Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

Grass harvesting underway wherever possible, but vendors still found time to deliver 840 cattle and 1,445 sheep to Bakewell.

There were new faces to be found both amongst buyers and sellers and all sections reported a decent level of trade.

The Store & Breeding cattle department attracted 535 head and there was plenty of interest in the varied selection on offer.  Trade was particularly strong for the cattle in the 9-12 month age range, but all types were well sold with steers to £1,670, heifers £1,890 and feeding bulls £1,170.

In the breeding section cows with calves reached £2,000 and a mature Angus bull made £2,080.

There was a bumper entry of 165 Finished cattle probably reflecting last week’s Bank Holiday market.  Top figures 339p and £2,607.

Trade was much as last week, but the quality of the entry was not quite as good with the 73 heifers averaging a creditable 273.9p.

OTM cattle are generally in short supply with a total of 89 on offer.  Trade was ‘off the clock’ with top figures 276p and £2,406.

The average was an astonishing 195.6p making an average OTM cow £1,314.

A few more calves about with 51 on offer.  Very strong prices with bulls to £485 and heifers £378.

Over in the sheep department the Spring lambs are coming forward in greater numbers with 228 this week.  Top figures 560p and £236.25 per head.

The SQQ average looked good at 428.6p for a rather mixed sample.

The same comment is true of the Hoggs with a mixture of well-fed sorts, but also of the 722 Hoggs, with a mixture of well-fed sorts, but also the tail end Charlie’s.  Top figures 438p and £256.50 with the SQQ settling at 365.6p.

A large turnout of 480 cull sheep included ewes to £210 to average a remarkable £135.45.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 16^th May: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

89 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 195.6p/kg or £1333.55

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)     

Still no great numbers about but an unbelievable trade, the dearest of the season to date with the overall average up to 195.6p or £1333, with this level of trade the only way to market your cows is on their legs and preferably in Bakewell where there is a full line up of buyers looking to own your cows and every kilo weighed and paid for.  Top price today was 276p and £2081 for a pure Blue cow (37 mnths) from Mark Hambleton, Alstonefield with plenty of other good fed sorts 220-249p.

Numbers are needed to quench the thirst of the buyers, for any information, give me a call on 07801 530899.

Results

Gross Prices:

24 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 182.3p

Dearer than ever

3 best cows over 200p

Older big cows 185-198p

Holstein parlour cows 160-180p

Only a handful of cows under 150p

The best today:

3 OTM Bulls

3 OTM Steers

165 FINISHED CATTLE ave 266.2p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Big numbers of cattle and a good price throughout.  37 bulls and 128 clean today including 9 OTM’s within the entry, but all well bid for with a solid trade.

37 Young Bulls ave 246.9p/kg

Better numbers that included 16 B/W bulls which are as dear as we have seen them.  Best suckler bred continentals are obviously the dearest price with a corker from Phil & Emma Watson, Ashover leading the way at 327p/kg followed closely by Nigel Birch at 325p, both nicely over £2000 as the top 9 bulls all were.  16 Dairy bulls sold to 232p for a Holstein from William Biggin, Holmesfield with Dairy Shorthorns to 228p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

55 Steers ave 268.9p/kg

All shapes and sizes with 12 Natives, 7 B/W’s as well as the continentals with purchasers for all including the 5 OTM’s.  Top call was a fantastic 339p for a handy weight, shapey B Blue from Harold and Brian Ponsonby, Tideswell Moor with the better sorts generally 310-322p.  Angus to 310p and B/W’s to 239p for a heavyweight Friesian.

Results:

Gross Prices:

73 Heifers ave 273.9p/kg

A bumper crop and some real quality at the top of the line with some well fed and well-bred style on offer.  Peter Gaunt had his usual quality and topped the heifers at 336p (£2110) for a Limmy x with an Alan Maier pure Limmy close behind at 333p with both heifers being purchased by Joe Kemp, Quality Butchers at Hayfield, High Peak.  Heifers with weight easily over £2000.  10 Natives sold to 270p for a Hereford from Roger Ardern.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneers Alastair Sneddon & Meg Elliott)

A very large entry of 535 store cattle was on offer with something to suit all the many buyers who were in attendance.

Quiet clearly the improved weather and ground conditions had concentrated minds and there was a good turnout of buyers looking for growing cattle.

The sale started with a few Breeding Stock which included:

Sample Prices:

45 Feeding Bulls

217 Steers ave £1,065

A really good selection with several large consignments meaning that cattle could be lotted in to decent bunches.  Plenty of trade for Angus crosses in particular, but Herefords and B/W’s also in great demand.

Sample Results:

258 Heifers ave £916

Some fine individuals and some great bunches with fierce competition for all types.

Suckler replacement customers also trying hard to source stock.

Sample Results:

52 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

An increased entry with a flying trade from start to finish which sold to a large gathering of prospective purchasers.

Bulls saw B Blues to £485 and Salers to £365 and plenty of interest in the B/W’s to a top of £260.

Heifers looked equally as well sold with Limousins to £378 and B Blues to £350.

Bulls

B Blue                 £485     J & J Walton, Tideswell

B Blue                 £400     WJ Adams & Son, Mackworth

Saler                    £365     JF Hayes, Shottle

Sim                      £290     DG & JA Ball, Fulford

AA                        £202     PW Mellor & Son, Monyash

Fries                    £260     T & CJ Hadfield, Wheston

Fries                    £250     T & CJ Hadfield, Wheston

Hfrs

B Blue                 £350     J & J Walton, Tideswell

Lim                      £295     TW Kent & Co, Yeaveley

Sim                      £260     DG & JA Ball, Fulford

950 LAMBS, 480 EWES & RAMS & 15 EWES & LAMBS

(Auctioneers Peter Oven & Mark Elliott)

Another excellent show of 1445 sheep included 228 Spring Lambs of mixed qualities and weight.  Best butchers’ lambs peaked at 560p/kg with 4 lambs grossing £236.25/head.  SQQ 428.62p/kg

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

Old Season Lambs

Getting less in numbers with only 722 on offer.  Best light weight butchers sorts to 438p/kg and overweight butchers lambs to 420p/kg.  Best big old season lambs grossed £256.50/head and overall average 365.66p/kg.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

15 Ewes & Lambs

Just 15 ewes and lambs attracted brisk bidding with Gritstone twins to £225, singles to £140 and Zwartble twins to £218.

480 Cull Sheep

A very good entry with the best a strong trade and the biggest Mules a very fast trade.  Top call £210 for Texels from Paul Chadfield at Marston Montgomery and Mark Hambleton at Alstonefield with the Shenton family at Handforth to £199.

Best Mules towards £140 with plenty of second types £108-£117.

Well finished sheep left their vendors rewarded with a real trade, but some of the plainer types on the day looked a fast trade in comparison.  Plenty of X bred big ewes £148-£168.

In the tups the Taylors at Knutsford topped the day at £228 with a Texel from P Chadfield  again at £216.  Good strong rams regularly £168 to £190 provided they had shape and flesh.

Ewes ave £135.45

Rams ave £150.07