| 'THE GAVEL' - DECEMBER 2006 Issue 25 |
| Inside this Newsletter |
Butchers Support Quality Stock
The annual Christmas Prime Stock Show attracted an entry of 15 cattle and 25 lambs. As usual the quality of stock was exceptional and the judges, Terry and Sheena Coghill, had an unenviable task. In the end they chose the Supreme and Reserve cattle champions from the same haltered heifer class with Balfour Baillie taking the title and T & J Leslie the Reserve. The Best Beast Opposite Sex to Champion was won by Balfour’s haltered steer and The Young Farmers Conformation Cup also ended up on the Sebay Cottage mantelpiece. This was the first year that the Reserve Champion was won by an animal second in its class highlighting the quality of the heifers on show.
If Balfour had a good day in the cattle classes then Ronnie & Gladys Brown, Newhall, Stromness, matched his effort in the lamb classes, winning all but the Any Other Breed class. Unfortunately for them the Champion Lamb prize went to Dave & Una Hurst’s Beltex crosses, which had won the AOB class with the runner up going to Raymond Flaw’s Beltex cross from the same class. Newhall also came close in the Young Farmers Section with Mark and Gary Brown’s lambs coming second and third to Fraser Leslie, Odinstone, Shapinsay.
After such a good show expectations were high around the ring when the sale started later in the day and the local butchers didn’t let us down.
Balfour’s champion sold for a record price at the ‘New Mart’ of £2,400 to W Lobban’s, Kirkwall whilst the reserve sold for £1,150 to E Flett, Stromness.
E R & T Craigie bought the Young Farmers Champion for £1,100. The remaining haltered cattle averaged 163 p/kg with the un-haltered cattle averaging 138 p/kg
The pair of Champion lambs sold for £112 per head with the Reserves fetching £70 per head, all to E R & T Craigie.
I’ve been asked to remind everybody that although legislation permits single tagging of cattle born before January 1998 all cattle forward for sale through the ring should be double tagged. Most abattoirs insist on double tagging and Aberdeen & Northern Marts won’t sell cattle with one tag, invoicing us for any shortages. It’s easier if animals are double tagged before leaving home.
Please remember to check that both tags match the number on the passport – we’ve had instances where a replacement tag has had the UK prefix whilst the metal tag and the passport doesn’t.
The backlog of OCDS (cull) cattle has been virtually cleared, despite the best efforts of the weather to spoil our shipping plans. The Northlink Captains don’t want to ship cows in rough seas and since the middle of November we’ve had three consignments postponed. Our first consignment of the NewYear will be on the 8 January with a weekly shipment, numbers permitting, thereafter.
Please remember that local Animal Health Officers are in attendance when we’re preparing a consignment and won’t allow any animals with obvious signs of ailments or frailties to be shipped. Any ‘rejected’ animals will have to be taken home.
OCDS cattle should also be double tagged to reduce the risk of an animal arriving at the Cull plant in Brechin without any legal identification.
1 July / 30 November
Store Cattle 2005 7,107; Store Cattle 2006 7,605
Prime Cattle 2005 393; Prime Cattle 2006 366
Store Lambs 2005 17,492; Store Lambs 2006 13,968
Prime Lambs 2005 7,678 ; Prime Lambs 2006 5,989
Rams/Ewes 2005 6,902; Rams/Ewes 2006 5,612
Averages:
July - November
2,615 store heifers sold in 2006
Average price £535.38
(2005 2,483 @ £438.13)
4,990 store steers sold in 2006
Average price £634.17
(2005 4624 @ £527.36)
Prime Lambs
2006 aver. £40.66 per head
2005 aver. £38.94 per head
Store Lambs
2006 aver. £33.31 per head
2005 aver. £32.29 per head
Dates for Your Diary
Special Sales of Store Cattle
Monday 15 January
Monday 12 February
Sale of Furniture
Thursday 18 January
OBBA Annual Sale
Thursday 25 January
OLA Sale of Breeding Cows
Millhouse, Deerness : Thur.
25 January (After OBBA Sale)
Skaill, Westray -
Friday 2 February
All Change at the Helm!
With Michaels’ resignation from the Board of Directors, Jim Seatter, Farewell, South Ronaldsay has stepped up from his position as Vice-Chairman to take over as Chairman. We look forward to his further contribution to the running of the Company, and in particular "The Gavel"!
Stevie Hay, Eversti, Birsay has taken on the role of Vice-Chairman with Bruce Learmonth, West Nistaben, Stenness filling the vacant Board member position.
The Board of Directors now comprises: Jim Seatter, Stevie Hay, Bruce Learmonth, Graham Henry, How, Harray, Neil Rendall, Meicklegarth, Papa Westray, Tommy Leslie, Quoymorhouse, Shapinsay, Alec Harcus, Benmora, Kirkwall, Carl Wood, Pow, Sandwick, Malcolm Sinclair, How, Sanday, Bruce Omand, Stembister, Toab, George Baikie, Graemeshall, Holm (non voting)
If you have any thoughts or concerns about the business please contact any of your elected Board members.
Throughout the season we have a number of orders for all classes of sheep however we can’t effectively market your stock unless we have, on a weekly basis, an idea of the numbers likely to be forward for sale. Please help us to help you by phoning in your numbers.
Before presenting you stock for sale all prime lambs/hoggs should be belly clipped, as should any non breeding ewes. All sheep must be accompanied by a Sheep and Goat Movement Form when delivered to the mart and be tagged according to current legislation.
With restricted shipping and local slaughtering facilities over the festive period our last prime cattle sale for 2006 will have been on Monday 18 December. We won’t resume normal trading until Monday 8 January however we will be sourcing prime cattle for the local butchers for Friday 5 January. Please contact Jim (874649), Rob (851169) or the office on Thursday 4 if you have cattle available.
Our first OCDS shipment of 2007 will again be on Monday 8 January, weather permitting. We will be arranging the consignment on Thurs. 4/Fri. 5, if you have stock for the scheme please book them with Angela before Friday 22 December.
Thank you for your support during 2006.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year
| 'THE GAVEL' - August 2006 ISSUE 24 |
| Inside this Newsletter |
Up in Lights
Recent visitors to the mart will have noticed our new digital display board in the sales ring and the added activity beside the auctioneer as the girls become familiar with the new method of processing sales.
The new system allows us to display cattle details, scanned in from the passport and received from the weigh bridge, giving potential buyers the weight, sex, breed, QMS status and age of each beast. With the reliance on information being entered on the computer before the sale it is imperative that sellers present passports at the office in time.
At the moment vendor details are currently available for single animals and we hope to extend this to be shown when multiple animals are being sold. Although our software supplier is still making some minor adjustments to the way the system operates we hope that our customers are already benefiting from the additional information that we can now provide during sales.
While we were installing the upgrade to the computerised selling programme and the display board we took the opportunity to revamp the weigh bridge, replacing the load cells, mounting brackets and the electrical components of the system. We also replaced the weighing head at the sheep weights and will replace the load cells and other mechanical parts at a later date. Both weigh bridges have been completely tested and ‘restamped’ by the OIC’s Trading Standards Officers.
As well as learning the system during cattle sales we have successfully used the display board for sheep sales and an Orkney Book sale. The methodology employed during furniture sales however makes it highly unlikely that we’ll be able to utilise the system when selling household goods.
Livestock Statistics
(July 05 / June 06)
Store Cattle 2005 11,550
Store Cattle 2006 11,469
Prime Cattle 2005 1,032
Prime Cattle 2006 842
OTMS Cattle 2005 3,551
OTMS Cattle 2006 4,070
Store Lambs 2005 22,848
Store Lambs 2006 24,399
Prime Lambs 2005 12,329
Prime Lambs 2006 10,435
Rams/Ewes 2005 8,949
Rams/Ewes 2005 8,750
10th Anniversary
The 10th Anniversary of our move to Hatston gave both papers the opportunity to exercise their journalistic talents, as well as tapping local and south businesses for some advertising revenue. We’re grateful to all contributors to the features. Copies will perhaps already be stored safely in agricultural scrap books throughout the county.
With the digital display board to be used in earnest for the first time the Anniversary Sale was greeted with anticipation by buyers, sellers and mart staff. Aside from a few technical hitches the day went well with prices generally in excess of the equivalent sale last year and the Show Cattle attracting particular attention. Congratulations to Balfour Baillie for receiving the highest headage price for a store animal since our move to Hatston.
Results of Anniversary Show:
Champion Steer : Gorn, Shapinsay (Limousin)
Champion Heifer : Mossbank , Burray (Charolais)
Champion Pen of Three : Whitehall, Stronsay (Charolais)
Show Sale Comparisons
2005
Store steers 453 sold
Av. £536.90 per head (109.4 p/kg)
Store heifers 168 sold
Av. £452.05 per head (99.7 p/kg)
2006
Store steers 431 sold
Av. £628.45 per head (128.3 p/kg)
Store heifers 143 sold
Av. £528.67 per head (119.9 p/kg)
OCDS Cattle
As I mentioned in the last newsletter the OCDS (Cull) cattle from Orkney are currently being shipped to Brechin for processing. With the usual autumn increase in numbers we have filled our allocation through to the end of November. The situation is far from ideal and the local branch of the NFU is currently discussing the possibility of reopening the Hatston cull centre with the OIC and the RPA. If you haven’t already phoned with an indication of cull numbers please do so. We want to have as complete a picture as possible to help the NFU’s argument.
Special Sale Dates
HISHA Sale of Breeding Females (Saturday 30 September)
OSBA Sale of Rams (Thursday 12 October)
Sale of Fostered Calves (Wednesday 25 Ocotber)
OSBA Sale of Rams & Pure Females (Thursday 26 October(Evening))
OLA Sale of Fostered Calves (Thursday 2 November)
OLA Sale of Breeding Cattle (Friday 3 November)
**agm**
This years AGM has been set for Thursday 14 September. Copy accounts will available on request to the office from Monday 11 September.
Michael intimated his intention to resign as Chairman at the last AGM and as usual there are three Directors retiring by rotation Graham Henry, Stevie Hay and Malcolm Sinclair. It could be all change for 2006/07.
Views from the van.
(
A thought from the procurement team)With our main livestock season fast approaching it is time for the annual call for assistance in identifying animals forward for sale. Although we are becoming more and more computerised the system relies on the office staff getting the correct information about each animal before the sale. Cattle ear numbers are still checked out the back with the job made much easier if tags are clean and excess hair has been clipped off. With many of the north isle cattle arriving days before the sale and being grazed on the drome it is particularly important that their tags are legible. Please remember that all cattle should be double tagged with Ministry approved tags.
When cattle have been batched at home it is useful if they are delivered to the mart in the required batches, accompanied by their passports and identified in some manner e.g. paint marked. It is helpful if all passports arrive with the first batch of cattle.
On the subject of animal identification the legislative requirements for tagging sheep are becoming more and more important and producers should all have received a letter recently from SEERAD outlining the rules and regulations. It would cause us all a lot of heartache if the Scottish sheep industry had to be burdened with double tagging so we would urge all producers to adhere to the regulations. If you have any doubt please contact the local Department office.
We are still operating a pre sale booking system and appreciate early notification of numbers forward for sale
, it lets us contact buyers on your behalf.