The Caithness Sheep Breeders’ Association is hosting its annual show and sale of rams and ram lambs next week.
The fixture, which takes place at the Caithness Livestock Centre in Quoybrae, takes place over two days.
A pre-sale show, sponsored by HRN Tractors, takes place on Thursday September 15 at 7pm.
The sale, which will be conducted by Aberdeen and Northern Marts, takes place the next day.
In all 162 rams, both accredited and non-accredited, are forward.
The sale will comprise: 80 Texel, 68 Suffolk, three Border Leicester, three Bluefaced Leicester cross, three Texel cross Suffolk, two Beltex, two Charollais, and one Texel cross North Country Cheviot.
The Texel and Suffolk rams will be judged by Liam Muir, of Upper Onston, Orkney, while the Border Leicester and other breeds will be judged by Lian Gunn, of CLB Ltd in Thurso.
Last year a top of £1,200 was paid for the Texel champion from Messrs Sutherland, Stainland and Sibmister, Thurso. The shearling sold to W. and G. Coghill, Balnahard, Harpsdale.
The Border Leicester champion – a shearling by West Forth Revior from A. Miller and Sons, Aimster, Thurso – sold for £700 to D Miller, Buckies Farm, Thurso.
In the Suffolk section, the champion title went to a shearling by Middlemuir McCoist from D. Manson and Sons, Skaill, Thurso. He was unsold.
Champion in the any other breeds section was a two-shear Charollais by Hekkra Jedi. Put forward by D. A. and K. Douglas, Achnamoine, Watten, he sold for £400 to A. and P. Munro, Caplich Farm, Alness.
The Caithness Sheep Breeders’ Association has introduced a new incentive for buyers from the islands attending this year’s sale.
The association will contribute £10 for every ram sold to an island buyer to help cover freight costs.
Association chairman Arnott Coghill, who farms at Skinnet, Halkirk, said the sale offered a “one-stop shop” for farmers wanting to buy tups of various different breeds.
He said he hoped the new island buyers’ incentive would benefit producers from both the Western and Northern Isles.
Next week’s sale will follow a show and sale of 88 North Country Cheviot ram lambs and gimmers under the auspices of the North Country Cheviot Sheep Society.
