View from the rostrum: Prime lambs have held up well

Nick Woodmass on the summer shows ahead.

August is now upon us and many of the summer’s agricultural shows have been well received after their two-year absence.

They have been great events for showcasing some quality stock and although livestock numbers have been down at most shows, they have been a great opportunity for meeting customers and catching up with old friends.

Last week at Longtown, we held our July Jewels sale of pedigree females.

A great crowd of bidders were forward, selling Suffolks to 2,900gns and 2,000gns, with Texels selling to 1,700gns twice.

The first of the store lamb sales have set off on a strong note here at Longtown Auction Mart, with the first sale averaging 85.15 per head, which was 3.15 up on the year, with a strong contingent of local buyers in attendance and lambs were well sold.

However, as we move into the larger sales, at the end of August and early September, the lack of grass further South creates some doubt as to how strongly this trade can be continued.

We look forward to the kick-off of our first breeding sheep sales, with the first major sheep sale and one of the highlights of the calendar being the Cheviot Mule ewe lamb and shearling sale on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

A tremendous show of 10,000 head of quality stock will be forward at this sale, with all the top draw Cheviot Mules from the north of England and Scotland in attendance.

Many sales of breeding sheep have set off at reduced levels compared to last year, but moving forward we hope that some rain and sun will increase the grass growth, which will encourage farmers to buy their usual
consignments of store and breeding stock from the north of England as the counties of Cumbria and surrounding areas are so reliant on these customers.

Up until last week, prime lambs have held up remarkably well, with weight and meat being key and many under-finished lighter weight lambs better off being sold in the store market.

We hope that the trade will level out and continue at an acceptable level throughout the summer season.

So farmers can see a return on their increased inputs throughout the year and enabling them to invest in their usual breeding stock and continue to battle the increased costs of production.

Cast ewes have stayed at a remarkable trade all season, with averages of well over 100 being commonplace as more ewes come onto the market – I think we will see heavy, well-fleshed ewes continuing to be in short supply and high demand.

My favourite sale off the year has to be of the Kelso Ram Sale.

With C&D Auction Marts having an increased entry at this prestigious event, we look forward to seeing the excellent quality of stock and we trust that our vendors have the best of luck with their sales.

Nick Woodmass

Nick Woodmass is an auctioneer at C&D Auction Marts. Call 07584 200489, or email [email protected]