The Society’s annual Ross-on-Wye sale took place this week and vendors were out in force to support the first in-person auction of the year. Prices were sticky across sections due to the area's lack of grass as a result of the hot weather, and Bluetongue restrictions still causing an impact on sales for all mart's across the country.

Leading the way amongst the shearling ewes at £240 per head was a pen of 10 shearling ewes from E & D Jones, Lluest Wen, Commins Coch. These girls caught the attention of the pre-sale show judges, having placed first in the pen of 10 category earlier in the day. These girls headed home with R Warner, Midlands.

Matching that £240 bid was a pen of 5 from WJ & DJ Williams, Bodtacho Ddu, Nefyn. They were snapped up by P Lane, Home Farm, Leicestershire.

A third bid at £240 came for a pen of 4 from P & C Andrews, Upper Madeley Farm, West Midlands. This pen sold to J Miles, Great Manson Farm.

P & S Eckett, Minster House, Lydlinch were next in the trade stakes with their pen of 5 making £235 per head. They were knocked down to Cartwright Farms, Bedford.

Another pen of 5 from the same home secured £225, and were sold to R Warner.

Four vendors sold their best pens of shearling ewes to £230, the first being G & A Fort, Brighton House Farm, West Yorkshire. Their pen of 5 and 10 were sold to D Barton, Haw Street Farm and J Miles, respectively.

Harpers Holdings Ltd, Trepoyle Farm, Devon matched that £230 bid with their pen of 10 being snapped up by Cartwright Farms.

The first prize pen of 5 shearling ewes from H M Wells, Glaneri, Cardigan were knocked down at £230 per head to D Barton, who bought another pen of 5 at the same money from the same home.

Moments later, R Warner forked out £230 for a pen of 6 shearling ewes from Mr & Mrs D & S Searle, Carnebone Farmhouse, Cornwall.

In the ewe lamb section, prices peaked at £160 per head for two pens totalling 15 lambs from Mrs P S Hale, Kents Green Farm, Tibberton. Buying these girls to take home was H Chapman & Sons, Pound Farm, Oxenhall Newent.

The same buyer then spent £150 per head on another pen of 5 from the same home.

D A Stubbs, Deggs Leasows Farm, Staffordshire sold his two best pens of ewe lambs to £145 each. These were knocked down to R J Stallard, Upper Maund Farm, Bodenham.

The same buyer then bought the second prize pen of ewe lambs at £140 from Mr & Mrs C Price, Felindre Farm, Powys.

Prices amongst the rams peaked at 1050gns for the pre-sale show first prize entry from H M Wells. Rowelen Nightrider (00575/2402213) is no stranger to the show ring, having stood second in the ram lamb class at the 2024 Royal Welsh Show. He is sired by (00621/2222475) and sold to S Collett, Cheltenham.

Close behind at 900gns was Brightonhouse Nolan (01299/2427632) from G & A Fort. Sired by (01207/1904982), he is out of a home-bred ewe and was knocked down to N & C Perkins, Heywood Farm.

The same buyer also sold Brightonhouse North Star (01299/2427817) for 800gns. This ram is sired by (01312/2106203).

The third prize ram in the pre-sale show, Lluest (00599/2415680) matched that 800gns and was bought by J Hamer. Out of a home-bred ewe, he is sired by new stock ram Whitlaw Landmark, which is breeding well for the Jones family.

Averages

Aged ewes to £140 av. £140

Shearling ewes to £240 av. £220

Ewe lambs to £160 av. £144.79

Rams to 1050gns av. 516.24gns

Show Results

Female Judges: Mr D & Mrs B Klinkenberg

Male Judge: Mr Williams Lewis

Pen of 5 ewe lambs

1^st – Twose Farms Ltd

2^nd – Mr & Mrs C Price

3^rd – WJ & DJ Williams

Pen of 5 shearling ewes

1^st – H M Wells

2^nd – WJ & DJ Williams

3^rd – JA & R Geldard & Sons

Pen of 10 shearling ewes

1^st – E & D Jones

2^nd – Harpers Holdings Ltd

3^rd – J H Dugdale

Shearling Ram

1^st – H M Wells

2^nd – JA & R Geldard & Sons

3^rd – E & D Jones