Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

A very large entry of 840 cattle, but sheep numbers well down as the old season lambs dry up and this year’s lambs are still in short supply.

The long spell of frosty nights and dry sunny days have started to raise concerns about grass growth and even perhaps arable crops.  No real sign of this affecting prices, but it is definitely a concern.

Next week is a Bank Holiday, but we will be holding the Market as normal on Monday 3^rd May.

Entries for the Store & Breeding Cattle section were closed last Thursday with 600 on the list and subsequent entries have been made for Monday 3^rd May with approximately 200 already in hand.  Trade remains solid with the strong cattle looking very well sold indeed.

Steers sold to £1,400 and Heifers £1,490 with Feeding Bulls £1,150.

In the breeding section cows and calves reached £1,420 with in calf cows to £1,050.

There was a decent entry of 108 finished cattle with top figures 266p and £1,905 per head.  46 heifers averaged 219.1p.

A good show of 114 OTM and Feeding Cows sold on another excellent trade with the best on offer to 198p and £1,518 and the average looking good at 143.2p.

Calves in short supply with bulls to £380 and Heifers £280.

In the Sheep section numbers were well down with a total of 879 on offer.

There were 158 Spring lambs with the best to 388p and £168 per head.  The average emerged at 361.1p

Old season lamb numbers have dried up with only 331 forward.  This clearly helped trade with top figures of 344p and £194.47 per head.  The overall average was a mighty 320.2p

There was a reasonable entry of Cull sheep with 359 in total.  Ewes sold to £179 to average £104.65.

Forthcoming Market Fixtures

Thursday 29th April: Lunchtime Sheep Sale, See our Facebook page for special entries.

Monday 3^rd May: Regular Monday Market

Friday 21^st May: Orange Sale, all enquiries speak to Oliver Hiles on 07801 530899.

FARM DISPERSALS

Friday 30^th April – Highfields Farm, Tamworth

Friday 7^th May – Hill Farm, Teversal

Friday 14^th May –  Home Farm, Middleton by Youlgreave

113 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows Overall Average 143.2p or £1011

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles).

Another big show of cows with 113 on offer and sold to a lively ring of buyers.  One wholesale buyer was absent today, but 3 returning men at ringside took the baton with trade generally very similar on the week and the overall average still nicely over £1000/head.  Prices peaked at 198p for a young Angus Heifer from Garner Holdings, Heage with best cows at 186p from Robert Belfield, Leek.  Plenty of cows for feeding today with numerous accounts at ringside.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

52 Black & White and ex-dairy cows Ave 134.2p/kg

A very similar price for most with only a few very best B/W perhaps a little less money.

Best Cows – 148p plus

Big Holsteins – 130-1345p

Leaner Sorts – 115-125p

Plain Cows – under 110p

TOP 11 Cows

8 OTM Bulls

108 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 214.1p (Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

An identical average and trade to last week with 37 vendors enjoying their trade today, 18 different accounts at ringside and competition at its very best.

16 Finished Bulls ave 215.5p/kg

250p seems the ‘new normal’ for the best bulls with a cracking pure Limousin today from Messrs Bennett, Threaphurst and grossing a superb £1730.  David Goddard representing Messrs Fearn sold 2 Lims at 244 & 240p (£1675 & £1610) Alan Maier had 239p for his Limousin with the last 2 bulls from the late Harry Holland selling at 229p (£1845) and 219p (£1550) Only 1 B/W bull today and sold well enough at 200p (£1200).  Top price on the day overall was a tremendous pure Charolais from Messrs Boden & Davies, Mellor to gross a superb £1905 (210p)

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

46 Steers – overall average 208.9p/kg

31 Continental, 8 Native and 7 B/W with buyers for all and a solid price throughout.  Michael and Paul Hazledine had a couple of crackers up to 259p (£1481) and 248p (£1483).  David Keeling had 252p (£1648) and 244p (£1727) for his pair of Limousin and Thorp Farms had 240p for their best.  Big boys from Don Lownds sold up to £1814 (213p) and £1793 (236p). Herefords sold to 226p, Angus to 224p, Beef Shorthorn to 218p and B/W to 195p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

46 Finished Heifers – overall average 219.2p/kg

The same number of heifers as steers today and some special sorts in the offering.  Gold medal today was a lovely black Limousin from Keith Harrop at 226p (£1399) and selling to Joe Kemp, quality butchers and it will be available from his new shop on Market Street, Hayfield.  Don Lownds had 263p (£1730) and Messrs Hazledine had 261p, back in the market for the first time in a while was David and Charlotte Hadfield and they sold up to 258p for a smart big blue to gross £1702.  Angus to 216p and Hereford to 200p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

There were 592 cattle on sale after the entry was capped with some 160 head carried over to Monday 3^rd May.

We missed a few of last week’s highlights when outstanding cattle made prices over £1,500, but for what was on offer this week trade was good especially for level bunches which attracted particular interest.

Plenty of Angus in the entry this week and rather more Black & White steers than we have seen for some time.

The sale commenced with some 44 Breeding Cattle which included:

Next came 13 Feeding Bulls with examples as follows:

275 Steers ave £860

A big entry which lacked the top end quality of last week, but which saw very keen competition at all levels.

Suckler bred sorts sold well, Angus crosses were in great demand and there were several big bunches of B/W upto 11 in a lot, which created plenty of interest and prices to match.

Sample prices include:

260 Heifers ave £834

Solid trade from start to finish with harder cattle attracting a premium over inside types.

Stronger animals selling very well indeed with some notable highlights achieved.

Sample Results:

CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

A few less about but trade just as last week with bulls regularly up to £300 with Limousin to £380, B Blue to £360 and Angus to £365.

Same story with the heifers with the best of these to £280 and the second equally as keenly sought after.

Less B/W in the entry but plenty of potential purchasers with a top of £210.00

879 Sheep including 158 Spring Lambs, 331 Old Season Lambs, 359 Ewes & Rams & 31 Store Sheep

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A smaller entry of 879 sheep saw the best entry so far this year of 158 Spring Lambs.  Meated sorts well bid for with the Brough Family topping at 406p/kg and Bernard and Sam Archer having top gross of £168 and £165/head, as the weeks progress more and more butchers are now changing over to the new season lambs and an excellent overall average of 361.15p/kg.

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

In the old season lambs quality was mixed for the 331 on offer.  Meated sorts still attracting very brisk bidding for the butcher and farm shop orders to see the best butchers lambs to 336p/kg, heavy butchers lambs to 344p/kg and overweight lambs to 320p/kg with a top gross of £194.47.  The overall market average was 320.21p/kg

Leading Prices: –

Averages:

Cull Sheep

In the cull sheep a good show of 359 of all varieties saw meated sorts attract very brisk bidding from start to finish.

Best pedigree Texel ewes to £179 with other Texel to £164.  Suffolk sold in the £135-£147 bracket with heavy Mules £95-£110 and horned ewes around £85/head.

Cast Ewes        To: £179          Ave: £104.65

Cast Rams       To: £137          Ave: £115.18

A total of 31 Store Sheep saw Continental doubles to £200, Singles to £136

Mule doubles to £166 and Cade lambs to £14.