Auctioneer Ted Ogden on his trade predictions.
As we move into the main part of summer, the weather here at Skipton, which is sometimes referred to as ‘Gateway to the Dales’, has finally turned into something more like what you would expect for this time the of year, having been unseasonably cold for the latter part of spring and early summer.
This will have had an adverse effect on lambs, keeping prime lamb numbers slightly tighter than usual for the early part of the sales season.
After the pre-Qurbani buying in the first week of July, which produced a very sharp trade, there was a return to more normal trading at our market this week (Monday, July 11), with just shy of 2,000 lambs averaging 292p/kg or 124.98, however at 42p/kg or 16.50 per head more than the corresponding week in 2021.
This is providing some welcome relief from the increased input costs associated with farming sheep here in Craven, nestled between the Pennine Hills and Yorkshire Dales National Park.
On the cattle front at the recent fortnightly sale, some 500 head were forward, with buyers keen to stock up prior to harvest time.
Quality suckler bred young feeding bulls, always a major feature of sales here in Skipton, are seeing premium types still trading at 1,400-1,500 for best yearlings, while the good square types 1,200- 1,350 regular away, 1,100/1,200 if a shade younger.
Suckler bred bullocks and heifers at 12-months to 15-months are suitable for the retail butcher market in many live prime sales can make 1,300-1,500, with odd specials making more, but dairy beef crosses at 17-24 months are becoming an increasing feature and attracting customers for our most recent sale from Shropshire in the West across to counties on the A1 corridor in the east, depending on age, size and frame these types generally 1,200-1,400 for bullocks and 1,100-1,300 for heifers.
Beef feeding cows always a popular choice of grazers at this time of year, with premium pure breeds recently 1,800 to 2,100, with short keep cows 1,300 to 1,600 and strong framed feeders 1,000 to 1,250.
At the time of writing, we here at CCM were making plans for our first major sheep sale, with 4,600 store lambs catalogued for sale on July 13.
It is very difficult this year to predict where the trade will be, with prime sheep up on the year one would normally expect trade to be up, but likely any increase in prime trade will be balanced out by increased inputs, so I am hoping for a similar trade on the year.
You can read the report on the website to see if my prediction was right.
Markets are a place for doing business, but also a wonderful place for socialising which has a value that cannot be measured, and in a time where many farmers are working long hours in the face of an administration burden at home on the farm as they try to satisfy the rules for many farm schemes and government legislation, this social aspect of markets should not be ignored.
It is about time many of these were dealt with, as previously promised by our outgoing Prime Minister before he finally departs the stage this autumn.
By reforming some rules, such as the six day rule, it could have tremendous economic benefits to livestock production at a time of increasing costs.
It is now the season for many agricultural events around the country with The Great Yorkshire Show, Royal Welsh Show and NSA Sheep Event at Malvern all this month where we will be in attendance.
We look forward to seeing our many customers and friends at these.
Ted Odgen
Ted Ogden is auctioneer and sales manager at CCM Auctions in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Call 07855 958 211, or email [email protected]
