Bluefaced Leicester shearlings from Westhall, Forgandenny, led the way at the annual show and sale of rams at United Auctions’ Huntly centre on Saturday.
A strong entry of 500 rams sold to a packed ringside of buyers and the £1,000 price bracket was smashed on no fewer than 20 occasions.
Topping the sale at £1,400 twice for Mary Fotheringham, her daughter Hazel and husband Robert McNee, were two home-bred shearlings including the first-prize Bluefaced Leicester from the pre-sale show. By a Woodcroft tup purchased at Carlisle, they both sold to Messrs Pringle, Yorkston Farm, Temple, Gorebridge.
Willie and John Brown from Hilton of Culsh, New Deer, also enjoyed a good day. They topped the Texels at £1,300, with a son of Wolfclyde You Cracker, selling to Donald Ross, Broadlands, Huntly, who also paid £1,100 for another by Scrogton Yorkie.
Next best at £1,200 for the Browns was another by Wolfclyde You Cracker, which sold to EG Farming Ltd, Shetland, while Robert and Hazel McNee, Over Finlarg, Tealing, paid £1,100 for a similarly bred shearling. Five other shearlings from the Browns made £1,000, while the family’s top price Suffolk, by Knockem Tank, made £1,000 to Ross, Broadlands.
David Moir, Home Farm, Cairness, topped at £1,300 for a Beltex cross Texel shearling, by a Culsh Beltex ram, to Andrew Jones, Coull Farm, Islay.
Back among the Texel shearlings, Jim Innes of the Strathbogie flock, Huntly, sold his best for £1,100 to J and R Stanger, South Seatter, Orkney, while two by a Bowsden Moor tup from Calum Gill, Rinaitin, Dufftown, made £1,000.
The overall champion, chosen by Melissa Irvine, Braehead, Drummuir, was a Texel shearling, by a £1,200 Rinaitin tup, from Colin Stuart, and sons Harvey and Jack, from Lettoch and Belnoe, Glenlivet.
He sold to George Wordie, Mains of Cairnborrow, Glass.
Two others from the Stuart family made £1,000 with the first sold to Mark Meldrum, Shenval, Glenlivet, and the other to J and R Stanger.
Billy and Phil Stewart, Bomakelloch, Drummuir, paid £1,000 for a Bluefaced Leicester shearling from Robert Neill, Broadleys, Perth, as did Robert MacDonald of Castle Grant Home Farm, Grantown-on-Spey.