Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

With the Bluetongue zone up to the Nottinghamshire/ Derbyshire border there are some vendors who cannot sell their stock at Bakewell, however, despite this, entries were reasonable with 701 cattle and 1,667 sheep on offer.

Purchasers can come from anywhere so long as Bakewell remains in the ‘free zone’ but, as we saw a couple of weeks ago changes can come without warning and with immediate effect so please keep checking the Bluetongue interactive map.

If you have any queries please give Alastair Sneddon a call on 07973 982441.

There were 375 store & breeding cattle forward and whilst it seemed harder work from an auctioneering pointof view the final prices achieved still look good. Steers sold to £1,870 with heifers to £1,820 and feeding bulls £1,280.  In the breeding section cows and calves sold to £1,460 and a young pedigree Limousin bull made £2,750.

Demand for short finish store cattle is influenced by the trade for finished animals, and those were out in force, there were 136 on offer and reached 346p and £2,493 per head.

The average for the 49 heifers was a solid 284.2 pence and the 39 steers averaged a respectable £1,877 per head.

A better turnout of 130 OTM  cattle with the selection process clearly being applied before the winter arrives.

Top figures 245p and £2,223 per head.

The average very similar to recent weeks at 179.5 pence.

Only 60 calves after last week’s bonanza, but trade looked strong with bulls to £440 and heifers £260.

A good show of 1,244 lambs and a solid trade right through.  The best on offer hit 314p/kg and £163.90 per head, with the SQQ average 275.5p.

Interesting to note that the overall average, which included lambs over 45kg was 278.3 pence indicating a strong demand for bigger lambs.

412 cull sheep sold on a steady trade with the best on offer to £200 and the overall average for a mixed sample emerging at a decent £93.56.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 18^th October: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Friday 19^th October: HPLS Suckled Calf Sale

Saturday 20^th October: HPLS Hill Sheep Sale

This map shows the current restriction zones as of 15^th October 2024

If there are any changes, we will announce these as soon as possible via our website & Facebook and the Store List

We have been asked to inform you

The Funeral of

James (Jim) Pickford

Of

Lowe Hill, Leek

Will take place on

Thursday 24^th October

At St Lawrences Church, Rushton at 11.30am

130 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 179.5p/kg or £1147

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)     

More cows on offer from 60 vendors this week and an astonishing good price from start to finish.  The cows are about 25 pence dearer than this time last year.  Today’s average is a little less than last week but the cows are actually dearer with the leanest cows looking best sold on the week and we did seem to have a lot of outside cattle that were showing the effects of the cold wet Autumn that we have received.  All the better cows comfortably over 200p with a high of 245p for a young 4 year old B Blue x cow from Geoff Nutter, Grindon with all the biggest cows nicely over £1500 and up to £1823 for Stuart Mycock, Flagg.  Cows are good to sell and Bakewell appears to be the best place to make the most money of your cows.  Any questions, give me a call on 07801 530899.

Results:

Gross Prices:

53 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 166.6p

More B/W’s on offer and an abundance of cold, plainer cows that look very dear on the day.

3 OTM Clean 211-235p

Better Cows 180-193p

Big Holsteins 165-175p

Plainer Sorts 150-160p Unbelievable!

Only a handful under 150p

The best today:

1 OTM Bull

6 OTM Steers

136 FINISHED CATTLE ave 273.5p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

42 vendors to 23 buying accounts

Strong competition today for a generally lower quality entry with less suckler sorts on offer, but still 30 cattle rose past the £2000 mark.

48 Young Bulls ave 253.9p

Nearly double the entry of last week and some real spirit to the bidding.  The Wells family had a corker of a Limousin at 320p (£2393) with other good suckler sorts 300p plus.

16 B/W’s today up to 251p with a big B/W at £1923 for Neil Massey.

Results:

Gross Prices:

39 Steers ave 283.3p/kg

25 Continental and 13 natives on offer with the best easily 300p plus regardless of weight.  Clive Bacon won the day at 326p (£2125) for a posh Limmy with PJ Blackshaw close behind at 324p (£2203) and Steven & Steff Wells at 322 & 321p.  The 13 Natives sold to a high of 314p or a remarkable £2493 for a very posh Lincoln Red from David Wright, Parwich with the best of the Angus to 308p (£2064).  1 B/W Steer sold at 246p (£1530).

Results:

Gross Prices:

49 Heifers ave 284.3/kg

Again, an unreal average for the lesser quality show generally.  Best sorts sold to a top of 346p for a cracking Lim from David Wright, Parwich and sold to Meakin Butchers of Leek.  Better sorts 320p and plenty of the stronger heifers £2000 plus.

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

A few less on offer, probably due to the Bluetongue boundaries but still a useful sample with 375 head in total.

Buyers on hand for all varieties and a decent trade prevailed from start to finish.

The sale commenced with a selection of Breeding Cattle which included:

19 Feeding Bulls

Prices as follows:

186 Steers ave £1011

Some superb cattle in the entry with prices to match.  No problem whatsoever achieving decent figures for the short finish types.

Harder work for the mid range animals with wintering costs starting to enter the thought process, but when the hammer fell it was at an appropriate level.

Suckled calves starting to appear and very keenly sought which bodes well for the HPLS sale on Friday.

Sample Results:

159 Heifers ave £994

Some good individuals and bunches – solid trade from start to finish.

Clearly some bidders looking for suckler replacements and helping the trade accordingly.

Sample Results:

60 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A reduced entry following last week’s bumper crop and in general a very mixed entry in terms of quality.

The best calves still maintained recent rates with B Blue bulls to £440 and £420, whilst the mid range calves were well bid for but possibly a little less money.

Black & Whites again meeting plenty of interest to a top of £130.

Bulls

B Blue                 £440     F Mycock & Sons, Wormhill

B Blue                 £420     F Mycock & Sons, Wormhill

B Blue                 £395     J & J Walton & Sons, Tideswell

Lim                      £280     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

Lim                      £278     GS & L Wheeldon, Atlow

Fries                    £130     T & CJ Hadfield, Wheston

Hfrs

Sim                      £260     G Matkin, Idridgehay

Lim                      £185     JP & SR Slack, Taxal

Hfd                       £155     Holtwood Farm, Doveridge

1244 LAMBS & 412 EWES & RAMS & 11 STORE EWES

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A total entry of 1667 head of sheep included 1244 lambs.  Demand for the bigger lambs still very good, but lighter weight and plainer sorts back on the week.  Best butchers lambs to 318p/kg with heavyweight butchers lambs to 314p/kg and overweight breaking lambs to 298p/kg and £163.90/head.

Overall market average 278.31p/kg.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

412 Cull Sheep

(Auctioneers M Elliott & H Swift)

Good numbers forward and still a line of potential grazing customers in attendance for all the breeds in that category.

The very best good to sell to a top of £200 for the Troome Family at Kirk Langley with smart long pure Texels.

Best strong pure Suffolks over £160 with plenty of strong crossbred Texels £144 and above.

The big rams a strong trade to a top of £190 for Texels and crossbreds.

Within the grazers there were all types forward including some shapey but lean Texel crosses and an odd pen of plain Swales.

As detailed above there were customers for everything and a strong trade.

Ewes to £200                Ave £92.82

Rams to £190                Ave £143.83