Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

896 Cattle & 2,019 Sheep – 277 Vendors

With farmers who were tied up after buying rams and breeding females at recent sales now mostly clear of the 6 day stand still things were distinctly busy in all sections.

There was also evidence that with fodder and straw shortages on the horizon, farmers were weeding out stock before the arrival of Winter.

This was demonstrated by the OTM cattle entry of 154 and the cull sheep section which had a bumper crop of 875 head on offer.

There was a large entry of store & breeding cattle forward with some excellent runs of top-notch cattle which certainly made top notch prices.

Steers reached £2,760 ave £1,545, Heifers £2,300 ave £1,329 and feeding bulls to £1,480.  In the breeding section cow and calf outfits peaked at £3,100 and a mature Hereford stock bull made £2,700.

Finished cattle entries were good at 144 and prices were strong too with top figures 435p/kg and £3,156 per head.

The average for the 62 heifers was a solid 385.5 pence and £2,425 per head, the highest for some time.

OTM cattle were out in force with 154 on offer.  Top figures 315p/kg and £2,930 per head.  The average looked good at 253.6 pence and £1,661 per head.

Only 49 calves this week with bulls to £555 and heifers £500.

In the sheep department numbers were up with 1,234 lambs forward, trade was solid with top figures 372p/kg and £185.26 per head.

The SQQ average was 308.8 pence making a typical lamb in the 39-45kg weight range come to £132.35.

Cull sheep were out in force with a very large entry of 875.

Ewes sold to £251 with the overall average for a mix of lowland and hill sheep at £106.67

Forthcoming Fixtures

Thursday 16^th October – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

Friday 17^th October – HPLS Suckled Calves

Friday 18^th October – HPLS Hill Sheep

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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

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Bakewell Market

Christmas Primestock Show & Sale 2025

Primestock Show & Carol Service – Sunday 30^th November

Christmas Primestock Sale – Monday 1^st December

154 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 253.7p/kg or £1661

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

60 more than last week and trade continued at pace from start to finish.  15 best average topped £3/kg with a high of 315p for the best on in the ring from Messrs Platts, Bamford, being a 30 month old AA heifer with the best cow at 313p for Alex at Thorp Farms for a 5yo B Blue x cow.  Cows once again are good to sell in Bakewell with all of the regulars bidding well for the best fleshed cows right across to the leanest end for further feeding.

Results:

Gross Prices:

52 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 234p

Very similar to last week.

Best end cows 260-279p – some over £2000

Big Holsteins 245-258p

Parlour Holsteins 230-240p

Plainer sorts 210-220p

Only a few under £2

The best today:

4 OTM Bulls

10 OTM Steers

144 FINISHED CATTLE ave 374.3p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Bigger numbers – better cattle – more buyers – faster trade!

45 Young Bulls ave 358.3p/kg

A good show and quality throughout with all bulls looking good to sell and even the black & white dearer on the week.  Ben Langton had 2 pearlers at 437 and 410p with other better sorts over £4/kg.

10 B/W saw Friesians to 335p and Dairy Shorthorns to 330p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

37 Steers ave 375.4p

Once the bulls had finished the fireworks really started with the clean way better to sell on the week.  Last vendor in the ring, Richard Naylor picked 3 showy B Blue steers at 435,430 and 419p/kg with other better made things over £4/kg including a really special B Blue from Matthew & Denly Allen at 409p or £3002.

Results:

Gross Prices:

62 Heifers ave 385.6p/kg

A big jump in the average of 18 pence on the week but some better cattle about with Christmas procurement in full swing.  Top call today was 432p for 2 lovely sweet, mid 500kg suckler bred heifers from Josh Hall and Ben Langton and 27 of the best over £4/kg.

Results:

Gross Prices:

549 STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

Another very large entry of 549 head attracted a full line up of buyers and trade remained the high level experienced in recent weeks.

There were some very smart bunches and individual animals which attracted fierce competition as demonstrated by the results listed below.

Breeding Stock

Feeding Bulls

Sample Prices:

227 Steers ave £1545

Some wonderful cattle on offer today hence the increased average of £1545.

Demand just as strong and very satisfactory prices achieved.

Sample Results:

263 Heifers ave £1329

A varied selection with buyers present for all types and a satisfactory trade from start to finish.

Sample Results:

49 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

Another excellent trade on all types with plenty of farmers at ringside looking for decent volumes of calves and many more could have been sold to vendors’ advantage.

Nothing really posh in the entry today but bulls saw a B Blue to £555 and heifers to £500.

Plenty of interest in the Black & White’s with these to a top of £310 for some at 2 months old.

Bulls

B Blue                 £555     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

B Blue                 £550     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

B Blue                 £525     RE Poyser & Son, Onecote

Angus                 £350     WB & DE Gyte, Barmoor Clough

Sim                      £310     G Matkin, Idridgehay

Holst                   £310     EW Froggatt & Partners, Abbotts Bromley

Hfrs

B Blue                 £500     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

Lim                      £470     A & J Bowler, Ashleyhay

Hfd                       £400     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

Sim                      £395     G Matkin, Idridgehay

1234 LAMBS, 875 EWES & RAMS

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

An excellent entry of 2109 sheep included 1234 lambs.  Demand very good throughout with meated sorts well bid for, best butchers lambs sold to 372p/kg with heavy weight butchers lambs to 350p/kg and over weights to 330p/kg with a top gross of £185 and 10 pens 350p+.  Overall average 309.68p/kg.

Leading Prices:

Averages

895 Ewes & Rams

(Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift)

A 2025 record Monday entry of 860 ewes and rams today in Bakewell with a very pleasing overall average of £106.94, which reflects the make-up of the entry being a larger proportion of grazing ewes.

Top call £251 for a pair of smart texel ewes from DA Stubbs from Uttoxeter, with other big texels behind at £231 and £221 for L Hadfield and Sons and P Furness, respectively. Top 10 pens average £208.40, mediums regularly over £140+ and grazers well bid for again.

8 rams, to top at £228 for P&E Watson for a big Char, with others close behind at £200 from R Quarmby, but not many other best, heavy rams on offer today.

852 ewes average £106.67 to £251

8 rams average £135 to £228

Overall average £106.94