Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

A wet morning with plenty of stock and people in the market entries were 715 cattle and 978 sheep.

Large numbers of finished cattle on offer with a total of 193, the store numbers down a bit for the time of year at 365 head.

Plenty of vehicles delivering sheep, but the average load size rather small as the hoggs dry up and lambs are slow to arrive in force.

The store & breeding cattle section was bolstered by a couple of special entries to total 365 head.

A consignment of breeding cattle from E Vaughan of Ashton under Lyme were well sold with the best outfit to £4,050.

A pair of ped Lim stock bulls from Dukes Drive Farm Shop at Buxton attracted fierce bidding with them both selling at £3,800.

In the regular store cattle section, a nice run of 32 Char & Lim x steers, 9-11 mnths added a further highlight selling at up to £1,780.

The 190 steers averaged £1,610 and reached £2,320 with the heifers to £2,000 to average £1,395.

A bumper crop of 193 finished cattle sold rather better than anticipated with top figures 465p and £3,297.

The average for the 126 heifers was a respectable 344.5p and £2,141 per head.

OTM cattle were out in greater numbers with 102 on offer.  Top figures 330p/kg and £2,631.

The average looked good at 254 pence and £1,708 per head.

The trade for the 55 calves shows no signs of bending with bulls to £850 and heifers to £640.

Sheep numbers at their lowest ebb at this time of year.

440 Spring lambs on offer selling to 500p and £227.90 per head.

The SQQ average was a hefty 459.6 pence making a typical lamb in the 39-45kg range worth £193.90.

239 Hoggs a selection that included a few ‘tail end Charlies’

The best on offer to 449p/kg and £248.44 per head.

The SQQ average was 402.9 pence making a typical hogg in the 39-45kg bracket worth £170.67.

299 cull sheep this week with top figure for ewes £240 to average £164.20.

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 11^th June – Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

102 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 254.1 pence or £1708

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Similar numbers and trade good with the average up 12 pence on the week, but more OTM clean cattle in the entry and a few less B/W made the averages better.  Top price of 330p/kg for a Blue x heifer with others at 329p and 320p x2 with the best cows at 316p a B Blue, 5 yrs from Ben & Katie Simpson.  Better sorts 280p plus with all the feeding men at ringside looking for numbers.

Results:

Gross Prices:

35 Black & Whites averaged 225p/kg

3 better 273-278p

Best fed cows 230-261p

Big Holsteins 220-230p

Leaner types 200-220p

Plainest end under 200p

The best today

1 OTM Bull

270p/kg             £2500   Hfd, 3yrs            RW Ardern & Sons, Buxton

3 OTM Steers

296p/kg             £1397                  B Blue, 34 mnths          GA Bull, Findern

280p/kg             £1764                  Fries, 32 mnths              EA Gagie, Uttoxeter

190 FINISHED CATTLE Ave 339.1p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

The biggest entry of the year to date and some superb cattle at the top end would not have been any better any week during the last 12 months.  Commercial cattle remain a tough call but plenty of competition at the trade.

27 Bulls Ave 323.6p

3 over £4 with the best good but the dairy bred bulls little changed.  Ruth & Ruben Swift had the top call of 404p with the Wells family at 402 and 400p.  Big bulls up to £3297 and £3282 for David Goddard.

Results:

Gross Prices:

40 Steers Ave 333.5p/kg

The best excellent and loads of demand but not enough trade for the more commercial end.  John Grummett had the pick at 407p (£2849) with Mark Froggatt close behind at 406p (£2744).  Big boys from Keith Harrop crossed the 3k barrier at £3022.

Results:

Gross Prices:

126 Heifers Ave 344.5p/kg

The biggest entry of heifers I can remember and some stunners at the top end that certainly rang the bells.  Micheal Wynne had 465p for his best heifer to gross £3022.  Phil & Emma Watson had 446p and Peter Gaunt had 440p all with well bred and fed suckler bred sorts.  15 over £4.  38 Native heifers today to 350 and Angus to 304p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

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

A respectable entry of 365 head in a season where numbers seem to be dwindling.

Trade was excellent from start to finish with little evidence that lower finished cattle prices are having an effect on store cattle returns.

Plenty of buyers around the ring some having made the journey to Bakewell to bid for the various special entries that had been promoted.

The sale commenced with a consignment of breeding cattle from Mr E Vaughan of Ashton under Lyme, notable results included:

Other breeding stock on offer included

15 Feeding Cows of all descriptions, shapes and sizes sold between £600 and £1700.

Feeding Bulls

Only 15 with examples at:

190 Steers Averaged £1610

Some fine specimens in the entry, but buyers were present for all types and trade was excellent as indicated by the strong £1610 average.

Sample Results:

98 Heifers average £1395

Plenty of demand for what was on offer.  Bunches sold well and Angus crosses attracted a strong following.

Sample Results:

55 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe & Tash Hall)

An increase in numbers forward but no let up in trade with all types very sharp from start to finish.

Stronger continentals saw B Blue bulls to £850 and £840m Char to £790 and Herefords to £630.

Heifers looking equally as well sold with Blues to £640m Herefords to £590 and both Angus & Lim to £530.

B/W’s light on numbers but those forward were rewarded with an excellent trade to a top of £435.

Bulls

B Blue                 £850     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

B Blue                 £840     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

Char                    £790     JW Handford, Aspenshaw

Lim                      £595     JW Handford, Aspenshaw

Hfd                       £630     T Farrington & Sons, Abbotts Bromley

Hfrs

B Blue                 £640     GW & WL Neville, Tansley

B Blue                 £585     TN Palfreyman & Son, Flagg

679 Lambs & 299 Ewes & Rams

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A similar entry of 978 sheep included 440 new season lambs.  Demand very brisk for the time of year to a top of 500p/kg and overall average 460.84p/kg.  Top gross of £228.

Leading Prices

Averages

Still a few Old Season Lambs on offer, these saw prices very good for the best meated sorts to a top of 449p/kg to average 402.93p/kg with top gross of £248/head.

Leading Prices:

Averages

Ewes & Rams

Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift

A very mixed entry but buyers for all categories and more could have been sold well.

Trade good especially for the best meat and strong Mules.

Best continentals topping at £240 three times for the Percival family, Archer family and Birch family with a good proportion of the continental crosses £184 plus and the top 10 pens averaging a very creditable £229/head.

Best end Mules topping £200 with medium sorts with good flesh £148 plus.

Very few Swales but the better fed types (not the biggest frames) £108-£113.

Plenty of punters for the slaughter rams with a top of £232 for 2 big Texels near the end of the sale.

Ewes ave £164.20

Rams ave £181.50