Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

 BAKEWELL MARKET

Monday 4^th April 2022

Much busier than last week with 828 cattle and 1,196 sheep on offer.

Outstanding trade in all departments with plenty of highlights and some remarkable averages the like of which have not been seen before.

The Store and Breeding section was back up to strength with 525 on parade after a light show last week.

Trade good for cattle of all ages and descriptions with Steers to £1,590, Heifers £1,480 and Feeding Bulls £1,140. Cows and Calves peaked at £1,600.

There were some amazing results in the Finished Cattle section with the best on offer to 329p and £2,114 per head.

The average for the 75 heifers was 261.0p and an astonishing £1,530 per head.  These figures were not a result of a local shortage because there were 153 cattle forward.

OTM sellers also hit the jackpot with the best on offer to 240p and £2,080.

The average for the 102 on offer was a remarkable 185.0p surely another market record.

48 Calves this week and selling well with bulls to £370 and heifers to £252.

In the sheep section trade was stronger.  A few more Spring lambs forward 35 in total selling to 390p/kg and £162.12 per head with the SQQ average at 356.1p.

Hogg numbers holding up with 905 forward and selling to 330p and £164.48.  The SQQ looking better at 271.7p.

Fewer Cull sheep about with just 256 on parade.  Ewes to £210 to average £126.06.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday 7^th April:  Regular Lunchtime Sheep Market

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT

Monday 11^th April – Business as Usual

Easter Monday – 18^th April – CLOSED

Easter TUESDAY 19^th April – Tuesday Market

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FARM SALES

Friday 22^nd April: Lower Lea Farm, Rugeley

Friday 29^th April:  The Annual Darley Moor Machinery Sale

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News from The Farming Life Centre

The Farming Life Centre team will be having a stand at the ABC on the first Monday of every month.  Please stop to say hello or pop across if you’d like to find out more about what we do.

Coming up:

Bacon Butty Project – We will be taking our Bacon Butty Project to Mole Country Store at Darley Dale on Thursday 28^th April.  Call in to see us between 10am and midday for a cuppa and a bacon bap!

Farm Diversification workshop – Nick and Julie from Growing Rural Enterprise will be delivering a workshop on Wednesday 18^th May, 10am-3pm, from the conference room at the ABC.  Helping farm businesses to refresh and reflect on diversification enterprises, look into marketing and promotion and develop a personalised action plan.  Lunch included.  Contact info@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk or call 07483 373435 to book a place.  All welcome.

The Peak Farmers Group –  Please get in touch if you would like to join the group or to book a place at either of the following events:

Farm Walk: How to grow grass for less – Tuesday 26th April, 11am – 2.30pm, Flagg Hall Farm, Buxton – Farm Walk: How to grow grass for less – Looking at improving grazing efficiency and grassland management. Explore the benefits of herbal leys and Spring whole crop.  Hear from Rusty Mycock and Kate Phillips on improving grazing efficiency and optimising output across dairy, beef and sheep systems.  Learn about current opportunities for farmers looking to reduce inputs and costs from Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer Mark Taylor.  Pie and pea lunch included, all welcome.

Massey Feeds Mill Tour – Tuesday 7^th June, 7.30pm – 9pm, Massey Feeds Holmes Chapel Mill – Mill Tour: Gain a glimpse into the world of animal feed manufacture.  Hear about Massey’s sustainable ruminant feeds with no palm kernel or soya products – a UK 1^st!  Supper and transport included.  All welcome.

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We have been kindly loaned a 1944 copy of the Farmers Weekly and will be including a few snippets in our Market Reports.

 102 Barren, OTM and Feeding Cows Overall Average 185.1p or £1321.55

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

UP 5.5P/KG OR £90 ON THE WEEK

DEARER AGAIN – FR COWS TO £2 OR OTM FR STEERS (4 ½ YRS) TO £2080

The price marches on and a new record price again with the cows averaging 185p or £1321/head.  While this level of trade exists, the only way to market cows is on their legs and in Bakewell Market.  Other outlets will only be on ‘catch up’ again this week.  29 cows today topped £2 with even Friesians at this new level today.  Top call was a lovely Blue x feeding cow at 240p.  Bigger cows generally over £1600 and up to £1921 for a Lim from Rob Rowlinson, Ramsor.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

47 Black & White and ex-dairy cows Ave 177.2p/kg (Up 10p on the week)

Better than ever with a Friesian cow at 11 years old selling at £2/kilo and 4 big cows selling over £1600.

The best Today

4 OTM Bulls

2 OTM Steers

153 FINISHED CATTLE – overall average 251.69p

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

A bigger show with 27 Bulls and 126 clean selling to a large ring of buyers creating 17 different accounts from 52 vendors who sold finished cattle today.  The cattle trade is sky high at present, please come and see for yourself how dear they are.

27 Finished Bulls ave 223.1p

An unbelievable price, particularly the B/W’s today.  Best Lims topped at 276p or £2103 for a super bull from the Edge Family, Minninglow with others at 260p.  Holsteins sold to 235 or £1729 for Neil Massey, Derby.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

51 Steers – overall average 254.5p (Up 5p on the week)

38 Continentals, 12 Natives and 1 B/W Steer.  Pick of the day was a trio of best Limousin from John Grummett, Smisby selling to 329p (£1921), 303p (£1824) and 286p (£1904).  Simon Shaw Browne had a lovely sweet Limmy at 300p and Nigel Birch at 296p.  A trio of big made bullocks today sold over £2000 from local feeder Keith Harrop, Alport with the best up to £2,114.   Hereford to 268p, Angus 260p and a smart Friesian Bullock made 235p.

Sample Results:

And Gross Prices:

75 Heifers – overall average 261.1p/kg

Equally as dear as last weeks record, if not better sold.  17 Natives and 58 Continentals in the bumper crop today.  Best easily over £3 today with the gold medal going to Nigel and Julie Birch with their sweet Lim x heifer selling at 314p., just pipping Keith Harrop at 312p (£1865) and Jack Blackshaw 308p.  Also, at 300p was David Gregory with a posh Angus Heifer.  Big well bred and fed heifers totted up to £1989 for one of a trio from Charles Ottewell (290p).

A trio of

Sample Results:

Gross Prices:

 STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneer Alastair Sneddon)

After last week’s smaller entry we were back to normal with 525 head on sale.

A powerful line up of buyers ensured a strong trade with plenty of competition from start to finish.

Several large consignments allowed good bunches to be assembled and helped the progress of the sale as well as attracting a premium.

The sale started with a few Breeding Cattle including:

Sample Prices:

21 Feeding Bulls

Next came 21 Feeding Bulls which included:

311 Steers ave £899

The entry included quite a number of stirks and reared calves which took the edge off the average, but trade was strong at all levels.

Very fierce competition of turning out cattle and the short finish sorts were especially dear.

Sample Results:

171 Heifers ave £827

More small cattle about this week selling in the £300 – £600 bracket and taking their toll on the average.

Strong cattle just as dear with Angus crosses in great demand.

Sample prices as follows:

48 CALVES (Auctioneer Ivor Lowe)

Calf trade a little more selective, but the best again an excellent trade with bulls to £370 and heifers to £252.

Second quality perhaps a little more difficult to place and the Black & Whites forward a solid trade to a top of £95.

Bulls

Hfd                       £240     Sewell Farms, Denby

Holst                   £95        JF Hayes, Shottle

Saler                    £220     JF Hayes, Shottle

B Blue                 £370     D Fotherby & Sons, Wormhill

Heifers

B Blue                 £252     RS Torr, Tissington

Lim                      £195     JF Hayes, Shottle

940 Lambs & 256 Ewes & Rams (Auctioneers Peter Oven)

A total entry of 1196 sheep included 35 new season lambs and 905 old season lambs.  Demand for the new season lambs very brisk for the right weights with a top of 390p/kg and £162/head with an overall average 356.17p/kg

Leading Prices: –

In the old season lambs a total of 905 on offer saw demand very good throughout with best butchers lambs to 330p/kg, heavy butchers lambs to 309p/kg and overweight lambs to 280p/kg.  Top gross price of £164.48/head.  Overall average of 271.75p/kg.

Leading Prices:-

Averages:

256 Cull Sheep (Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A smaller entry of 256 cull ewes and rams saw demand very much in line with last weeks very high levels.  Best Texels from P Furness topped the day at £210/head with the top 10 pens of Texel x ewes averaging £184.  Best Suffolks sold to £168, Mules to £148 and Swales to £83.

Ewes    To: £210           Ave: £126.06

Rams   To: £206           Ave: £159.67