BREEDING SHEEP

The second show and sale of hoggs with lambs was met by a packed ringside of buyers, ensuring a strong trade was seen. The pre sale show was kindly sponsored by Road Runner Tyres and Grace Dobson (Laurence Pierce Wool Merchants) and judged by Ian Dixon, who awarded the following results:

Class 1- 5 Mule Hoggs with Lambs at Foot
1st JH & JE Taylor, The Harras- £280
2nd DR Preston, Ellers Farm- £280
3rd DR Preston, Ellers Farm- £280

Class 2- 5 Continental Hoggs with Lambs at Foot
1st DR Preston, Ellers Farm- £300
2nd JH & JE Taylor, The Harras- £295
3rd Stockdale Farms, Bowers Farm- £255

Champion- JH & JE Taylor- £280
Reserve Champion- DR Preston- £300

The sale peaked with a tremendous pure Texel hogg with pure Texel lambs from IM Jaeban, Cockermouth selling to £400. First cross Texel hoggs with Beltex cross lambs from DR Preston, Caton sold to £300. Three quarter bred Texel hoggs with Texel lambs selling to £295 from JH&JE Taylor, Ainstable with other pens to £290. All continental bred hoggs forward averaged £272 per unit.
Mule hoggs with lambs were a brisk trade with the best selling to £282 from DR Preston, Caton, who sold other pens twice to £280. Also achieving £280 was JH&JE Taylor, Ainstable. Other pens sold to £275 twice, firstly from RH&C Ayrton, Abbeystead and G&KM Atkinson, Colby. All Mules hoggs forward averaged £268 forward.
Ewes and lambs were the fastest trade seen all season, with aged Texel ewes with young Beltex single lambs selling to £306 from JM&NJ Strickland, Whinfell. Other single outfits sold to £285 from CR Alderson & Son, Kirkby Stephen. A run of aged Texedale ewes with Beltex twin lambs sold to £280 from Shuttleworth & Brown, Sedbergh. Broken mouth Herdwick ewes suckling young Texel twin lambs sold to £160 from Kirkby & Longworth, Kentmere with singles to £110 from the same home.

SPRING LAMBS

255 spring lambs were forward, selling to a averaged of 402p/kg. Heavy lambs were well sort after, selling to £209 for Texels from RA Holmes, Inskip with Beltexs to £207 from GR Geldard, Gilpin Bridge. Suffolks sold to £207 from WT Whittaker & Son, Nether Kellet. The best heavy lambs were regularly £190 to £200. Export lambs saw 43kg Beltexs to £180 from WJ&L Barker, Carnforth with Texels to the same price from D&K Swarbrick, Out Rawcliffe. A ring full of 39kg Texels sold to £171 from Kendal College, Kendal. All types and weights of spring lambs are needed on a weekly basis to fulfil buyers requirements.

PRIME HOGGS

A very much a two tiered trade was seen, with fed and meated hoggs meeting demand and leaner sorts now discounted. Heavy Texel hoggs sold to £211 from RT&ME Sutton, Stainton with other pens of Texels selling to £210 from RL&ML Lowery, Holker. Suffolks sold to £207 from M&RW Stirzaker, Milnthorpe. Mules sold to £204 from TW Nelson & Son, Stainton. A run of well fed hoggs from GM&A Jackson, Little Eccleston sold SBF’s to £169 or 360p/kg, with ring fulls of Cheviots to the same price or 376p/kg and other pens to £168 on numerous occasions.

CAST SHEEP

A fast trade was seen for all classes and types of cull sheep, with more required every week to fulfil buyer requirements. The sale peaked at £300 for a Texel ewes from R&E Ladds, Kendal with other better end pure and three quarter bred ewes £260 to £290. The best first cross ewes sold to £214 from JW&TE Sharp, Lyth. Other heavy first cross ewes were £170 to £190, mediums £140 to £165 and smaller meated sorts £120 to £140. Mules sold to £178 from WJ&L Barker, Carnforth with other heavy Mules £155 to £175, mediums £120 to £140 with smaller leaner sorts £100 to £115. Pure hill ewes sold to £190 for Cheviots from DR Preston, Caton with Lleyns to £156, Swaledale £138, Dalebreds £118, Rough Fells £110 and Herdwicks to £90. Medium hill ewes were nicely selling at £85 to £110, with the smallest and leanest £60 to £75. All ewes forward averaged £128.
Cull rams are coming forward in greater numbers every week, selling to £215 for a Texel from RI Dixon, Low Newton. Other better end Continentals were £175 to £200 with mediums £140 to £165. Pure hill breds sold to £150 for Cheviots, £132 for Herdwicks and £114 for Swaledales.

PIGS

Todays sale of pigs saw 72 forward, with these selling to a top price of £228 for prime gilts from C Woodhouse, Nateby. The next down was again prime gilts from J McEwan, Dunfries at £205. A top of 188p/kg was achieved for prime gilt from P Martin, Balderdale with this home selling boars to 142p/kg. The best of the prime boars sold to £185. A handful of culls were making £50 to £75. Store pigs topped at £88 for a pen of five and weaners sold to £55.