4p /kg or (£1,066)

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)                    

Just a few less on offer than the last couple of weeks but still 65 vendors of cows today a grand line up of cows met a trade very similar on the week.  Any outside cows are certainly showing the weather at present with some very cold cows on offer.  Best bred and ‘inside’ fed cows topped at a superb 224p or £1957 for a superb cow from Anthony Smith, Dalbury Lees with a couple of other good sorts over £2/kilo, with all the better cows north of 180p.  A 23-year-old cow looked well sold at 166p to gross £1427.

Results:

Gross Prices:

58 Black & White and ex dairy cows at 145.2p

Generally similar money but a lot of lean cows about.

Best Cows 170-187p

Big Holsteins 160-170p

Parlour Cows 140-155p

Plainer smaller cows 130-140p

The best today:

8 OTM Bulls

1 OTM Steer

117 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 250.5p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

An average of 250p/kg overall with heifers levelling 262p/kg and the bullocks at 246p.  41 vendors would be well satisfied today with the trade with 23 different accounts buying at ringside.

34 Young Bulls ave 238.8p

A good run of bulls today with quality throughout.  The best a joy to sell and topping at 290p for a tremendous Piedmontese from David Goddard who had others at 287p (£2060) 268p x2 (£1918 & £2042) Mark Shenton had 288p/kg for the best of his run with a heavy 740kg Bull.  5 B/W’s ave 205p and topped at 213p for Steve Potter, Bonsall.

Results:

Gross Prices:

33 Steers ave 246.4p/kg

Looking very dear again to average 246p and topping at 300p for a Stan Evans Limmy who also had another at 289p.  Michael Hadfield had 280p twice for good shaped Lims with Paul Hazledine at 278p for his heavyweight showy sort to gross £2057.  Natives to 220p for Angus and 250p for Longhorn.

Results:

Gross Prices:

50 Heifers ave 262.1p/kg

A record average for a Monday with the butchers looking for special cattle for Christmas sales and they were in abundance today with some super runs of well fed and bred cattle.  5 heifers topped £3/kilo with Andrew Dickinson & Lisa Powdrill selling a Christmas heifer at 314p (£1921).  Alex Townroe had 4 in today and topped at 306p/kg, also at £3 was Geoff Evans and 2 from Emma & Phil Watson.  Top gross on the day was about the last in the ring, an Angus x at 288p to gross £1969

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

A large entry of 441 head sold on a better trade than anticipated.

With a good many purchasers at or near capacity and problems with pneumonia due to the mild weather it was remarkable that there was such a strong line up of buyers.

Many of the cattle were showing the effects of the drought followed by the recent wet weather, but there were customers present for all types and trade was solid from start to finish.

The sale commenced with some 28 Breeding Cattle which included:

22 Feeding Bulls

With sample prices as follows:

219 Steers ave £854

The entry included a good many small and young cattle which attracted a good deal of interest and satisfactory prices.  Strong short keep cattle looked well sold and there was a general shortage of the biggest types.

Hereford crosses were out in force and found a ready market.

Sample Results:

172 Heifers ave £706

Large numbers of young and small cattle in the entry, all finding a buyer at a price appropriate to quality.

Plenty of cattle very small for their age which have clearly had a very hard Summer.  Strong cattle in shorter supply and selling well as the following results will show.

Sample Results:

90 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A selective calf trade for all increased with best quality types in strong demand, but all other types selling at discounted rates.

Strong B Blue calves in keen demand with bulls to £280 and heifers to £272.

Still a competitive trade for the Black & Whites with these to a top £122.

Bulls

B Blue                 £280     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £232     Holtwood Farm, Doveridge

Hfd                       £175     JW Brandrick, Beamhurst

Lim                      £170     Pidcock & Matkin, Teversal

Fries                    £122     JW Brandrick, Beamhurst

Heifers

B Blue                 £272     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £212     Holtwood Farm, Doveridge

Lim                      £162     WJ & DM Madin, Holymoorside

1030 Lambs & 675 Ewes & Rams (Auctioneer Peter Oven)

Another excellent entry of 1705 head of sheep included 1030 lambs.  Demand for the lambs a lot sharper than last week with best heavy butchers lambs up over 25p/kg.  A top price of 303p/kg for the best butchers lambs with heavyweight butchers lambs from the same farm to 297p/kg and overweight lambs to 266p/kg.  Top gross price of £164.16/head.  The overall market average 253.83p/kg up 22p on last week.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

675 Cull Sheep (Auctioneer Mark Elliott)

Another good entry and plenty of buyers for all categories with 14 accounts served by the buyers present.

Best ewes still very good to sell with Texels regularly £144 and above and a top price of £168 for the Hadfield Family at Peak Forest.  The top 7 pens averaged £148.43.

Crossbred Suffolks and half bred Texels regularly £119 and £128 dependant on style and finish.

Mules a decent trade with better ends towards £100.

A full compliment of buyers for plain types and grazers together with the best meated horned breeds.

The tups followed the ewe trade with 3 Beltex at £139 for the Hambletons and £159 for 3 Texels from the Hadfields at Chamber Farm.

Ewes to £168                Ave £85.26

Rams to £159               Ave £108.94