Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

With Easter in sight, it was another busy market with 808 cattle and 2,005 sheep changing hands.

Don’t forget it is a Tuesday market next week on 22^nd April.

The store & breeding section was full to capacity with 495 head on offer selling at price levels that continue to rise.

Steers reached £3,000 to average yet another record £1,709 with heifers very close behind at £2,980 with the average £1,501.

There is plenty of confidence in the breeding cattle department too with i/c cows to £3,700 and a Limousin stock bull at £3,800.

The finished cattle section continues to produce results that defy belief. With 141 on offer top figures were 448p/kg and £3,048 per head.

There were 71 heifers which averaged 385.8p/kg and £2,333 which gives a good indication of the level of trade generally.

The OTM section was well supported with 116 head forward and another outstanding trade.  Top figures 352p/kg and £4,100 per head with the average 274p/kg and £1,769 per head.

Once again, the question is asked – where is it all going to end?

Rather more calves on offer with tremendous demand with bulls to £720 and heifers £550.

In the sheep section it was the Easter Lamb Show and there were 190 Spring Lambs on parade.

Top figures 675p/kg and £298.45 per head with the SQQ average at 458.9 pence. Full details of the show are later in this report.

A good turnout of 1,428 Hoggs selling to 385 pence and £191.70 per head.

The SQQ average emerged at 325.6 pence for a rather mixed end of season sample.

A larger entry of 387 cull sheep sold on an exceptional trade with ewes to £330 to average £167.20.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 17^th April: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

DISEASE PRECAUTIONS

The authorities have asked us to pass on the message to everyone to be vigilant with regard to Bio Security.

May we respectfully ask that you use the footbaths and boot wash in order to reduce the risk

116 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 274.5p/kg or £1834

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)     

Similar numbers and average to last week and cows feel very dear again.  Cow meat is very much the flavour of the day and many more could be handled without affecting the trade.  Prices peaked at 352p for a Hfd Hfr, 32 mnths from Geoff Bull at Findern with the top cow being 348p for a pure Char (5yrs) from Charlie Boden, Mellor Hall.  26 today over £3 with many more in the 280’s and 290’s.

Results:

Gross Prices:

63 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 253p/kg (up 6 pence on the week)

4 best young things 302-329p

Best cows 275-295p (many £2000+)

Big Holsteins 250-270p

Leaner Parlour Cows 230-250p

Only plainer sorts under 220p

14 B/W’s over £2000

The best today:

2 OTM Bulls

10 OTM Steers ave 318p

141 FINISHED CATTLE ave 373.2p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Good numbers again although not the record entry of last week.  Trade excellent from start to finish once again.

29 Young Bulls ave 347.2p/kg

Just 6 continentals, 8 natives and 15 B/W bulls and all sold on a very strong trade.  Tom Robinson, Abney had the top price of 400p or £3048 for a suckler bred Simmy.  Beef Shorthorns to 376p for Messrs Mallaber with Friesians to 350p for RR Mason, Hulland.

Results:

Gross Prices:

41 Steers ave 371.2p

Good to sell once again with the intent from the butchers and wholesalers alike.  Harold & Brian Ponsonby rung the bells today with a Blue x at 418p with other better sorts over 400p.  21 natives today had Angus to 394p, Hereford to 403p, North Devons to 388p, Longhorns to 395p and Shorthorns to 379p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

71 Heifers ave 385.8p/kg

Bumper numbers again and something for everyone from best shop heifers, solid wholesale type heifers as well as a number of leaner sorts that would expect that would benefit from further feeding.  Heavy weight Limousins topped the market at 448p (£3082) for Charlie Boden with Steve Thompson at 437p and Keith Harrop at 436p.  20 natives saw the best at 380-400p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

Another marvellous entry of 495 store & breeding cattle with prices up another notch and some amazing results achieved.

The sale commenced with some 28 Breeding Cattle which included some very nice specimens and attracted a great deal of interest.

Sample Results:

37 Feeding Bulls

Next came 37 feeding bulls which sold extremely well.

Sample Results:

255 Steers ave £1709

Another lift in prices and another record average for all comers including a number of weaned calves.

Some superb strong cattle in the later end of the sale exceeding all expectations.

Well matched bunches in particular demand, hardy cattle for grazing keenly sought and as ever Angus and Angus x cattle attracting a huge amount of interest.

Sample Results:

175 Heifers  Ave £1501

Some wonderful individuals and some great bunches of well matched cattle attracting frantic bidding and outstanding prices.

Evidence of some buyers seeking suckler replacements and adding another factor to the trade.

Sample Results:

56 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

No let up in trade with all types again keenly bid for to a packed ring of prospective purchasers.

Top prices of £720 for bulls and £550 for heifers.

Just a small entry of Black & White calves today, but looking well sold to a top of £100 for a generally small sample.

Bulls

Char                    £720     RS Torr, Tissington

Lim                      £695     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

B Blue                 £665     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

B Blue                 £645     RE Poyser & Son, Onecote

Sim                      £402     CV Whilock, Ipstones

Hfd                       £385     GH Grass Conventors, Congleton

AA                        £348     CV Whilock, Ipstones

Hfrs

B Blue                 £550     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

Char                    £530     RS Torr, Tissington

Lim                      £355     RS Torr, Tissington

190 SPRING LAMBS, 1428 OLD SEASON LAMBS & 387 EWES & RAMS

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A very good entry of 2005 sheep included 190 Spring lambs for the Annual Show & Sale of Easter Lambs.  Best butchers types and prize winners topped the day at 675p/kg with top gross of £298.45/head.  The judge Mr Gary Foster had a difficult task selecting his prize winning lambs with R Brough & Son winning several of the continental prize cards.  In the native class Alex Birch won with his Dorset lambs.

Overall average 458.97p/kg

Leading Prices:

Averages:

In the Old Season Lambs best heavy butchers types topped at 385p/kg and £192/head.

The big sorts still hard to place with these in the 260-280p/kg bracket.

Overall average 325.67p/kg

Leading Prices:

Averages:

375 Cull Ewes, 11 Tups and 1 Goat

(Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift)

Over double the entry compared to last week and a fantastic day here at Bakewell, with plenty of strong sheep forward, with buyers forward for all types.

Top call an astounding £330 for Boden and Davies with a huge Texel ewe, followed closely at £290 for a Suffolk from the same home. Plenty well over the £200 mark today, with the top ten pens averaging an amazing £276!

Strong Mules to £198 and horned ewes to £89.

Tups topping at £259 from the Smiths, followed closely behind by Mr Brindley at £255, averaging all through an astonishing £204.91

1 goat today achieving £150.

Ewes to £330 ave £166.14

Tups to £259 ave £204.91!