Sale season for John Bainbridge

It’s a small relief to see a large bulk of mule gimmers safely sold at a price I am content with. One thing I dislike are the extreme prices that are given media coverage in the farming press. They only affect a minority of vendors and are not a realistic portrayal of market trade. I hope landlords and their agents can see beyond these high figures.

Another bugbear of mine is the increasing commission that some auction centres are charging. I’m aware of their rising overheads and one-off expenses such as EID reading equipment, but it’s a shame these costs have to be passed on to the farmer. It makes it tempting to sell more lambs privately when possible.

Sales are a good time for meeting farmers from other parts of the country and hearing about their experiences during the last year. Some travel long distances to purchase our lambs and stories of drought in certain areas are quite difficult to comprehend when we have had plenty of rain.

With more grass around than usual, I haven’t rushed to get as many fat lambs away during this seasonal lull in the market. However, circumstances can soon alter my position.

After my visit to Wales, their charm must have rubbed off on me as I inevitably landed myself a Welsh Bluefaced Leicester tup. I am well pleased with the purchase because, as my sons remind me, I can lose focus at these ram sales and end up paying a big price for something I didn’t really want.

John Bainbridge farms 600 ha (1,483 acres) of rented MOD hill land near Richmond, North Yorkshire, along with 21ha (52 acres) of family owned land with his sons Lance and Reuben. His 1,400 sheep, plus followers, along with 70 suckler cows are the main farm enterprise.

Read more from John and our other Livestock Farmer Focus writers.