SPRING LAMBS

Demand outstripping supply with more required each week to fulfil buyers requirements. Top price this week of £216 & 491p/kg was for a Texel cross from D & K Swarbrick, with others £214 & 476p/kg from WN & D Smith & Sons.

PRIME HOGGS

Numbers holding up and trade remaining firm, all in today averaging 392p/kg for Hoggs ranging from 30kg to 68kg. A top today of 500p/kg for Texel cross from AG Butler with other in spec Hoggs 420p/kg to 450p/kg, heavy weights to 406p/kg and light weights 444p/kg. Hill bred Hoggs peaked at 422p/kg for Cheviots, 411p/kg for Hebridean, 390p/kg for Mule, Masham 385p/kg and 381p/kg for Scotch Blackface.

Top grossing was a pen of heavyweight Texels at £220 from AG Butler with others £219 from F & SG Sanderson & Son and J & H Davies, endless pens £202 to £215 with standards £180 to £195. Hill Hoggs sold to £200 for Mules, Cheviots £199, Mashams £181, SBF £179, Herdwick £167 and Swaledales £159.

CULL SHEEP

A fast-paced sale saw all sold averaging £172, peaking at £224 for Texel cross from J Twigge, who sold others at £222 and £212. Stronger end cross bred ewes £185 to £210 with mediums £160 to £180. Mules to £200 with endless heavy ewes £185 to £198, mediums £155 to £180. Horned ewes to £134 for better end mediums, other light weights £105 to £130.

SHEEP WITH LAMBS AT FOOT

The annual show and sale of sheep with lambs at foot saw the largest entry to date forward, with buyer keen to secure stock to take advantage of the spring grass.
Judging this year was Mr J Twigge, Lindal who made the following awards:
Class 1 – 5 Shearlings with Lambs at Foot
1st – M Heap, Burns Farm
Class 2 – 5 Ewes with Lambs at Foot
1st – TW & BH Woodhouse, Middle Salter
2nd – G & ID Postlethwaite, Riddings
3rd – TW & BH Woodhouse, Middle Salter
Champion – M Heap, Burns Farm
Reserve Champion – TW & BH Woodhouse, Middle Salter
Today’s sale was kindly sponsored by Cornthwaite Machinery, Nateby.
The sale peaked at £420 for a ring full of Texel cross ewes with twins from G&ID Postlethwaite, with TW&BH Woodhouse & Son also achieving £420 selling Suffolk cross ewes with Texel cross twins.
The ewes forward today were mainly older continentals, generally selling at £380 to £395 for twin families. Singles peaked at £330 for Cheviot Mules with Texel cross lambs from M Heap with other ewes with stronger lambs £275 to £310.
Next week’s sale will following prime sheep at approximately 11am, 50 families are already entered.