Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

MONDAY 21^st NOVEMBER

Wintry weather arrived as a nasty shock with sub-zero temperatures and cold dashing rain.

757 cattle and 1,958 sheep were decent entries for the time of year and trade was generally good with most prices similar to last week.

There were 395 store and breeding cattle with plenty of smaller sorts and a shortage of strong cattle for the short keep purchasers.  Steers reached £1,500, heifers £1,250 and feeding bulls £900.  Quality suckled calves selling very well.  Trade still firm, but it is clear that purchasers are well aware of the increased feed and other costs that they will have to pay before the animals are finished.

A good entry of 166 finished cattle and a decent demand for all.  Top figures 302p/kg and £2,004 per head.  The average for the 85 heifers was £247.71 and £1,422/head.

Another excellent entry of 138 OTM and feeding cows saw top figures of £1,874 and 246p/kg.  The average was up at a very creditable 167.5p.

61 calves on offer with bulls to £265 and heifers £185.

In the sheep section there was a useful entry of 1,373 lambs with well meated sorts on great demand to a top of 310p and £176.40 per head.

The SQQ average was at 245.1p and the overall average of 246.8p is more an indicator of the relative proportions of meated lambs compared with the plain sorts.

A decent turnout of 554 cull sheep saw ewes to £187 to average £96.66

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 24^th November: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

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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CHRISTMAS OPENING AT BAKEWELL MARKET

Monday 19^th December – Normal Market

Thursday 22^nd December – CLOSED

Monday 26^th December – CLOSED

Thursday 29^th December – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

BANK HOLIDAY Monday 2^nd January – Normal Market

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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

138 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows overall average 167.5p /kg or (£1,107)

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)                    

57 Vendors to 15 buyers

Very good numbers again and trade very strong this week with all the regulars firing on all cylinders to secure cows which appears very much in vogue once again.  Best shaped cows in short supply today with the best up to 246p for a 1 calf, 34 mnth old Limousin from Nigel Burgin, Dronfield to gross £1874 with another young heifers from Cliff Percival at 244p.  Older cows up to 214p for Alan Grindey with feeders at 210p for Steven Jones.  25 better sorts over 190p with best natives 170-190p of which we had plenty today.

Results:

Gross Prices:

47 Black & White and ex dairy cows at 153.9p

Well sold and some super to calls.

10 best today over 173p

Big Holsteins 160-170p

Leaner Parlour Cows 140-155p

Plainer sorts 130-140p

Only a handful under 120p

The best today:

5 OTM Bulls

3 OTM Steers

163 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 240.6p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

48 Vendors to 21 Accounts

A big show of cattle today with vendors taking advantage of the Christmas trade that is about at present.  All buyers present and working hard to secure cattle.

33 Young Bulls ave 234.4p

Dearer on the week with better orders from the regulars.  David Goddard had his usual super run selling to 271p or £2005 for a pure Limmy with the top 12 over 240p.  TRADE OF THE DAY was reserved for the B/W with 6 today to average 223.7p and topped at 235p for Chris Beever.

Results:

Gross Prices:

45 Steers ave 232.4p/kg

All shapes and sizes with 21 continentals, 21 native and 3 Highlands but all sold and at good rates with Christmas fast approaching.  Super quality from Charlotte Hadfield topped at 288p and 286p and a couple from Geoff Evans at 280 and 278p, 11 Hereford to 230p, 3 Angus to 239p, 3 Devon to 219p, 3 Lincoln to 237p, 1 Shorthorn at 252p and 3 Highland also in todays averages.

Results:

Gross Prices:

85 Heifers ave 247.7p/kg

A proper show for the butchers to get their teeth in to for Christmas killing.  Two very best heifers topped £3 with Nigel & Julie Birch topping the day at 302p (£1709), Alex Townroe at a level £3 (£1650) and weight from Peter Gaunt at 285p (£1784).  20 natives saw Hereford to 251p, Angus to 240p, Lincoln to 234p and also 2 Dexters today in the averages and entry.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

A good seasonal entry of 395 head sold well with customers present for the rather varied selection.

Fiercest competition was for the top-notch suckled calves with some significant highlights.

There were a good many ‘weathered’ sorts which found a customer but only at an appropriate price.

Angus & Hereford crosses sold well as did the other native breeds.

Only a few Breeding Cattle which included:

27 Feeding Bulls

With sample prices as follows:

165 Steers ave £777

More weaned calves and small cattle took their toll on the average which curiously enough is exactly the same as the heifer average this week.  Not much can be gleaned from the average except as an indicator of the proportion of lower value animals in the entry.

Sample Results:

 189 Heifers ave £777

Plenty of trade for the top-quality types, but plainer sorts harder work.  This is very much what one might expect bearing in mind the increased costs of finishing.

A good many young cattle in the entry with brisk bidding for the smarter sorts.

Sample Results:

62 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A more upbeat trade with a number of additional purchasers in attendance.  That said, trade was still selective on the lesser quality and smaller sorts with best bulls to £255 and £250 and B Blue heifers to £185.

A better trade on the B/W to a top of £95.

Bulls

B Blue                 £265     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £250     JE Seals & Son, Shirland

Lim                      £250     TW Kent & Co, Yeaveley

Angus                 £150     JF Hayes, Shottle

Heifers

B Blue                 £185     JE Seals & Son, Shirland

B Blue                 £175     JW Lynam, Matlock

Lim                      £160     S & LM Kirby, Eastmoor

1381 Lambs & 551 Ewes & Rams & 23 Store Sheep (Auctioneer Peter Oven)

Another excellent entry of 1955 sheep included 1381 lambs.  Demand continued very strong for meated sorts regardless of weight.  Best heavy butchers lambs peaked at 310p/kg and over weight lambs to 292p/kg with a top gross of £176.40 per head.  The overall market average 246.88p/kg which included several pens of lean lighter weight sorts.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

551 Cull Sheep

A total of 551 cull ewes and rams saw trade up on last week.  Best pure-bred Texel ewes peaked at £189 for a pen of 7 from Peak Forest with Abney ewes to £180 for a pen of 8 with Beltex ewes to £165.  Heavy Mule ewes sold in the £90-£110 bracket with best Swales to £77.

In the rams Texels to £146 and Valais Blacknose to £129.

Ewes to £180                Ave £95.16

Rams to £146                Ave £117.57