After a highly successful summer and autumn sales season which saw records broken at a number of sales and averages on the rise at many venues, the annual round of in-lamb sales beckons for Texel enthusiasts.
This year’s season sees more than 20 sales take place across the UK, offering a wide selection of genetics from a large number of flocks, with many sales also offering both older ewes and ewe lambs alongside the large numbers of in-lamb gimmers that will be available.
Much like the Society’s National Sales, which saw a broad spread of prices, with most animals on offer selling at relatively moderate money, the in-lamb sales will once again see something for every budget on offer.
Full details on all in-lamb sales which are catalogued using the Society’s iTexel database see the Sales page of the Society website, but here’s a quick run down of the upcoming action.
First up will be the Winter Warmers in-lamb sale at Melton Mowbray on 25th November, with this one quickly followed two days later by the Northern Scotland Club in-lamb sale at Thainstone on 27th November.
The following week then sees the Gloucester and Border Counties Sale, Worcester, on 2nd December, with the Northern Ireland Texel Breeders Club Sale at Ballymena following on 4th December.
A trio of sales take place the following weekend, the first of which is in Northern Ireland, with the December Dazzlers sale taking place at Beatties Livestock Centre on 8th December.
On the same day will be the Carlisle Crackers Sale, with this followed by the Select Seven Sale at Lanark on 9th December.
These are followed the next week by the Shropshire and Borders Club Sale at Welshpool on 14th December, with the South Wales Club Sale, Llandovery, swift on its heels on 15th December, followed by two sales on the 16th of December, with the Skipton Stormers taking place in Yorkshire and the Northern Stars at Ballymena.
And adding to the events in the final few days before Christmas is the Builth Babes Sale on 17th December, with the Christmas Stars, taking place at Carlisle on 18th December.
The final opportunity for pre-Christmas shopping comes in Northern Ireland on 19th December at Ballymena for the Festive Crackers Sale.
Sitting neatly in between Christmas and New Year will be a trio of flock dispersals, with the Procters, Tatham Hall and Usk Vale flocks all being dispersed at Carlisle on 29th December.
Then, the first sale of the New Year is the Longtown Ladies sale on 3rd January, closely followed by the Solway and Tyne Club’s sale at Carlisle on 5th January and the North West Texel Club’s sale on 6th January.
The same day sees more action across in Northern Ireland, with the January Gems sale taking place at Ballymena.
Three sales the next weekend finish up proceedings, with the first being the Lanark Ladies sale on 12th January. After that come both the Ballymena Babes sale and the Derbyshire Dazzlers sale on 13th January in Ballymena and Leek, respectively.
Each of these female sales offers both new and established breeders the opportunity to secure new genetics to help progress their flocks.
Existing members purchasing females at the in-lamb sales should use iTexel to transfer them to their flock ahead of lambing to ensure they can birth notify their progeny. New members can join the Society here.