Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

Bakewell Market

Half way through November and no hint of Winter with temperatures still in double figures both day and night.

Plenty of stock in Bakewell with 775 cattle and 1,946 sheep.  A particularly large entry of OTM cattle swelled the numbers this week.

The 408 store & breeding cattle included the Annual Consignment of 39 in-calf beef heifers from JW & RG Ede of Youlgreave.  These sold exceptionally well with making over £1,600 to a top of £1,880.  Ede’s have established a good reputation for their heifers and regular buyers were back again this year.

The store cattle sold on a solid trade from start to finish with steer to £1,360, heifers £1,275 and feeding bulls £1,310.  Cow & calf outfits topped at £1,480.

The finished ring was well supported with 143 head with trade solid from start to finish top figures 310p and £2,109.

The 72 heifers averaged £1,433 per head.  The average was much as last week at 159.2p.

59 calves this week with bulls to £305 and heifers £235.

Over in the sheep section there was 1,304 lambs maintaining the recent improved trade.  Top figures 304p/kg and £146.62 per head.  Both the SQQ and the overall average was 247 pence.

Another large entry of 636 cull sheep with ewes to £190 to average £91.97.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 17^th November: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

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 9^th December: Final Round Up of Store Sheep 2022

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

172 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows overall average 159.2p /kg or (£1,087)

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)                    

The biggest show of the year of 172 genuine barren cows from 75 vendors from all over the Peak District and further afield as far as Worcester (100 miles away from Bakewell).  And why Bakewell? Well, a packed ring of end user buyers all competing hard against each other to secure the meat, which would appear in great demand again, even with the increased numbers that we are seeing presently.  Best meat an absolute joy to sell with a tremendous pure Lim heifer (34 mnths) from the Wildgoose family at 250p or a remarkable £2010).  Plenty of better meated cattle 180-200p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

76 Black & White and ex dairy cows at 151.6p

Very sharp trade again with 5 big cows over £1500.

Best heifers 188-190p

Best fed cows 170-187p

Big Holsteins 160-170p

Parlour cows 140-160p

Leaner smaller cow 120-140p

Only a handful under 120p

The best today:

11 OTM Bulls – A big turnout

5 OTM Steers

143 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 243.1p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Better numbers in the prime ring with 23 bulls and 120 clean cattle today for 44 vendors and selling to a big ring of 21 different buying accounts.  Strong competition all day with strong cattle certainly dearer on the week and many buyers short of cattle for Christmas killing.

23 Young Bulls ave 233.6p

Equally as dear as last week and some remarkable prices.  Phil & Emma Watson topped today at 272p for a smart Limousin with a big boy from John Ottewell at 268p (£1881) and from David Goddard at 265p (£2109 and £1987).

Results:

Gross Prices:

48 Steers ave 238.5p/kg

Wow, what a price with cattle dearer on the week, even if the average tells a different story.  Messrs Charlesworth, Bradbourne had 4 steers up to 248p (£1777) with the last vendor in the ring Messrs Stevenson at 282p and Richard Naylor at 280p.  Natives today saw Hereford to 244p, Longhorn to 276p, Devon to 218p, Angus to 264p, Lincoln to 215p and a Beef Shorthorn to 269p.  Whilst an OTM Fleck steer made 188p and 2 Holstein sold to 200p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

72 Heifers ave 249.6p/kg

Good numbers and some super cattle worthy of seeing in 3 weeks at the Christmas show.  4 best heifers topped 300p from 4 different vendors.  Andy Chadfield had 310p for the best B Blue x to gross £1847, Michael Wynne, Nigel Birch and Philip Hooley all at 300p for quality showy cattle.  26 Natives saw Hereford to 246p, Luings to 237p, Angus to 270, Lincoln to 209p and Beef Shorthorn to 278p.  2 OTM heifers today saw quality to 260p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

A busy day with 408 head on offer which included the Annual consignment of in calf heifers from JW & RG Ede, Youlgreave.

These sold exceptionally well more of which later.  In general, the store cattle trade remains buoyant.  There does seem to be a shortage of the bet big short, finish cattle so the lack of headline prices is not a matter of trade and merely because there were no candidates for prices around the £1500 mark.  If the cattle had been there, they would definitely have made it.

The sale started with 74 Breeding Cattle with notable prices as follows:

The in-calf heifers from JW & RG Ede of Youlgreave included examples as follows:

27 Feeding Bulls

With sample prices as follows:

152 Steers ave £860

The modest average price demonstrates that there were more young cattle about and a shortage of the biggest and best, Angus and Hereford crosses still selling well and a decent trade from start to finish.

Sample Results:

 155 Heifers ave £768

A good selection with customers present to bid for all types.  Suckled calves selling very well.  Angus and Hereford crosses keenly sought.  Trade generally much as last week.

Sample Results demonstrating the strength of trade:

52 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A reduced entry on last week and trade very similar with the best calves easy to sell, but smaller poorer sorts again very selective.

Nevertheless, all types were well bid for with not too much forward in the way of quality.

Top price bull was a Limousin at £305 with heifers of the same breed at £235.

Bulls

Lim                      £305     RD Gould & Son, Longnor

Lim                      £275     S & LM Kirby, Eastmoor

B Blue                 £275     T Farrington & Son, Abbotts Bromley

B Blue                 £225     Holtwood Farm, Doveridge

Hfd                       £225     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

B Blue                 £220     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

Heifers

B Blue                 £235     Holtwood Farm, Doveridge

Hfd                       £200     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

1306 Lambs & 622 Ewes & Rams & 4 Store Sheep (Auctioneer Peter Oven)

Another excellent entry of 1932 head of sheep included 1306 lambs.  Demand very brisk from start to finish with best butchers lambs peaking at 304p/kg and heavy weight butchers lambs to 299p/kg. overweight lambs to 296p/kg.  Today top gross of £146.52 and overall market average 247.96p/kg.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

675 Cull Sheep

Ewe numbers keep coming with 622 on offer this week.  The best Texel ewes jumped up in price with a pen of 7 from Chamber Farm topping the day at £190/head.  Demand stayed very brisk from start to finish with the best Suffolk x in the £130 to £140 bracket, heavy Mules to just over £100/head.

Ewes to £190                Ave £91.07

Rams to £150                Ave £68.54