Oxfords to £900 at Kelso Ram Sales

Oxfords rams enjoyed their best trade in decades at the 2024 Kelso Ram Sales. 

A shearling by Billesdons Braveheart from Andrew Rutherford's Langrigg flock at Guards Farm, Gretna, Dumfriesshire made the top price of £900, setting a new Oxford centre record for Kelso.

The buyer was Rob Boswell of Balnasium Farm at Loch Tay in Perthshire. He uses Oxford rams on the older ewes in his Lairg-type Hill Cheviot flock, selling the Oxford x lambs as stores through Caledonian Marts, Stirling. These achieve a worthwhile premium over the pure Cheviot lambs. 

The tup will also be used on a small flock of pure Oxford ewes that Mr Boswell purchased last year.

The Langrigg pen averaged £680 for five, all selling to commercial buyers.

Auctioneers: C&D Auction Marts Ltd

OXFORDS SELL TO 1550GNS AT RECORD-BREAKING WORCESTER

OXFORD DOWNS peaked at 1550gns at the annual Worcester Show & Sale, which saw no less than three new record prices within the breed.

Topping the trade was a Langrigg shearling ram from Andrew Rutherford, Guards Farm, Gretna, Dumfriesshire. Sired by the former breed record holder Billesdons Braveheart out of a home-bred Langrigg ewe, the sale topper sold to Martin Johnson, buying for his Longfriday flock at Wollaston, Northamptonshire.

It proved a memorable day for Langrigg which also had top price in the female section with a 1200gns bid for a shearling ewe sold to the Greenlands flock run by Roland Williams at Capel Seion, Aberystwyth. This Billesdons Braveheart daughter created a new female breed and shearling ewe record.

And records also fell in the lamb sections of the sale. Margery Brown from Tenby, Pembrokeshire set a new breed ram lamb record of 1000gns when she sold one from the Monkstone flock in a joint deal to Yorkshire breeders Jack Richardson and Richard Hampshire for their Rose-dene and prospect flocks respectively. The record-breaking lamb is by Greenlands Ystwyth Lad out of a home-bred ewe by the Ai sire Pirnie Tim.

Keeping it in the family, Margery’s son and Association President James Brown broke the 37-year old ewe lamb record for the breed with a Greenlands Ystwyth Lad daughter from his Tenby-based Redhouse flock. This one sold at 600gns to Roger & Sue Banks, Great Ellingham, Norfolk for their Thistledown flock.

Averages

Shearling ewes 27 sold to 1200gns and averaged £359.33

Ewe lambs 10 sold to 600gns and averaged £351.75

Flock ewes 1 sold to 300gns

Shearling rams 12 sold to 1550gns and averaged £462.00

Ram lambs 5 sold to 1000 gns and averaged £415.80

2/3 shear rams 1 sold to 300gns

Overall, 56 head sold to 1550gns and averaged £383.43

Auctioneers: McCartneys

OXFORD DOWN INTERBREED SUCCESS AT KENT COUNTY

A two-shear ewe from Caroline and Cameron Clark's Greyland Oxford Down flock, having already won the native Any Other Breed class at Kent County Show, went one better to take top honours in the Interbreed championship at the show.

Interbreed judge at Kent County, Alan Lyons, commented that she was a "great ewe and an easy decision for my interbreed."

Mother and son team Caroline and Cameron from Farnham, Surrey have already built up an impressive show record this season with the ewe at the Bath & West, Devon County, and Three Counties,

Bred by Roger & Sue Banks in their Thistledown flock at Great Ellingham in Norfolk, the ewe was bought by the Clarks at last year's premier sale of Oxford Downs at Worcester market.  

The ewe made 800gns at the sale, setting a new breed record for an Oxford Down female.

The 2024 Worcester Show and Sale takes place on Saturday, 3rd August.  With an entry of 78 head comprising 45 females and 33 rams consigned from 19 flocks, the sale will give buyers an excellent opportunity to obtain quality Oxford Downs.