NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale – Builth Wells – 23rd September 2024

NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale – Builth Wells – 23rd September 2024

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All roads in Wales and beyond led to Builth Wells, as shepherds from all over the country congregated on this small market town in mid-Wales for the annual NSA ram sales, which saw a massive 2754 rams go under the hammer through 15 different rings. With the confidence high in the sheep sector, it was no surprise that averages soared, with the overall sale average up £191 on the year.

The BFL rings saw a massive uplift on the year with shearlings up £152 on the year for a 96% clearence rate, with the 316 sold averaging £934, grossing just over £295,000 for the sale. The ram lambs saw an even more dramatic increase with the average jumping a whopping £463 to a very impressive £1162 for the 76 sold. These figures and numbers forward just underline the continuing demand for the Bluefaced Leicester genetics throughout the national flock.

It was the days champion which was the highlight of the sale. Judged the night before by Brian Dallyn, who had no hesitation in placing the tup lamb from Alan McClymont and his sons Sam and Oliver, as the champion. And what a champion. He oozed class from nose to tail end, built like a sheep should be with a leg at every corner and a smasher of a head and lugs to go with him. He stood out, as simple as that and when he sailed into the sail ring the first bid was for 5000gns and then the auctioneer could hardly keep up with the bids which sailed up. The hammer finally dropped at 20,000gns making him the highest priced tup from this prestigious flock who have had many highlights over the years. This corker of a lamb was sired by S1 Blythebank which they bought in Carlisle last year for 2200gns. His mother is by the £4000 Blacket House P1 which has done well for them, and its grandmother was the ewe which produced the £5500 shearling at Kelso the previous week, so was full of good bloodlines, which is why Messrs Jones from the Y Ddol flock, Llandrindod Wells were happy to shell out for this lamb.

It was only a matter of minutes later that the next highest price tup came into the ring. This time it was the turn of the Harries family and their second lamb into the ring. This powerful lamb is the half-brother to the 15,000gns lamb they sold to Piel View two years ago. This lamb is by the R5 Woodcroft and out of a ewe sired by F3 North Burndale. It sold for 6800gns to the Blythebank flock. They also had another lamb by the Woodcroft tup make 1700gns, completing a good day for them.

Dewi Williams, Blacket House always enjoys a great trade down at Builth, with his powerful tups getting a lot of attention and this year was no different, with a powerful pen of shearlings with good skins and frames. His top two were a pair of twins by the N13 Cocklaw and out of a homebred ewe by the Medwyn N2. The first of this pair through the ring sold for 4000gns to Aled Jones, Craig Yr Orsedd, who liked it for the breeding, but also his colour and great mouth. The other, a few lots later made 4200gns, had a very flashy head and sold to David Henderson, North Burndale. The sire to these two, N13 Cocklaw, also went under the hammer as he couldn’t be used in the flock anymore. He took the first prize in the old tup class and went on to sell for 3600gns, making Dewi a tidy profit on the owld lad, who has done a great service for the flock over the years.

It was a long trip south for Martin Quinn, Fife, but it was worth it for him with his pair of lambs. His second lamb into the ring, Whinnyhall T1 was third in the pre-sale show and bidding levelled out at 3600gns for this son of the R6 Parton which was out of a ewe by the K30 Bonvilston. He was bought by Messrs Price, Fadfa flock based in Dyfed.  Martins other lamb, a sharp lamb by the North Burndale, came in at 2200gns, and was bought by the Llanarmon flock, Oswestry, giving him a very respectable average of £3045 for his pair of lambs.

The second placed lamb came from regular consigner, Aled Jones, who runs the well respected Craig yr Orsedd flock in North Wales. This lamb is no stranger to the tickets, already taking the male championship at the Welsh progeny show, and full of quality. Sired by the Elian R3, which has done well within the flock, siring the progeny champions at the Welsh Progeny show too. This lamb went on to sell for 3600gns to Henry Bennet, Springwood, who started coveting him after seeing him at the progeny show. Aleds other lamb took the red ticket in the performance recorded class too, repeating its feat from the Progeny show. This too was by the Elian and out of the flocks old show ewe, J86, who is still going strong, and sold for 1500gns to M/s Bell, Dunhampton. His full Brother, T3, will be heading North next month to Carlisle.

It was good to see a packed ringside and buyers and sellers both in confident form. Hopefully the rest of the sales season will continue in this positive groove.