NSA Eastern Region Melton Mowbray Ram Sale
Date: 18th September 2020
Time: 9am
Location: Melton Mowbray Market, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1JY
Flying Trade at 35th NSA Ram Sale at Melton
Numbers sold, averages and top prices were all up at the 35th Annual Ram Sale organised by the National Sheep Association Eastern Region hosted by Melton Mowbray Market on Friday (18th September 2020).
Leading the way was an excellent pen of Texel shearling rams from Philip Weaver, Caunton, Newark. His leader sold for the day’s top price of 1,200 gns to Woodthorpe Hall. His eight tups finished the day on an average of £1,057.50.
Barbara Smith from Towcester also had a four-figure sum for a Texel shearling tup from her pen, which sold for 1,090 gns to B M F Smith.
A total of 55 Texel rams sold to average £578.48
Leading the Charollais section was Chris Timm from North Yorkshire. He had a strong pen of 8 shearlings forward finishing on an average of £874.12 to a top of 970 gns, but it was his Charollais x Beltex shearling ram that saw the best price in this section selling for 1,080 gns to Godolphin Management.
Top price ram lamb was a well grown December born lamb from Mitchel Britten and Elizabeth Barber’s Cavick Charollais Flock from Norfolk. This one sold for 680 gns to J W & J Vickers. A total of 53 Charollais tups sold to average £524.80.
The Suffolk section did not enjoy such strong trade as the other terminal sires. John Key from Sheffield had the best group of shearlings forward and was rewarded with 600 gns twice.
The sale was held on the same day as a breeding ewe event in the market, which certainly brought more buyers into the sale. The average price for all tups sold was up £77 on 2019, finishing at £523.
During the day a camera crew from BBC TV were filming for the programme Farmers Country Showdown. They had followed a couple of breeders prior to the sale, seeing how they selected and prepared their rams. On the day they filmed the NSA inspectors, auctioneers, buyers and the tups being sold. It should make for good viewing!
Averages :
Charollais 53 sold to average £524.80
Texel 55 sold to average £578.48
Suffolk 33 sold to average £398.05
Crossbred 8 sold to average £644.43
Auctioneers : James Sealey and Oliver Chapman, Melton Mowbray Mart
