Another busy week ahead for Taking Stock

After the hustle and bustle of last week  - Builth Wells and Carlisle in the space of three days - once again this week there is plenty going to to keep Taking Stock busy, but as always it all happens together.

The end of this week sees the first AgriLIVE Smithfield event at Stoneleigh. The new format for the Royal Smithfield Show holds much promise, so long as enough visitors fill the halls it should be a good event. There is the usual top drawer entry of stock and a healthy number of trade stands too, so if you've got the time it will be well worth a visit.

Also at the end of the week the run of in-lamb ewe sales continues with Texel, Beltex and Zwartbles offerings in Taking Stock's second home of Carlisle.

Texels are being offered in two sales, the first being the Solway and Tyne breeders club sale and the second being the Christmas Crackers sale. And it is this second sale which is likely to draw the money, entries for this sale include runs from Cairness, Rascarrel, Glenside, Tophill, Knock, Haddo, Midlock and Deveronvale.

And in the Cairness entry Jimmy Douglas look's to be selling the family silver with all the shearlings offered in lamb to 220,000gns sire and world record holder Deveronvale Perfection. In this his first season I'm a little surprised to see such an offering - wouldn't you want to have lambs on the ground by him first before letting the rest of the breed have some too?

The Deveronvale offering also includes an implanted embryo which is full sibling to Perfection, something else the big money flocks may be after.

Coverage of these Carlisle sales will be tricky as I'll be at Stoneleigh from Thursday onwards, but rest assured we'll bring you all the news just as soon as we're able to and of course there will be running updates from AgriLIVE Smithfield throughout the show.