A packed ringside of sheep producers were out in force for multi-breed rams at Dingwall Mart on Saturday where more than 370 lots sold to new homes.
The sale, conducted by Dingwall and Highland Marts, saw a strong trade throughout, particularly for cross-bred and Bluefaced Leicester rams.
Liam Muir from Upper Onston, Stenness, Orkney, judged the pre-sale show which was led by a Suffolk and a Texel shearling from two Caithness consignors.
Trade reached £2,000 on two occasions, firstly for the overall champion from the Suffolk section, a shearling from Bruce and Laura Swanson’s 22-ewe flock at East Murkle, Thurso.
£2,000 top on two occasions for Suffolk and Texel from Caithness
Their overall winner is by Cairnton Cruiser, out of a home-bred ewe, which sold to Messrs MacQueen, North Uist.
The other at £2,000 was a Texel shearling from Derek and Maria Bain’s Kennachy flock at Forss, who sold their consignment of 16 unregistered shearlings to average £1,225.
Selling back to Thurso with Michael Shearer, Lythmore, was a son of a Roxburgh tup, out of a dam by a Harestone sire.
The Bain family’s reserve overall champion to the Suffolk, another shearling bred the same way, sold for £1,600 to Messrs Bannerman and Stronach, Ballindalloch.
Bluefaced Leicester rams made up a number of the four figure prices on the day, with John Proctor from Nether Aucharnie, Forgue, Huntly, selling shearlings to £1,800 and £1,700.
Both shearlings are by a tup bred by Matthew Seed, Auchry, with the dearest selling to the Mathesons at Milton of Aberarder, Inverness, and the latter to Sandy Stephen, Tombreck, Dallas.
Stuart and Muriel Ross from The Arr, Nairn, stood champion and reserve in the Bluefaced Leciesters with shearlings by a £2,600 Kirkstead tup.
Their champion made £1,700 to Robert MacKenzie, Glebe of Deisher, Boat of Garten, while the reserve champion sold for £1,500 to Milton of Aberarder.
Bluefaced Leicesters sold to £1,800
The Munros from Invercharron, Ardgay, sold their champion Beltex for £1,100 to Donald Budge, Brae Edge, Castletown, Thurso.
This was a three-shear tup named Shawtonhill Fabian, by Tiree Donegal ET.
Cross shearlings sold to £1,700 from Torrax Farm, Kirriemuir, while Beltex shearlings reached £1,000 from Craigiebank Farm, Forgie.
The Texel ram lambs to £900 from Bailechaul Texels, Dingwall, with Suffolk ram lambs to £700 from Bareflathills, Elgin.
In the sale of North Country Cheviot park-type rams, 58 sold to a top of £1,800 for a shearling from Jonnie Campbell, Bardnaclavan, Thurso.
This was Bardnaclavan Diablo, by Durrans Ace, which sold to an undisclosed buyer in Northern Ireland
Jonnie’s overall champion, Bardnaclavan Detroit, judged by Alistair McCarthy, made £1,100 to Framside.
He is by Biggins Bravo.
The reserve champion from Joanna McCallum, Belmaduthy, Munlochy, was Belmaduthy Donovan, by Belmaduthy Chase, sold for £1,000.
PRIZE LIST
Bluefaced Leicester shearling – 1 and champion, The Arr; 2, The Arr; 3, Over Finlarg. Suffolk shearling – 1, champion and overall champion, East Murkle; 2, Invercharron; 3, Bareflathills. Suffolk ram lamb – 1, Bareflathills; 2 and 3, 1 Drummuie Farm. Texel shearling – 1, 2, champion and reserve overall champion, Kennachy; 3, Lower Reiss. Texel ram lamb – 1, Bailechaul Texels; 2 and 3, Wester Moy Texels. Beltex shearling – 1 and champion, Invercharron; 2, Bimbister Partnership; 3, Invercharron. Charollais shearling – 1, 2 and 3, Upper Auchenlay.
Other leading prices: Ram lambs: Tex – Wester Moy, Muir of Ord, £600, Bailechaul Texels, £600; Suff – Bareflathills, £600 & £500, 1 Drummuie Farm, Golspie, £400 (x3); Beltex – Upperton, £400. Shearlings: Tex – Woodend, Killearnan, £1,800, £1,500, £1,000, £900, £700 (x3), Wester Craiglands, Fortrose, £1,800, £1,300, £1,100, £1,000, £900 (x2), £800 (x2) & £700 (x5), Kennachy, £1,600 (x3), £1,300, £1,200 (Four times), £1,000, £900 (x2), £800 (x2) & £700, Keepers Cottage, £1,600 & £800, Velitgar, Orkney, £1,600, £1,500, £1,400 (x3), £1,300, £1,200 (x2), £1,000 (x2), £900 (x2) & £800 (x11), Lower Reiss, Wick, £1,300, £1,200, £1,000 (x2), £900, £800 & £700, Invercharron, £1,200, £1,000, £900 (x4) & £800 (x2), Dalchirla Farm, £1,000, £900 & £800, Newton of Crathie, £850, The Cloy, £700; Blue Tex – Broombank, £500; Suff – Invercharron, £1,300, North Essie, Fraserburgh, £1,200 (x3), £1,100 (x2), £1,000 (x9), £900 (x10), £800 (x4) & £700 (Twice), Newton of Crathie, £1,000, £900, £880, £850, £750 & £700, East Murkle, £800, Glendonnan, Knockfarrell, £800 & £700, Bareflathills, £700; BFL – The Arr, Nairn, £1,700, £1,600, £1,300, £1,000 (x3), £800 (x3) & £700 (x2), Nether Aucharnie, £1,700, £1,400, £1,000 (x3), £900 (x3) & £800, 5 Tomich, £1,500 & £900, Kennieshillock, £1,200, £1,100, £900 & £700, Wester Craiglands, £1,000 (x3) & £700, Craighall, £900 (Twice); Cross – Torrax Farm, £1,400, £1,100, £800 (x3) & £700, Thruster Mains, £1,300 & £1,200, Muce, Orkney, £1,200, £1,100, £1,000 & £900, Craigiebank, £1,100, £1,000, £900 & £700, Hilton of Culsh, £1,100 (Twice), £1,000 (x4), £900 & £700, Dalchirla, £1,000 (x2), £900 & £800, Invercharron, £1,000 (x2) & £900 (x2), Upper Auchenlay, £1,000 (x2), £900 (x2), £800 & £700 (x5); Beltex – Invercharron, £900 (x2), Upper Auchenlay, £700 (x3). Two shears – Texel – Shorecroft, Dingwall, £400, Bailechaul Texels, £400; BFL – 5 Tomich, £700.
