Solid trade at Gisburn sheep sale

The hot weather didn’t deter buyers at Gisburn Auction Market’s sheep sale at the weekend.

Starting proceedings were empty Texel and Beltex ewes from Bill Farnell and David Williams all generally achieving around the £150 mark.

W and A Holden, Higher Bold Venture Farm, presented their annual Texel ram production sale.  A powerful three shear Garngour Narrator ram made a top price of £680.

But their other rams were keenly bid with a smart Clinterty Sensator shearling joining the Critchley family for £390.

PA and M Wilkinson, Formby, dispersed ten Beltex rams. The Wilkinson family is well known for siring super lambs and the top three sold to a high of £800, £500 and £400 respectively.  Overall, rams averaged £306 – not bad for this time of year.

Several outfits of sheep and lambs at foot were forward.  Tommy Taylor, Clitheroe topped this section with Texel ewes suckling twins at £208. This outfit went to pastures new in Wales, but generally all outfits were good to sell.

Robert Middleton judged the opening sale of store lambs.  David Baxter, Bingley, took all three continental prizes at £80, £78 and £70.  Many more lambs could have been sold as there was plenty of interest.  The first lambs into the ring from DR and G Snow, Glasshouses, made top price at £88 and the overall average for all breeds, shapes and sizes was a very respectable £63.50.

(Auctioneers Richard Turner and Son).