Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

A good turnout for the May Bank Holiday market with 550 cattle and 940 sheep.  Regular buyers all operating normally plus a few ‘wild card’ bidders who would normally be otherwise engaged on a Monday.

Trade looking good across all sectors with the finished cattle significantly better sold than last week.

There was a good Bank Holiday entry of 392 head, plenty of buyers around the ring and a decent trade from start to finish with the younger cattle particularly dear.

Steers reached £2,400 to average £1,469 with heifers hitting the £2,000 mark and feeding bulls to £1,720.

Finished cattle numbers respectable at 86 with a firmer demand throughout.

Top figures 430p/kg and £2,896 per head.  The average for the 53 heifers – our regular barometer of trade looked good at 358.9 pence a useful increase on last week’s 330.8 pence and £2,270 per head up from £2,049 last week.

OTM numbers low with only 36 on offer and prices good.

Top figures 312p/kg and £2,628 per head.

The averages were a healthy 249.3p per kilo and £1,647 per head.

Calves continue to be extraordinarily dear with 36 on offer and bulls to £800 and heifers £670.  Figures which speak for themselves and demonstrate the confidence in the cattle rearing chain.

In the sheep section there were 92 Spring lambs forward.

Top figures 605p/kg and £276.79 per head.

The SQQ average was 517.9 pence making a typical lamb in the 39-45kg weight range worth £219 per head.

The 550 Hoggs were a very mixed lot with some very decent sorts and some ‘end of season’ varieties.

Top figures 460p/kg and £204.54 per head.

The SQQ was 397.4 pence making a typical hogg in the 39-45 kg bracket worth £179.42.

292 cull sheep on offer with ewes reaching £255 to average £145.46.

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 7^th May – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

36 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 249.3p/kg or £1647

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

A very light entry for the Bank Holiday market but with all buyers in attendance, trade was equally as sharp as last week, if not better with the average 4 pence more on the week.  OTM heifers to 312p/kg for Andrew Gagie with the best cow at 306p for Ben Simpson, Bradwell.

21 B/W’s in today’s entry averaging 229p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

4 OTM Steers

86 FINISHED CATTLE ave 349.1p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Ninety four last week and 86 today but trade was surprisingly buoyant throughout.

11 Young Bulls ave 340.8p/kg

Only a few but a solid trade selling to 394p for Phil & Emma Watson.

Results:

Gross Prices:

22 Steers ave 330.3p/kg

A solid price when you inspect the goods with no showstoppers but a good mix of commercials today.  Andrew Edge had 372p for his heavy Blue with the majority dairy bred today.

Results:

Gross Prices:

53 Heifers ave 358.9p/kg

Good numbers and trade better than all expectations with a full line up of buyers and the average nearly 30 pence better on the week. Peter Gaunt had a good run of 12 to average 399p and sold to 430 and 421p (both over £2800) with another trio over 414p.  Better than expected!

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

A very good entry of 392 cattle attracted a packed ringside of bidders and this ensured a very decent trade from start to finish despite concerns over the deadweight returns currently being experienced by producers.

The sale commenced with a run of feeding cows from MJ Wain, Brassington, these included:

£1840   B Blue x, 67 mnths

£1800   Hfd x, 48 mnths

£1760   Sim x, 65 mnths

£1700   Char x, 168 mnths

£1700   B Blue x, 46 mnths

35 Feeding Bulls

Sample Prices:

213 Steers ave £1469

Plenty of interest with a lively trade right through and little evidence the reduced finished prices was tempering demand.

Sample Results:

137 Heifers ave £1371

The entry included some excellent bunches which attracted fierce bidding and a premium and kept up the momentum of the sale.

Sample Results:

36 CALVES (Auctioneers Ivor Lowe & Natasha Hall)

Trade has reached a new level in the calf shed with a very good show of calves, to all average right through at £574.  Best bull at £800 for a British Blue from G & M Limer and the best heifer at £670 for a British Blue from B Savage.

Bulls

B Blue                 £800     G & M Limer

B Blue                 £790     GW & WL Neville

B Blue                 £780     GW & WL Neville

B Blue                 £760     GW & WL Neville

B Blue                 £720     GW & WL Neville

Hfrs

B Blue                 £670     B Savage

B Blue                 £660     B Savage

B Blue                 £650     TD & PD Hardy

B Blue                 £650     GW & WL Neville

B Blue                 £630     GW &WL Neville

642 Lambs, 292 Ewes & Rams & 6 Ewes & Lambs

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A good Bank Holiday entry of 940 sheep included 92 new season lambs.  Demand still very brisk for best butchers lambs selling to a top of 605p/kg twice and top gross of £276.79/head.

Overall lamb average 522.12p/kg.

Leading Prices

In the old season lambs quality was mixed for the 550 on offer with all types still in demand.  The best shaped handier weight sorts peaked at 460p/kg and numerous pens at 420p/kg.

Overall average 397.46p/kg.

Leading Prices

Averages

6 Ewes & Lambs

These attracted very brisk bidding with Herdwick twins to £262.

292 Ewes & Rams

Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift

An excellent entry for the Bank Holiday with a full compliment of buyers represented.  Top price £255 for Continentals with other Texels from the Bagshaws at Chelmorten at £250.  The best 6 pens averaged £235.80, top 10 pens £226.

Mules good to sell topping at over £180 per head.

Medium Swales just over £100 with plenty of crossbred continentals at £160 and above.

The mixed entry of slaughter tups topped at £232 for a Texel.

In fairness the average would be swayed by the larger number of horned and small ewes within the sheep penned.

100% clearance of both ewes and rams

Ewes averaged £145.46

Rams averaged £180.80