Lack of grass continues to impact

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Rain at last, but we need so much more!! Like many, we’ve a serious lack of grass. We have brought the Suffolk ewes that we will be artificially inseminating closer to home. We usually put them out to set aside lush grass to give them a boost, but no such luck this year. Instead, we are subsidising with hard feed.

Tup sales are coming up at the back end of next week, so Sunday was spent washing rams. A back-breaking job, but one that must be done ahead of trimming and colouring.
I managed to get to the bi-annual NSA Sheep event at Malvern, which was very well supported as usual. The main topic of conversation is how folk are going to cope without a second cut and what they will be feeding their stock in winter.

Sheep breeding sales are now well underway but the lack of grass remains a concern for most people. This is starting to impact on the store cattle trade and getting lambs to finishing weight will be a challenge.
The prime lamb price has fallen again this week, but encouragingly, early indications from store lamb sales are good. The first major sale at Skipton, where more than 2,000 lambs went under the hammer, averaged £61.52/head, which is just £1.32 down on the year.
Sales coming up this week
  • Thursday, July 19 – Hassall Brothers will be hosting an on-farm dispersal of 140 Holstein/Friesian milkers on behalf of D.H. and T.M. Ratcliffe at Cross Hill Farm, SY13 4LQ
  • Friday, July 20 – Malton Livestock Auctioneers will be holding a sale of 2,388 breeding sheep and store lambs at Malton Cattle Market
  • Friday, July 20 – H&H will be holding an on-farm production sale of 175 pedigree Holstein cattle on behalf of  A. and S.L. Throup and Son at Higher House Farm, BD20 9HT
  • Saturday, July 21 – Hopes Auctions will be holding a collective machinery sale (to include dispersals from three farms) at Wigton Market 
Until next week,

Steph

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