Kelso – Crossing Type – 13th September 2024

Kelso – Thursday 12th & Friday 13th September, 2024

Pre Sale Show Kindly Sponsored by Davidsons Animal Feeds

Is it really that time of year already? The Kelso Ram sales kicks off a lively season of sales, and what a kick off it was this year, with some great sales among the gimmers and lambs at breeding sales and the fat market in a buoyant mood, the signs looked promising, and it certainly delivered. Whilst entries were down in both ring, the demand for top quality Blue Faced Leicester rams continues to grow, with the average shooting up £275 on the year, with total sales grossing just shy of £530,000 for the breed.

Topping the days trade in the crossing lines was a smashing tup shearling from the Dawyck flock, nicknamed “Bullseye” He is by the record breaking  P1 Riddings and out of a ewe by the L1 Riddings, so full of great crossing bloodlines. His grandmother is H38 Dawyck, which is the mother of the P56 Dawyck, which is doing so well. They used him as a lamb, such was their faith in him, and he had plenty of lambs in their top pens at both Stirling and St Boswells. They tried him on a few pure ewes too, with their leading tup lambs at both Hawes and Carlisle by him. With such breeding along with a tank of a carcase he was always going to be on some ones shopping list, and it was Martin Allan from the Greenhow Flock who wanted him most, paying £18,000 to acquire his services. The Dawyck flock also another bid to £4500. This was by R5 Steel out of one of the flocks show ewes, selling to M/s Paton, Craig Farm.

Obie Sharp from Newbigging Walls always has a pen of tups which catch the eye, full of power and breeding. It was their number 5 lamb which was doing the damage. Again, this was by the P1 Riddings that they share with Dawyck and out of the same ewe, by the old Midlock L37, which bred last years topper. They used him as a lamb and he had 4 lambs in their top pen at Stirling which sold for £205. This years offering sold for £9000, selling to James Herdman and Messrs Woods, Kingledores. The Newbigging Walls flock saw another son of the P1 Riddings hit £4800, which helped their pen of 10 to level out at £2870.

Midlock enjoyed a cracking trade again, topping at £6800 and averaging a very healthy £2370 for their 10 tups forward. Their pen leader was by the homebred R26, a son of the P2 Riddings and out of a Highberries bred ewe, which was a daughter of the G34 Midlock, full of great bloodlines.

John Parke, Forebrae enjoyed a good trade too, with their pen topper making £5800, selling in a three way split to James Herdman, Noel Wood and Robert MacKay.  This was a son of the Alwinton P3, which has done well for the flock, with another son hitting £4000, this selling to Gaich Farms.

The Champion from the crossing section, as placed by Stewart Park, went to the Happrew flock, who were the very first into the ring. The champion, by P7 Midlock, a son of Zeus, sold for £4200, selling to Hartside Lammermuir flocks. The Reserve Champion came from J Warnock, Coultermuir, with the son of the £13,000 M1 Riddings bought out of Hawes and out of a Midlock bred ewe. He is the full brother to the one they sold for £4000 two years ago, and they used him as a lamb, with the second prize tup lamb at the Highland by him, which will be heading to Hawes later in the season.