Farming Eye

The first of this season’s Easter lamb shows and sales have seen bumper prices, with averages at both Exeter and Sedgemoor yesterday jumping significantly on the previous week.

At Exeter an entry of 320 lambs were forward for the pre-Easter sale, with the overall trade levelling at 247p/kg, up by 32p/kg on last week, and topping at 389p/kg (£148/head) for the day’s champions from Arthur Slater.

Meanwhile, further up the M5 at Sedgemoor an entry of 281 lambs were sold to a top of 343p/kg  (£130/head) for the champions from C J Dare, with the average settling at a more than healthy 278.41p/kg up by a massive 77p/kg on the previous week.

With numbers likely to lower at most other Easter sales there is every likelihood of at least as good a trade if not better than these two centres which are noted for larger shows of early lambs.

by Jonathan Long

Saturday’s sale of breeding sheep, including in-lamb ewes and ewes with lambs at foot saw a good demand for younger, correct ewes with twin lambs at foot, according to auctioneer Rachel Capstick.

Topping the trade at £208/outfit was hill sheep farmer, Richard Caton, Stainforth, Settle, North Yorkshire, with a pair of three shear Texel ewes with single Beltex cross ram lambs at foot.

Second best of the day was a £205/outfit bid for the pre-sale champions, a pair of Texel ewes with Texel lambs at foot from Chris Craven. Mr Craven also took the reserve championship with another pair of similarly bred sheep which the went on to sell for £200.

The in lamb section was dominated by David Coulthurst, Goosnargh, Preston who sold quality Texel shearling ewes carrying triplets for £200.  Other in lamb shearlings from the same vendor found pastures new in the £150-175 price bracket.

Meanwhile, back in the couples Richard Mawson, Addingham, Ilkley, swept the board in the Mule section achieving £180, £178 and £172 for shearlings with twin Texel lambs at foot.

Swaledale gimmer hoggs form Ivan Tattersall, Edgworth, Bolton, sold to a high of £82.  Decent fleshed store hoggs regularly achieved £60 plus topping at £73.

(Richard Turner and Son)

by Jonathan Long

It has been another strong week in the hogget trade, with the GB average price back above 200p/kg for the first time in more than eight months, some highly welcome news for sheep producers everywhere.

Yesterday’s trade across the country returned an average SQQ price of 201.1p/kg, a rise of more than 18p/kg on last week’s prices.

And today’s trade has been equally impressive, with United Auctions’ sale at Stirling seeing 7041 hoggets sold to average out at 207p/kg and selling up to a high of 280p/kg.

Further north at Thainstone an entry of 3998 hoggets levelled at an exceptional 217.9p/kg, with an SQQ price of 223.8p/kg and a top price/kg of 271.1p/kg.

It looks like the predictions of a few weeks back following the massive glut of slaughterings in January have been fulfilled and a rising demand and relative shortfall in supply are driving prices back in the direction producers have been hoping for.

It will be interesting to see how the spring lamb trade develops in the next few weeks as increasing numbers come forward to the markets.

by Jonathan Long

Taking th overall championship honours and top price of the evening sale at Kirkby Stephen yesterda for Swaledales was the Sowerby family, Mossdale. This first proze gimmer and overall champion was knocked down to T Robinson and Sons. The same home also sold the third prize gimmer for £2100 and the second prize gmmer both to Breck House Enterprises.

Champion and top price Swaledale at Kirkby Stephen

The pre-sale reserve champion which came through as winner of the ewe class for J H and J Blacnd, Corwden House, then went on to sell for £1600 to I Collinson, while at £1400 was the third prize ewe from T Brogden selling to Messrs Morris-Eyton and Son and then the second prize ewe from the same class was knocked down at £1300 to P Addyman and Son.

by Chrissie Long

The early week prime markets are reporting a sharper demand for prime hoggets even though many are reporting increased numbers being marketed.

Yesterday’s trade at all centres was well up on last week, with Ashford selling more than 3300 hoggets to level at 176.5p/kg, a rise of nearly 10p/kg on the previous week. Meanwhile at Melton Mowbray the trade averaged 179.7p/kg, up by 9p on last Tuesday and at Caledonian Marts, Stirling, prices were well up too with hoggets averaging 187.7p/kg up by 16p/kg.

It looks like the biggest rise of the day came at Ruthin which saw trade level at 184.6p/kg, up by a massive 24p/kg on last week’s prices. It is a similar story across the country and it is one which will be welcomed by all hogget finishers after the lacklustre trade experienced earlier in the year.

It seems that demand is on the rise again and that has to be a good thing, although there appears to be no single factor driving things forward. No doubt the acquisition of a number of VION’s red meat plants by the 2 Sisters group has put a little more confidence and competition in the sector, although I doubt that will have have had a significant effect yet.

We’ll wait and see what today’s trade does, but all being well the upward trend will continue as we come through the end of the hoggets and start seeing larger numbers of new season lambs entering the market.

by Jonathan Long

Taking the championship at Bentham under judge Richard Harker of Grayrigg, Kendal and top price on the day was a Bluefaced Leicester hogg by Midlock D45 from Tom Willoughby’s Penhill flock. This one was knocked down to Neil Marston’s Highberries flock. Meanwhile and second prize hogg also from the Penhill flock made £900 to Scottish buyer James Montgomery.

Bentham sale leader at £1600

There was keen demand for all the major hill breeds with John and Jean Bradley, Giggleswick, topping the Dalesbred section with an in lamb shearling selling to Richard Close, Starbotton, for £700.

Then Jean Wilson, Dockray, sold the champion Herdwick in lamb ewe for £550 to Frank Brennand of Chapel le Dale.

Top prices in the Swaledale section was shared between John Bland, Crowden, with an in lamb ewe and Patrick Sowerby, Hawes, with both a ewe and gimmer shearling, both making £550 selling to the judge George Sibson of Keswick.

by Chrissie Long

The Blackie Enthusiasts!

Trade at the sale of in-lamb Blackface females has topped at £6500 for a ewe from Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, which sold to Norwegian breeder Himar Eide. This one is by a £14,000 Elmscleugh and is out of a dam by £13,000 Midlock. She sold carrying twins to The Bolt.

Auldhouseburn £6500

Second best at £6000 was the second prize gimmer from John and Charlie Harkin, Loughash. This one is by a £6500 Midlock tup and out of a ewe by a McRea tup. She is also carrying twins by the £60,000 Dalchirla and sold to a telephone buyer.

Loughash £6000

Next at £4000 was another from Loughash. This is by the same sire as the last and out of a dam by a £4500 Auchloy. She sold in-lamb to the £60,000 Dachirla and is carrying twins.

Loughash £4000

Making £3800 was another fromAuldhouseburn carrying a single again to The Bolt. This one is by a £26,000 Crossflatt and out of a dam by McTavish. She sold to High Stalward.

Auldhouseburn £3800

And then at £2800 was a two crop ewe from Ewan McMillan’s Lurg entry. Sired by a £9000 Lurg she is out of a Dachirla bred ewe and sold carrying twins to the £60,000 Dachirla tup lamb. Buying this one was Alastair McArthur, Nunnerie.

Selling at £2500 was a Blackhouse gimmer from the Renwick family. She’s a daughter of a £65,000 Auldhouseburn and is out of  a dam by a £30,000 Glenrath. This one is in-lamb to a homebred son of a £55,000 Connachan who’s dam was second at the National Show, she sold to Islay breeder W & M Currie, Upper Craggabus Fm, Port Ellen.

Blackhouse £2500

Another from Lurg, this time the day’s reserve overall champion sold at £2200. This is a daughter of The Apprentice out of a dam by a £2000 Midlock tup. This one has been scanned carrying twins by the £60,000 Dalchirla and sold to John and Charlie Harkin, Loughash.

At the same money was a three crop Netherwood ewe from the Woodburn family. She’s by Calzaghe and out of a dam by a £17,000 Netherwood and was sold carrying twins to a £4800 Dachirla and was supreme champion at Muirkirk in 2011.

Then came the day’s overall champion from Connachan at £2000. This Jings sired gimmer from Mary McCall Smith is out of a McCallan-sired ewe and has been served to a £2000 McAllastair tup. She sold to the day’s judge Robery Kay, The Gass.

Overall Champion - Connachan £2000

Averages; 32 gimmers £1350.23, 12 ewes £2056.25 (Lawrie and Symington).

by Jonathan Long

A snippet of the crowded ringside

Judging is now underway in Lanark for the show and sale of Blackie females with Robert Kay of The Gass tapping out the winner of the gimmer class, a Jings sired gimmer from Mary McCall Smith (lot 30). This one is out of a McCallan-sired ewe and has been served to a £2000 McAllastair tup.

Judge - Robert Kay, Gass

Reserve honours went to Ewen McMillan, Lurg, with one by The Apprentice out of a dam by a £2000 Midlock tup (lot 18). This one has been scanned carrying twins by the £60,000 Dalchirla.

Champion & Reserve with entourage

Standing second in the ewe class was Andy and Aandy Woodburn, Netherwood, with “Beyonce” (lot 26), a former supreme champion at Muirkirk in 2011. This one is bt Calzaghe out of a dam by the £17,000 Netherwood tup and has been scanned carrying twins to a £4800 Dalchirla tup. Third in this class went to Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn (lot 9), with a daughter of the £14,000 Elmscleugh tup out of a £13,000 Midlock dam and has been scanned carrying twins by Bolt.

And taking second in the gimmer class was John and Charlie Harkin, Loughash (lot 42). This one is by a £65,000 Midlock tup and out of a ewe by a McRea tup. She is also carrying twins by the £60,000 Dalchirla. Third here went to Netherwood (lot 27) with a Calzaghe sired gimmer out of a dam by Jack, a homebred son of the £47,000 Dalchirla and has been served to the £9000 Midlock tup.

by Chrissie Long

As anyone with even half a grip on the hogget trade will be all to well aware prices in the opening four to five weeks of this year were at best described as depressed and at worst as a disaster.

And again, anyone with an iota of common sense will know that lambs were hard to finish last summer and autumn due to the abysmal weather.

What may surprise some is just how bad things have been and the affect it has had on the trade. According to the latest DEFRA statistics the hogget kill in January stood at 1.1m, up by 13% on the same month in 2012. In other words there there 126,550 more hoggets slaughtered this January compared to last year. By anyone’s standards that a lot of lamb to find buyers for and its really no wonder prices have been back as a result.

When you add to that a fall in average carcass weight of 0.6kg in the same period, it very soon becomes apparent just what an affect last year’s awful weather has had on things.

But the story doesn’t end there, adult sheep slaughterings have also shown a change, with the adult kill up by 11% in January too at 189,000 head. Higher barren rates are without doubt behind this rise, but it all adds up to the same result, more sheepmeat in the market keeping prices depressed.

Worryingly it is a similar trade being seen in Eire too, with Irish slaughterings up by a massive 33% in January and that will of course have had an impact on the export trade.

Now for some good news! Hogget prices in February have been better than they were in January, with GB average prices now sitting above the 160p/kg for the last two weeks, something they failed to do at all in January.

The first new season lambs are also starting to find their way to the market, with a small entry at Sedgemoor on Monday selling to 231p/kg or £85/head.

It has to be hoped that the larger kill numbers in January mean a significant chunk of the carry over has been cleared out of the market now and those with hoggets still to sell may well see more pleasing prices in the coming weeks.

by Jonathan Long

The champion from the pre-sale show of Lleyns, Jim Goldie’s shearling ewe has sold at the top call of 1000gns. This gimmer is by the homebred sire Leader and is in the top 10% of the breed on carcass index and sold in-lamb to the 18,000gns breed record holder.

Champion Lleyn from Jim Goldie

At 900gns was the first in the ring from Hamish Goldie, a gimmer by Lonestar and again in-lamb to the 18,000gns sire. She sold to Mr Thompson.

Following that on a very patchy trade was a call of 500gns for the first in and reserve overall champion from John Geldard and family. This one sold carrying twins to a full brother to the 7000gns tup from Carlisle in 2011 and was knocked down to Messrs Hughes.

And making 400gns was another from Hamish Goldie, a gimmer by Lifesaver and in the top 1% of the breed for maternal index. She sold in-lamb to the 18,000gns record holder to Messrs Kennedy.

Getting towards the end of the sale Messrs Jones sold a gimmer at 1500gns. This one is by Ballylinney Action Man and sold in-lamb to Bronallt Big Daddy.

by Jonathan Long