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Well that’s summer officially over. The dark nights are upon us, which is proving a pain feeding up by headtorch!

This is the first winter in our new home so we’ve been busy getting the yard gated off for the bulls to get outdoor access, along with getting sheds ready for when the stock come in.

I was delighted to find out I came second in the small flock category in my local branch flock competition – it’s grand to get confirmation you are going in the right direction.

The Swale tup trade at Kirkby was strong last week, topping at £42,000 with averages well up on the year.

Sadly, the prime lamb price roller coaster continues, with little indication of any real improvement, and despite some market reports of a slightly better prime cattle trade, it remains generally under pressure with cheaper imports, and difficult exports, not helping matters.

And as if things aren't bad enough, along comes another bout of bad press about meat consumption. Eat fresh from a local source and you can't go wrong I say. I won't be choosing a salad over a bacon butty or beef roll that's for sure! But where are the positive generic messages promoting meat for its positive nutritional values?

Sales to look out for this week are:
  • Thursday 29, Hawes Mart's annual two-day prize show and sale of Swaledale Shearlings.
  • Friday 30, great annual show and sale of North County Cheviot Rams at Dingwall Mart.
  • Saturday 31, Mitchells is hosting an on-farm sale of tractors and machinery on behalf of T.Miller and Son, Oldfield Farm, CA13 0UW.
  • Saturday 31, Barbers new sales fixture is a sale of working and unbroken sheepdogs and pups.
  • Tuesday 3, November, annual two-day sale of 1,500 suckled calves at Cutcombemarket. 
It’s Agri-Expo this Friday so I may see you there.
I've had a varied past few days, starting with the British Farming Awards last Thursday. What an entertaining and inspiring evening. I was lucky to be placed on a table with farmers who'd been nominated for some of the categories. They were such a lovely bunch of people, and it was great to witness the exchanging of experiences, advice, and encouragement. If you have the chance to go next year, do.

Some serious prices for pedigree stock were made at the weekend, with a Limousin at 140,000gns at Carlisle and a Blackface ram lamb selling for 160,000gns at Dalmally. My God, if that ever happened to us, I would run round the ring naked singing the National Anthem!

I whizzed up to Stirling bull sales on Monday which proved to be a mixed bag. Angus female trade was flying, Limousin trade was mixed, and Beef Shorthorns steady. I caught the Simmental show where there were some decent bulls. The one I picked out was at the bottom of the short leet in his class although he ended up making 11,000gns, which just proves yet again I have expensive tastes.

Well, October has proved to be the best month of the year on the weather front I reckon. We had a rare break from home over the weekend to attend a wedding. We scrubbed up well I thought, until I noticed one of my hands had the faint tinge of green from where we had used terramycin spray the evening prior on a tup’s foot – maybe I’m starting a new fashion – in the lambing months they are usually yellow from iodine!

We scanned the Suffolk flock this week. The AI success rate proved disappointing, with only 44 per cent in-lamb, but with 80 per cent scanned in-lamb overall, we know the tup’s working. The remainder could well be, it just might be too early to say. We’ll throw the Texel ram in now to mop up!
Sales to look out for this next week are: Friday’s Mart's the Heart annual prize show and sale of Limousin crosses at Hexham and Northern Marts; Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, it’s the two-day show and sale of Limousins at Carlisle.

On Saturday, October 17, Sennybridge Mart has a sale of working sheepdogs. Also on Saturday, NWA Kendal has a late autumn sale of all classes of breeding sheep.
It’s Stirling Bulls sales at the start of next week, don’t forget! Sales this last week have seen a new record for Rough Fells and Derbyshire Gritstones and a cautious trade for Limousins at Newark. Lamb buyers are certainly remaining cautious, with the trade having taken another dip this week, and the cull cow trade is not looking too bright at all either.

The Mart's the Heart Awards were judged last week – a tough job for the three involved. We’ve been blown away the amount of votes received – going on for 5,000! The winners will be announced in this week’s Farmers Guardian and on the Mart's the Heart website www.martstheheart.com.
While we are on awards - it’s the British Farming Awards this Thursday evening, I may see you there!

What a grand start to October with the glorious weather we experienced last week, the leaves are on

the turn now though and autumn is definitely upon us.

I thought it was a good idea to enter the national and regional Suffolk flock competition this year and the national judge came to our place to look over my sheep on Sunday. I’m not sure exactly what you are supposed to say or do, but I doubt being stalked, nudged and bunted by a nine-month-old calf I’ve raised on the bucket would have gone in my favour.

I managed to get to Hawes’ Bluefaced Leicester sale last week. I love this sale, it’s steeped in tradition and nostalgia. The ringside was packed out, the auctioneer on form and as usual tups were sold well into the late hours. There was a record tup price of 34,000gns and later in the day another made 23,000gns.

Sadly our trade selling shearlings was a drop in the ocean in comparison. We were through the ring early on, sold the majority, and did well compared to some later trade. It was startling to see decent tups leaving the ring selling for £150 – depressing stuff. On a positive, I sold the last of my Suffolk ram lambs. I was in two minds whether to sell him or not. As it happens he was bought by one of our neighbours, so I can see him out in the field without much effort.

And what a sale at Carlisle for one of the oldest Charolais herds. Must have been a day of mixed emotions for Edenhurst herd owners Peter and Vanessa Vasey.

Goodness knows where prime lambs will end the week – up in some Monday sales, but don’t hold your breath.

Some sales that are coming up this week are: Thursday, October 8, Bagshaws is holding an on-farm major dairy dispersal sale of 432 Hosteins at Holtwood farm, Derbyshire. On Friday, Rugby Mart has a sale of 1,000 store cattle. Two sales on Saturday, October 10– Newark Livestock market has an official society show and sale of pedigree and commercial Limousin cattle, and Clitheroe Mart is holding the North Country Cheviot Society show and sale. On Sunday at Caledonian Marts in Oban, it’s the Highland Cattle Society show and sale.

Have a good week.

More up washing this week-the end is in sight thankfully. We've been Texel tup shopping too. We
got fixed up eventually, although our first, second and third choices were above our budget.

Quality animals made decent money and overall trade felt reasonably good. We were happy with what we brought home, good skin and head and a knack for escaping – managed to exit the field twice already – so keen to work. Saturday night was spent inseminating our Beltex and Texel ewes – most normal folk go to the pub.

Wool is back 20p, I understand this is down to the overseas market falling back, hopefully everybody has got their bags away.

In the live markets, prime cattle seem reasonably stable, but there has perhaps been a little bit of caution in some store sales. Caution was set aside by the looks of it by pedigree breeders attending the Dorepoll Hereford sale in Northern Ireland where the sale saw a top price of 8,000gns for a bull.

Lambs have been back a few pence in prime markets but store lambs continue to average a shade above £50.

Some markets also seem to think the edge has just gone off the cast cow trade – albeit it might be a blip - but what many are now saying loud and clear, is that farm assurance is becoming a must for this trade, with the price gap widening between assured and non-assured cows.

Sales coming up this week: Two Mart's the Heart sales on Thursday. Welshpool Mart has its muliti-breed pedigree ram sale and Hawes Mart have their annual prize show and sale of Bluefaced Leicester rams and females. On Friday, October 2, Hobbs Parker is hosting its Mart's the Heart show and sale of Romney sheep and Sussex cattle. Kirkby Stephen’s two-day Mart's the Heart special sale is scheduled for October 2 and 3. Swaledales will be sold on Friday, with ewes and shearlings, and on Saturday gimmer lambs will be on sale.

Voting closes this Friday for the Mart's the Heart awards. We’ve been swamped with entries, obviously there’s some serious support out there for our marts and auctioneers. If you haven’t got round to voting yet for your favourite mart café or auctioneer, please go to www.martstheheart.com

The weather forecast is unseasonably warm, so enjoy the Indian summer!

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