Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

Not quite as busy as last week, but still a very respectable turnout with 773 cattle and 1,324 sheep on offer.

Finished cattle a shade easier, but store cattle and OTM’s holding their price and the sheep trade rather better than expected.

There were 455 head of store & breeding cattle with plenty of highlights and fierce competition for the best.

In the breeding cattle section there was considerable excitement for the consignment of pedigree Simmentals with a 13 month old Simmental stock bull at £5,950 and an in calf heifer £2,820 and a 14 month old heifer at £2,550.

In the regular stores, steers sold to £2,700, heifers £2,240 and feeding bulls £1,950.

A total of 137 finished cattle sold on a solid trade with prices a shade easier as expected.

Top figures 419p/kg and £3,720.  The average for the 65 heifers was 358.7p/kg and £3,193 per head.

Another large show of 145 OTM cattle sold well with prices up on the week, top figures 350p and £3,657 per head.

The average looked good at 252.9 pence or £1,648 per head for an entry which included more ex dairy cows than usual.

Calf numbers steady at 36 with bulls selling to £540 and heifers £470.

Some reared calves topped at £780.

In the sheep shed there was a decent selection of 1,147 hoggs selling on a better trade than anticipated.

Top figures 390p and £189.74 per head.

The SQQ looked very healthy at 345.5p making a typical lamb in the 39-45kg range worth £147.83.

Cull sheep were in short supply with only 177 on offer.

Ewes sold to £250 to average £128.83 for a rather mixed selection.

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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Forthcoming Fixtures

Thursday 29th January – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale & sale of Store Lambs

We have been asked to inform you

that the funeral for

Mr B Sayles

of Hill Top Farm, Parkhead, Matlock

will be held on

Tuesday 3^rd February

at 11am

at St Mary’s Church, Crich

The family have asked us to inform you

The Funeral of

David Elliott

Formerly of Welbeck Estate

will be held on

Friday 30^th January

at 12 noon

at St Mary’s Church

Cuckney, Nr Mansfield

NG20 9NQ (off A60)

*********************************************************

We have been asked to pass on the sad news that

Mick Lilley

Died on 27^th December 2025

Funeral arrangements have not been finalised, but we will publicise the place and time when it is known

145 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 252.9p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Good numbers again but not a record entry like last week with the trade a little stronger and the average up by 4 pence on the week.

There are a lot of B/W’s and dairy cows in the market at present, for obvious reasons with these accounting for 60% of todays total entry.  Best price today was 350p/kg (£2394) for a 4 year old cow from Messrs Kidd, with big cows up to £3,200 for Mark Shenton who had some stunners last week also.  A lot of feeding farmers at ringside again today keeping the leaner cows at good money in the hope that they will improve with a changed diet.

Results:

Gross Prices:

85 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 231.4p

Certainly dearer and plenty of demand.

1 OTM heifer 300p

Best fed cows 255-284p

Big Holsteins 240-250p

Leaner cows 220-240p

Plainest end under 210p

The best today:

3 OTM Bulls

5 OTM Steers 

137 FINISHED CATTLE ave 355.3p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Exactly the same numbers as last week but the January blues in the meat industry finally reared their ugly heads.  They do appear to be a lot of clean cattle about nationally and talks of waiting lists at abattoirs locally and nationally.  We at Bakewell are well placed to deal with the problems and a fast trade throughout, although at slightly reduced levels.

32 Young Bulls ave 347.1p/kg

Big, small, good and plain, we had them all and found customers with the bulls fairing better than the clean overall.  Steven & Steff Wells had a corker at 426p with David Goddard at 418p, the youngest vendor of the day Hayden Hulme selling a big blue at 408p or £3720.

Results:

Gross Prices:

40 Steers ave 356.8p/kg

Not a vintage show of steers today with all grades and breeds represented.  Messrs Swinson had a big Limmy at 404p (£2957).  Angus to 395p, Hereford to 352p, Lincoln Reds to 332p and Murray Greys to 322p.

Results:

Gross Prices

65 Heifers ave 356.8p/kg

Just like the steers with a good mix of natives alongside the suckler bred continentals.

Don Lownds won the day at 419p with others at 413p and 410p. 23 natives today had Angus to 368p and Hereford to 350p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

A decent entry for the time of year with a total of 455 head on offer.

Plenty of interest in all types with buyers present operating at all price levels.  Quality not up to last week’s standard, but trade holding very well in the light of reduced deadweight prices for finished cattle.

The sale commenced with a nice sample of 31 breeding cattle which included:

The 13 month old bull created a great deal of interest a fierce bidding before the hammer fell.

Other breeding stock included:

8 Beef Shorthorn in calf Cows from I & P Hogg of Bretby, these sold from £1,380 to £1,560

There was interest too in the feeding cows with a level lot of 7 mainly Angus x cows selling at £1340 on behalf of SW Frith, Thorpe.

48 Feeding Bulls

Sample Prices:

194 Steers ave £1572

A very mixed sample this week with quite a number of small, young weathered cattle selling chiefly in the £500-£800 bracket.  All found a new home at appropriate prices, but took their toll on the overall average.

Quality cattle were still in very strong demand as these sample prices demonstrate.

Sample Results:

182 Heifers ave £1350

A great trade from start to finish.  Plenty of small cattle in the early part of the sale. Some showing signs of the weather, but keenly bid for and off to new homes.

Stronger cattle looking dear with prices indicative of confidence in the future.

Sample Results:

35 CALVES (Auctioneer Natasha Hall)

An entry of 35 calves with bulls topping at £540 for a Lim from JE Seals & Son.  Heifers topped at £470 for an AA from JW Brandrick & Son, closely followed behind with a B Blue at £440 from JE Seals & Son.

B/W’s topped at £188.

A small entry of reared steer calves of 5-6 months with a Longhorn topping at £580.

Bulls

Lim                      £540     JE Seals & Son

B Blue                 £475     JE Seals & Son

AA                        £465     GW & WL Neville

B Blue                 £455     TN Palfreyman & Son

B Blue                 £445     GW & WL Neville

Hfrs

AA                        £470     JW Brandrick & Son

B Blue                 £440     JE Seals & Son

Blond x               £430     SG Potter

Lim                      £415     TN Palfreyman & Son

Lim                      £405     TN Palfreyman & Son

1147 LAMBS AND 174 EWES, RAMS & GOATS

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A slightly small entry of 1321 included a good show of 1147 lambs.  Best fed sorts still very much in demand with a top of 390p/kg with a further 7 pens over 382p/kg and a top gross of £190/head.  Overall average 245.59p/kg.

Leading Prices

Averages

177 Ewes and Rams

(Auctioneer Mark Elliott)

With most sectors harder to move in line with all other auction in the Midlands the best at Bakewell were still pretty good to sell.

Plenty of good meat and shape £180 plus and the best £223 and £250 with John Spillane taking top spot this week.

Generally, bigger end Mules in the £140 to £150 region and several runs of crossbred ewes £140 to £159.

Plain ewes and horned types harder to sell than recent weeks.

Again, the best of the slaughter rams good to sell with John Salmon of Marchington averaging £226 for his Texel/Beltex stock tups with a top of £230.

4 Goats forward to average £133 per head.

Ewes to £250 ave £128.83

Rams to £230 ave £136.47