Kirkby Stephen Breeding Sheep Sale

Harrison & Hetherington Ltd Kirkby Stephen held their annual sale of Continental, Mule Ewes and Shearlings when a catalogued entry of 1,100 sheep were on offer.

New Boom Town Boys sale of Breeding Rams.

Topping the sale at £2500 was a Beltex cross Texel Shearling Ram consigned by local breeders the Buckle Family, Buckles Farm, Barras and was purchased by Messrs Hird, Amersber Cottage, , with this home also selling another Beltex cross Texel shearling to make £1700 bought by Messrs Little, Row End Farm, Soulby.

The judging was placed in the capable hands of sheep enthusiast Mr M Brown who awarded the Overall champion ram on the night to the first placed Texel ram consigned by another local ram producer Mr J Winter, Clickham Farm, Appleby in Westmorland which went on to sell for £2000 to Messrs Procter, hillcrest, Great Musgrave.

Champion Ram (L-R) James Winter (Consignor), Martin Brown (Judge) and Tim Davis from Stable Thompson & Briscoe (Sponsor)

Beltex cross rams sold to £1700 from Rachael Tiplady, Red House Farm, Barnard Castle and was bought by Messrs Robson, Newstead Grange, Malton.

Messrs Sowerby, Terrys Farm, Ormside sold Beltex cross Texel shearlings to £1250 selling to Messrs Chippendale, Wharton Hall, Kirkby Stephen. The run of six beltex rams from this home sold to average £900.

Pure Texel rams sold to £1200 from Messrs Scott, Hollins View Farm, Brough Sowerby with this run of six pure Texel rams averaging £941.66.

Messrs Hastwell, The Buildings Farm, Kaber also sold pure Texel shearling rams to £1200 selling to Messrs Morland, Starrah, Kaber.

A three shear Beltex ram sold to £1150 from Messrs Somerville, Lansmere, Penrith, which was bought by JM Andrews, York.

A packed ring side one of the busiest seen for many years of potential buyers were present for the Boom Town Boys new sale fixture which resulted in a flying trade for all types and a massive sale clearance of 99% Texel rams averaged £807.50 cross bred rams averaged £765.95 with an overall average for all tups sold £730.29 which is up £138.07, a quarter of the sale sold between £1000 and £2500.

Ram Show Results

Texel Tup

1^st JS Winter, Clickham Farm

2^nd D Scott, Hollins View Farm

3^rd J Hastwell, The Buildings

Beltex Tup

1^st H Askwith, Low Mown Meadows

2^nd M Boustead, High Lane

3^rd P McCune, Farewell Grange

Cross Bred Tup

1^st G Sowerby, Terrys Farm

2^nd Messrs Somerville, Newby

3^rd Messrs Buckle, Buckles Farm

Ram Lamb

1^st A Herbert, West Shaws

2^nd A Herbert, West Shaws

Champion

JS Winter, Clickham Farm

Reserve Champion

H Askwith, Low Mown Meadow

Leading Prices

Aged Rams – Beltex  £1700 Red House Farm, £1150 Lansmere:  Texel  £700 Prospect House Farm; £450 Cairn Cottage.

Shearling:-

Beltex £2500, £1700, £1000 Buckles Farm; £1250, £950, £900, £850, £800, £650 Terrys Farm: £1050, £650, £500(2) Cracrop Farm; £600, £500 Lansmere; £500 Stoneriggs: Texel £2000 Clickham Farm; £1200, £1000, £950, £900, £800(2) Hollins View; £1200, £800, £650 The Buildings; £1000(2), £950, £900, £700 Stoneriggs; £900, £750 Prospect Farm Cottage

Lambs:-

Suffolk £380(2) West Shawes.

The new annual Continental and Mule breeding sheep sale was also held on Monday afternoon.

Topping the sale at £350 was a Beltex cross Texel gimmer shearling from Messrs Skidmore, Needless Hall, Toronto which was purchased by Rachel Tiplady, Red House Farm, Barnard Castle.

The pre sale show which was kindly judged by Robert West, Stampford saw a fantastic turnout of pens of quality continental cross breeding females with the championship pen been awarded to a pen of five Beltex cross gimmer shearlings from Messrs Skidmore which went on to sell at £335 to Messrs Robson, Newstead Farm, Malton.

Champion Female (L-R) Tim Davis from Stable Thompson & Briscoe (Sponsor), Colin Skidmore (Consignor) and .....West (Judge)

Second place in the show was also taken by Messrs Skidmore, with a pen of 5 Beltex cross gimmer shearlings which sold for £300 to Messrs West, Stampford. Taking third was also Skidmore with a pen of five Texel cross gimmer shearlings which sold to Messrs Robson, Middle Horsley Hope.

Messrs Skidmore sold a further two single Texel cross gimmer shearlings at £330 selling to Rachel Tiplady, Red House farm, Barnard Castle who also bought a pair of Beltex cross gimmer shearling at £320 from the same home. Messrs Skidmore also sold a pair of Beltex cross gimmer shearlings at £315 and £300 with texel cross shearlings at £305 all selling to Messrs Maughan, Ash Garth.

This home also sold another pen of five texel shearlings at £300 selling to Messrs Robson, Malton.

This consignment of 34 shearling from Needless Hall sold to average £310.41.

Messrs Preistley, Cracrop Farm, Brampton sold a pair of Beltex cross gimmer shearlings to make £300 selling to Messrs Simpson, High Scale Farm, Wigglesworth.

Messrs Morland, Starrah Farm, Kaber sold a pair of Texel cross gimmer shearlings at £300 selling to Messrs Jackson, Little Beck, Kings Meaburn, with three Beltex shearlings making £280 selling to Messrs Simpson, High Scale Farm.

Messrs Sowerby, Terrys Farm, Ormside sold a pen of five Texel cross shearlings to make £275 selling to Messrs Fell, Chapel Farm, Bassenthwaite.

Messrs Wilson, Arngill House, Middleton in Teesdale sold a pen of four Texel cross gimmer shearlings to £275 selling to Messrs Jackson, Littlebeck with another pen selling at £270 to Messrs Bainbridge, Bonny Gate

Messrs Dodd, Skylin, Temple Sowerby sold a pen of ten Beltex shearlings to make £285 selling to Messrs Simpson, High Scale Farm with a further two pens from this home selling at £270 also selling to Messrs Simpson and Messrs West.

This home also sold a pen of five two shear Suffolk cross ewes to make £270 selling to Messrs Chester, Grassgill Lodge, Soulby, with another pen of seven two shear Suffolk ewes to make £260 to Messrs Slee, Street House, Kirkby thore, also selling a pen of twenty two shear Texel cross to make £242 selling to Messrs Fell, Chapel Farm.

This home also sold a pen of ten Mule shearlings to £250 selling to Messrs Nattrass, Shield Hill Top, Garrigill, with another pen of ten Mule shearlings selling at £235 selling to the same home.

All classes of quality sheep were in extreme demand selling to premium rates and many more sheep could have been easily sold, Beltex cross gimmer shearling sold to average £280.75. Texel cross gimmer shearlings averaged £250.48 for all classes. The overall average for females sold was £238 which was up £29.79 on the year.

Show Results

Five Shearlings or Ewes

1^st CA&JG Skidmore, Needless Hall

2^nd CA&JG Skidmore, Needless Hall

3^rd CA&JG Skidmore, Needless Hall

Leading Prices:-

Ewes –

Texel £275 Helbeck Road; £245, £242, £240 (2) Skylin: Suffolk £270, £260 Skylin.

Gimmer Shearlings –

Beltex £350, £335, £320, £315, £300(2) Needless Hall Farm; £300 Cracrop Farm; £295, £265, £240 Starrah ; £285, £270(2) Skylin; £245 Bollam Terracee; £240, £235 Peacock Farm: Texel £330(2), £315, £305(2), £300, £290, £280, £272 Needless Hall Farm; £300(2) Starrah; £275 Terrys Farm; £275, £270 Arngill House; £265, £260, £250, £238, £235, £230(3) Chapel House; £252, £230 Peacock Farm; £250, £230(4) Ladying Farm; £248, £238(2) Bankdale Farm; £245 Barrowmoor Road; £240 Prospect Farm Cottage; £240 Skylin: Beltex £280 Starrah: Mule £250, £235 Skylin.