Brown&Co
Short Supply Sees Record Breaking Prices Achieved At Annual Brown&Co St Ives Hay & Straw Auction
Mon 12 Jan 2026
Our Auctioneers, held the Annual St. Ives Hay and Straw Sale on Monday 12th January 2026 at a St Ives RUFC, Cambridgeshire.
The auction saw a huge crowd gather with both Local and National buyers competing for the lots on offer located on farms across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.
Auctioneer George Watchorn commented, the supply of good quality produce was much lower due to the 2025 season which lead to record breaking prices being achieved at the auction for the vendors this year.
Of the conventional baled produce on offer, the meadow hay entered by Edward Gee and Sons Ltd achieved a top price of £8.00 per bale. An exceptional lot of Mixture hay from Nigel Dolby achieved the top price for the conventional bales at £9.20 per bale.
There was strong demand for the big baled straw offered at the auction which achieved a 100% clearance. A top price of £53.50 per bale was achieved for the Wheat Straw entered by P A Cade Contractors. The market for the straw at the auction was strong with an average price of £124/t.
There was exceptional demand for big baled Meadow Hay with a top price of £126 per bale achieved by Robert Lenton Ltd. The top price for the big bale hay offered at the auction was £293/t and an average of £233/t.
CONVENTIONAL BALED HAY AND STRAW – PER CATALOGUE
| Total Bales | 8,020 |
| Total Bales Cleared | 7,020 |
| % Cleared | 87.5% |
All prices are quoted per bale
| No. of Bales Sold. Total | Average | Min. | Max. | Vendor | |
| Meadow Hay | 1,420 | 7.23 | 6.00 | 8.00 | Edward Gee and Sons Ltd |
| Seeds Hay | 3,100 | 7.26 | 7.10 | 7.50 | R. D. Woodcraft |
| Mixture Hay | 2,500 | 8.32 | 7.38 | 9.20 | N. W. Dolby |
BIG BALE HAY AND STRAW – QUADRANT/SIMILAR BALES – PER CATALOGUE
| Total Bales | 2,867 |
| Bales Cleared | 2,757 |
| % Cleared | 96% |
| No Bales Sold | Average | Max | |
| Barley Straw | 360 | 42.00 | 42.50 |
| Wheat Straw | 1267 | 44.00 | 53.50 |
| Oat Straw | 330 | 42.00 | 42.50 |
| Mixture Hay | 224 | 81.00 | 124.00 |
| Meadow Hay | 455 | 103.00 | 126.00 |
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