Archive for May 2018

The past week has seen such extremes in weather across the country. Some folk have been experiencing flooding, whilst in our part of the world, the weather has continued to be glorious. Some are even complaining about the lack of rain!

We’ve been dehorning calves, a horrid job, and turned out the last of the cattle, bringing some of the late calvers close to home.

Last week a blue cross bull calf arrived with no bother. The mother is a cross cow that we raised as a batch on the bucket, so is quiet enough and has plenty of milk.

I took to the airwaves last week to chat to Will Evans on his popular podcast 'Rock and Roll Farming'. We were discussing the importance of our livestock markets and the launch of Farmers Guardian's 'Mart's the Heart' awards. Auctions and auctioneers are essential to any farm businesses with livestock. They provide farmers with a sense of community, to achieve the best price for whatever they are selling and some quality grub!

Take listen to our chat here!

On June 1st, show your support for your local market and tell me who's got your bid for

Auctioneer of the year
New Auctioneer of the year
Auction Cafe of the year
Lifetime Achievement

Nominate using our in-paper form or www.martstheheart.com/vote

I managed to get out to the Beef Day at Carlisle on Friday where Aberdeen-Angus bulls sold to 10,000gns for Tonley Ernie S297 from Neil Wattie and Beef Shorthorn bulls sold to 7,000gns on the same day for Coxhill Kirk from L Townsend, Moffat.

A new Beef Shorthorn record of 16,000gns for a cow and calf was set a Stirling at the final part of the Colrochie dispersal.

Prime cattle numbers seem fairly tight keeping the price stable and stores and breeding cattle continue to be strong trade.

Finally, the hogg price is dropping but there can't be many left now. New season lambs are also down as numbers increase but prices as still above where they have been in many previous years.

Sales coming up this week

Friday, June 1 – Evans Brothers will be holding a sale of 120 cows and calves to include a dispersal sale of Limousin & British Blue on behalf of Messrs Jones at Gaerwen Auction Centre
Saturday, June 2 – Norwich Livestock Market will be holding their Mart's the Heart sponsored sale of store cattle to include a reduction sale of Simmental X cows on behalf Paul Gunther at Norwich Livestock Market
Monday, June 4 – C&D will be holding the annual June sale of tractors, implements & machinery at Longtown Mart
Tuesday, June 5 – Hawes will be holding a show & sale of spring lambs at Hawes Auction Mart

Until next week,

Steph

The great weather continues which has made life easier as we’ve been busy bolusing, drenching and treating the cattle prior to turnout. It’s a great sight to see them kicking up their heels and cantering around before they gorge themselves on the spring grass.

We sold our British Blue bull at the Carlisle society sale at the weekend. It’s always a nervous time and trade was a bit sticky in places, however, we were pleased with the price our bull made and the home he is going to. Overall, bull trade was back on last year, averaging at £4,908. Trade topped at 10,000gns twice for Almeley Kendrick from G.L. Morgan and Solway View Levi from Kevin Watret.

Also at Carlisle what is thought to be a new breed record of 5,000gns was set for a Beltex ewe lamb from Henry Jewitt.

The dispersal of the Ironstone herd of pedigree Limousins from Smiths of Bloxham at Newark peaked at 22,000gns for the prolific show winning cow, Ironstone Dumandy.

There was a good trade for Limousins at the North West Midlands and North Wales Club pedigree sale at Welshpool. Sale leader at 7,800gns was first prize winner Esmors Black Minnow from D.E. Evans, Flintshire.

Store and breeding cattle are in strong demand with a Limousin cross heifer and calf making £7,100 at Caledonian Marts, Stirling.

With more spring lambs about now the price has come back a bit but are still averaging around the £3/kg mark and hoggs remain a decent trade,if not as spectacular as in recent weeks.

The Farmers Guardian Mart's the Heart-sponsored sale of working sheepdogs at Skipton peaked at 6,800gns for Rosie, a two-year-old red and white bitch from 16-year-old Shannon Conn, Limavady, Co Londonderry.

Another highlight was a new centre record price of 6,700gns for a dog under a year old, which fell to Tony Birkett, Carnforth, with his 11-month-old black and white bitch Ruby.

Sales coming up this week

Thursday, May 24 – Howkins and Harrison will be holding a complete dispersal sale of tractors and machinery on instructions from Nigel and Keri Redfern at Home Farm, Solihull B92 0DG
Friday, May 25 – Mitchells will be hosting the Jonny Skelton memorial show and sale of 800 store cattle and feeding bulls at Lakeland Livestock Centre
Saturday, May 26 – McCartneys will be holding the first show and sale for UK breeders of Welsh pigs, comprising 40 pigs at Worcester Market
Monday, May 28 – CM will be holding a show and sale of dairy cattle 'Craven Dairy Sales' at Skipton Auction

The show season is firmly underway, with Balmoral taking place this week. The weather has been perfect with a mixture of sunshine and showers which is enabling some to crack on with first cut silage, whereas the hill boys are rolling and harrowing the field, which they’ll lock up for a later cut around July.

We’ve had the results back clear for Johne's and BVD, so we are starting to organise getting the cattle turned out.

An old favourite Dorset ewe, which in the past we have used as a recipient, is causing a bit of concern. She must be knocking on for 11 and each year she lambs no bother and is a great mother. She was one of the last to lamb and it looks like she has trapped a nerve in her back as she was completely off her backend. We’ve given her painkillers, anti-inflammatories, along with steroids. She’s up on her feet and much brighter than she was. I know it sounds like I’ve gone soft, but she’s really done the job for us and never caused anything but amusement, so I hope she makes a full recovery.

Plenty of bull sales over this last week, with Charolais selling to 13,000gns and 11,000gns at Carlisle for Bill Bruce’s Balmyle herd. Blondes topped at 7,000gns also at Carlisle for Silverwood Nico from Norman McKnight, Northern Ireland, and Limousins sold to 6,700gns at Brecon for Killerton Mccoy from Messrs Greed, Exeter.

The Mart’s the Heart show and sale of store cattle at Leyburn, which is celebrating its 100th year, averaged £990 for 385 cattle. Peaking at £1,370 for the winner of the any other breed steer class, a Limousin from Garrowby Estate Farms, York. Three other 12 to 14-month-old Limousin and British Blue heifers and steers from the same home realised £1,300. Rearing calves topped at £705 for the champion British Blue bull from A. Sowray and Sons, Bishop Thornton. It sold to Dennis Thompson, Morpeth.

A new centre record of 8,500gns was set at Skipton's spring show and sale of pedigree Limousin bulls and females. The record breaker was the junior male champion, Gunnerfleet Neptune, a January 2017-born bull by Plumtree Fantastic from Jim and Ian Handley, Ingleton. It sold to David and Stephen Hollings, Hebden Bridge.

Store cattle trade continues to be stronger particularly for younger cattle ready to turn out as the grass is finally beginning to grow.

Likewise, ewe and lamb trade is strong with some high prices being recorded all over the country, including to £121/life at Kirkby Stephen for Mule gimmer hoggs with Suffolk cross lambs. Valais Blacknose sheep sold to 3,000gns twice at Beeston Castle for S. Jones and R. Pilkington.

Sales coming up this week

Thursday, May 17 – Welshpool will be hosting a show and sale of pedigree Salers cattle on behalf of the Salers Cattle Society of the UK at Welshpool Market
Friday, May 18– CCM will be holding a Mart's the Heart-sponsored annual spring sale of working sheepdogs at Skipton Auction Mart
Saturday, May 19 – Harrison and Hetherington will be holding a sale of pedigree Beltex females 'Beltex Babes, Stars of the Future' at Borderway Mart
Saturday, May 19– Aled Ellis will be holding a machinery sale to include lots of vintage tractors at Aberystwyth Mart
Saturday, May 19 - Newark will be holding the complete unreserved dispersal sale of the multi prize winning Ironstone Herd with 186 head of pedigree limousin cattle at Newark Livestock Market

A simply glorious Bank Holiday on the weather front. This blast of great weather will enable everything to push on and hopefully catch up. It's amazing how much growth there's been in just a week.

We've been busy dosing sheep and putting them out to fresh grass. We'll get the results back any day from the BVD and Johne's tests, fingers crossed the results will be in our favour, then we'll be able to turn the cattle out too.

In addition, we've been cracking on getting a couple of two-year-old bulls ready for selling, a Limousin and a British Blue. We've brought them into the yard at home to desensitise them to noises and general activities so it's not a big shock for them when they get to the marts.

Plenty of bull sales over the last week which met a decent trade. The spring Limousin sale at Carlisle saw a top price of 35,000gns for Ampertaine Majestic from the McKays, Northern Ireland, and heifers sold to 26,000gns for Grahams Nikita, from Robert and Jean Graham.

Limousins also topped the multi-breed sale at Stirling at 12,000gns for Anside Magneto from the Irvine family, Keith, setting a new centre record for this sale.

The dispersal of the 300-strong Torvalley herd of pedigree Holsteins, Ilminster, saw 21 animals sell for over £2,000. Top price was £2,440 for Torvalley Mincio Whiskey, a fresh heifer by Bertailoa Mincio, selling to Messrs Dymond, West Devon.

Meanwhile, Beltex ewe lambs from Harry Wood's Dean Brow reduction sale sold to 1,050gns at Newark where commercial ewe and lamb outfits peaked at £300 for Jonathan Lyons.

More than 3,000 breeding sheep were penned at Skipton’s May Day Bank Holiday show. Top price was for the first placed pen of Texel cross hoggs with single Beltex lambs at foot from John and George Stapleton, Skipton. They sold for £260 per outfit. The third placed pen also realised the same. Both pens were taken home by Geoff and Margaret Booth, Lothersdale.

More spring lambs about now with prices averaging around the 300p/kg plus mark and the hogg trade also seems to keep on going!

Sales coming up this week

Friday, May 11– Leyburn Auction Mart will be holding a Mart's the Heart sponsored May Fair sale of 400 store cattle, rearing calves and beef breeding cattle at Leyburn Auction Mart
Saturday, May 12 – Wright Marshall will be holding a spring spectacular sale of native, rare and traditional breeds at Beeston Castle Auction
Saturday, May 12 – Darlington Farmers will be hosting a farm dispersal sale of tractors, telehandler, trailers, farm Machinery and Vehicles at Creaking Tree Farm, DL10 6RX
Monday, May 14 – North West Auctions will be holding a sale of dairy cattle including Holstein breeding bulls in association with Hassall Brothers at Lancaster Auction Mart

Have a great week,

Steph

It’s been somewhat dryer, however, there’s still a cold northerly wind which isn’t really spelling out that it’s May.

We had the vet over taking bloods, testing for Johne's and BVD for our health scheme, we should hear back in the next couple of weeks. While he was there, he pregnancy diagnosed the cows and thankfully our Shorthorn show heifer we did well at the Highland Show with last year is in-calf. What a relief. There were a couple of others that disappointingly were on their last chance, sadly they will be going for fat as we really can’t afford to carry any passengers.

For anyone looking for a bull to put straight to work there have been quite a few sales over this last week, with Charolais selling to 6,500gns at Welshpool for the Barker family, and most of the main breeds will be on offer at Stirling next week.

Breeding cattle have been selling well as weather and grass growth improves, with a Limousin sired heifer and calf making £5,200 at Thainstone.

At the Marts the Heart sale at Selby last week, hoggs sold to 277p/kg for 48kg Texels from East Grand Farm, Thorganby, and averaged 243p/kg.

Likewise, stores and ewes and lambs are also a decent trade for the best quality. Yesterday, I took a trip to Clitheroe Livestock Market and managed to capture some footage of our 2017 Mart's the Heart, New Auctioneer winner Jeremy Greenhalgh selling ewes and lambs where trade was really strong.

Hogg prices still remain surprisingly good although there can't be too many left now but there doesn't seem to be too many spring lambs about yet,so perhaps that is the reason.

Head over to our FG Show and Sales facebook page to check it out.

Sales coming up this week

Friday, May 4 – Harrison and Hetherington will be holding a dispersal sale of the Lukeroyal British Blue herd at Borderway Mart
Saturday, May 5 – Bentons will be holding a dispersal sale of farm machinery and equipment on behalf of Messrs A.R. and J. Stafford at Saxelby Pastures Farm, Leicestershire, LE14 3NA
Sunday, May 6 and Monday May 7– The Galbraith Stirling bull sales at United Auctions, Stirling Agricultural Centre
Tuesday, May 8 – Kivells will be holding a sale of Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset sheep on behalf of the Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset sheep breeders association at Exeter Livestock Centre

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