Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

 BAKEWELL MARKET

Monday 21st February 2022

After the third storm in a week, it was hardly surprising that numbers were down.

In fact, it was surprising that we ended up with 453 Cattle and 837 Sheep to sell.

Things looked particularly bleak at 6am Monday morning, but both vendors and purchasers made valiant efforts to bypass flooded roads and make the journey to Bakewell.

A good proportion of the pre-entered Store & Breeding Cattle amounting to 282 animals have re-booked for next week.

Anyone concerned about the trade had nothing to fear with prices even higher than last weeks outstanding trade.

Steers reached £1,460 to average an extraordinary £1,012, Heifers to £1,390 ave £908 and Feeding Bulls to £1,030.

In the Breeding section Cows with Calves sold to £1,800 and a Simmental Stock Bull to £2000.

There were 75 Finished Cattle with numbers down due to flooding problems, but trade was solid with top figures 286p and £1,877 with both Steers & Heifers averaging 240p.

67 OTM & Feeding Cows braved the conditions with top figures 210p and £1,801 to average a record breaking 164.5p.

Not the best of days to sell calves, but there were 29 on offer with Bulls to £395 and Heifers £150.

The Sheep department definitely suffered from a weekend of particularly foul weather and there were only 664 Hoggs on offer.  The best on offer hit 316p and £151.50 with the SQQ average at 277.9p.

Competition was particularly fierce for the 173 Cull Sheep with ewes to £210 to average £105.80

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 24^th February: Regular Lunchtime Sheep Market

Friday 11^th March: Orange Sale for TB restricted cattle

Friday 18^th March: HPLS Cattle Sale

FARM SALES

Wednesday 9^th March: Brook Farm, Atlow

Friday 11^th March: Plardiwick Farm, Stafford

 67 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows Overall Average 164.51p or £1175 – Up 13p or £140 on the week

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

They were dear last week but today they were ‘off the clock’.  The dearest trade ever experienced at Bakewell for Barren Cows with cows up £140/head on the week.  Way too many highlights to quote today as every cow looked well sold with all the buyers hunting for cows in a week when it may be hard to secure any loads due to the adverse weather conditions.  Top price today was a lovely black Blue x Cow from Mark Sweetmore, Earl Sterndale at 210p or £1801 with 2 Blue Heifers from Messrs Locker at 209p and Mark Hambletons 11 year old Blue at 204p.

Just 21 Continental cows today.  Herefords to 176p and Angus to 164p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

 35 Black & White and ex-dairy cows Ave 157.1p/kg

THE BEST TRADE EVER!

7 Best Cows over 170p

Big well meated Holsteins 160-170p

Plainer Parlour Holsteins 140-155p

Lean Cows under 130p

The best Today

1 OTM Bull

4 OTM Steers

75 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 235.7p

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

A storm affected entry with only 75 on offer but all buyers in attendance and solid price for each and every one.

9 Finished Bulls ave 201p

Not enough to make a meaningful average with only a couple of Beef Bulls and the rest Dairy cross.  A smart Shorthorn x made 250p for James Hole, Eddlestow with John Ottewell big Lims up to 229p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

28 Steers – overall average 240.8p

13 Native and 15 Continental that included a super run of 4 Limousin from John Grummett, Smisby that sold to 276p twice, 275p and 266p and a couple of big boys from Sue and Charles Jeffery at 266p and 265p to gross £1877 and £1835.  Angus to 254p and Hereford to 249p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

38 Heifers – overall average 240.2p/kg

Just like the Steers with plenty of trade for all shapes with well fed cattle certainly attracting a distinct premium.  Mark Hadfield had the day at 286p for a well-fed Limousin selling to Miss Katie Freya on behalf of Joe Kemp, Quality Butchers at Hayfield.  Best fed cattle generally 260p plus with 3 big powerful Heifers over £1800.  Angus to 242p and Hereford to 236p.

Sample Results:

Averages:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

The majority of cattle entered for the sale were able to make the trip and so there were 282 on offer out of a possible 350.  Most of the absentees have rebooked for next Monday.

There was a full line up of buyers including the regular long-range ones which ensured a tremendous trade throughout.

The sale commenced with a few Breeding Stock which included:

33 Feeding Bulls

Sample prices as follows:

129 Steers ave £1012

A decent selection with trade as dear as we have seen them.  Angus & Hereford selling well and some good bunches of Black & White looking very dear.

Sample Results:

110 Heifers ave £908

Some good bunches, pairs and individuals and all finding fierce competition and an outstanding trade.  The statistics speak for themselves.

Sample prices as follows:

CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

Bulls looking well sold with B Blues to £355 and £320 and Salers to £230 but a slightly more selective trade for the heifers with both B Blue and Limousin to £150.

A strong trade for the B/W with additional buying support and a top price of £95.

Bulls

B Blue              £355                JE Seals & Son, Shirland

B Blue              £320                JD & B Broadley, Hartington

B Blue              £265                TW Kent, Yeaveley

Saler                £230                JF Hayes, Shottle

Hfd                  £210                JW Brandrick, Beamhurst

Lim                  £210                WJ & DM Madin, Holymoorside

Heifers

B Blue              £150                JE Seals & Son, Shirland

Lim                  £150                RE Poyser, Onecote

664 Lambs & 173 Ewes & (Auctioneers Peter Oven & Mark Elliott)

A total of 837 Sheep on offer included 664 lambs.  Despite the bad weather all buyers were in attendance or represented and resulting trade for the right goods brisk.  Best lighter weight lambs peaked at 316p/kg with best butchers lambs to 314p/kg, heavy weight butchers lambs to 304p/kg.  The best heavy butchers lambs topped at £151.50 per head.  Overall market average 277.92p/kg

Leading Prices: –

173 Cull Sheep

Some of the best pure Texels forward today for many a month and vendors very well rewarded.  Top call of the day £210 for Hayden Fletcher at Peak Forest and more could have been sold to advantage.

The best Mules over £115 with plenty of bidders for less weight and less flesh.

Big Suffolks over £155 with the best 8 pens averaging £190.20, Swales to over £70.

Slaughter rams a mixed entry with Beltex to £136.

Ewes   To: £1210        Ave: £105.80

Rams   To: £136          Ave: £104