Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

The first Monday market following the General Election and rather too soon to speculate what effect the new government might have on the farming industry.

Let us hope that some of them recognise the need for Food Security and the importance of maintaining home grown food supplies and a healthy farming industry.

We did have a visit from the mayor of the East Midlands together with our new police and crime commissioner both keen to talk to farmers and hear their concerns.

At least we had a blue sky for the start of the day even if the temperature was 3 degrees.

We also had decent entries with 594 cattle and 1,110 sheep, good numbers for this time of year.

Lamb prices looked particularly good with Bakewell trade strong after rapid falls in recent days – more detail later in this report.

A good seasonal selection of store and breeding cattle sold on a super trade with prices well in excess of expectation.  If you have stores to sell, do not hesitate, the demand is certainly there, just give us a call.

Steers peaked at £1,800 with heifers to £1,800, feeding bulls to £1,240.

In the breeding section a mature Limousin bull made £2,000.

An outstanding entry of 153 finished cattle sold on a brisk trade with top prices 326p and £2,270 per head.  The average for the 61 heifers was a creditable 281 pence.

More OTM cattle than we have seen for a few weeks with a total of 117 forward.  Top figures 249p and £2,056 per head.

The per head average for the 112 cows was a remarkable £1,280.

53 calves on offer with plenty of interest as indicated by the top prices – bulls to £490 and heifers £350.

In the sheep section there was another good quality entry of 730 lambs.  Top figures 352p and £169 per head.  The SQQ average emerged at 312.0 pence a creditable result in the face of results from the latter part of last week.

308 cull sheep sold with ewes to £179 to average £125.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 11^th July: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Saturday 13^th July: Farm Sale at Crosslands Farm, Doveholes, Buxton

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117 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 187.8p/kg or £1297

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)     

More cattle and more trade which is unreal for the time of year for cows to go dearer, but they certainly have done.  As ever, the livestock market is the driver of trade and with obviously more demand for cow meat the buyers all come with improved orders.  Long live the England team in the Euros.  Best cow today was a tremendous big Limmy cow from Jonathon Wildgoose & Family, Scarcliffe at 249p or a fantastic £2056.  All the better-bred cows 220p+ with plenty of men for feeders 200-230p.  If you would like any advice of selling barren cows at Bakewell, give me a call on 07801 530899.

Results

Gross Prices:

46 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 171.1p

More cows and a higher percentage today and they are definitely dearer.

5 OTM clean 193 – 230p

Best big cows 180 – 190p

Holsteins 165 – 175p

Leaner parlour types 150 – 160p

Only a handful under 150p

The best today:

4 OTM Bulls

1 OTM Steer

153 FINISHED CATTLE ave 266.5p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Even bigger numbers than last week with 50 bulls and 103 clean cattle, all very well sold on the day but the average a little less.

50 Young Bulls ave 252.5p/kg

The biggest entry for a while and all the buyers were there and on good form.  Steven & Ben Jones won the race to the top and peaked at 306p (£2099) for a well bred Limmy x and Sue Jeffery also at 300p (£2244).  11 biggest over £2000 with the best 280p plus.  10 Dairy bulls saw Friesians to 228p and Shorthorns to 235p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

42 Steers ave 264.2p/kg

The average back a bit, but trade still strong for the good offering of steers today.  A good run of heavy weight steers from C Asher (t/a TB Dalton) rose to the top of a long list of quality steers today at 310p (£1934) with just a handful over 300p.  B/W’s to 240p with the best of the natives 260 – 280p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

61 Heifers ave 281p/kg

A similar average and general trade with a bit more poke to the little heifers and the big well-fed sorts adding up well.  Peter Gaunt had 326p, 323p and 320p for the best of his run.  Messrs Hazledine had 320p and Stan Evans at 318p.  11 Natives today with the best 250 – 260p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

Bakewell numbers holding together well at a time of year when supplies are low.

In fact, a few more stores than last week with a total of 271 forward.

Trade outstanding for all types with finishers fighting very hard to replenish their yards.

If you have stores to sell and need advice, give Alastair Sneddon a call on 07973 982441.

Some larger consignments today, which allowed well matched bunches to be assembled and attract the premium which they so often do.

The sale started with a few Breeding Stock which included:

34 Feeding Bulls

Looking very well sold, sample prices as follows:

93 Steers & Heifers ave £1018

A remarkable average bearing in mind the numbers of young cattle in the entry.  All varieties very keenly sought with prices that speak for themselves.

Sample Results:

Heifers

Some lovely bunches of heifers which made the sale go with a bang.

Very fierce competition at all price levels with buyers having to work very hard to keep their numbers up.

Sample Results:

53 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A further increase in numbers with trade equally as strong as last week with bulls to a top of £490 and heifers to £350.

Best calves and second quality equally all well sold with Limousin bulls to £490, B Blue to £440 and heifers seeing B Blues to £350 and Limousin to £335.

Plenty of interest in the B/W’s with the strongest of these to a top of £148.

Bulls

Lim                      £490     SG Potter, Bonsall

Lim                      £455     SW Frith, Thorpe

B Blue                 £440     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £400     JW Lynam, The Common

Angus                 £285     JW Brandrick & Son, Beamhurst

Mont                   £255     J & J Walton, Tideswell

Hfd                       £185     AP Critchlow, Wheston

Holst                   £148     T Farrington & Sons, Abbotts Bromley

Hfrs

B Blue                 £350     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £280     JW Lynam, The Common

Angus                 £232     JJ Furness Ltd, Elton

807 LAMBS & 303 EWES & RAMS

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A similar entry of 1110 sheep included 730 new season lambs.  Best butchers lambs peaked at 352p/kg with heavy weight butchers lambs to 348p/kg and overweights to 318p/kg.  Top gross price of £169.91/head.  The overall average 312.07p/kg up 30p/kg on many centres from the end of last week.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

77 Old Season Lambs still in demand to 248p/kg and £159.12/head.

303 Cull Sheep

A good entry for early July and trade good from start to finish.

Vendors with long continentals with plenty of flesh were very well rewarded with plenty of runs of ewes £145 plus and the top 10 pens all nearly £160 and above.

Top call £179 for Tim Allsop with Texels with Rob Rowlinson at Ramsor close behind at £176.

Best Mules all over £126 with over £130 for the heaviest.

Only a few horned and grazing types but purchasers present for all categories.  Best Swales to £90.

In the rams Texels to £153 and £155

Ewes to £179                Ave £125.54

Rams to £155                Ave £119