Taking Stock

Prime hoggets hit the dizzy heights of £100 aty John Swan Ltd's St Boswell’s market this week when 52kg Cheviots from Ludenlaw, Kelso, while the top price/kg was claimed by 41kg Beltex from Little Forgue and Nether Auchrine at 200p/kg.

Other leading prices among the hoggets saw plenty of pens topping £80/head mark, a significant shift in prices from where they stood in the early part of the year.

Cull ewes and rams also met exceptional demand, with a top of £101/head for Texels from Newton of Budgate Nairn and many more past £75 apiece.

Among the finished cattle coming through the ring the top call was £1.77/kg for a steer from Smailholm Mains, with the top priced heifer coming in at £1.74/kg for one from Quixwood. Cull cows also met firm demand topping at £1.45p/kg and grossing £1297 for Skelfhill.

The Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset Sheep Breeders’ Association will be holding its annual May Fair on Tuesday, 6th May and Wednesday, 7th May at Exeter Livestock Centre, Devon.

The first day will see the show classes judged by three judges selected from the breed’s national panel. This will include male and female entries from all over the UK, both at lamb and shearling levels. At the end of the day an overall Champion for each section will have been decided. The male champion at last years event was a ram lamb from Mr J Dufosee’s Blackhill Flock.

United Auctions, Stirling, saw breed record prices paid for a pen of Blackface ewe hoggs from Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Muthill, selling for £425 a head.

The pen of 30 sold to John McIrvine surpassing Dalchirla's previous record of £405 a head paid last year. Overall Mr Hunter sold 150 Blackface ewe hoggs to an average £163.80.

Dry Scotch Mule ewe hoggs were also in demand with a new centre record of £88 a head made for a pen of 24 from David Henderson, Banton, purchased by Messrs Hunter, Luckenburn.

With sheep classes split between today and tomorrow here's a list of championship results so far from today.

Jacob

Champion Jerry Strong's shearling ram; res, Vicotira Fairley's shearlign ram.

Leicester Longwool

D Stanhope's shearling ram; res, D Stanhope's shearling ram.

Lleyn

R and J Gunn's ram; res, R and J Gunn's shearling ewe.

Shetland

Christine Ringrose's ewe lamb; res, Christine Ringrose's ram.

Wiltshire Horn

Iolo Owen's ram; res, J Bradley and p Middleton's shearling ewe.

Zwartbles

Clay Farm Partership's shearling ewe; res, Clay Farm Partnership's ram lamb.

Any Other Oure Breed (MV Accredited)

S E Farquhar's Shropshire ewe; res, A D Bishop's shearling ram.   

With the original entry considerably reduced by bluetonge movement restrictions, the Oxford Down Association Show and Sale at Worcester nevertheless found buyers in buoyant mood with a total clearance of the eleven females forward and a record top price for this centre of  565gns for the pre sale show champion, judged by breed president Philip Quick.  

This shearling ram, consigned by J W Hook (Witney, Oxfordshire) sold to Mr S W James of Pershore, Worcestershire who also took GC Watson's (Kettering, Northants) second prize shearling ram at 320gns and the female champion, a ewe lamb from J W Hook at 260gns.  

S Bateman (Chesham, Buckinghamshire) claimed the first prize shearling ewe from R G T & S A Banks (Norfolk) at 260gns.