Farming Eye

The championship in the pre-sale show of Lleyn females here at Carlisle has gone to Jim Goldie with his first prize in-lamb shearling ewe. This one is by the homebred sire Leader and is in the top 10% of the breed for carcass index.

Jim Goldies Lleyn champion

Standing reserve to her was the first prize old ewe from the Geldard family. This is a 2010-born ewe and is scanned carrying twins.

First prize in the ewe lambs went to J J Kingan with a lamb which had been third at the Great Yorkshire, with the Geldard family second.

Second spot in the shearling ewes went to the Geldards too, with second place in the old ewes claimed by J J Kingan.

by Jonathan Long

Bentham Auction Mart’s Super Two Challenge, for the best pair of Continental Prime Hoggs, saw 24 pens forward for judge Mick Etherington, Bingley, to go through. He awarded the championship honours to Frank Joel and grandson Jack Edmondson, Westhouse, whose pen weighing 52kg sold for £90 to Ali Shan, Keighley.

The reserve champions were consigned by G R and A Foy and Son, Conder Green, for a pen of 42kg which sold for £107 or 254p/kg, this time selling to S A Swales of Knavesmire Butchers, York. However, this was soon eclipsed with a pen from M R and J E Davis, Austwick, with their 42kg topping at £118 or 281p/kg again to SA Swales. Also in the money was  next was Hayley Baines, Trawden, with two hoggs weighing 41kg which made £114 or 278.1p/kg to SA Swale of York. Overall average for the 24 pens was 214.2p/kg or £85.80.

by Chrissie Long

A gimmer hogg from David and Robin Booth’s Smearsett flock took the top price as well as the pre-sale show championship at Skipton’s Bluefaced Leicester sale yesterday when selling for £1250.

This one had the same breeding as their winner at the same event last year, being by the home-bred B13 Smearsett, better known known as Black Tag, out of a dam sired by a £17,000 Lunesdale ram from Gordon Rawsthorne at Nether Kellet, Carnforth.

With a full brother already sold for £3800, the Skipton champion found a new home in Lancashire with Robert Tarbatt, Darwen.

Second best of the day was achieved by the Otterburn Lodge flock of Ashley Caton, Otterburn, when he sold a pair of shearling scanned in lamb to a Middleton Hall tup. These both sold at £650, with one by a Swathburn sire selling to M and K Farrar, Reeth, and another by a Nunscleugh sire joining James Middleton, Arncliffe.

Next best at £480 was the third prize in-lamb female from the Chelker flock of local breeders Joe and Nancy Throup, Draughton, by a Lunesdale sire and scanned for twins by a Tympany Gill tup.

The reserve championship fell to the first prize in-lamb female from the Laund flock of John Stott, Laund Farm, Chipping. By a Mereoak tup bred by Peter Webster, Keswick, and in-lamb to a Tanhouse sire, she sold for £400 to show judge Henry Critchlow, Buxton, Derbyshire.

by Jonathan Long

Lleyns hit a new record female price for the breed at Worcester on Friday when Dai and Cynthia Morris held a major reduction sale of their Penywern flock.

Taking the top call was a one-lamb ewe by Ballylinney Action Man in lamb with twins to ‘Bronalt Alwyn’.  She is out of Penywenr C4, a ewe which has bred tups to £15,000gns. Buying here were Messrs Bennett Meifod, Powys.

A brace of full ET sisters sold to the same buyers after some keen bidding from the ringside, with these making 2000gns and 1450gns, respectively.

Another one-lamb ewe by Action Man, having won third at the Royal Welsh Show, enjoyed strong bidding, being knocked down at 1400gns to C Lewis, Caersws, Powys.

Shearling Ewes found favour from a strong buying contingent topping at a very creditable 1400gns for another Action Man daughter scanned with twins to Bronalt Alwyn going to Lionel Organ, Llandysul, Powys.

On the same day the Lleyn Society’s in-lamb sale, was well supported by buyers from across the country and peaked at 560gns for a shearling ewe in lamb with twins, from Wynne Davies, North Wales based flock taken by H Hunt, Honiton, Devon.

Messrs Bennett recouped some of their earlier outlay when they took 500gns for a shearling ewe, in lamb with twins to the 5500gns Lluest High Five. The Plasucha Ben daughter having won second in the pre-sale show was bought by Steve Smith, Welshpool, Powys.

Averages; Penywern – 10 three lamb ewes £353.85, five two-lamb ewes £315, 12 one-lamb ewes £903.87, 12 shearling ewes £586.25; Lleyn Society sale one senior ewe £420, eight shearling ewes £400.31 (McCartneys).

by Jonathan Long

The Procters Farm commercial flock was responsible for the top pen in the ‘X Factor’ prime hogg competition for the best pen of Beltex or Texel sheep at Gisburn Auction Marts last Thursday yesterday.

The first prize pen of hoggs, were sired by a Dutch Texel out of Texel cross ewes, perfectly presented by the farm’s shepherd, Robin Towler. They weighed 42kgs and sold for £106, or 252p/kg to the pre-sale show judges Stephen and Luke Swales, on behalf of Knavesmire Butchers, York.

Knavesmire Butchers also purchased the second prize winners, a pen of Beltex hoggs weighing 38kgs from Long Preston beef and sheep farmer John Mellin at £84 or 221p/kg.

Robert Lambert, Wigglesworth, Skipton, North Yorks., picked up the third prize rosette, with his pen of homebred Beltex hoggs, which weighed 42kgs and sold for £92 or 219p/kg.

Brian Breaks, Newton in Bowland, Clitheroe, Lancs, was winner of the fourth and fifth rosettes with his pens of homebred Beltex cross hoggs weighing 43kgs and 42kgs they sold for £97.50 and £85.50. Buying these was Riley Bros Abattoir, Dunnockshaw, Burnley, Lancashire.

Auctioneer, Jonathan Turner, commented “We had a fantastic entry of top end hoggs with a trade to match, much improved compared to the previous week’s trade-due to poor weather conditions and tightening supplies.”

Overall Prime Hoggs Average 150p/kg

by Jonathan Long

Sale leader at today’s Suffolk dispersal of the Bridgepark flock of Messrs Linklater has seen a top price of 1200gns for a 2010-born ewe by Glenhead Get Ahead which sold to J B Pate and Sons, Gorebridge, Midlothian. Out of a Cairness Carlisle-sired daughter, this one sold having been served to Cairness Co-Star II and has been scanned carrying twins.

The next best was a call of 1000gns securing a 2009-born ewe this time by Cairness Carlisle out of a homebred ewe by Collessie Cut Loose. She sold having been served to Glenhead Get Ahead and again is carrying twins and went to the previous buyer.

Ewe lambs saw a top price of 750gns for a Glenhead Get Ahead sired lamb out of a Cairness Carlisle dam, which sold to W D Mundell and Sons, Galashiels, with another similarly bred going at 700gns to R Fitton, Bolton, Lancs.

Averages: 19 ewes £503.45; 11 shearling gimmers £445.77; 12 ewe lambs £490.88; 1 stock ram £630.00 (Harrison and Hetherington).

by Chrissie Long

Now leading today’s offering of Bluefaced Leicesters in Carlisle is a ewe from a strong pen from the Smearett flock of Messrs Booth. Their 4800gns leader was a homebred Hundith sired ewe out of a dam by a Star Green tup and she sold having been scanned carrying triplets by a homebred tup 2928/D15. Buyer was Crowhall Farms Ltd, Hexham.

Smearsett at 4800gns

Next best again from the same pen was a ewe lamb by a homebred tup out of a Lunesdale sired tup. This one was knocked down at 3000gns to A and K M Barnes, Blackburn, while their last in the pen, another ewe lamb, went at 2800gns to the same buyer.

Smearsett at 3000gns

Selling for 3600gns was the first prize ewe lamb and overall champion from Michale James’ Duhonw pen. This one is by a Hawkswell tup out of an Old Hemley-sired ewe and sold in partnership to M Thornborrow, Stobo, Peebleshire and K A and R Campbell, Lochgoilhead.

Duhonw at 3600gns

Another ewe lamb from the same pen and same way bred followed at 2700gns.

John White’s Midlock pen had a strong sale with his first two in selling for 2800gns. The first of which was a gimmer by a Hewgill tup out of a dam by a Riddings tup. This one had been AI’d to a Tanhouse tup and was knocked down to J Pirie, Dryman, Glasgow, while his next at the same money was a homebred gimmer by Midlock Controversey out of a Craigskeen-sired ewe and was again AI’d to a Tanhouse tup and sold to J W and M E Taylor and Sons, Dent, Cumbria. The next best from this pen was a call of 2000gns securing a Tanhouse-sired gimmer out of a ewe by Controversey which went to Messrs Pears, Wigton, Cumbria.

Averages: 7 ewes £1182.00; 51 shearling gimmers £1012.32; 42 ewe lambs £1034.50; Wingate flock dispersal (9 head) £299.83.

by Chrissie Long

Trade is currently topping at 3200gns in Carlisle for Bluefaced Leicesters with the sale leader coming from John Smith-Jackson’s pen for a ewe lamb. By the homebred 1080/C2 tup, she has already been flushed with four retained embryos and is out of a Hewgil sired dam. Buyer here was A Lodge, Settle, North Yorks.

Shafthill at 3200gns

Next best at 3000gns was the best from the Redgate pen of Messrs Hutchinson and Sons. Their top price gimmer is by the 292/B10 Hundith tup and out of a Keer sired ewe and was offered having ran with a Hewgill tup.This one was knocked down to P Brown, Kirkby Stephen.

Kirkby Redgate at 3000gns

The reserve champion came from this pen in the form of the second prize ewe lamb by a Gragareth tup out of a Hewgill sired dam which then sold for 2500gns to J Pirie, Dryman, Glasgow.

The best from Messrs Lord’s Hewgill pen was a 2600gns shout for the third prize gimmer. This one is homebred on both sides and is scanned carrying triplets to a homebred tup and was sold to G and H R Shields, Kirkby Stephen. Then at 2000gns they sold another, this time a ewe lamb again homebred on both sides and went to Frizington, Cumbria-based J Ireland and Son.

by Chrissie Long

Taking the champion and top price Swaledale at Hawes sale was Messrs  M W Skidmore, Weardale, which went on to sell for £2900 to S Taylor, while the reserve champion, which came from the same home, then traded at £2200 and was knocked down to Messrs Richardson.

Overall champion at £2900

Of the 38 sheep forward the overall average was £640; ewes £418; gimmer shearlings £742; gimmer hoggs £688.

by Chrissie Long

Although trade for Blue Faced Leicester’s wasn’t as electric as last year, the sale at Hawes on Saturday saw a healthy average of £1047 for the 53 sheep forward.

Taking the championship – and the day’s top price – under judge Alan Wight, Midlock, was the Hewgill flock. This gimmer hogg had similar bloodlines to last autumns tup lambs, being an embryo lamb by the B41 Hewgill tup and out of ewe by the Z14 Hewgill sire.

Champion and top price at £6800

The Lords have retained five full sisters and a tup lamb out of this good breeding ewe and demand for buying into these cracking bloodlines was strong, with Raymond Lund dropping the hammer at £6800 to Shane McDonagh, Hill View Farm, Ireland, who is establishing a new flock in the Republic.

Reserve champion at £4600

The reserve champion, from Robin Booth, was in the very last pen of the day and saw  a gimmer shearling by C1 Shafthill and carrying triplets to the homebred B13 Smearsett which is breeding well for them. Three full brothers to the gimmer sold last backend to average £4100. Taking this smart sheep home was David Ellis, Ilkley, having gone to £4600 for the privilege. The second prize gimmer lamb also came from the Smearsett flock, this time by the B13 Smearsett and sold for £2400 to R Jackson, Blubberhouses.

Neil Marston of the Highberries flock was making his bow at the female sale and created quite a stir with his pen.  His gimmer shearling by the Z4 sire and full sister to the £6000 tup sold to  the Lunesdale, Star Green and Swathburn flocks a couple of years ago, was carrying triplets to C18 Highberries. It was unshown earlier in the day and sold for £4200 to local breeder John  Thorpe, Low Blackburn.

Highberries at £4200

Kirkby Redgate have a good reputation amongst the Mule breeding fraternity and they turned out the third prize gimmer hogg in the pre-sale show, and collected a bid of £3000, selling to Jay Elliot, who was buying his first ever sheep. He will run it at his Unlce’s farm, the Oak House flock of Paul Brown.

Kirkby Redgate at £3000

Averages: Overall average £1047; gimmer hoggs £1242; gimmer shearlings £1855; ewes £560.

by Chrissie Long