Livestock & Dairy: Leek Market

Finally some sunshine with many farmers in the harvest and making the most of the weather over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Spring lambs are a solid trade, with quality selling extremely well up to 382p/kg and £162.92p/head with the whole entry averaging £130/head. Ewes were a exceptional price with a small entry forward with prices reaching £168 and £162.
Barrens sold on a strong trade up to 176p/kg for Holsteins, with clean cattle topping at 243p/kg for a Limousin heifer.
Demand for calves improves week on week, with more about this week, topping at £444 for Simmental bulls and Blue heifers to £342.
A shortage of dairies, making room for the dispersal next Tuesday.
Pigs were in good demand once again with bacon pigs to 172p/kg.

BARREN COWS (42);

Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
More cattle about this Tuesday and trade just continues at a pace with some excellent prices for the stock on offer, topping at 176p/kg for a 730kg Holstein from J Bailey & Sons, Greenway Bank, with a 570kg Swedish Red at 169p/kg for B & D Cooper, Hollingworth. A 725kg Simmental cow made 161p/kg.
Other top prices;
150p 795kg Holstein – D & G Tudor, Kingsley
150p 730kg Shorthorn – K C Parker, Hamstall Ridware
148p 720kg Holstein – J J & PN Holdcroft, Brown Edge
147p 735kg Shorthorn – J G Tatton, Cheddleton
144p 835kg Hereford – N A Bonsall, Stanshope
142p 565kg Hereford – T & B Beswick, Buxton
142p 625kg Shorthorn – G G Hall & Son, Croxden
Overall average of 125.74p/kg or £795.86 per head.
Top headage price of £1284.80 for the 730kg Holstein from J Bailey & Sons, with Herefords up to £1202.40, Simmentals to £1167.25 and Shorthorns to £1095.
Three overage steers topped at 157p/kg for a 665kg Hereford from N A Bonsall, who also sold a 675kg Hereford at 148p/kg and a 655kg Hereford at 143p/kg.

CLEAN CATTLE;

Selling time – 10:45am approx.
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A good trade for what was on offer, selling to 243p/kg for a smart 505kg Limousin heifer from C Barnsley, Morridge to gross £1227.15.
A lightweight 415kg British Blue made 216p/kg for Shaun Beswick, Buxton, with a 580kg Limousin heifer realising 200p/kg for F Swindells. Bosley.
Steers sold to 206p/kg for a 520kg Limousin from FW & RC Hodgkinson, Gawsworth.

DAIRIES;

Selling time – 11:30am
Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)
With the sun shining, it was a very quiet day in the dairy shed with anybody with any sense silaging.
Next week however we have the dispersal of Holsteins & Shorthorns on behalf of Martin Tidmarsh that are well worth a look. Catalogues can be viewed online at www.leekauctions.co.uk.

PIGS (112);

Selling time – 9:15am
Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)
A strong trade again this week, and some good quality sorts forward selling up to 172p/kg for bacon pigs.
Pork pigs topped at 144p/kg for 59kg pigs from Alan Worth, Marton who also sold a 72kg pig at 134p/kg.
Cutters topped at 144p/kg for a 77kg pig from J & B Fentem. A pair of 77kg pigs sold to 142p/kg for C Wardle, Sandbach, who also sold 78kg pigs at 121p/kg. a single 80kg pig from J G Belfield, Sheen realised 132p/kg.

A bumper show of bacon pigs topped at 172p/kg for an excellent pen of 4 pigs from David Goldstraw, Meerbrook, with others to 146p/kg for 91kg pigs from PF & PD Parsons who sold others at 146p/kg, 144pkg and 138p/kg. 86kg pigs made 144p/kg for KJC Dipple, Studley who also sold 86kg pigs at 143p/kg. Bernard Minshull sold bacon pigs to 139p/kg and 138p/kg.

Heavy pigs sold well on the day up to 148p/kg for a trio of 106kg pigs from J & B Fentem, who also had a pair of 104kg pigs at 112p/kg. a pair of 97kg pigs made 106p/kg for Bernard Minshull.
Cull sows topped at 81p/kg for a 203kg sow from Chris Hine, Biddulph, with a 240kg sow at 63p/kg for Abbotsholme School.
Averages;
Pork Pigs (4); av 141.43p/kg or £99/head
Cutting Pigs (9); av 123.06p/kg or £96.53/head
Bacon Pigs (83); av 122.13p/kg or £114.97/head
Heavy Pigs (12); av 115.76p/kg or £123.28/head
Cull Sows (3); av 61.6p/kg or £135.73/head

SHEEP SECTION;

Selling time 11:00am
Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)
SPRING LAMBS (303);
AVERAGED £130/HEAD
Numbers on the rise and trade very solid, looking firmer on the week. The whole entry averaged £130/head including a number of lightweight sorts. Better types 350p and above to top at 382p/kg. Best headage at £162.92 and overall average of 334p/kg.
Many more could be sold to the vendors advantage each week!!
Sample prices;
379p 38.5kg C G Buckston, Sutton on the Hill
376p 36.7kg IE, M & A Wilson, Hollington
374p 39kg IE, M & A Wilson, Hollington
382p 42.5kg D Williams, Basford
381p 41kg FW & JF Brookes, Crakemarsh
374p 43kg SWP & JA Talbot, Gratwich
370p 44kg FG & JR Critchlow, Sheen
290p 51kg A & JE Goldstraw, Waterhouses
BUTCHERS HOGGET’S (26);
A drastically reduced entry selling on a solid trade with meated sorts at 322p/kg for handy weights at 280p for heavy weights. Top headage of £140.62.
CULL SHEEP (51);
Disappointing number with vendors clearly prioritising harvesting. Trade absolutely sensational. Best ewes to £168 from Ron Darlington, closely followed by Nicola Beardsley at £162. Best Mules over £120!!
Overall average of £126.80!! More required each week!

CALVES (118);

Selling time – 10:00am
Auctioneer – Oliver Hiles (07801 530899);
A bigger entry than expected for a Bank Holiday sale and there were customers for everything from the very biggest and best and stylish to the smaller types.
Bidding brisk and some unable to fulfil their orders totally. Top call of £444 for a Simmental bull from B & B Partners, Lask Edge. Best 9 bulls averaged a superb £402.22.
39 Continental Bulls
22 Blues av £334.77 to £430 – W E Turnock & Sons
12 Sims av £325 to £444 – B & B Partners
4 Lims av £302 to £362 – P G Beswick & Sons
1 Blonde to £342 – EJ & VC Gilman
31 Continental Heifers £255
Plummy heifers good to sell to a top of £342 for Richard Gould’s Blue with Handford’s, Birch Vale at £328 for a Limousin
21 Blues av £268 to £342 – F J Gould & Son
4 Sims av £271 to £314 – TD & DA Higginson
4 Lims av £170 to £328 – J W Handford & Sons
2 Blonde av £245 to £270 – EJ & VC Gilman
12 Natives
Hereford Bulls to £300 – G R Spink, Grindon
Angus Bulls to £308 – R J Clowes & Sons, Kingsley
Hereford Heifers to £250 – CS & J Prince, Marchington
Angus Heifers to £270 – L Ford & Son, Twemlow
6 Black & White Bulls
Only 6 rearing type bulls forward selling on a strong trade up to £192 for a Friesian from H & J Smith & Sons, Biddulph

ATTENTION TO ARLA PRODUCERS
We can handle our calves and satisfy your contracts. Please let us know if you are an Arla Farmer and we will do the rest.
SHEEP EARTAG IDENTIFICATION
Slaughter Tags are only to be used in sheep under 12 months of age. Ewes should be Double Tagged with a matching pair of tags, one being electric.

SATURDAY 12TH JUNE – 10AM
Sale of Store & Breeding Cattle
Entries Close Friday 4th June
Next Sale Saturday 26th June

SATURDAY 12TH JUNE – 11AM
Special Sale of Breeding Sheep & Ewes with Lambs at Foot. Please advise of entries.

SATURDAY 12TH JUNE – 10:30AM
Monthly Sale of Store & Breeding Pigs.
Please advise of entries.

Auctioneer:

Meg Elliott

Auctioneer and Valuer, Market Associate

Mark Elliott

Partner

Farm and dispersal sales, livestock auctioneer

Oliver Hiles

Market Associate