York Rare Breeds Show & Sale - 4/5th October 2013

[Rob R]

Catalogue now available

[SteveM]

beat me to it Rob, not sure if the following will work direct to download

http://www.ylc.co.uk/uploads/files/sale ... 294401.pdf

[Louisa Gidney]

I had hoped that photos of my baby bulls would have appeared here by now, but do get in touch if you would like photos or more info. Tom Kitten and Keddy have now been to 2 shows and have both been placed 2nd & 3rd.

[Rob R]

Thanks Steve. There appears to be as many registered lots forward as there are un registered (33), although;

Reg
12 cows + calves
6 cows
11 heifers
4 bulls

Un-reg
5 cows + calves
7 cows
6 heifers
7 bulls
8 steers

So, including calves at foot, 83 pure Dexters entered, however there were a lot in the last sale catalogue but many weren't forward. Providing I make it there I'll make a note of the prices for you, Lisa.

[nuttalls]

WELL!!! what can i say, but nothing or might get jailed, took 11 dexters 10 of them in very good condition to york today, the prices were terrible and i mean terrible, it was a real buyers market, some didnt even put them in the ring and took them home, dexter cross shorthorn heifers made about best money, i,m sure ann will have prices jean

[LISA]

How terrible are we talking? Is a link to Samaritans needed, or just a good shot of something strong to drink?

[nuttalls]

both ha ha x jean going pub now

[Rob R]

I scribbled down as many prices as I was able to catch - will type them up shortly, but overall prices were on the low side.

Cows with calves to 330 gns
Cows to 400 gns (not sold)
Heifers in calf to 330 gns (not sold)
Heifers to 190 gns
Bulls to 580 gns

Unregistered cattle - there were a lot that were held down in price by being run with a bull

Cows with calves to 200 gns
Cows to 150 gns
Heifers to 250 gns (not run with bull)
Heifers to 130 gns (9 months old)
Bulls to 320 gns
Steers to 220 (18 months old)

There were too many bulls in and they'd have done better if they'd been castrated, as most people don't have the space or facilities to keep bulls separate. Some stock were also from a 4yr TB area, which I think made a difference. Pedigree stock seemed more in demand than un-registered. A fair few were taken home, which was a good decision if you have the space. I did my best to push up some prices but only having a very limited budget & a small trailer, I couldn't go mad.

[Rob R]

OK, here is what I managed to scribble down, it's not forced to be accurate, so happy to amend if anything looks amiss;

NS = Not Sold
NF = Not forward
? = sorry, I either missed it or it was not forward and I missed that!

Cows

7 - 200
8 - 240
9 - 240
10 - 320
11 - 240
12 - ?
13 - 220
14 - 280
15 - 330
16 - 300
17 - 300
18 - 280
19 - 280
20 - 300
21 - 300
22 - 400 (NS)
23 - 200
24 - ?

Heifers

25 - 300 (NS)
26 - 300 (NS)
27 - 150
28 - 160
29 - 190
30 - 130
31 - 130
32 - 170
33 - 120 (NS)
34 - (NF)
35 - (NF)

Bulls

36 - 560
37 - 440
38 - 580
39 - 60

Unregistered

Beef Shorthorn x Dexter
61 - 280
62 - 250

Dexter cows

63 - 140
64 - 150
65 - 150
66 - 130
67 - 130
68 - 100
69 - 200
70 - 130
71 - 130
72 - 130 or 150?
73 - 100
74 - 180

Heifers

75 - 250
76 - 130
77 - 130
78 - 120
79 - 120
80 - 120

Bulls

81 - 320
82 - 60
83 - 60
84 - 50
85 - ?
86 - 100 (NS)
87 - 120 (NS)

Steers

88 - 170
89 - 170
90 - 220
91 - 200
92 - 110 (NS)
93 - 110 (NS)
94 - 110
95 - 110

[LISA]

Thank you very much for all your time and trouble in entering the prices Rob, very grateful.

Best Wishes

Lisa Bell

P.S Off to join Jean down the pub - I can only buy a small round (incase ALOT of Dexter breeders gathering there!) as we sold cattle at Worcester recently (similar prices!)

[Jac]

This is what I particularly dislike about auctions, on a good day it does the breed a service on bad days it does much harm. I know these are ‘Rare Breed’ sales but these affairs are now so commonplace or perhaps it is just that there are many sales going on in the autumn and who wants to keep extra cattle through the winter unless they are cheap?

[Rob R]

Low prices this year have more to do with the weather & rising costs on the back of it than anything to do with the method of selling. We had the worst year in living memory last year and the breed is particularly prone to people getting out when the going gets tough because, in the main, Dexter breeders don't rely on the income from their cattle & they tend to have less secure rental agreements on land & buildings. I have been offered a lot of cattle over the past 18 months from private sellers. The result is that most people who wanted cattle have got them already & didn't bother with the auction. You can't cheat the supply and demand curve, unless you alter one of the variables. Someone needs to buy and either finish or cross 'poorer' stock to take them out of the pedigree marketplace.

[helena]

I remember going to Stoneleigh Royal show ground sale in September before all these regional sales came.You saved up all year the best of the best were there a very busy 2 days.

[Rob R]

Personally I don't think there are enough regional sales throughout the year - we need them at least bi-monthly. If you don't have cash in the autumn or Spring, when most sales are on, you're out of the market. Of course the problem with that is that there aren't enough animals in the country to support such frequency - there was a lot of Dexters at York yesterday, but that was still only 83 animals entered in total.

[Jac]

You can't cheat the supply and demand curve, unless you alter one of the variables. Someone needs to buy and either finish or cross 'poorer' stock to take them out of the pedigree marketplace.

It doesn't matter how many times you say it Rob, some don't want to hear it. It really upsets me because this 'glut' keeps happening on a recurring basis and people feel very let down and disappointed and get out of the breed.