Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

MONDAY 12^TH DECEMBER

Seasonal temperatures caused a few problems on farms, but there was a good show of stock with 591 cattle and 2,220 sheep.  A decent trade was reported in all departments with only one Monday market to go before the Christmas break.

There was a useful entry of 344 store & breeding cattle with plenty of buying power operating and recent price levels maintained or exceeded.

Smart suckled calves in demand as were the short finish strong cattle.

The in-between sorts many of them showing signs of the weather during both Summer and Autumn found their value with buyers allowing for the increased costs of finishing.

Steers sold to £1,330, heifers £1,470 and feeding bulls £1,220.  In the breeding section a pedigree Angus bull made £2,900 and cows and calves sold to £1,300.

101 finished cattle looked well sold with top figures 306p and £1,969 per head.

The average for the 48 heifers was a respectable 257.9p with an average per head price of £1,540.

Another decent entry of 109 OTM & Feeding cows lacked the quality of recent weeks, but produced top figures of 225p and £2,114 per head.  Bearing in mind the sample on offer the average of 162.5p was outstanding.

In the calf section there were 37 forward with bulls to £300 and heifers also £300.

Over in the sheep section there was a decent entry of 1,741 lambs which sold on a solid trade with top figures 315p and £159.39 per head.  The SQQ average emerged at 242p.

In the cull sheep section, the entry consisted of 451 head with ewes to £197, and the average for a selection that included a good many plain ewes of £76.11.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 15^th December: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

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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News from The Farming Life Centre

Farm for the Future

The next round of the Prince’s Countryside Fund ‘Farm for The Future’ programme has begun!  If you have not yet signed up there is still time to do so, participants from last time may take part again.  Please get in touch to join.

Our first event will be taking place in January starting with an Environmental Workshop from Chris Seabridge of Seabridge Associates on how policy changes will affect your farm, tools and advice for moving forward, plus financial and practical opportunities within ELMs.  There are two dates and venues for this talk: The Bentley Brook Inn at Fenny Bentley at 7pm on 12^th January 2023 or The George Inn at Tideswell at 7pm on 18^th January 2023.

Contact Alice on 07904 691 457 or email alice@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk to join the programme or book your place at the above event.

Low Carbon Agriculture Show

We will be running free coach transport and entry to the Low Carbon Agriculture 2023 show at the NAEC Stoneleigh on Wednesday 8^th February (Pick-up and drop off Buxton Market Place and Ashbourne Market Place).  The event will help you explore ways to make on-farm improvements through renewable energy, low carbon technology and carbon and environmental land management.  If you would like to book a place please call 07483 373 435 or email lorna@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk.

Bakewell Market Christmas Carol Service

If you would like to view the carol service that was held on Sunday 4^th December please use the following link:

https://youtu.be/ZVBTqza5Ino

 The Slurry Infrastructure Grant is now open for the first stage of applications.

The grant is designed to give you 6 months’ slurry storage capacity by either replacing existing stores, adding additional storage or expanding an existing store.

Eligible items include:

• Above-grounds steel slurry stores
• Precast circular concrete slurry store
• Earthbank lagoons
• Flexible covers
• Reception pits
• Slurry transfer pumps

Stage applications close 31^st January 2023 so call the Farm Office Services Team to find out more on 01629 812777.

109 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows overall average 162.5p/kg or (£1,092)

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)                    

Similar numbers to last week and generally a very similar price with cow meat still very much in vogue.  Only a handful of best suckler cows on offer today with a stormer from Les Elkin at 225p to gross £1831.  Cliff Percival had 220p for a Hfd heifer with a good blue from Ivan Carrington at 216p.  Plenty of good cows 185-198p including some with a big pile of weight.

Results:

Gross Prices:

44 Black & White and ex dairy cows at 151.9p

Not a great deal of hard fed cows with a lot of plainer parlour types about.

Best fed cows 174-187p

Big Holsteins 160-170p

Leaner Parlour Cows 145-155p

Plainer or smaller cows 120-140p

Only a handful under 120p

The best today:

5 OTM Bulls

NEXT WEEK – MONDAY 19^TH DECEMBER

LAST CHANCE TO SELL COWS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Cows will be wanted.  Have you got any to sell?

All buyers will be operating and needing cows.

Any questions call Oliver Hiles on 07801 530899

101 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 245.9p/kg (Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Still good numbers on the run up to Christmas and trade very similar to last week without the highlights of last week’s show.

21 Young Bulls ave 231.3p/kg

Less about after last week’s show with the top 3 prices from David Goddard, representing Messrs Fearn at 264p (£1969) 216p (£1905) and 255p (£1912).  Just 2 B/W today sold to 200p

Results:

Gross Prices:

32 Steers ave 239.0p/kg

Meat is definitely the order of the day with all buyers firing hard.  Don Lownds had 280p for his best steer with David Saxby at 275p and Stewart Wainwright at 274p.  Angus to 240p, Hereford to 229p, Devon to 229p with a smart Longhorn in the top prices at 264p

Results:

Gross Prices:

48 Heifers ave 258.0p/kg

A wonderful average and quality throughout the sale.  Two topped £3 with Don Lownds doing the double of steers and heifers with his best handy weight Limousin at 306p.  Messrs Mosley, Stannington sold to 300p with both going to a Stoke on Trent butcher.  2 heavy heifers from Peter Gaunt topped £1900.  Angus to 259p, Hfd 242p and Lincoln to 244p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

A good number of cattle for the time of year with 344 on sale.

A strong trade prevailed from start to finish with particularly fierce competition for the quality suckled calves and the strong short finish cattle.

A good many weathered cattle in the entry, many small for their age, having suffered a dry Summer and recent inclement weather.  These animals found a ready market at appropriate figures.

The sale started with a few Breeding Cattle which included:

19 Feeding Bulls

With sample prices as follows:

148 Steers ave £827

A good selection with bidders present for all types.  Angus and Hereford selling well.  Top quality in short supply and priced accordingly.

Sample Results:

163 Heifers ave £747

A very mixed lot with a shortage of the best and a good many plain cattle in the entry, however, there was sufficient buying power present to ensure that everything made its money as the following results demonstrate.

Sample Results:

37 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

Very much a mixed bag in term of quality with better sorts meeting reasonable demand, but lesser quality a very selective trade.

Saler bulls to £300 and Charolais heifers at the same money and B/W in very short supply.

Bulls

Sim                      £228     G Matkin, Idridgehay

B Blue                 £168     T Farrington & Sons, Abbotts Bromley

Lim                      £240     WJ & DM Madin, Holymoorside

Heifers

Lim                      £148     WJ & DM Madin, Holymoorside

B Blue                 £225     TN Palfreyman, Flagg

1741 Lambs, 451 Ewes & Rams & 28 Store Sheep (Auctioneer Mark Elliott)

A total of 2220 head of sheep on offer included an excellent show of 1741 lambs.  Demand very good right from the first pen sold which topped the day at 315p/kg for a pen of 48kg Cheshire fed lambs.  Best meated lambs well bid for regardless of weight with a top gross of £159.39/head.  The overall market average 242.02p/kg which included several runs of leaner smaller sorts.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

451 Cull Sheep

A good show of 451 cull ewes and rams saw demand for the best meated sorts very brisk with heavy Texel to £197 with others to £188 and £180.  Meated Suffolk x in the £125-£140 range.  Not many best Mules in this week but framey half meated sorts were in the £65-£89 range.

Ewes to £197                Ave £76.11

Rams to £156               Ave £109.44