168 IN LAMB COMMERCIAL EWES This year’s Annual collective sale of individual and small groups of Continental sired sheep incorporated the production sales from flocks owned by Frank Joel of Westhouse and Martin & Val Brown of Leyburn. The cross bred sheep saw a similarly strong trade to that seen by the Pedigree breeders with an overall average of £246 for the 168 head on offer. This noted sale is now growing in popularity as a source of breeding sheep for premium prime lambs and show quality prime lambs.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of 2646 Store Lambs and 222 Breeding Sheep Forward: Head, Overall av £49.02 A healthy trade for the better end of the lambs today with growy sorts highly sought after. Robert Metcalfe, Brearton was on the receiving end of this with 64 Suffolks at £64 and JW Hall of Darnbrook with 100 mules at £57.20. Long keep and wintering lambs made a greater percentage of the entry and found seasonal buyers keen.

Although it’s now November there were plenty of sheep forward today at CCM’s fortnightly sale of Store & Breeding sheep held at Skipton Mart. Store lambs saw a greater proportion of smaller wintering lambs but trade for these was quite strong with cows going inside and ground becoming clear to graze with sheep. Strong lambs also found good favour with buyers but smaller lambs would look the better sold.

A healthy trade for breeding sheep on the last Tuesday Ewe sale of the season with a handy trade for all types, especially older sheep with buyers looking for suitable late additions to their flocks. Young sheep were also a reasonable trade with S Hodgson of Glossop making £108 of a pen of Texel X shearlings and SMR Foster, Arncliffe making £100 with some Mule shearlings. Old sheep were at such a trade that both parties would be happy with ‘one more time round’ sheep at between £40 and £65 and topping in the late £70’s for all types.

Annual Dalesbred Sheep Sale. 149 head - 24 Rams & 125 Females. Rams sold overall average £183, Judges- Edward Hird & Matthew Close. Champion: GC Hargarth. Prices below.

FORWARD: 2664 today saw a typical show for a fourth gimmer lamb sale with mainly running and late born lambs up for grabs with the odd pen of tuppers interspersed. Top price of the day went John Harker, Lofthouse with his pen of strong lambs at £96. Plenty of smart running pens in mid 70’s to early 80’s with last draw lambs steadying the average.

FORWARD: 2,029 Breeding Sheep & Rams including Annual Sale of Lleyn Breeding sheep and Gimmer Lambs, Fortnightly Sale of Breeding Sheep and Third Sale of Swaledale Ewes. A typical mixed entry for the time of year with a few pens sailing nicely away, but buyers also looking for some late season value for money as well. Horned ewes were mainly correct below sheep or feeders and sold to a solid trade when compared to fat, whilst the Lleyn sheep received a mixed reception, young strong sheep a decent trade, but ewe lambs difficult to place.

Forward: 70 Registered Swaledale Rams CCM Auctions conducted the Annual Sale of Swaledale Rams at Skipton on Monday evening. A great show of rams attracted a very large crowd from a wide area to this well established annual sale and trade was strong as a result. As ever at Skipton a big strong ram found a ready market with 7 rams selling a four figure prices. The sale leading price of 1,500gns was paid for the champion ram on the night, consigned by John and Neil Cowperthwaite of Howith Farm, this shearling sired by a Peter Lightfoot, Gillside out of a Catlow sired ewe was purchased by Mr F Macaskill, Killin.

Forward: 5,648 GIMMER LAMBS, comprising 198 Masham Lambs av £81.60 (-£3.37 on 2014). 1730 Mule Lambs av £82.50. 2436 North of England Mule av £84.23 (-£1.44 on 2014) 323 Dales Mule av £83.61 (-8.24 on 2014) 961 Swaledale av £77.31 66.45 (+£10.46 on 2014)

Ewe lambs shine at annual Skipton highlight It was ‘Ladies Day’ at Skipton Auction Mart, when ewe lambs from the region’s leading sheep farmers were on parade for their annual fixture, which attracted another large entry of 5,648 head, more than 300 up on the previous year. (Tues, Oct 6) There were four breed shows – the third seasonal turnout for North of England Mule gimmer lambs, along with others for Masham, Dales Mule and Swaledale gimmers.

MARKET REPORT – SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2015. ANNUAL SHOW & SALE OF SWALEDALE EWES & GIMMER SHEARLINGS. Forward: 3,939 head. Overall Average was £104.23.

Cowperthwaite coup at Skipton Swaledale female highlight Swaledale females took centre stage at Skipton’s Auction Mart’s annual Saturday show and sale of draft ewes and gimmer shearlings, when an increased entry of 3,939 head sold to an overall average of £104.23 per head. (Sat, Oct 3) The cream of the turnout received plenty of interest at the ringside, producing some good top end prices. However, it was a more commercial type of ewe that saw the most disparity in prices on the year, as buyers looked to source the smarter end.

Hampshire Down females hit 500gns twice at Skipton Top bids of 500gns were paid twice for Hampshire Down females at the breed association’s annual North East region show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Fri, Oct 2) First up at 500gns was the first prize winning Graylen shearling ewe from Cumbrian breeders Graham and Judith Galbraith, in Endmoor, Kendal, who were responsible for the Skipton show champion in both 2012 and 2013.

Lleyn Society seasonal finale at Skipton ends on a high note The Lleyn Sheep Society’s annual seasonal finale, the registered show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart, finished on an upbeat note, with strong clearance rates seen across all sections. (Thus, Oct 1) An encouraging shearling ram trade produced bids for most entries, with Wharfedale breeders Mark Shields, of Plum Tree Farm, Timble, Otley, topping the section and the day’s selling prices at 1,000gns with his one and only entry, sired by a Laga ram, out of a home-bred ewe. The buyer was North & East Lleyn Breeders Club secretary Linda Barnard, of Hall Farm, Welham, Malton.

Forward: 3,037 Breeding Sheep: Comp 1,511 Shearlings & Correct Ewes and Annual sale of 1,526 Broken Mouth Ewes CCM Auctions held their Fortnightly Sale of Breeding Ewes together with The Annual Sale of Broken Mouth Ewes. Trade for the correct and younger lowland sheep was in line with previous sales, whilst the Swaledale Broken Mouthed ewes were in strong demand for both breeding and feeding.