Longtown Store & Breeding Sheep Sale Report

STORE LAMBS

The Cumberland & Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart plc had forward 8,939 store lambs at their weekly sale at Longtown on Tuesday 3rd November, 2014.

Another big and excellent quality show of lambs attracted plenty of buyers, as a result all classes easily sold at current rates.

Top £80 for Texels from Ina House, others £77 Rinnion Hills, £74 Kinning Hall, £72 The Flatt, £69 Ina House; Beltex £68 Horseholme, £65 Keldhead; Suffolk £67.50 Gillalees, £63.50 Twislehope, £63 Rinnion Hills; Dutch Texel £65.50 Greenside; Charollais £64 Barbuie, £62.50 Flatt; Greyface £63 Closehead, £62 Gall, £60 Hightown; Cheviot Mule £60.50 Flatt; Leicester £54 Priorsford; Herdwick £46 Boat House; Swaledale £39.50 Low Stokoe.

Cast ewes to £86 Hepple Hill, hill types £72 Girnwood. Cast rams to £85 Rinnion Hills.

Hill Cheviot lambs (1,961) were another good offering with trade again similar on the week. Top of £63 for Hill Northies from Greenside and Whiteknowe with others to £62.50 Twislehope and Potholm. Hill Cheviots to £60 Granton, £59.50 Wardlaw.

Blackface lambs (1,860) met a stronger demand with best lambs in extreme demand. Top £64 and £58 Closehead, £57.50 Plenderleith, £56.50 Stone House.

BREEDING SHEEP

A catalogued entry of just over 1,300 breeding sheep met yet another fine trade with plenty of active buyers. All classes sold at recent high rates.

The highlight of the sale was a consignment of 400 Easycare 2 shear ewes from Holmes Farm, Epworth, which sold to a top of £86 three times and averaged £80.94.

Outwith that consignment, the sale topped at £90 for Texel shearlings from Hesket House and to £85 for an excellent pen of 4 shear Scotch Mule ewes from Kirvennie Farming Co.

Principal prices:-
Breeding ewes
Easycare - £86, £83, £81, £80 (2 shears) Holmes Farm, £70 (correct below) Kersheugh.
Greyface - £85, £84 Kirvennie.
Hill Cheviot - £76 Hindhope, £64 High Baileyhead, £60 Rowhope.
Zwartbles - £70 High Baileyhead.
Blackface - £61, £57 Hesket House.

Shearlings
Texel - £90 Hesket House.
Hill Cheviot - £81 Hindhope, £75 West Logan.

Ewe lambs
Greyface - £82 Balmurrie, £74 Closehead.
Texel - £76 Foulshiels.
Blackface - £63 Closehead.