PRIME LAMBS

This week at Junction 36 saw less numbers forward, as 1295 spring lambs were met by the usual ring side of buyer’s but saw limited demand with an overall market average of 211p/kg. The entry on offer today saw some lambs under finished, with buyers bidding eagerly at well finished prime lambs.
Heavy weight Suffolks sold to £130 from R&J Dodgson, Natland with heavy weight Texels from the same home selling to £118.50. Other notes prices for Texels were £115 from IL Dixon, Cantsfield with other Texels to £112 from JG&BJ Escolme, Killington. Plenty of heavy weight lambs selling around the £110 mark. Standard weighted lambs saw that well finished ones regularly selling between 215-225p/kg.

CAST SHEEP

A bumper entry of 810 ewes were forward which saw strong ewes full of meat selling to a fast trade with leaner ewes harder to place today.

Texel ewes sold to £142 from A & B Fell, Silecroft with many pure bred Texel ewes selling to the £130 mark, with Suffolk ewes selling to £140 from F & SA Edmondson, Ulverston. A run of Leicester ewes from JA & CA Gibson, Selside sold to a top of £132. Many strong Continental bred ewes were selling between the £100 and £110 mark.

All Mules were keenly bid for selling to a top of £125 from JW & TE Sharp, Lyth with others selling to £123 from A & B Fell, Silecroft, with many of the best Mule ewes selling well over £110, with medium types selling either side of £100.

Hill ewes with meat were keenly bid for and all met a strong trade with Cheviots selling to £89 from Stockdale Farms, a pen of Swaledales sold to £82 from B & D Willison & Son, Levens with others to £78 from Thrimby Farms, Penrith. Medium type Swaledale ewes were regularly selling into the mid to late £50s.

Cast rams were once again a strong trade at J36 with Texels selling to £155 from F & SA Edmondson, Ulverston with Suffolks selling to £145 from J Bell, Wennington and Leicesters selling to £128 from J & CA Gibson, Selside. Swaledales sold to £102 from RS & BA Harker, Holme.

Please note that buyers are showing caution over wooled sheep with clipped sheep selling to a premium.