Three centres, nestled across North Wales, make up the chain run by Farmers Marts, providing a service selling sheep, cattle and, most recently, sheepdogs.
Serving farmers across North Wales, the three markets in Dolgellau, Bala and Machynlleth are bustling hubs of local breeds and the Welsh language set amongst the hills
There is a small core team which keeps the wheels turning at the livestock sales, headed up by young auctioneer and livestock operations manager, Dafydd Davies.
Despite only being 26, this was a career Dafydd had always wanted to pursue. As a boy, he frequently visited the market with stock from his farm near Bala, before starting work as a drover in his late teens.
He works closely with senior auctioneer Richard Jones, who has been at the company for 52 years, trainee auctioneer and local farmer's son Dyfan Jones, and Dylan Davies, who has been instrumental in the success of the online sheepdog sales.
When the mart is in full operation, Farmers Marts is a large employer within the area, employing around 20 yard staff and 15 office staff.
Dafydd believes that a market set in a town is just as important now as it was years ago.
He says: "The market helps to unite the town. On market day, the town is bustling and it is a hub for the local community, providing a place to meet and somewhere that brings together the best of Welsh culture."
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The main centre in Dolgellau was established in the 1970s, just outside the town.
It was purpose-built and is situated next to the town's bypass. It functions on a Monday with finished sheep, while store sheep and cattle are sold on Fridays.
The other two markets run sheep sales only, with Machynlleth on a Wednesday and Bala on Thursdays.
During the autumn and winter, the markets become a hive of activity with breeding sales.
Farmers Marts are the official auctioneers for both the Welsh Black and Welsh Mountain Sheep societies.
Dafydd says: "These are local breeds that derive from the hills that our markets are situated around. The breeders and classes of stock can be seen in the marts throughout the year, so we endeavour to do the best we can for them."
Through the year, throughput of fat lambs across the three sites reached 52,000 head in 2025, with another 54,000 store lambs and 4,700 store cattle.
Dafydd says: "More than 80% of the lambs through the marts are Welsh Mountain, starting from around 25kg, but larger lambs come in, with the cross-breds going up to 55kg plus. Most of the fat lambs sit between 30kg and 37kg.
"Being in the area we are, we have a limited range of stock with little breed diversity, but they are of high quality and we get good cross-bred lambs.
"We want to achieve the best price for our sellers, but we also want stock to go on and do well for the buyers.
"As with many marts, we have seen a reduction in store cattle numbers, with some clients opting to sell younger store cattle as opposed to the traditional method of selling older and more forward stores.
"At a time when there has been a surge in continental breeding, we are still seeing the majority of native breeds, which continue to serve their purpose in the industry."
Regular buyers come from within a 40-mile radius of the area with stock also travelling from Devon to Yorkshire.
Pedigree sales for both cattle and sheep see English, Welsh and Scottish buyers travel to attend.
Annually, more than 8,000 Welsh Mountain ewes are sold around the country, with a further 500 rams in the breed's district and combined sales.
In 2025, Messrs Jenkins from Tynygraig, Talybont, set a new Welsh Mountain Sheep breed record with their shearling ram, which sold for 31,000gns to H.W. and S.W. Nutting, Cwmrhwyddfor.
The Jenkins family sold a further eight rams, achieving a record flock average of £15,199.
Reflecting the trust in the industry, Farmers Marts have plans to invest in the Dolgellau site.
"We want to future-proof this market for the community, to provide a hub where people can meet to trade and socialise – a real service to the community," Dafydd says.
The market is planning to build a larger, multi-functional room for both market use and wider community events.
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There will also be refurbishments to the scales, ring and pens, with work expected to begin later this year.
Dafydd says that Covid-19 was a difficult time, although 2020 did reinforce the value of markets and the fact that farmers can put their trust in marts to sell their stock to full advantage even without them being there.
This is where, despite being in a remote part of the world, Dolgellau moved ahead of the curve during the pandemic and was the first to offer an online sale platform for sheepdogs.
"This was a completely new element for the business, having never held sheepdog sales in the traditional way," says Dafydd.
The first sale was held in June 2020 with 85 dogs forward. Photos and videos were used for advertising and promotion.
The system has gone from strength to strength and, last year, they sold 818 dogs through their online platform, with dogs sold to countries worldwide including Norway, Sweden, the USA, Germany, Korea and Switzerland.
The team believes that this method of sale has enabled vendors to offer their dogs to a wider buyer base, while maintaining the confidence and authenticity of working dog sales.
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With continued investment and a clear commitment to both tradition and innovation, Farmers Marts is ensuring its markets remain at the heart of the rural community for generations to come.
Who's who
Dafydd Davies – Auctioneer and Livestock Operations Manager
Richard Jones – Senior Auctioneer
Dyfan Jones – Trainee Auctioneer
Market days
Dolgellau – Monday (Prime Lambs) and Friday (Store Cattle, Store Lambs & Breeding Stock)
Machynlleth – Wednesday (Prime Lambs & Cull Ewes)
Bala – Thursday (Prime Lambs)
Online sheepdog sales – Five times a year
Breed society sales – Welsh Black Cattle Society and Welsh Mountain Sheep Society
