1

DORSET HORN & POLL DORSET

SHEEP BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION

May

2016

D

O

R

S

E

T

D

I

A

R

Y

STEADY DEMAND FOR PEDIGREES AND COMMERCIALS AT DORSET MAY FAIR

The Dorset May Fair in Exeter on Wednesday (May 4) saw a steady demand for commercial rams and ewes while quality breeders’ rams matched and females topped previous years’ levels.

Conducted by Kivells in Exeter Livestock Centre on behalf of the Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset Sheep Breeders’ Association, the sale saw well over 2,000 pedigree and commercial breeding sheep sold.

The sale is one of the largest in the UK for commercial early lambing ewes as well as pedigree rams and ewes and it provides a yardstick for the year’s forthcoming breeding sheep sales.

Averages for 137 rams sold, an increase of nine on the 2015 sale, were down by £147 a head on last year to £660.04, with only 30 forward leaving the ring unsold.

Accredited ewes averaged £89.32 for 22 sold while ewe lambs and hoggets levelled at £170.00 for 359 sold. A total of 2,278 pedigree accredited and non-accredited and commercial breeding rams and females went under the hammer.

With a top price of 3,000gns for the reserve champion from the previous day’s show from David Rossiter’s Huish flock at Galmpton, Kingsbridge, Devon, a total of 19 rams made 1,000gns and more.

The individual female breed record was broken by Northern Ireland breeder Thomas Wright at 2,000gns for a home-bred ewe lamb.

Association chairman and Northern Ireland breeder Ben Lamb, who had the sale’s third top price, said: “All in all, with the farming industry as it is, I think it was a very positive sale. A strong commercial trade underpinned the breeders’ rams sales in what was a bigger catalogue of sheep.”

Kivells’ auctioneer Russell Steer said there was a strong trade for the best of females. “Buyers were from a few new flocks looking to buy females, which is always good. Trade was good on the back of a weaker barren ewe trade.”

One of the worst winters for a number of seasons had prevented breeders turning out as good a quality of rams, said Kivells’ Simon Alford. “We have had an atrocious winter for a forage breed which likes to be on grass. The top 25% of rams sold well and more of this quality could have been sold. Sheep were sold to all corners of the UK.”

2

future step breeding, selecting not only for health and performance, but the early lambing capabilities which the Dorset is renowned for. Purchasing the leading priced ram was father and son Jim and Joe Dufosee for their 400-ewe Blackhill flock which is run on an organic system alongside 200 Aberdeen Angus suckler cows, run on an organic system on Salisbury Plain. They paid the top price of 3,100gns at the 2015 May Fair for Riverview Wasabi from Northern Ireland breeders Sharon and Trevor Knox. “Joe and I select the 10 rams we like before the pre-sale show,” said Jim, who farms with his son at Farnicombe Farm, Upton Scudamore, Warminster, Wiltshire. “David’s ram had good figures, which is important to us. “He is also a scopey ram as well as being correct and he has the Myomax gene breeding through Ballytaggart Puma,” added Jim, who said the ram would be out to work immediately after the sale.

Leading the day’s prices was the September 2015 born Poll ram lamb Huish Exhilarate from David Rossiter. Its sire Downkillybegs Unique, a double copy Myomax ram, has passed one copy of the double muscling gene to his son which is out of a home-bred ewe from the 520 ewe Huish flock.

Mr Rossiter is an advocate of using DNA markers which he believes will become increasingly important for future step breeding, selecting not only for

Huish Exhilarate with David Rossiter (left)

and buyer Joe Dufosee (right)

Deverill Xavi with Adrian Dufosee (centre),

and sons Grady (left) and Harley (right)

Next in the the price order but selling early on in the catalogue was Deverill Xavi a September born Poll ram from Adrian Dufosee which made 2,600gns to William and Karen Carson, of Northern Ireland. The ram would not have made the sale had it not been for Adrian’s sons who work on the family farm Church Farm Longbridge Deverill, Warminster, as Adrian broke his wrist before the May Fair.

3

Adrian paid 800gns for the ram’s sire, Oliver Tree Uncle Ben, two years ago. The ram is out of a home bred ewe. Sons Harley, 22, and Grady, 19, turned out and showed the ram to achieve the flock’s highest price - previous best was 800gns for the flock which dates back to 1988 and is run alongside other pedigree sheep. Currently, 250 of the Dorset flock is polled with 50 Dorset horned ewes. Dorsets make up half the pedigree ewe flock and 200 cattle are finished a year. William Carson, who bought the ram for his Downkillybegs flock in Antrim, Northern Ireland, said: “We liked the ram’s character and presence. The ram is very much true to breed character and type.” William and his wife Karen and son Cameron have a flock of 350 ewes, of which 200 are Poll Dorsets. William has been secretary of the Northern Ireland Dorset club for the last 25 years during which time the breed’s popularity there has grown to such a degree that now a third of the association’s membership comes from the province, running a total of 4,500 registered pedigree ewes. “The Dorset is playing a stronger role in the commercial market in Northern Ireland because of its early lambing ability,” said William. The ram will go out to work immediately with the ewes to produce lambs in early October. Buyer was fellow Northern Ireland breeder Thomas Wright who liked the ram’s breeding. Both breeders have started Signet recording their flocks this year. Keen to maintain the traditional side of the breed he started with, Ben runs 20 horned ewes alongside 58 polled sheep alongside his father’s 45 pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows, 12 pedigree Texels owned by his brother Peter and arable land. Ben also works as contracts manager for facilities management in schools in Northern Ireland.

Ben Lamb’s third top price ram at 2,200gns produced the second top price for his Richhill flock at Lime Tree Farm, Richhill, County Armagh - the previous top was for a horned ram at 3,500gns. The October born Richhill Xstyle is by Sandelford Usain, which made the top price at Northern Ireland Premier Sale in July two years ago at £900.

Ben Lamb’s Richhill Xstile

4

“He has perfect figures not only in in his terminal potential but also his strong maternal index. The ram has scale and scope,” said David. and his partner Carol Puttock with Francis’ nephew Matthew Bagwell on behalf of the family mixed dairy, beef and sheep enterprise which includes 210 Dorset ewes, a third of which are horned, run with brothers Michael, David and Jeffrey.

David Rossiter paid 1,600gns for William and Karen Carson’s Downkillybegs Xaco, born in September 2015, to add to his stock rams at Huish. The ram lamb’s terminal sire and maternal index are both in the top 1% of the breed. By Downkillybegs Umberto, the ram is out of a home bred ewe.

W & K Carson’s Downkillybegs Xaco

The overall champion of the pre-sale show selected by judge Richard Hole of the Sherborne flock in Dorset was a pen of three rams from Fooks Bros, Manor Farm, North Poorton, Bridport, Dorset. The pen, all September 2015 born and sired by Beechmount Tweedledum and out of home bred rams, averaged £549 a head. Showing the sheep from the 110 year old Poorton flock were Francis Fooks

Francis Fooks (left) & Matthew Bagwell

(right) with the Overall Champion Exhibit,

Poorton X843, X889 & X895

The Fooks showed the champion female which went to a horned ewe for the first time, the September born Poorton Warbler, by Poorton N141, out of a home bred ewe, sold for 620gns to B A Wernham & Son, of Newbury, Berkshire. In the commercial pens, the Fooks’ pen of five Poll ewe hoggets made £390 a head to top that section of the sale.

Female Champion, Poorton Warbler with

Russell Steer, Kivells (left ) & Francis Fooks

(right)

5

Thomas Wright also had the champion pen of females in the commercial section which made £300 a head to give his Ballytaggart flock a boost in its 25th year. Among the volume buyers and a first time purchaser making a more than 600 mile journey to the May Fair sale was committed Dorset breeder Dean Anderson, from Smallburn Farms, Mayne Farm, Elgin, Morayshire. Impressed by the quality on sale at the May Fair, he purchased 120 ewes in the commercial sale and five rams for 1,1,00gns 1,050gns, 750gns, 520gns and 480gns for his 200 ewe flock run alongside commercial sheep. Leading ram prices: (lot 101) Reserve single champion - 3,000gns from David Rossiter, Burton, Galmpton, Kingsbridge, Devon, to Joe and Jim Dufosee, Farnicombe Farm, Upper Scudamore, Warminster, Wiltshire. (lot 17) - 2,600gns from Adrian Dufosee, Church Farm, Longbridge Deverill, Warminster, Wiltshire, to William and Karen Carson, Whitesides Road, Downkillybegs, Ballymena, County Antrim. (lot 83) - 2,200gns from Ben Lamb, County Armagh Tree Farm, Richhill, to Thomas Wright, Killraughts Road, Ballytggart, Ballymoney, County Antrim, (lot 90) - 1,600gns from William and Karen Carson, to David Rossiter. Females: (lot 207A) - 2,000gns from Thomas Wright, to Andrew Kennedy, Maine Valley Pedigree Livestkck, Ballymena.

Topping the female pedigree sale was another sheep with Ballytaggart Tonka breeding from Thomas Wright, Killraughts Road, Ballytggart, Ballymoney, County Antrim. Ballytaggart X1469 made 2,000gns to Andrew Kennedy, of Maine Valley Pedigree Livestock, Ballymena.

Ballytaggart X1469

6

2016 MAY FAIR PRINCIPAL EWE AND RAM PRICES

AV

PRICE

£

TOP

PRICE

£

Ram Lambs

D W Rossiter 7 av 1315.50 3150.00 MVA/SMN

Adrian Dufosee 8 av 857.06 2730.00 MVA

Ben Lamb 7 av 1107.00 2310.00 MVA/SMN

W & K Carson 7 av 1005.00 1680.00 MVA/SMN

Thomas Wright 7av 801.00 1575.00 MVA

J H Kemball & Son 2 av 787.50 1155.00 MVA

S & S Lyons 4 av 758.62 1155.00 MVA

J & C Robson 4 av 735.00 1050.00 MVA

Andrew & Caroline Kennedy 2 av 813.75 945.00 MVA/SMN

R & R Hole 4 av 774.37 945.00 MVA

Tom Clarke 7 av 549.00 924.00 MVA

T & S Knox 4 av 595.87 787.50 MVA

S P McCarry 2 av 593.25 682.50 MVA

Fooks Bros. 4 av 517.12 577.50 MVA/SMN

Jim Dufosee 4 av 459.37 577.50 MVA/SMN

G & G Henderson 3 av 437.50 577.50 MVA/SMN

Joe Larder 5 av 487.20 546.00 MVA

David Lewis 2 av 462.00 525.00 MVA

Seamus Mullan 3 av 455.00 504.00 MVA

Cameron Carson 3 av 413.00 504.00 MVA/SMN

Graham Cubitt 420.00 420.00 MVA/SMN

Graham Meaden 399.00 399.00 MVA

R & D Huxter 2 av 367.50 367.50 MVA

J B May & Son 2 av 367.50 367.50 MVA

Tim Pratt 2 av 367.50 367.50 MVA

Shane Wilson 367.50 367.50 MVA

Shearling Rams

V P, M & A Care 7 av 592.50 966.00 MVA

Sam Driver 756.00 756.00 MVA

Jim Dufosee 3 av 714.00 756.00 MVA/SMN

David Lewis 2 av 588.00 735.00 MVA

Fooks Bros. 682.50 682.50 MVA/SMN

W L French 6 av 490.00 609.00 MVA

A & C Kingdon 6 av 437.50 504.00 MVA

Windrush Farming Partners 2 av 435.75 504.00 MVA

Edwin Pocock 5 av 411.60 441.00 MVA

N J Burrington 2 av 420.00 420.00 MVA

P W Baker & Son 367.50 367.50 MVA

R & D Huxter 367.50 367.50 MVA

J B May & Son 2 av 367.50 367.50 MVA

7

AV

PRICE

£

TOP

PRICE

£

Single Ewe Lambs

Thomas Wright 2 av 1338.75 2100.00 MVA

R & R Hole 2 av 267.75 294.00 MVA

David Lewis 2 av 262.50 262.50 MVA

Windrush Farming Partners 262.50 262.50 MVA

Jim Dufosee 2 av 246.75 262.50 MVA/SMN

Tom Clarke 2 av 236.25 262.50 MVA

Adrian Dufosee 189.00 189.00 MVA

Single Shearling Ewes

Jim Dufosee 2 av 483.00 651.00 MVA/SMN

Fooks Bros. 2 av 483.00 651.00 MVA/SMN

David Lewis 2 av 304.50 378.00 MVA

Windrush Farming Partners 315.00 315.00 MVA

Adrian Dufosee 2 av 262.50 294.00 MVA

Tom Clarke 210.00 210.00 MVA

PENS

Registered Dorset Horn & Poll Dorset Ewe Hoggets

£

Fooks Bros. P 200 – 390 4 pens MVA/SMN

W L French P 118 – 265 7 pens MVA

V P, M & A Care H & P 132 – 200 4 pens MVA

A & C Kingdon P 138 – 195 5 pens MVA

P W Baker & Son P 180 – 190 2 pens MVA

M J Freegard P 140 – 185 5 pens

D J Thomas & Son P 118 – 180 7pens MVA

Edwin Pocock P 180 1 pen MVA

W L & E Sandercock P 150 – 175 3 pens

S & D Cole P 120 – 170 9 pens

B A Wernham & Son P 125 – 155 2 pens MVA

Mrs S Britton P 145 – 152 2 pens MVA

J B May & Son P 125 – 130 3 pens MVA

R M Eglin & Son Ltd. P 118 – 122 3 pens MVA

Peter Cole P 90 – 108 2 pens MVA

Miss C Moorhouse H 100 1 pen MVA

Clive Hart P 70 1 pen

Registered Dorset Horn & Poll Dorset Ewes

£

P W Baker & Son P 105 1 pen MVA

B A Wernham & Son P 102 1 pen MVA

Miss C Moorhouse H 65 - 90 2 pens MVA

8

Registered Dorset Horn & Poll Dorset Ewe Lambs

£

Thomas Wright P 300 1 pen MVA

R & R Hole P 200 1 pen MVA

David Lewis P 160 – 200 2 pens MVA

Jim Dufosee H 160 1 pen MVA/SMN

P W Baker & Son P 145 1 pen MVA

R & D Huxter P 90 – 100 3 pens MVA

G & E Jones P 90 1 pen MVA

Peter Cole P 80 1 pen MVA

Registered Poll Dorset Couples

Edwin Pocock P 160 – 202 5 pens MVA

B A Wernham & Son P 142 – 170 2 pens MVA

MAY FAIR SHOW RESULTS, 2016

Class 1 – Best Ewe Lamb Class 2 – Best Shearling Ewe (Sponsored by Waitrose) (Sponsored by Shearwell Data Ltd.)

1st 207 Thomas Wright 1

st 196 Fooks Bros.

2nd

203 Tom Clarke 2nd

224 Windrush Farming Ptners

3rd

221 David Lewis 3rd

218 David Lewis

4th

208 Thomas Wright 4th

199 Jim Dufosee

5th

220 David Lewis 5th

204 Tom Clarke

Ballytaggart X1469 with Dylan Laws, Waitrose Champion Female, sponsored by Mitchells

(Left) and Thomas Wright (right) Chartered Accountants, & Best Shearling Ewe

Poorton Warbler W345 with Russell Steer,

Kivells (left) and Francis Fooks (right)

9

Special Class – Progeny Group of 3

1st 207, 130, 131 Thomas Wright

2nd

45, 47, 202 Tom Clarke

Reserve Champion Female 3rd

63, 65, 199 Jim Dufosee

(Sponsored by Mitchells Chartered 4th

189, 218, 221 David Lewis

Accountants) 5th

143, 144, 217 R & R Hole

Keresforth Whisper W47 with Ben Stayt Ballytaggart X1469, XL X1428, Xtra X1487

with from left Phillip Baker, Judge, Karen

Carson, Stevie Lyons, Seamus Mullan and

Alistair Morton, Galloway Macleod

Special Class – Signet Class Class 3 – Best Pair of Ram Lambs (Sponsored by Signet Breeding Services) (Sponsored by Mitchells Chartered Accts)

1st 90 W & K Carson 1

st 69,71 Seamus Mullan

2nd

92 W & K Carson 2nd

130, 131 Thomas Wright

3rd

82 Ben Lamb 3rd

93, 95 W & K Carson

4th

93 W & K Carson 4th

83, 84 Ben Lamb

5th

99 D W Rossiter 5th

140. 141 T & S Knox

Downkillybegs Xaco, X106 with Karen Carson Islaharnan Xavier, X112 & X-Rated, X104

(left) & Stephen West, Signet Breeding Consultant, wtih from left Seamus Mullan, Samuel

&AHDB Beef & Lamb Breeding Specialist (right) Caldwell & Alistair Morton, Galloway Macloed

10

Class 4 – Best Single Horn Ram Lamb Class 5 – Best Single Poll Ram Lamb (Sponsored by Kivells)) (Sponsored by Waitrose)

1st 80 J H Kemball & Son 1

st 101 D W Rossiter

2nd

86 Ben Lamb 2nd

30 J & C Robson

3rd

87 Ben Lamb 3rd

40 Tom Clarke

4th

120 G & G Henderson 4th

138 T & S Knox

5th

12 Adrian Dufosee 5th

90 W & K Carson

Best Horn Exhibit sponsored by Simon Dunk, Reserve Champion Male Exhibit, sponsored

Osmonds, & Best Single Horn Ram Lamb, by Waitrose, Huish Exhilarate, X9383,

Staverton Xose X1810 with Simon Dunk, with Dylan Laws, Waitrose (left) and

Osmonds (left) and Tim Pratt (right) David Rossiter (right)

Class 6 – Best Group of Three Rams Class 7 – Best Shearling Horn Ram (Sponsored by Kivells) (Sponsored by Shearwell Data Ltd.) 1

st 161, 162, 163 Fooks Bros. 1

st 179 V P, M & A Care

2nd

99, 100, 102 D W Rossiter 2nd

180 Sam Driver

3rd

114, 115, 116 Joe Larder

4th

14, 16, 17 Adrian Dufosee

Champion Male Exhibit (Sponsored by Waitrose) Burhos Wrecker, W573 with Matthew Care

Poorton X843, X889, X895 with, from left Simon (left) and Helen Davies, Shearwell Data Ltd.

Alford, Kivells, Francis Fooks, Sam Driver and (right)

Matthew Bagwell.

11

Class 8 – Best Shearling Poll Ram Class 9 – Best Pair of Shearling Rams (Sponsored by Waitrose) (Sponsored by Mr Simon Dunk, Osmonds)

1st 186 David Lewis 1

st 174, 176 V P, M & A Care

2nd

187 David Lewis 2nd

151, 157 A & C Kingdon

3rd

62 Jim Dufosee 3rd

60, 61 Jim Dufosee

4th

123 Nick Burrington 4th

22, 26 W L French

5th

181 Sam Driver 5th

25, 27 W L French

Pembroke Whish List, W69 with Dylan Laws, Burhos Wilber, W581 & Wilson, W580

Waitrose (left) and David Lewis (right) with Simon Dunk, Osmonds & Matthew

and Adam Care

Best Pen of 5 or more Rams

W & K Carson, Downkillybegs Flock

Judge Nigel Wernham & Karen Carson

Class 10 – Best Pen of 5 Ewes

1st 242 B A Wernham & Son

2nd

243 P W Baker & Son

12

Class 11 – Best Pen of 5 Hoggets Class 12 – Best Pen of 5 Ewe Lambs

1st 294 Fooks Bros. 1

st 248 Thomas Wright

2nd

229 Edwin Pocock 2nd

255 David Lewis

3rd

201 J B May & Son 3rd

259 Tom Clarke

4th

217 B A Wernham & Son 4th

249 R & R Hole

5th

236 P W Baker & Son 5th

246 Joe Larder

Champion Pen: 248 Thomas Wright

Reserve Champion Pen: 294 Fooks Bros.

WORCESTER SALE

SATURDAY, 9TH JULY, 2016

As with May Fair, the Worcester entry forms are only being posted to members who have sold at the sale over the past five or six years. If you are on e-mail they will be e-mailed to you. They will also be available to download off the website if you have access to this. If you would like to receive entry forms for the Worcester sale by post please ring the office.

ENTRIES CLOSE 12 NOON, FRIDAY, 10TH JUNE

2016 FLOCK COMPETITION

You will find the entry forms for the 2016 flock competition attached/enclosed with this mailing and again they are available to download off the website.

The judges Robert & Ali Hole are planning carrying out the judging in late July/August (exact dates to be confirmed).

Do please try and support the competition – it will be well worth the effort

ENTRIES CLOSE FRIDAY, 1st JULY, 2016

DISCLAIMER

The Dorset Horn & Poll Dorset Sheep

Breeder’s Association produce this

newsletter in good faith and cannot be held

responsible for any inaccuracies contained

therein.

DORSET HORN & POLL DORSET SHEEP

BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION

Agriculture House, Acland Road, Dorchester,

Dorset DT1 1EF Tel/Fax: 01305 262126

e-mail: dorsetsheep@xlnmail.com

website: www.dorsetsheep.org.uk

Breed Secretary: Marguerite Cowley