Mart offers chance to view fodder lying on the farm before sale (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Mart offers chance to view fodder lying on the farm before sale

2:58pm Friday 1st February 2013 in Farming By Mike Bridgen

SKIPTON mart is introducing new monthly collective sales of hay, haylage and silage lying on the farm.

The initiative allows prospective purchasers to view fodder lying on the farm by direct arrangement with the vendor, who is also asked to provide representative opened sample bales for each lot or batch for inspection.

Lots are then catalogued, identifying locality, bale type/size, vehicle type/access, loading and removal arrangements, before being sold in the ring at Skipton immediately after the relevant weekly sale of cast cattle at approximately 1pm.

Telephone bids and payment are also accepted from potential buyers in outlying areas, though they must first register their interest with the mart office.

The sales are being sponsored by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), which is also offering a free silage analysis facility.

January’s inaugural sale produced a solid entry of almost 900 bales of Wharfedale and Harrogate-grown hay, haylage and silage. There was a solid demand and a total of 560 bales sold in a ready market.

Rectangular hay bales averaged £24.50 each, with further lots of medium quality hestons averaging £19.75.

1st quality round haylage sold to £22 per bale, rectangular silage/haylage to £14 per bale and medium quality round silage to £10 per bale.

Further winter fodder and crop from the same two areas, along with 250 bales of high quality haylage from the Yarm area, suitable for both sheep and horses, will be on offer at the next sale on Monday, February 18. On-farm viewing will be possible from Monday to Saturday, February 11-16th.

Weekly Monday sales of hay and straw in wagon loads continue to be staged at Skipton at 11.45am.