Herefordshire farm market reports

Again plenty of cattle 200p-plus.

Certainly at present the demand for beef is very high, still a shortage of cattle nationally which seems to drive the trade even further.

Plenty of competition around the ring and as always a buyer for the best and the worst. This morning’s price would be out in front of any deadweight quote for this week coming and more cattle are currently required for the existing buyers.

Steers averaged 191.5, heifers averaged 190.5 OTMS – 70: Same as the previous week very dear as demand for cheap beef really takes off, shortage of the best meat cows with mostly diary types on offer. The best cows topping at 157p with any meat beef cows over 130p.

The best black and whites over 140p with several cows grossing over £1,100, overall average of 129.6p or £880 in the lump.

Hoggetts – 1,483: A very level trade which would be very similar to last Monday, all firms want sheep but at a price, the better export hoggs from 210p to 216p, heavier sheep would be slightly improved again with hoggs over 50kg sharper than the previous two weeks, several pens from £90 to £94.

The hoggs 44 to 47kg are the hardest to sell as the home trade at present is very slow. An SQQ average of 201.7 with an overall average of 198.1p; still this trade is in front of last year by a considerable margin. Overall average 198.1.

Ewes – 467: Another good entry met a very strong trade, a lack of the best strong ewes with an entry dominated by mules and smaller ewes, still the best ewes over £100, topping at £109.50.

Unlike the hoggs the supermarkets have no control on the price and this makes all the difference.

Overall average for the ewes was £80.35.

Kington Market, February 7 McCartneys report a very successful result from the store cattle sale held at Kington.

A ring full of buyers competed fiercely for all types of cattle and a total clearance was realised.

The stronger cattle were sold very well resulting in all steers forward averaging £1,031 per head with a top price of £1,300 for 700kg steer from Duncan Camerron of Letton.

The heifers saw an average of £910 per head with a top price of £1,330 for a 700kg heifer from D Pritchard, The Bryn.

Ten lots of steers realised over £1,200 with some 550kg charolais steers from David Jones, Redborough, making £1,260 or 229.7p/kg.

Ten lots of heifers sold over £1,050 per head with some 470kg charolais heifers from Ron James of Chickward making £1,085 or a staggering 231p/kg. Several lots of steers sold fron 220p/kg to 225p/kg and many heifers sold from 215p/kg to 220p/kg.

The next sale at Kington is on March 6 and catalogue entries close on Tuesday, February 28, at 5pm.

Hereford Market, February 8 Prime hoggs – 1,581: A much better trade than expected with standards averaging 207.8p up to 214.8p and mediums to 222.4p, averaging 200.1p. Export trade very buoyant with home trade heavier sheep more selective but still a top of £102 (70kg), £98 (56kg), £96.50 (51.5kg) and £95 (55kg). Our new buyer for the heavier sheep is now a regular fixture adding further competition for this weight. Trade still 23p above last year. Top price/head £102 for lambs grading 70kg Overall average 195.3p/kg.

Ewes with lambs – 127/179: Another good entry with several quality couples on offer. The cold weather took the edge off the trade with fewer customers looking to buy. Ewes with stronger lambs that looked capable of standing the weather sold keenest interest topping at £226 for two Suffolk crosses with twin lambs. Other better pens of doubles from £148 to £172.

Several pens of strong ewes with single lambs ranged from £137 to £174. Most bunches were sold with a few pens of those with younger lambs remaining unsold.

In-Lamb ewes/hoggs - 304: A varied selection of in lambers sold to good interest with virtually all lots being sold. Quality was not as good as recent weeks, with a top price of £161 for Suffolk cross yearlings scanned in lamb to Berrichon rams.

Other black faced yearlings from £148 to £159.

Other younger ewes included pure Blue Faced Leicester ewes, twos and threes scanned to texel rams - they sold from £132 to £142. A bunch of strong Welsh mule fours and fives scanned for 200 per cent sold at £130 on two occasions.

Broken mouth mule ewes sold from £75 to £108. The pen of Welsh ewes, broken mouth and scanned in lamb to a blue-faced Leicester ram sold to good interest and fetched £96.

Several hoggs in lamb on offer – these sold to £130 for Suffolk cross mules with other black faced from £115 to £120. The pen of texel cross Welsh hoggs sold at £126 with other texel crosses at £110.

Store and ewe hoggs – 621: All hoggs to a competitive trade - forward condition is getting more important, get your hoggs used to hard food. Those in more forward order from £78 to £86. Good farming sorts from £67 to £76, with others from £52 to £65. Only hill bred or small types from £40 to £50. A pen of Suffolk cross mule ewe hoggs sold to £100 with several interested. Other light faced ewe hoggs from £70.

Rearing calves: A disappointing entry of only two calves which sold very well – an Angus bull at £160 and a Belgian blue heifer at £240.

Auctioneers have plenty of farmers wanting calves and have a major new buyer who can take any type of calf. Sales do need numbers though, otherwise do not expect the buyers to keep coming.

Please contact Jeremy Jehan on 07974 193667 or the market office on 01432 761882 Cull ewes - 635: An exceptional trade to £151 for ewes and £128 for rams. Plenty of good sheep over £100. Ewe trade in comparison looks a lot dearer than lambs but a ewe cuts a large amount of meat and this trade is not dependent on the Euro. Ewe trade is home trade and in the hands of independents not businesses.

Average £/head - £86.31, Suffolks £134, Continental £151, North Country mules £110, Welsh mules £100, speckles £85, Welsh £80.50, cull rams £128.

Kington Market, February 9 McCartney’s of Kington report a smaller entry of 1,500 sheep.

The hogget trade saw a lift over previous days trading mainly due to fewer being marketed nationally throughout the week.

Auctioneers had a entry of 1,200 hoggets which sold to a much better trade on all weight ranges.

The whole market averaged 210p/kg up to 225p/kg with all hoggets averaging £89 per head.

The lambs sold to £103 per head for some 60kg lambs from S I Rogers.

Hoggets between 38kg and 43kg which were of export spec were sort after and fetch premium prices with these hoggets averaging a good 215p/kg. Heavier hoggets between 44kg and 47kg were easier to sell than previous weeks they averaged a good 199p/kg. Hoggets over 48kg would again sell well they averaged 193p/kg and up to £103 per head.

Some 37kg hoggets from W D Layton and Sons made £80.80, 39kg hoggets from R D and J M Ransome made £85, 40kg hoggets from J and G Sankey made £88, 41kg hoggets from S and M Edwards and Sons made £90, 46kg hoggets from T R James and Sons made £94, 48kg hoggets from M R L and C A Pitt made £98, 49kg hoggets from S and M Edwards and Sons made £95.80, 53kg hoggets from H J Price and Son made £98, 54kg hoggets from S I Rogers made £101.

There was a good entry of 300 cull ewes selling to another exceptional trade which would be better than last week. The ewes sold to a top of £156 for some Texel ewes from G V Hardwick and Son and all the ewes averaged an excellent £90 per head with many hill ewes forward. Tups sold to a good trade with a top of £148 and to average £94 per head.

The cull ewes included a large proportion of thinner mule ewes and smaller hill ewes.

Auctioneers have buyers for in excess of 3,000 lambs and 750 cull sheep per week.

Kington Market is every Thursday, commencing at 11am with lambs.

For further information, call Gareth Wall on 01544 230316.

Hereford Market, February 9 A good quality entry but nowhere near enough cattle on offer for the demand. Trade for all sizes and breeds was excellent with a top head price of £1,245 for a limousin steer at 19 months, other stronger cattle from £995 to £1,182. More farming steers on offer with good shaped 12/15-month cattle from £752 to £1,088. Those 5/10 month stores from £548 to £890.

The draft of Hereford cross charolais steers sold to great interest - 20/24 months from £895 to £1102 (220p- 232p/kg). Heifers topped at £1,152 for a pair of limousin cross at 575kg (19 months). Many from £548 to £850. More cattle needed at each sale.

Just one limousin cross heifer with her charolais cross steer calf sold at £1,060, with a constant demand for all beef type cows/heifers.

Five barren cows and heifers sold very well to £1,092 for a 690kg dairy cross heifer with another at £1,000 and ranging from 158p-173p/kg.

Older cows from £605 to £908 (115p- 134p/kg).

Knighton Market, February 9 McCartneys report an entry of 1,047 prime hoggets and 344 cull sheep.

A very firm hogget trade averaged 206.49p/kg selling to 218p/kg for 39kg Texel x hoggets to £85 from R D Mills and Sons, Brynmelin. Also to 217p/kg for 40.50 kg Suffolk x hoggets (£88) from A J and J A Powell, Grove Farm. Also 40kg Texel x hoggets to 215p/kg (£86) from A Chilvers, Cloggie. Also 42kg Texel x hoggets to 214p/kg (£90) from Price Bros, Garbett Hall.

Also 41kg Texel x hoggets to 214p/kg (£87.80) from J H A Price and Son, The Goat House.

Top price per head was £100 per head for 58kg Suffolk x hoggets from A J and J A Powell, Grove Farm. Also £99 per head for 55kg Texel x hoggets from Stud Farm (Powys) Ltd. Also £93 per head for 48.50kg Texel x hoggets from J Lewis and Son, Carters Farm. £92.50 per head for 43.50kg Texel x hoggets from M P Adams, Foxholes and £92 per head for 47.5kg Texel x hoggets from J Lewis and Son, Carters Farm.

An excellent ewe trade with strong demand for all types averaged £77.45 per head and sold to £117 per head for Crossbred ewes from J N Morris and Son, Lower Weston and £105 per head for Suffolk ewes from G Roberts and Son, Purlogue. Also £101 per head for Texel x ewes from D G Price, Meeting House. Also £98 per head for Charollais x ewes from I J and D J Gough, 10 Bedstone and £96.00 per head for Texel x ewes from M P Adams, FOxholes.

Mules to £109.50 per head from D M Wilding, Blaenycwm.

Speckled Faced ewes to £81 per head from J E Griffiths, Menutton. Welsh to £77.50 from S S Deakins, Llancoch. Charollais x ram to £133 from J N Morris, Lower Weston and Texel x Ram to £123 from D G Price, Meeting House.

Next sale of prime hoggets and cull sheep is today (Thursday).

More hoggets and ewes needed to meet buyers requirements.

Average prices: 30.5-36kg, premium 209p/kg, prime 205p/kg; 36.5-43kg, premium 215.59p/kg, prime 207.92p/kg; 43.5-48kg, premium 213.00, prime 200.43p/kg; 48.5kg and over, premium 190.25p/kg, prime 180.76p/kg.

Ross Market, February 13 Clean -135: A cracker from start to finish, cattle again dearer on the week, never mind two pence deadweight plenty of cattle today would be 10p live weight dearer.

A large number of runs of cattle from several farmers averaging over 210p; the best steers to 228p with heifers topping at 231p. Another wonderful run from the Garlick family averaging 223p for ten cattle. With plenty of steers from £1,500 to £1,600 with the heaviest topping at £1,728; Heifers reaching £1,450 with several from £1,300 to £1,400. If you are sending cattle direct please do come and see the live trade you may have a wake up call. Plenty of the cattle sold today would be over 350p deadweight that’s 12p in front of any deadweight quote. Our averages include several overage cattle which sold to 214p and several very plain black and whites, nothing is hidden.

Steers averaged 196.4, heifers averaged 196.9 OTMS - 45:A shortage of cows and a very good trade, the best cows to 158p, with several plain cows from 120 to 130p. Any meat cows are 130 pence plus, eight men for the cows therefore we do require a larger entry every week. Cows averaged 127.6 throughout with several cows grossing over £1,100.

Lambs - 1,426: A sharp trade throughout, the hogs lifted at the end of last week and this morning would be an improvement still.

The best export hogs from 210 to 218p, certainly the export firms were fit for sheep as numbers went tight at the end of last week. Heavier hogs would also be an improvement with several from £92 to £96.50, a better show of hogs with some very good runs of well fed hogget’s which sold for a premium. With numbers remaining tight nationally this trade will not reduce, although the euro is not in favour at present it is the export forms still pushing the trade.

Don’t forget this trade is still 15p dearer than 12 months ago.

SQQ average 204.7p, overall average 201.2.

Ewes - 301: Another tight entry met one of the dearest trades for some time, still a lack of the best ewes with a large show of mules and smaller ewes, however the best ewes to £129 for several others over £110.

Rams also sold to £129, the ewes averaged over £90 per head throughout which would be an improvement of £5 over the previous week.