Sheep with Lambs at Foot
A wonderful selection of sheep with lambs at foot saw the trade peak at £400 for Texel x shearlings with Texel twins from J&M Wilson, Selside. A great day in the breeding ring at Junction 36 saw 250 families forward with a real buzz around the place as all sheep with lambs at foot forward sold to an impress overall market averaged of £79.62 a life. The sale included the annual show of pens of five ewes and shearlings with lambs at foot. The pre sale show judging was in the capable hands of local shepherd Jack Edmondson who we thank for his time and expertise. The Championship rosette was awarded to G&KM Atkinson, Colby with their pen of Mule shearlings with Texel twin lambs at foot which went on the sell for £305 an outfit. It was the reserve Champions from J&M Wilson, Selside that had won the Continental shearling class which were keenly sort after, selling to a record price of £400 an outfit. Topping off a good day for the Wilson family was a pen of Continental one crops with twin lambs selling to £320. Other Continental shearlings with twin lambs sold to £320 from G&KM Atkinson, Colby who sold Mule shearlings and Texel twins to £300 and Mule one crops with twins to £290. Younger sheep were in big demand with Mule shearlings with Texel twins selling to £300 from EM Winspear, Hawes with Mule shearling with singles from the same home to £245. Continental ewes with shapely twin lambs at foot sold to £290 from R Heath, Bootle. Two and three crop Mule ewes sold to £245 and £240 from DJ Casson & Son, Slyne with plenty of pens of aged Continental ewes with twin lambs regularly selling between £220 and £240. Continental ewes with single lambs at foot peaked at £230 from R Heath.
Next weeks sale includes a special entry of 40 MV Accredited Mule and Continental ewes with Dutch Spotted lambs at foot.

Spring Lambs
An entry of 48 spring lambs were forward for the show and sale of spring lambs at Junction 36 which saw the judging in the capable hands of David Morland of Westmorland Services who we thank for his time and expertise. He awarded the Championship rosette to the first prize Continental sired lamb from Helen Newton, Lower Levens selling to £165 or 343p/kg purchased by the judge on behalf of Irvings Butchers, Ulverston. Rounding off a good day for Helen, she was awarded the Reserve Championship rosette with the first prize native sired lamb a Suffolk selling to £158, once again purchased by the judge on behalf of behalf of Irvings Butchers. The second prize sired Continental lamb a Beltex x Charollais from RJ&J Towers, Ingleton sold to £158 purchased by Plumgarths Farm Shop. The consignment from B&AC Barnes, Middleton peaked at 373p/kg or £153 for Beltex x lambs with others to £152 purchased by Browns Quality Meats, Ulverston. All spring lambs forward averaged £135.80 a head, with handy weights averaging 312p/kg.

Prime Hoggs
There was more prime hoggs forward today which saw 779 forward, sell to a very similar trade handy weights continue to be in the most demand averaging in the 260’s p/kg with better types of Continentals regularly between 280-300p/kg. Heavy weight hoggs were not just an dear with large numbers of heavy forward throughout the county. Beltex hoggs led the way from George Harryman Jnr, Hawkshead selling to £168 and £164 or 328p/kg. Hoggs peaked at 335p/kg from Kevin Purtill, Wigan there was plenty of heavy weight hoggs today selling between £130-£140. Demand for hoggs remains very strong with more required each week.

Cast Sheep
A good entry of 550 ewes were forward with all types selling to their full value with a full ring side of buyers and some leaving short of supply. Pure Texel ewes sold to a top of £222 from J Stott, Crossthwaite with other Texels selling to £200 from Thrimby Farms, Penrith. The best Texel ewes were regularly selling at the £175 - £200 mark. Leister ewes peaked at £210 from AR Edmondson, Broughton Beck with Suffolk ewes selling to £200 from D Metcalfe, Dalton in Furness with a full pen selling to £190 from AR Edmondson, Broughton Beck. Mule ewes sold to another strong trade, with a pen of ten selling to £137 from WH Whittaker & Son, Nether Kellet with the best regularly selling away at the £130 plus mark. 140 Mule ewes averaged £107. Today saw some strong prices for hill ewes with Cheviots selling to £136 from RW & SA Nicholson, Lupton with others to £129 from RM&D Dixon, Longsleddale. Rough Fells sold to a top of £129 from G&ID Postlethwaite, Howgill. Swaledales peaked at £117 from RM&D Dixon, Longsleddale with others selling to £115 from AR Edmondson, Broughton Beck. 160 Swaledale ewes averaged £107. George Probert had a good day in the cast ring selling Herdwicks to £116 and Gritstones to £111.
Another 30 cast rams were forward selling to another fast trade peaking at £189 from RM & PM Simpson, Trought Beck who sold others to £179. Beltex tups sold to a top of £172 from GH Hodgson, Witherslack. A keen interest was shown from buyers for all classes of tups.