Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

A quieter market in some departments as farmers try to snatch harvesting opportunities from between the showers.

There were 462 cattle and 1,163 sheep on offer with a useful increase in the lamb trade and downturn in OTM prices.

A smaller show of 273 store & breeding cattle failed to satisfy demand and resulted in a strong trade for all comers with no sign of lower deadweight prices depressing the trade.

Of the limited selection steers sold to £1,500, heifers £1,400 and feeding bulls to £1,470.

In the breeding section cows and calves topped at £2,420 with an another at £2,120.

A 15-month Limousin stock bull sold at £1,500.

110 finished cattle with top figures 322p and £2,105 per head.  The average for the 55 heifers was 263.7p/kg and £1,590 per head.

More OTM cattle forward with 890 on offer.  Trade distinctly cooler than it has been in recent months, top figures 220p/kg and £1,621 per head.

The overall average affecting the change in the level of demand at 152.6 pence.

53 calves – the highest number for some months bulls sold to £358 and heifers £204.

Over in the sheep department there was a strong trade for the 821 lambs with top figures 320p and £161.65.

The overall SQQ average up on last week at an upbeat 269.4p/kg.

309 cull sheep on offer with ewes to £179 to average £120.33 a very respectable result.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Wednesday 2^nd August: Farm Sale at Overdale, Alstonefield, DE6 2FZ

Thursday 3^rd August: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Saturday 5^th August: Farm Sale at Sealefields Farm, Netherseal, DE12 8BU

Saturday 12^th August: Collective Machinery Sale, Wardlow, SK17 8RP

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New TB Rules starting 1^st August

Please do not worry yourselves about the changes.  Most people will not have to do anything different except to supply us with a little extra information.

The new rules will be in place next Monday and we need everyone selling cattle & calves to tell us their Parish TB Testing Interval by ticking the box on the entry form. Just to confuse things, this might be different from the actual TB testing interval on your particular holding.

It is easy to check this on-line using the TB Hub – Parish testing interval checker.

In simpler terms:

All Staffordshire is 6 months

All Cheshire is 6 months

All Nottinghamshire is 12 months

All Leicestershire is 12 months

Where there is most confusion is in Derbyshire which is split between 6 months and 12 months.

The Ministry have not been able to provide us with a map showing the border.

When you enter your store cattle in future, please supply your county and parish holding number and we can check for you and provide the information to buyers on the Early Warning List.

Whilst the new rules look complicated, they will only affect a few buyers from the 12-month edge areas.  For everyone else their will be no change other than the need for us to display the information at the time of sale.

If you have any questions about all this just ring us at Bakewell and we will explain the changes and check your parish interval for you.

Bakewell Market Office on 01629 812777

Alastair Sneddon on 07973 982441

89 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows overall average 152.6p/kg or £1020

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)                    

Better numbers after the small show last week with trade continuing on its downward trend as can be seen across the country.  The wholesalers certainly still want and need good cows, but it is at less levels than when they were at their peak in May.  Better bred and fed cows today generally topped 170p with a Blue x heifer from George Ede at 220p and a 1 calf but OTM heifer from Barry Yates at 190p with the best cow of the day at 183 pence being a Blue x from David & Matthew Elliott, Little Hucklow.

Results:

Gross Prices:

38 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 136p/kg

Less money than we have come to expect.

10 best cows 153-164p

Big Holsteins 135-150p

Smaller leaner sorts 120-130p

Only 2 under 100p

The best today:

2 OTM Bulls

110 FINISHED CATTLE ave 253.1p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Better numbers than last week with almost identical numbers to the same week last year when we had 116 cattle to average 237.6p.  All buyers operating with demand for all shapes and sizes.

13 Young Bulls ave 230.7p/kg

Only a few today with a top of 273p for a pure Limousin from the Pearson family, Peak Forest. With Nigel Birch at 271p and 262p.  Only 1 bull today under 205p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

42 Steers ave 246.1p/kg

Strong demand throughout at levels connected to their quality in an ever more challenging time.  Nine best topped 280p with Keith Harrop at 298 and Paul Hazledine at 290 and 289 pence with a big lad from John Grummett topping the £/head at £2105 (277p).  6 Natives had Angus to 254p, Herford to 248 and Beef Shorthorns to 268p with 4 B/W up to 197p today.

Results:

Gross Prices:

55 Heifers ave 263.7p/kg

A good line up of heifers today with the average up a penny on the week with demand good at the levels we are now seeing, 7 best topped £3 with a tremendous Limmy at 322p/kg for  Paul and Michael Hazledine with Don Lownds at 310 and Richard Shaw at 309p with the best grossing heifers at £2028 (300p/kg) from Clive & Bob Bacon.  3 Hereford to 250p, 4 Angus to 256p and 3 Shorthorn to 233p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

With haymaking and straw carting top priorities famers were reluctant to enter stock in case harvesting duties called.  Alas the weather failed to co-operate.

We ended up with 237 head and a decent trade throughout.

The sale commenced with 24 Breeding Cattle.

Prices as follows:

27 Feeding Bulls

A mixed lot which included:

120 Steers ave £954

A good many small cattle in the entry – some because they were young and others because they had had a poor start in life.

Nevertheless, all found a buyer at appropriate prices.

Angus and Hereford types attracting plenty of interest and good results for Black & Whites.  All this in the face of poorer returns from the deadweight sector.

Sample Results:

66 Heifers ave £747

The average figure indicates that many of the animals in this section were young and small and priced accordingly.

There were, however, a few at the other end of the spectrum that demonstrates that demand is there for the right goods.

Sample Results:

53 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

An easier trade today on all types, but that said the entry lacked in numbers in terms of both strength and quality.

Top price went to an Angus bull at £300 with Mont to £270 and B Blue to £250.

Within the heifers a nice B Blue to £290 but other than that not much in the way of quality.

Plenty of interest on the black & whites, especially the stronger end to a top of £225.

Bulls

Angus                 £300                    WB & DE Gyte, Barmoor Clough

Mont                   £270                    J & J Walton, Tideswell

B Blue                 £250                    G Matkin, Idridgehay

Fries                    £225                    WB & DE Gyte, Barmoor Clough

Hfd                       £220                    AP Critchlow, Wheston

B Blue                 £290                    J & J Walton, Tideswell

882 Lambs & 316 Ewes & Rams (Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A similar entry of 1198 sheep included 821 new season lambs.  Demand for the meated quality butchers lambs very brisk from start to finish with a top of 320p/kg twice. Heavy weight butchers lambs to 294p/kg and overweights to 305p/kg top gross price of £161.65/head.

Overall market average 270.35p/kg

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

Old Season Lambs to 278p/kg ave 237.71p/kg

316 Cull Sheep

A good show of 316 cull ewes and rams still very much in demand with best Texels to £179/head twice with Bule Texels to £174/head, Beltex to £164/head.  Heavy Mule ewes sold in the £95-£120 range with best Suffolks in the £130-£145 bracket.

Ewes to £179                Ave £120.17

Rams to £148               Ave £128.69