The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Two-shear ram breaks record at Dingwall sale
Auction: 663 rams cash in to average £532.29
A new centre record price for a North Country Cheviot ram was achieved at Dingwall Mart when a two-shear from Martyn Cook’s Dorrery flock sold for £10,500.
The annual sale, which attracted a large ringside of buyers, saw 663 rams cash in to average £532.29 – up £118.91 on last year’s sale for 62 less sold.
Dingwall and Highland Marts auctioneer Paul Spencer said: “Buyers were meticulous in their buying as well-bred tups with character were keenly bid for, while plainer and smaller types met a more hesitant demand.”
Achieving a new centre record price was Martyn Cook’s home-bred, twoshear ram from his 700ewe flock at Scotscalder, Halkirk. Surpassing the flock’s previous best of £9,000 and standing reserve champion in the pre-sale show, he is by a son of the £2,600 Eriboll tup sold at Lairg last year, out of a home-bred ewe.
The buyer was James McCaig Farms, Wester Jawcraig, Falkirk.
Next best at £6,000 was a two-shear ram from father-and-son duo Scott and Farquhar Renwick, Inverbroom, Ullapool.
Selling to Suisgill Estates, Helmsdale, was a homebred son of the £1,600 Suisgill Parahandy, out of a home-bred ewe.
Leslie and Tina Robertson from Inkstack, Thurso, achieved the highest Highland flock average of £1,800 for nine rams.
The couple’s consignment reached a top of £4,500 for a three-shear by a home-bred tup, out of a Badanloch ewe, which sold to Andrew Elliot’s Woodside flock, near Kelso.
Two other three-shears from Inkstack sold for £3,300 and £3,000.
Dearest when selling to Keodale Sheep Club, Durness, was a son of Inkstack Sandy, while the Badanloch flock, Sutherland, paid £3,000 for a ram by Badanloch White.
The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust’s Longoe flock from Caithness, sold a two-shear ram for £4,200 to Suisgill Estates.
Brought out by brothers Danny and
Sandy McCarthy, was Longoe Warlord, a son of the £3,000 Longoe Transformer, out of an Attonburn Lionheart ewe.
They also received £3,200 for another twoshear bred the same way, this time Longoe Woodcock, which sold to David Renwick, Keppoch, Dundonnell.
On the other side of the coin, the Renwicks from Inverbroom, paid £3,800 for a two-shear ram from David Renwick, Keppoch, while Bill and Fanny Elliot, Hethpool, Wooler, sold an aged tup for £3,400 to Messrs Campbell, Brampton, Penrith.
Fiona MacLeod of the Migdale flock at Bonar Bridge, sold three rams for £3,200 twice and £2,800.
First at £3,200 was a shearling which sold to R MacPherson, Riverfoot, Glenelg, while M and S Wilson and Son, Newbank, Moffat, paid the same money for a two-shear.
The buyer of the £2,800 two-shear from Migdale was Wilma Robertson, 3 Borgie, Thurso.