Kirkby Stephen Luke Fair Breeding Sheep Sale

Harrison & Hetherington Ltd Kirkby Stephen held their annual Luke Fair sale of 2510 breeding sheep.

Topping the sale at £3600 was a pen of three 2/3 crop Swaledale ewes from Messrs Hutchinson, Valley Farm, Barnard castle and were purchased by Messrs Handley, Gunnerfleet, Chapel le dale. With this home selling other pens of 2 and 3 crop ewes to make £850 selling to Messrs France, Higher Core Farm, Chipping and a pen of 3 crop ewes making £580 to Messrs Newhouse, Megs Croft, Long Preston and a pair of swaledales blind of a quart sold to make £500 selling to Messrs Fox, St Johns Kirk, Biggar. With the consignment of 12 aged Swaledale ewes from Valley Farm selling to make £1389.17.

Messrs Hallam, High Birkwith, Houghton in Riversdale sold a pair of 3 crop ewes to make £2100 selling to Messrs Hutchinson, Redgate, Kirkby Stephen, with this home also selling a pen of five 2 and 3 crop Swaledale ewes to make £400 selling to Messrs Airey, Brownchesters, Otterburn and a pair off six crop ewes making £400 selling to Messrs Brogden, Helbeck Farm, Brough. Another pen of five 3 crop ewes selling to make £310 selling to Messrs Eccles, Hardberry Hill Farm, Middleton in Teesdale.

The consignment of 32 2 to 6 crop Swaledale ewes from High Kirkwith sold to average £359.60.

Messrs Beckwith, Newhall, Barras sold a pen of twelve 3 crop Swaledale ewes selling to make £355 and were purchased by Messrs Pears, Fellside House Farm, Calbeck. With another pen of eight from this home making £320 selling to Messrs Harrison, High Beck Head, Forest in Tessdale.

Messrs Owen, Ravenseat sold a pen of ten 3 crop ewes to make £320. Selling to Messrs Tiplady, Red House Farm, Barnard Castle.

Swaledale shearlings topped at £290. For a pen of thirteen from Messrs Alderson, Barras which sold to Messrs Airey, Brownchesters.

All Swaledale ewes sold to a wonderful average of £272.78 which is up £86.04 on the year and includes eighteen pens of broken mouthed ewes.

Continental sheep topped at £470 twice firstly for Texel crosses from Mesrs Fawcett, Argill House, South Stainmore which were purchased by Messrs Tiplady, Red House, Barnard Castle and secondly for pure Texel shearlings from Messrs Coulthard, Gill House Barnard Castle, who also sold Texel shearlings to £460, £440, £430, £420 with this home also selling Beltex cross shearlings to £430.

Next selling at £350 and £300 were a pens of Texel shearlings from Messrs Chester, Grassgill Lodge, Soulby

With Texel also selling for £350 and £310 from Messrs Fawcett, Argill House; with this home also selling Mule shearlings to make £300.

Messrs Wearmouth, Parkside, Middleton in Teesdale sold a pen of nine mule shearlings to make £285.

Gimmer Lambs

Topping the gimmer lamb section at £230 for two pens of ten from Messrs Bland, Cotegill, Gaisgill which were purchased by Messrs Lancaster, Boardley, Skipton. With this home also selling pens of eleven and ten to make £190 and £185 selling to Messrs Stockley, Skipton.

Messrs Gibson, Easterbeck House, Barnard Castle sold two pens of eleven and ten Swaledale gimmer lambs to make £200 selling to Messrs Naylor, Derbyshire and Messrs Lamb, Keswick.

Messrs Beckwith, Newhall sold a pen of five to make £200 selling to Messrs Greenwood, Skipton.

All Swaledale gimmer lambs sold to average £135.50 which is up £43.86.

Mule lambs topped at £202 for a pen of five from Messrs Hill, Whitewall, Asby selling to Messrs Ellwood, Penrith.

All mule gimmer lambs forward were running lambs with many pens of late born lambs forward selling to a wonderful overall average of £155.40 which is up £33.22 on the year.

Breeding Rams

Rams topped at £1300 for a two shear beltex cross from Messrs Scott, Brogden arm, Northallerton.

Messrs Fox, St Johns Kirk, Biggar made the journey down to sell topped twice at £1100 for Pure and a cross Texel shearlings which were purchased by Messrs Lowis, Waterside House, Penrith and Messrs Johnston, Silverband, Appleby.

This home sold a further three texel tups for £1000 with the consignment of five averaging £1040.

Bluefaced Leicester rams sold to £950 for a shearling fro Messrs Morland, Starrah, Kirkby Stephen.

Ram lambs topped at £700 for a pure Suffolk from Messrs Harrison, Wickerfield, Penrith.

The final breeding sheep sale of the season attracted a packed ringside of buyers which resulted in all classes of breeding females and rams being a flying trade, with many sellers leaving the ring overwhelmed, securing as a leading sheep breeding sales centre for all breeds.

Leading Prices

Ewes Aged (Broken Mouthed):

SWALEDALE: £2100, £400 High Birkwith, £500 Valley Farm, £250 New Hall.

Ewes Aged (Fully Warranted):

SWALEDALE: £3600, £850, £580 Valley Farm, £400, £310 High Birkwith, £355, £320 New Hall, £320, £210 Ravenseat, £295, £275, £238 Shieldhill Top, £285 Hoggarths Farm, £275, £260, £220 Lainger House, £275, £250 Punchard Farm, £265 Oak House, £260 Bridge Farm House, £248, £230 Easterbeck House, £245, £235, £220 Old Spital Farm, £240 South Wellhope, £235 Hebblethwaite Hall Farm, £220, £210 Sleddale Hall, £215 Quarry Farm, £210 High Stennerskeugh, £210 Palliard, BLUE TEXEL: £270, £175(x2) Gill House, TEXEL: £245, £200 Quarry House Farm, SUFFOLK: £225 Quarry House Farm, MULE: £215 Quarry House Farm.

Shearlings

TEXEL: £470, £350, £310, £270 Argill House, £470, £460, £440, £430, £420 Gill House, £350, £300 Grassgill Lodge, £230 Nixon Terrace, SWALEDALE: £290 Barras Farm, £275 Oak House, £270, £220 Mount Pleasant Farm, £200 South Wellhope, MULE: £300 Argill House, £285 Parkside, £275 Milestone House, £255 Gillcumber Edge, BLUE TEXEL: £190, £185, £150 (x2) , Gill House, BELTEX: £430 Gill House, DUTCH SPOTTED: £300 Grassgill Lodge

Gimmer Lambs:-

SWALEDALE: £230 (x2) , £190, £185, £160 Cotegill, £200 (x2) , £172 Easterbeck House, £200, £162 New Hall, £190 Haithwaite, £180 West Stoney Keld, £165 Low Rigg, £160 Parkside, £152 Laneside, £152 Step Ends Farm, £152 Dirt Pit Farm, MULE: £202 Whitewall Farm, £178 High Stennerskeugh, £178, £150 Swathburn, £174 Parkside, £172, £170, £164 Pease Myers, £168, £152 Blades Field Farm, £166, £150 (x2) , Hollins Farm, £160 Keisley Farm, £154 Ashgill Farm, BLUE TEXEL: £165, £152 Mains House Farm, TEXEL: £178 Rampkin Pastures, BELTEX: £150 Clockeld,

Breeding Rams

BELTEX: £1300, £800 Brogden Farm,  £680 Lansmere,  £550 Starrah,  TEXEL: £1100(x2), £1000(x3) St Johns Kirk,  £900, £800 Lansmere,  £800 Fountain Head,  BLUEFACED LEICESTER: £950, £500 Starrah,  £700 Milestone House,  £500 Pikestone Farm,  BLUE TEXEL: £500 Edendales,  £380 Gill House,  SUFFOLK: £700 Wickerfield,  HERDWICK: £320, £250(x2) Midtown Farm,