ALL of a sudden we are back into the pedigree breeding sheep sales, and they have started with bang - demand is strong, more numbers are forward, prices are positive and customers are happy.

The first sale was the Zwartbles Sheep Society’s Premier event which produced a leading price tag of 2800gns for the shearling ram, Castle Hill Hurricane, shown by Messrs Inns.

On the same day was the Carlisle & Northern Counties Suffolk Sheep Society show & sale and it was a Cairness bred ram lamb from Mr J Douglas who clinched the leading price of 5000gns.

Congregating the same weekend was Border Leicester breeders to hold their 125th Anniversary Show. A huge entry of 150 sheep were gathered to compete for the top title of the day. It was the Knockglass flock of John Barrowman who received the top honours of the show.

More recent we saw another huge entry of Beltex sheep come together from breeders all over the UK, Northern and Southern Ireland. Securing the top price of the sale was local breeder Anne Story of Longtown, selling a shearling ram, Borderesk Finders Keepers, at 30,000gns.

Coming up is the Valais Blacknose Society National 'Blacknose Beauties' event, where a good entry of 150 sheep will be put forward to come under the eye of two of the countries noted judges. Next month we will report on the outcome this renowned event for the ‘Worlds Cutest Sheep’.

Towards the end of August, we will be staging an entry of nearly 2000 pedigree breeding sheep which we have had to split into a two-day event. Over these days there will be the breed society sales for the Berrichon, Dorset, Blue Texel, Dutch Spotted, Dorper, Badgerface Texel and the Charollais sheep breeds.

In the pedigree beef sale rings was the sale of the Ronick Limousin herd which generated a positive trade, and sold to a top price of 15,000gns for a maiden heifer, Ronick Pleasure. Another highy- renowned couple of herds will be coming under the hammer when we see the Dispersal Sale of the Procters herd and a production sale of the Haltcliffe herd.

The Online Timed Auctions are continuing well and monthly machinery and implement continuing to grow in numbers and quality. Coming up in our calendar of sales we will see Online Timed Auctions for Icelandic sheep, Romney sheep, Bluefaced Leicester sheep and Shetland cattle.

The dairy sale ring is continuing to grow in numbers more weekly now than every couple of weeks. Trade continues to maintain itself as buyers are looking for volume to keep filling their tanks. A major sale is the dispersal sale of the Annandale herd as 450 head will come under the hammer towards the end of the month.

Many H&H markets are all gearing themselves up for a bumper run of annual breeding sheep sales - Kirkby Stephen with the Mule gimmer events, Lockerbie with the Cheviot type sales, St Boswells with the Scotch Mule, Halfbred and Cheviot Mule principal sales, also Lazonby Alston Moor sale of Mule gimmer lambs.