A first for Frome Livestock Market this autumn: a dispersal sale of over 250 Boer goats, which attracted huge interest, with customers travelling from Devon, Kent, Suffolk and Cheshire, leading to a lively trade with billy goats topping at £200, nannies to £175 and female kids soaring to £95.
Stock prices have, for much of 2024, been flying at an all-time high across all sections, with some record high prices being smashed on a weekly basis in the sheep, pig and cattle sections. This autumn has been no exception, as we have seen a fantastic trade for breeding cattle. We saw quality pedigree Limousin cows and calves flying to £3,000 at the dispersal sale for the late John Ponzo, who was a very long standing and loyal supporter of the market. We were also honoured to receive instructions to disperse the late Clive Groves’ herd of Galloways. Wes aw farmers travelling from all corners of the UK to purchase stock from this prestigious herd; the star of the show being ‘Dalesman of Kilnstown’, a three-year-old bull, which soared to £2,400 and headed off to his new home up in Lancashire. Commercial cows and calves topped at a staggering £2,950 for a grand outfit from the Elliot family.
The sheep section has certainly been busy, with trade continuing to blossom. We have held our monthly special sheep sales, with numbers up on the year and a trade to match any other centre. Frome is certainly the place to sell your breeding and store sheep in the autumn; this season we have had rams regularly achieving over £500 and cross-bred rams soaring to £460, best shearling ewes flying well past £200 and store lambs topping at £145 to average an impressive £107.
I certainly hope this trade continues, so our farmers get rewarded for their efforts and that we have a drier kinder winter than last year.