Good Trade For Quality Beltex Sheep at Carlisle
15/08/06

Both pedigree and commercial breeders underpinned a tremendous trade for quality at the Beltex Sheep Society’s premier show and sale in Carlisle on Thursday and Friday (August 10-11).

The top priced ram from John Cowan's
Brickrow flock which made 5,500gns.

The demand was for UK-bred sheep, shearling rams in particular, and more rams were sold by auctioneers Harrison & Hetherington to top 1,500gns.

Beltex society secretary Helen Ashton said: “A lot of breeders will have achieved very good pen averages with demand for both breeders’ and commercial rams. There has been a tremendous trade for quality.”

Topping the trade at Friday’s ram sale at 5,500gns was John Cowan with Brickrow Jack in the Beanstalk, a shearling from his 90-ewe Brickrow flock based at Brickrow Farm at SAC’s Auchincruive, near Ayr.

The sale topper is among a string of successes for John since he established his flock in 1993 when he bought two gimmers from good friend Alan Thom’s Alan’s flock at Kilmarnock.

Purchaser was commercial sheep producer Paul Slater. of Whiteley Hey Farm, Macclesfield, Cheshire, who will be using the ram on Texel and Beltex cross Texel ewes for ram breeding.

The February 2005 born scrapie genotype group one ram was by Mr Cowan’s successful stock ram Headlind Ee By Gum by The Rustler, bought for 1,050gns at the Lanark video sale in 2001.

Mr Slater, who has paid up to 7,000gns for a stock ram and this purchase was his third at 5,500gns, was attracted to the shearling because of his character, hard flesh and tight skin.

Mr Cowan also had the sale’s third top price at 5,000gns, another shearling by Cookstown Hamish, Brickrow Johnny Boy, out of the same dam, Glebe. Another group one ram, he was reserve male champion at last year’s Royal Highland Show and is full brother to Brickrow Joe Jangle which made the top price lamb at last year’s Lanark sale.

The scrapie genotype group one ram sold to T Hunter, Newtown Farm, Bridlington Road, Hunmanby, Filey.

Ram lambs sold to 5,200gns, the sale's second top price, for Clary King Pin a son of Cookstown Hamish. This scrapie genotype group one ram from Ian McMillan, Carse of Clary, Newton Stewart was sold to Elizabeth McAllister for her Artnagullion flock.

Pre-sale judge David Findlay, of Birdridding Farm, Coverham, Leyburn, N.Yorkshire paid 4,800gns for another shearling Burnside Jethro, from Northern Ireland breeders Thomas and Hester Palmer, of Glenarm, Ballymena, County Antrim.

The ram Burnside Jethro by Gahdaffy and out of Firefly had not been entered for the previous day’s show, but Mr Findlay, who runs 120 pure-bred Beltex with his brother Richard, got his eye on the ram.

“I was looking for a ram which was true to type and this was a tremendous sheep – the perfect Beltex,” he said. The shearling had been used successfully as a lamb.

Mr Findlay was under bidder for his champion from Michael and Anne Story, of Hobbiesburn, Longtown, Carlisle, which sold for 2,500gns to J & JM Cochrane, Richardton Farm, Darvel, Ayrshire.

The champion Borderesk Jackaroo is by Airyolland Galliano, bought as a shearling for 2,500gns in 2004 when his full brother sold for 13,000gns as a shearling.

The Storys run 45 Beltex ewes and 14 Aberdeen Angus cows and followers on 20 acres as a hobby and this was their first championship win.

Their 13 year old daughter Rachael bought a lamb from them to run on to replace one she lost last year and sold it for 1,800gns on Friday.

Recording her best price to date at 4,200gns was Northern Ireland young breeder Elizabeth McAllister.

Although only 22, Elizabeth has had her own Artnagullion flock of Beltex for 10 years.

Her shearling, Artnagullion Joker is out of a Tullygarley Elite-sired hogg and by the imported ram Ulysses, bought for 12,000gns which has been breeding well in the flock. Ulysses was supreme champion at the 2006 Royal Highland Show.

The shearling was bought jointly between John Campbell, of Thrunton, Whittingham, Alnwick Northumberland and James Whiteford, of Tercrosset, West Hall, Brampton, Carlisle.

Young commercial breeder James Whiteford who showed the 2005 Scottish Winter Fair supreme champions, also bought another Ulysses-sired shearling from Elizabeth – paying 3,800gns for Artnagullion Jim Boy.

Also at 3,800gns was an imported shearling ram from Kevin and Rachael Buckle, of Buckles Farm, Barras, Kirkby Stephen. The ram, Hadrumete Des Cypres, was male champion at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Senior rams were led by the reserve male champion, Skelton Whin Hawkwing, a two-shear from Ian McConnell, 2 Annfield Cottages, Amisfield, Dumfries. This group one son of a Belgian-bred sire sold at 3,400gns to A Campbell, Carsewalloch, Creetown, Newton Stewart.

Leading the previous evening’s female trade were Northern Ireland breeders John and Mervyn Currie, of Ballymena, County Antrim, with Tullygarley Jo Jo, a shearling sired by Ulysses, whose dam Tullygarley Claire was also dam of the record priced Tullygarley Elite which made 34,000gns at the Carlisle 2003 premier sale.

Purchaser was BK Ryder, of Newton Farm, Annan Water, Moffat, Dumfriesshire.

With his first two female lots into the ring, John Barclay, of Mid Brockloch Farm, Maybole, Ayrshire, made the joint second top female price of 2,400gns, both sired by Tullygarley Elite.

Beachy Jellybaby was female champion and reserve overall at the Royal Highland Show 2006. She sold to David Bishop of Pitfield Farm, Eldersfield, Gloucestershire.

Beachy Jellybean, bred from one of the best ewes in the Beachy flock, Beachy Dixie Chick, also sold for 2,400gns, to M Owens, Glantre Farm, Pontsian, Llandysul, Dyfed.

Leading prices:

Rams

Lot 252, 5,500gns, to GE Slater, Whiteley Hey Farm, Butley, Cheshire.

Lot 762, 5,200gns, to E McAllister, 92 Parkgate Road, Kells, Ballymena, Co.Antrim, N.Ireland., 4th in class 4

Lot 254, 5,000gns, to T Hunter, Newtown Farm, Bridlington Road, Hunmanby, Filey.

Lot 660, 4,800gns, to DR Findlay, Birdridding Farm, Coverham, Leyburn, N.Yorkshire.

Lot 400, 4,200gns, to Half Share – JHC Campbell & Son, Thrunton, Whittingham, Alnwick and TC Whiteford, Tercrosset Farm, West Hall, Brampton, Cumbria.

Lot 394, 3,800gns, to TC Whiteford, Tercrosset Farm, West Hall, Brampton, Cumbria.

564, 3,800gns, to SJ Harryman, Keskadale, Newlands Valley, Keswick, Cumbria. , , 2nd in class 3

Lot 198, 3,400gns, to AA Campbell, Carsewalloch, Creetown, Newton Stewart,Wigtownshire. , , 1st in class 2

Lot 476, 3,200gns, to B Hall, Ainstable Hall, Ainstable, Carlisle, Cumbria.

Lot 574, 3,200gns, to S & S Gibbons, Llwynbrain, Llanigon, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford.

Lot 475, 2,800gns, to BT Breaks, New Laithe, Newton-in-Bowland, Nr.Clitheroe, Lancs.

Lot 409, 2,500gns, to J & JM Cochrane, Richardton Farm, Darvel, Ayrshire.

Lot 510, 2,500gns, to JAD & PM Owens, Woodhouse Farm, Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire.

Females

Lot 52, 2,500gns, to BK Ryder, Newton Farm, Annan Water, Moffat, Dumfriesshire. , , 4th in class 1

Lot 167, 2,400gns, to AD & RMC Bishop, Pitfield Farm, Eldersfield, Glous.

Lot 168, 2,400gns, to M Owens, Glantre Farm, Pontsian, Llandysul, Dyfed. , , 2nd in class 1

Lot 19, 1,900gns, to AD & RMC Bishop, as lot 167.

Lot 109, 1,500gns, M Owens, as lot 168.

Averages: 6 aged rams, £1,298.50; 331 shearling rams, £732.97; 62 lamb rams, £743.03; 153 shearling gimmers, £489.55.

Forecast Suggests Continued Lamb Market Strength
Buckleys take Skipton Suffolks show championship
Hampshire Downs leads SRS Scheme