Strong sheep entry at Blackmoor Gate sale

Exmoor Farmers received a strong entry of 4,561 sheep forward for the first of eight sales of breeding
stock at Blackmoor Gate. The sale started with the complete dispersal of 491 ewes from Messrs
BW Pickard, Middlecott Farm, who sold a fantastic run of North Country Mule Ewes, all having
been bought from the same farm in Cumbria and now only for sale due to a change in farming
practices.

The ewes sold in age order with the 2T selling first to a top price of £139 with the second
pen following, again at £139, others then to £138, £136 and then through to the 4T ewes to reach a
new peak of £140 with the second and third pens selling to £137 and the fourth pen of 4T to £136.

The 6T then sold to a high of £118 for three consecutive pens with others at £113, £111 and £110.
FM ewes to £106 for several pens and 2nd Yr FM reached a price of £96. All told, an excellent run
of ewes forward which were extremely well received by buyers and left an average for Mr. Pickard
of £118.94.

In the 2T ewes forward, in the Grand Annual Sale, the Exmoor Mule Ewes, judged this year by Mr
Dennis Blackmore, sold to a slightly quieter trade than last year, however, to an overall average for
980 ewes sold standing at £113. The best of these were from Messrs DF and PA Bawden, Cloggs
Farm, selling to £138, this pen being bought by Mr G Atkins, with other pens from Mr Bawden
selling to £135 and £134 for three pens, one pen being bought by West Somerset Community College
with a second pen of 10 being bought by Mr S Stacey who also bought the following pen of 20 for
£135.

The top price was closely followed by ewes from Mr MR Scott, Brendon Hill Farm, who
sold his first pen for £136 to Mr G Atkins and his second pen selling for £135 to Mr A Crane.

Other top prices from other vendors included Bromiley and Slattery selling their first three pens of 22
in each pen for £135 to Mr Kirk, this was followed by the second prize pen of the day, which sold
to £135 to Mr A Crane. The first prize pen of the day from Mr FB Buckingham at Pulworthy
Farm sold to £110 to Mr C Williams, Broomstreet Farm and the third prize pen from Mr CJ Tucker
of Stetfold Rocks was sold for £122 to Mr. Sloley.

In the other ewes forward the buyers had plenty of variety to choose from with some of the best
including a pen of 20 Texel Mules selling for £135 to Mr. Kirk from Mr. M.R. Scott, Brendon Hill
Farm, who also sold a second pen to £118. A run of North Country Mules from Mr. J. Dunn sold
well at £118 for three pens, two of which were bought by Mr. A Kift, the third by Mr Mogford with
the fourth pen selling to £116 to Mr D Weir Suffolk Mule Ewes from Mr Pugsley from Milltown
Farm were very well received by buyers and sold to £129 to Mr P Kift for three pens. The overall
average for 2792 ewes sold was £102.50.