2024 Ross-on-Wye Sale Report / Society Sale Reports / Sales

2024 Ross-on-Wye Sale Report

Lleyn sheep breeders were left ecstatic following the annual Society show and sale at Ross-on-Wye, where a strong trade prevailed from the very start right through until the last lot, and vendors and buyers alike came together to watch Carmarthenshire-based breeder, Lionel Organ’s Southam dispersal sale soar to £510 for his leading female.

Lionel’s notable shearling ewe, which made up part of the 1^st prize pen of 5 shearling ewes, entered the ring and drew the attention of all buyers, however, it was West Farm, Pickering who managed to claim the final bid and take her home.

The same buyer also purchased Lionel’s leading pen of shearling ewes at £290 per head, which topped the section on the day.

Just behind on £260 per head was a pen from M & S Etherton, Holton Mill House, Oxford. These girls caught the eye of buyer A Lewis, The Manor, Maesycrugiau.

Settle-based breeders, H & M Dugdale secured £250 for their pen of 5 shearling ewes which sold to S Hanrahan, Aston Mullins Farm Cottage, Aylesbury, who also bought another pen of 5 from the same home at £240.

An additional four pens went under the hammer at £240, the first being for another sought-after pen of 10 shearling ewes from L Organ, this time selling to N Whitehead, Oak House, Suffolk.

P & C Andrews, Upper Madeley Farm, Belbroughton, Stourbridge sold their best pen of 5 for £240 per head, which headed home with S Hanrahan.

W Davies, Bronallt enjoyed a buoyant trade for his Lleyn females as he also made £240 for a pen of 5 to R Saunders, Manor Farm, Garsdon.

The final £240 bid came for a pen of 5, this time from E & D Jones, Lluest Wen, Comins Coch. These girls were also snapped up by S Hanrahan.

Averages for shearling ewes were up on the year by £16.70, with the section averaging £214.71.

Aged ewes from L Organ’s Southam dispersal were in huge demand, with his flock producing the top five prices in the section. Leading the trade was a pen of 11 two-year-old ewes which attained £295 per head, having sold to D & S Searle, Cornwall.

Two Southam pens reached £250 per head, the first being a pen of 8 four-year-old ewes and then again for a pen of 10 three-year-old ewes, both of which were purchased by West Farm.

L Organ’s pen of 7 five-year-old ewes landed a top price of £240 per head, and were bought by D & H Harries, Tyddyn Bach, whilst a pen of 11 three-year-old ewes matched that price when being knocked down to E Collins, Bearwood Farm, Herefordshire.

Prices for ewe lambs remained steady throughout the sale, with the section again being led by L Organ at £275 for a pen of five. These girls were taken home to join H M Wells, Glaneri, Ferwig – who also secured L Organ’s second top priced pen of five ewe lambs at £250 per head.

Two Southam pens of ewe lambs reached £200 per head, with the first pen of 10 being bought by W Davies, whilst a pen of 8 sold to WP & SL Harper, Trepoyle Farm, Devon.

D & H Harries managed to get their hands on the final pen of 8 from L Organ’s run for £195 per head, with the section cashing out to average £157.65.

Shearling rams enjoyed the best trade of the day, with 54 tups finding new homes to level out at 1021.37gns and no fewer than 19 lots selling for 1000gns or more.

Leading the day’s trade at 3400gns was L Organ’s Southam Malachi (00306/2303864), which was bagged by W Roobottom, Cowley Hill Farm, Rugeley, Staffordshire. Sired by Lluest Jerry (00599/2011966), which also sired the female, male and RWAS breed champion in 2022, as well as male and Ross breed champion in 2023 and 2024.

Mr Organ sold another for 2500gns in the form of Southam Mastermind (00306/2303823). Being bought by E Collins, this ram is sired by the Northern Irish Kennedy tup (01618/2103304), which is the same sire for the majority of the Southam females forward for sale. Mastermind is also out of the 2000gns Southam Jackpot’s twin sister.

Next in the trade stakes at 2800gns was the pre-sale show’s second prize ram from JA & R Geldard & Sons, Low Foulshaw Farm,Gilpinbridge. Their Wray Castle ram (00621/2324418) is sired by stock tup (02339/2102147) and was purchased by E & D Jones.

Two rams from HM Wells landed equal bids of 2400gns, with the first bid coming for Rowelen Marshal (00575/2302082). Sired by their Lluest stock ram (00599/2011966), he headed home with E Roberts & Partners, Blackmill, Bridgend.

The second ram from the Wells’, Rowelen Major (00575/2302086) is a son of the Southam stock ram (00306/2103491) and was knocked down to Slawston Grange Estate, Slawston.

Fort Marvellous (01299/2326707) from T & B Fort, Brighton House Farm, Whitley reached 2200gns when selling to R Irwin, Devon. He is sired by (01299/1713351) and out of a home-bred ewe.

Averages

5-year-old ewes to £240 av. £240

4-year-old ewes to £250 av. £195

3-year-old ewes to £250 av. £221.05

2-year-old ewes to £295 av. £209.87

Shearling ewes to £290 av. £214.71 (+£16.70)

Ewe lambs to £275 av. £157.65 (+£27.63)

Rams to 3400gns av. 1021.37gns (+268.37gns)

Top prices

Aged ewes

L Organ, £295

L Organ, £250