The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Texels step up to show stage
A thenother mainly show-free summer means Texel breeders across country are relishing the opportunity to show off their stock at the inaugural National Texel Show at Carlisle at the end of the month.
Perthshire’s Robert Cockburn has a team entered from the Knap flock, which he runs at Hill of Errol with his partner Dianne Wood, and he hopes the event will become a regular occurrence for the society.
“It’s surprising that there’s not been a national Texel show until now, but I think it will be really well supported and comes at exactly the right time,” he said.
“Breeders have had to adapt to different ways of marketing their livestock over the past 18 months and become far more clued up on social media. However, nothing beats actually seeing people face to face and I think this show will be a great shop window for the stock and a much needed social occasion.”
Robert is preparing a batch of lambs for the sales – sons of last year’s shared purchases, Sportsmans Cannonball and
Sportsmans Dealbreaker. Previous sale success for the Knap flock includes the 145,000gn seller Knap Vicious Sid, a ram lamb sold at Lanark back in 2014. Six years ago, the family moved from Connachan at Crieff to Hill of Errol, where they run 35 Texel ewes, a Blackface flock of 150 ewes and 415 commercial ewes.
Their Texels have continued to prosper since, with other ram lambs selling at five figures and plenty local show success.
Further north east, the Mckerrow family, who have recently moved from Fife to Uppermill Farm at
Tarves, are preparing entries from their Nochnary and Kettle flocks, soon to be changed in name to the Uppermill and Tillycairn flocks.
“The summer shows are a great way to gauge how the previous year’s lambs have bred and advertise your own stock, but also for the social side – mixing with other breeders; we’ve really missed that,” said David Mckerrow, who farms with his brother James and their parents David and Jean.
Their mixed arable and livestock unit includes 450 arable acres, a suckler herd, pure Limousins and
British Blues, 50 Texel ewes and a cross ewe flock.
This week, they’ve been exhibiting at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate, as a warm-up to the Carlisle event.
“We are constantly aiming to improve our flock and taking them to shows helps us see where we’re at in comparison to other breeders,” added David.
Billed as ‘Textravaganza’, the society says the event will showcase the best Texels from across the UK and will also include sales of ram lambs and gimmers.
Society chief executive, John Yates, said: “The breed remains the UK’S most popular sire for commercial lamb production, providing significant value throughout the supply chain. There is, rightly, much to celebrate and be proud of as the breed closes in on its fiftieth year in the UK and demand from new breeders shows no sign of abating,” he added.
Judges for the show, at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, on July 30, include Rachel Wilson, of the Milnbank flock at Turriff, John Macgregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, and Northern Ireland’s Richard Henderson.