Ewe lamb, gimmer and ewe sales steady despite record year

Ewes peaked at £420 for a two-shear Texel ewe from Messrs Sugden, Kirkbog, Dumfries.

The sale of 2200 head saw 500 ewes average £167.75 with 1700 gimmers at £191.62.

Leading the commercial section was a pen of 21 first cross Texels from PT and SM Hewitson, at £270 who also sold pens at £260 on multiple occasions.

At the firm’s Lazonby and Carlisle show and sale of North of England Mule gimmers averages improved by £21 per head to level at £175.23 for the catalogued entry of 3000 head.

Top price was £270 paid for a pen of 10 from M Telford, Edenlin.

The champion pen, selected by judges, Graham and Scott Wetherall, High Buildings, was consigned by GG and MA Harrison, Sceugh Farm, which sold for £250. Their run of 253 averaged £226.03.

The reserve pen from JJ and E Lawson, Hundith, made £215.

Leading Prices

Euro sale – Ewes – Tex – £420, £400, £380, £300 (x4), £220 (x2) Kirkbog Lodge; £265, £250, £185, £180 (x4) Stone House; £230 Home Farm; £205 Stoneflatts; £200, £190, £188, £182, £180 Flimby Hall; £190, £185 Slealands; £185 Brow Top; £182, £180 Spittalriddinghill Farm. Char – £172 Dunnabie House. Suff – £122, Whinney Brae.

Gimmers – Tex – £800, £600 (x2), £520, £480, £420, £320 The Knock; £680, £650, £450 (x2), £300 (x2) Midlock; £480, £420, £380 (x2), £350 (x2), £330, £320, £300 (x2) Kirkbog Lodge; £480, £400 Craigdarroch Farm; £450 Crimp Cramp; £360 Hallrigg; £350, £310 £265Kopje; £280 Home Farm; £280, £275, £250 Courthill; £270, £250 Rigghead Farm; £270, £260 Byersteads Farm; £260 Home Farm; £260 Shatton Lodge Close; £260 Hallriggs. Belt X – £280 Riggheads; £210, £175 The Beeches; £182, £172 Newton Cottages. BTexel – £200, £185 Wayside Cottage; £200 (x2) Meikledykes. Belt – £200 Rookwith House; £190 Itonfield Cottage; £190 Longrigg.

Lazonby/Carlisle North of England Mules – Ewes – £170 Briggle Farm.

Gimmers – £270 Edenlin; £250, £240, £235 (x3), £232, £230, £200 (x2) Sceugh Farm; £222, £220 (x2), £218, £215 Hundith House; £218, £198, £192, £185, £182, £180, £175 Four O Boot; £212, £210, £202, £198, £192 Milton Mains; £210, £200 (x2), £188 (x2), £180 (x2), £178 Broom Hill; £210, £198 Terrys Farm; £195 Briggle Farm; £185, £172 Hill Top; £180 Holme House; £175, £172 (x4) Hazel Farm; £175 Ghyll Croft.

Castle Douglas

Top price at Wallets Marts’ sale of 1965 Blackface ewe lambs was £168 paid for a pen from Drannandow Farms, Newton Stewart.

Averages fell by £6.95 on the year to level at £94.21.

Leading Prices

Ewe lambs – BF – £168, £132, £110 Drannandow; £135, £130, £122, £110 Milnmark; £134, £128, £112 Craig; £132 Balmurrie; £132 Larg, Creetown; £130, £112 Knockreoch; £130, £115 Kirkmabreck; £130, £125 Fingland; £130 Larg (Glaik); £128 Largs; £122, £115 Knockdon; £122 Little Larg; £115 Laghead.

FLOCK averages

Flock (No) Average (£)

Larg (50) 132.00

Fingland (55) 127.55

Craig (96) 124.60

Kirkmabreck (58) 122.76

Balmurrie (50) 117.60

Larg (Glaik) (45) 112.22

Milnmark (167) 111.41

Knockdon (99) 110.71

Lanark

Averages improved by £3 per head at Lawrie and Symington’s sale of 4565 Blackface ewe lambs, to level at £102.30.

Top price was £3800 paid for a single lamb from Messrs Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, purchased by T Muirhead, Orchilmore, followed at £2200 by another from the same home and selling to Messrs Lynn.

At the firm’s second sale of lowland breeding sheep on Tuesday, which included the disperal from J Glasgow, Felton Farm, West Linton, prices peaked at £420 for a pair of pure Texel gimmers from Alan Cullen, Craighead.

Mules sold to £182 from Allanton Farming, Allanton with Mule ewe lambs selling to £128 from Messrs Simpson, Kirkhouse (Newhall).

Other Leading Prices

Ewe lambs – BF – £560, £130 Calla; £540, £500, £260, £240, £160 Dalwyne; £480, £220, £185 Dalblair; £460, Drumgrange; £450, Mitchellslacks; £380, £300, £138, £132 Woolfords; £320, £150, £140 High Staward; £240, £155, £128 Nunnerie; £168, Kirkland Farming; £160, £132, £126 Craigdarroch; £158, Dunruchan; £155, Mitchellhill; £155, Windhill; £154 Parkhall; £150, Wester Crosswoodhill; £150, Midlock; £150 Greenside; £145, Kirkstead; £142, Peel; £136, Whelphill.

Lowland breeding sheep – Felton disp – Ewes – Tex 1-crop – £192, £180, £175, £172. Tex 2-crop – £168. SM 1-crop –£162. SM 2-crop – £152, £146, £142. SM 3-crop – £148, £120. SM 4-crop – £106. Gimmers – Pure Tex – £310, £300, £270, £205, £200 (x2), £165. SM – £186, £172, £160, £156 & £154 (Twice)

Ewes – Pure Tex 1-crop – £275 Robiesland. Tex X 1-crop – £138 Laithes

Gimmers – Pure Tex – £420, £250 Craighead; £370, £300 Robiesland; £230, £210, £180 Greenbank. Tex X – £178 Nunnerie and Rusha; £160 Glendarroch. Bel – £160 Greenbank. SM – £182 Allanton; £170 Crookboat and Allanton; £166 Victoria Park;£150 Glendarroch and Allanton

Ewe lambs – SM – £128, £123, £122 Kirkhouse (Newhall); £122 Crookboat; £120 (x2) Kirkhouse (Newhall); £100 Crookboat and Kirkhouse (Newhall).

FLOCK averages

BF ewe lambs

Farm (No) Top Avg (£)

Drumgrange (3) 460 460.00

Dalwyne (35) 540 305.14

Dalblair (24) 480 267.50

Nunnerie (22) 240 165.91

Calla (64) 560 163.59

High Staward (20) 320 155.50

Woolfords (110) 380 146.22

Kirkland (61) 168 139.48

Windhill (20) 155 133.50

Craigdarroch (Sanquhar) (165) 160 131.61

Wester Crosswoodhill (167) 150 123.81

Midlock (33) 150 123.76

Parkhall (121) 154 116.98

Mitchellhill (139) 155 116.88

Corsebank (30) 112 112.00

Tinnis (60) 124 112.00

Kirkstead (139) 145 111.36

Whelphill (276) 136 102.90

Broughton

Mule gimmers sold to £178 for a pen of 11 from KW and A Todd, East Mount with ewe lambs selling to £95 twice for Mules and Half-breds from RD Holland and Co, Low Scales at Harrison and Hetherington’s sale.

Leading Prices

Gimmers – Gf – £178, £172, £170 East Mount.

Ewes – KH – £132 Broom Lea. Gf – £85 Folds Farm. Tex – £85 Folds Farm.

Ewe lambs – Hb – £95 Low Scales. Gf – £95, £90 Low Scales; £71 Charles Ground. Tex – £89, £74, £73 Charles Ground. Jac – £60 Baskell Farm.

Ayr

Some 4610 breeding sheep were forward for Craig Wilson’s sale where most sections met a disappointing trade.

The sale which comprised 332 Blackface ewe lambs, 766 Mule ewe lambs, 904 Mule gimmers, 326 Cheviot gimmers and ewes, 120 Mule ewes, 711 any other breed ewe lambs, ewes and gimmers saw Blackface ewe lambs peak at £98 from James Murdoch and Son, Knockedon, to level at £79.67 (-£9.79 on the year).

Mule gimmers averaged £162.51(-£23) from last year’s extreme high rates, having sold to £195 from Messrs Craig and Son, Rankinston.

Mule ewe lambs were topped at £130 twice from the Firm of Shawhead and Grant MacMorland and Son, High Craighead, to level at £115.12 (-£1.32).

Continental gimmers peaked at £380 for a pen of five pure Texels from W Stevenson and Son, Auchenflower with Cheviot gimmers to £150 from T Blackhurst, Bynehill.

Stock ewes proved the biggest attraction with the Auchenflower ewes levelling at £139, while Suffolk cross one-crop reached £152 from Middlehouse Farms with Cheviot ewes to £112 from J Hibberd, Warwickdale.

Leading Prices

Ewe lambs – BF – £98, £88, £82 Knockdon; £90 Craig and Largs; £82, £80 Low Drumclog; £80 Aitkenhead. Mule – £130, £118 (x2) Firm of Shawhead; £130, £126 (x2) Lightshaw; £120 Craig; £115 Middlepart; £115, £114 Harplaw; £112 Pennyvennie.

Gimmers – Mule – £195, £190, £182, £178 (x2), £170 Rankinston, £188 (x2) Laigh Langcraig; £180 Dunjop; £175 High Letterpin; £168 Drannandhu (Arran), Dalfask, Little Creoch and Auchenflower.

Newton Stewart

A pen of one-crop Mule ewes topped Craig Wilson’s sale of 459 store and breeding sheep at Newton Stewart when selling at £130 for R and J McMaster, Blairbuy who also sold a pen of two and three-crop Mule ewes at £120.

Mule ewe lambs sold to £108 from WF McKenna, Bents, with store lambs to £94 for strong Suffolks from J McKenna, and Sons, Gass and £92.50 for Suffolks from Joanne McColm, Barncorkrie.

On Saturday, the firm’s sale of 127 rams and gimmers saw 40 ram lambs average £440.50 having sold to £850 for a Texel from H McPhee, North Lodge, with 75 shearlings levelling at £725.33 following a top sale of £1350 from J and J Campbell, Dinnans for another Texel.

The sale of 12 Texel gimmers from Angus and Helen McColm, Crailloch, peaked at £520 to average £345.83.

Suffolks sold to £800 for a shearling from A Clark, West Glengyre who also topped the Beltex shearlings at £950.

Cross-breds reached a high of£1300 twice for Charollais cross Texel shearlings from AC Clark, Fineview.

At the end of the day notable breed averages saw 11 Suffolk lambs level at £443.64; 20 Texel lambs, £484.40 and 53 Texel shearlings averaged £735.17.

Leading Prices

Mules – Ewes – £130, £120 Blairbuy Mule. Ewe lambs – £108 Bents, Barrhill.

Store lambs – Suff – £94, Gass, K/c £92.50 Barncorkrie. Tex – £91 (x2) Balmesh. Mule – £89, £84 Gass, K/c. Chev – £77 Holm, K/c. Bf – £61 Kilquockadale.

Ram lambs – DSpotted – £250, Barholm Mains and Barquhill. Suff – £600, £580 £500 (x2), £480 Redbrae; £420, £400 Mid Skeog; £400 (x2) Moorpark of Baldoon. Tex – £850, £520, £500 North Lodge; £800 (x2), £750, £700 Drumbreddan; £600 (x2) £550, £500, £420 (x2) £400 Crailloch; £520, £450, £400 High Drumrae. BTex – £380, £350 Redbrae.

Shearling rams – Belt X – £1150, £1000, £900 Fineview; £650 Mains of Machermore; £620, £520 Dalwyne. Belt – £950, £720, £520 West Glengyre; £450 (x2) Dalwyne. BFL – £600, £520 Boghouse. Char X £1300 (x2) Fineview. DSpotted – £750 No 3 Droughduil. Suff – £800, £620, £580 West Glengyre. Tex – £1350, £1100, £700, £650 Dinnans; £1300, £1100 (x2), £1000, £850, £820, £800 (x3) £750, £700, £650 West Glenyre; £1100, £1050, £950, £900, £850, £750 Whitefield; £1100, £950, £800, £750 Laigh Aliticane £1100, £800 Bridgehouse; £850 High Drumrae.

Dumfries

At C and D Auction Marts’ sale some 1405 Scotch Mule ewe lambs sold to average £119.60, with a top of £148 paid for the champion pen from T and T Anderson, Dornal. The reserve winners from J Guild, Ashmark, made £138.

Leading Prices

Ewe lambs – S Mule – £148, £140, £132 Dornal; £138 Ashmark; £135 Sweetshawhead;£132 Nisbet and Clonrae. Bf – £105, £100 Kirkland; £80 Auchenbrack. Chev Mule – £118 Eastlands. Chev – £95 Brookfield, £92 Laghead.

Gimmers – Cross – £178 Clonrae; £162 Tregallon.

Ewes – NCC – £145 (x2) Barr.

Store lambs – Tex – £96 Tara. Cross – £93 Tara. Suff – £92 Ewanston. NCC – £88 Netherton. Chev – £82 Brookfield.