FLEXIBLE FARMING SYSTEM WITH LLEYN SHEEP

'Informative and really friendly' - the feelings of one visitor to this year's West Country Lleyn Sheep Breeders Club Open Day event at Fordhayes Farm, Knowle, near Crediton. Over 80 farmers (from places as far apart as West Cornwall and East Sussex !) gathered at Fordhayes on Sunday 31 st July to hear about the system used at Fordhayes and learn more about Lleyn sheep.

Jill Ford explained that she and Roger have farmed at Fordhayes since 1970 and, after a period with Suffolks, have developed a system built around pedigree Lleyn sheep but also involving production of Berrichon du Cher rams, beef cattle and poultry. Even within the Lleyn flock, Jill and Roger vary the amount of stock sent off fat or for breeding, and decide whether to lamb ewe lambs (or not), depending on market conditions, a flexible approach to maximising profit.

This very commercially-based approach had taken the eye of the Judge of the Club Flock Competition in 2010, Adam Cheesmur from Sussex , who had awarded the Fords the Championship 'for an excellent display of the versatility of Lleyn sheep, demonstrating how they can give producers as many marketing options as possible within one flock.'

The Fords had a wonderful display of sheep in the shed: Lleyn stock rams together with examples of the progeny of each, ewe lambs and their lambs, shearling rams and also Berrichon tups. After Guess-the-Weight competitions (won by Richard Turner and Phil Caunter), everyone piled onto trailers for their farm tour of the Lleyn breeding flock, the beef cattle and poultry.

Jill explained that 'Lambing is at the end of January to mid February, so that lambs are ready when prices are near their peak; it might sound early but it suits our locality and farm. Most of the fat lambs go to Jaspers, grading well at 18-20 kg, 96% being U or R, mostly R3L. Breeding stock are sold privately or at the Lleyn Sheep Society Sale in Exeter , while rams are sold through a variety of outlets - private sales, the NSA SW Ram Sale, the Exeter Society Sale and Exeter Market.'

All in all, the event was extremely enjoyable, a really good social event as well as an opportunity to share information, experiences and opinions. Our thanks go to the extended Ford family for their very successful efforts.

Read the Feature on The Fords

For those interested in Lleyn, the next Society Sale will be held at Exeter Livestock Centre on Thursday 25 th August at 10 am (01392 276668).

View a gallery of Photographs taken on the day