Farmer Focus: Mixed store lamb sales at August markets

Summer has been good, with its fine weather and the return of local shows.  It’s been great to get back to the Nairn and Black Isle shows – both thriving in terms of visitor numbers this year. 

Both were lucky with the weather, making them appealing days out for the general public. 

Shows are an excellent billboard for our industry to show what we do. Livestock exhibitions are an opportunity to show society how much effort there is in keeping stock, and it is an important part of the farm-to-fork connection.

See also: Eyes on early store lambs after festival bonanza

About the author

David Girvan

Livestock Farmer Focus writer David Girvan and family run a 140-cow Stabiliser herd and wool-shedding crossbred ewes on a 3,000ha upland farm west of Inverness. Finished stock are sent to Woodheads. Diversifications include pumpkin picking, wind turbines and a biomass boiler.

Read more articles by David Girvan

Showing stock is not something I have ever done, nor something I endeavour to get involved in. However, the time and dedication others give to it is admirable.  

I had the pleasure of judging at the Skye Show this year.  When they contacted me earlier in the year to ask if I would judge the “any other sheep breed” category, I was apprehensive, to say the least. 

After a bit of persuasion from Barbara, I agreed, and we decided to tie it in with our annual caravanning trip with some friends.

Many a sleepless night was had in the run up to the show, worrying over what breeds might be there, and who I might offend in the process. 

Thankfully, it was a fantastic day, and I really enjoyed my first judging experience, despite some awful weather. I tapped out a Ryland on account of it being a good, correct type who was well shown. 

All around the island, it was obvious that they haven’t had the summer that we’ve been enjoying. Many silage fields were tracked from machinery and a lot of ewes were still waiting to be clipped. 

At the beginning of August, we sold 400 Suffolk-cross lambs at Dingwall Mart, averaging 30kg ex-farm. We averaged £74 a head. This was £2 up on the year and I was happy with that.

We sold another 150 Suffolk-cross lambs three weeks later, averaging £68.  Considering these were below our cut off for the first sale, I was happy with this.

Slightly disappointingly, though, was the £60 average we got for 75 Lleyn cross Highlander ewe lambs in the last week of August.

These lambs were surplus to requirements for replacements, and, although they were small, they were a really nice bunch. Clearly, they were just not what the buyers were after on that particular day.