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

Friday’s dispersal of the Penhole herd of Charolais for Chris and Neil Gubbin and family at Exeter saw prices peak at 4600gns for Penhole Eternity, a first calved heifer by Coolnaslee Valour and out of Penhole Salver, a Simpsons Gregg daughter.

She sold with a June-born heifer calf at foot by Penhole Dannyboy and was bought by S J Gabriel, Launceston, to join his commercial outfit.

Selling for the day’s second highest price of 4200gns was Penhole Deutzia, another by Valour and out of Penhole Veronica, a Balmyle Supreme daughter. She again sold with a Dannyboy-sired heifer calf at foot and was bought by N A McInerney, Thorverton, to join the Annings herd.

Taking a 2600gns call was Penhole Denise, again by Valour and out of Penhole Amelia, another Supreme daughter. She sold to S J Gabriel with a heifer calf at foot by Dannyboy.

Then, leading the in-calf heifers at 2900gns was Penhole Flame, an Edenhurst Regal daughter out of Penhole Chaffinch, a Valour daughter. She sold in-calf to Penhole Admirable and was knocked down to R J Gregory, Truro, for the Kerling herd.

Following her at 2400gns was Penhole Festival again sired by Edenhurst Regal and out of Penhole Veronica, dam of 4200gns Penhole Deutzia. Sold four months in-calf to Penhole Admirable, she sold to M C Jarvis, Chulmleigh, Devon.

In the bulling heifers the best call was a 2100gns bid for Penhole Gracious, a 17 month old Penhole Dannyboy daughter out of Penhole Denise, a Valour daughter. She was bought by M and R Dunn, Totnes.

The next highest priced bulling heifer was 1900gns for 19 month old heifer Penhole Geranium again sired by Penhole Dannyboy and also bought by Messrs Dunn.

The two younger stock bulls also commanded a good trade with the top price of 3300gns realised by Penhole Generator, a son of Penhole Dannyboy secured by Messrs W Haydon and Sons, Cheriton Bishop, and Penhole Germinate, another 18 month old bull by Dannyboy achieved 2300gns when selling to R P and E M Harris, Dartmouth.

A small entry of bulls from other west country breeders sold to a top call of 3300gns for Kerling Goldie from R and J Gregory. This May 2011-born bull is by Clyth Diplomat and out of a Littlebovey Bruno daughter and sold to Messrs Vooght, Exeter.

Averages; nine cows and and calves £2677.50, four in-calf cows £1609.37, one heifer calf £1050, three bull calves £1137.50, six in-calf heifers £2458.75, 10 bulling heifers £1769.25, one senior stock bull £1625, two junior stock bulls £2887.50 (Kivells and Husseys).

by Jonathan Long

Yesterday’s Lleyn sale at Exeter saw centre records set in both the males and females, with the female centre record set by the winner of the individual shearling ewe from A W Jones, Gwynedd. She sold to R and J Twose, Carmarthenshire.

Selling at £210 was the second prize winner from this class from Jim Dufosee when selling to Cator Blackaton Farming, Devon. And at £200 was the third prize winner from D N Bennett and Son, Powys, which sold to Collacombe Farm, Devon.

Top call in the pens of shearling ewes went to D N Bennett and Son at £210, with Collacombe Farm buying their pen of five, while A W Hughes sold at £202/head to the same buyer.

Leading the ram prices was a bid of 4700gns for a ram from Robert Bennett by Laga Performer. This one sold to the pre-sale judge Dylan Jones. He is out of a Banhall ewe which was twin to Plasucha D162 sold for 2300gns at Ruthin in 2005.

Then at 3700gns was a ram from D w and C F Morris which had been champion in the pre-sale show. He is by Penywern Ableman and sold to C G and J F Phillips, Gloucestershire.

The ewe lamb section was dominated by JM & GC Adams selling their pen of five for £170/head to NJ Cowan, Paignton.  The first prize pen from AW Davies sold for £155 to H Geen, Devon.

Averages; 494 shearling ewes £156, 312 ewe lambs £101, 45 ewes £111, rams £742 (Kivells and Husseys).

by Jonathan Long

The impending Easter celebrations have bought with them the first of the annual Easter prime lamb shows up and down the country, with good prices achieved at many centres.

At Exeter on Monday a total of 684 lambs were forward for sale, with the overall SQQ levelling at 231p/kg and the price/head averaging £93.48.

Championship honours in the show fell to J D Musgrave, Yealmpton, with a pair of 45kg Charollais crosses which sold at £116 (257p/kg).

Overall trade was similar to the week before, although the average slipped by 1.5p/kg and £2/head. Topping the trade in p/kg terms was a pen of 41.4kg lambs from A Salter at 266p/kg.

Meanwhile, further north at Kirkby Stephen yesterday a smaller show of just 12 lambs saw the championship go to a Texel cross lamb from the Bainbridge family, Bonnygate. This 44kg lamb sold at £130 (295.5p/kg) to Steadman’s butchers, Kirkby Stephen. Overall average for the new season lambs was 263.25p/kg.

by Jonathan Long

Much like the rest of the sheep trade the in-lamb ewe sales across the country are seeing plenty of confident buyers willing to bid strongly for those on offer.

At Exeter last Friday an entry of 135 in-lamb Lleyns from R J and C E Stanbury, Coldridge, were well sought after selling to a top of £160 for a pen of mixed age ewes, with a pen of in-lamb ewe hoggs making the same price.

The in-lamb ewes sold to level at £151.22, with the ewe hoggs not far behind at a healthy £140.60.

Meanwhile, further north at Bentham last week a bumper entry of 1149 in-lambers presented buyers with a myriad of options. Heading up the sale was a dispersal on behalf of J Arthur, Carnwath, which included 400 Beltex and Texel cross ewes and 26 pure Beltex and 11 pure Texels.

These topped at £520 for a single pure Beltex ewe scanned for twins, while the more commercial Texel cross ewes sold to a high of £245, with the shearlings in the consignment making up to £190.

Another consignment of well-travelled sheep, this time 429 ewes from Gerald and Will Ketley, Essex, saw Mule three crop ewes due in April sell to a top of £162 to average £154.51. And, somewhat out of their native patch a group of 44 Romney ewes from the Ketleys sold to a peak of £160 to level at £153.

Ewes with lambs at foot are perhaps looking a shade dear compared to those still to lamb, with the best double couples at Sedgemoor on Saturday trading at up to £258, with D J Cheacker achieving this price on three lots and selling others at £228. B G, D E and S J Howell also saw a strong trade for their offering, with double couples up to £256 an outfit.

With the best heavy cull ewes trading at £120 and more in many markets it is easy to see how buyers are doing their sums and some of these in-lamb ewes will look relatively cheap compared to the dearer end of the shearling ewes last autumn, in-lamb Texel cross shearlings at £190 would look reasonably good value.

That said there’s plenty of work to do with these in-lamb ewes before they show a profit, getting them in-lamb is the easy part of the process!

by Jonathan Long

Ever increasing numbers of ewes with lambs at foot are meeting a ready demand in the south west of England, with buyers snapping up all available units at most centres.

Auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt report a strong trade on Saturday at Sedgemoor Market, Somerset, while at Exeter on Friday the trade was described as frantic.

Topping the trade at Sedgemoor were a run of ewes with twin lambs at foot from A P Carter, which sold to a high of £257 an outfit (£85.67 a life), with others from the same vendor making from £250/outfit down to £240/outfit.

by Jonathan Long