National interest for prize Yorkshire flock

Mr Foster, 42, still has a commercial flock and a meat-buying role to keep him busy but decided to sell his pedigree flock, while he looks for new premises.

He consigned a total of 71 ewe lambs, shearlings and older ewes, and two ram lambs, from his renowned flock, which was established in 1994 and has achieved honours including a Highland Show champion and a Yorkshire Show reserve champ. 

His homebred sire Garriston Kosher was responsible for Saturday’s top-price shearling ewe, a Wensleydale Show champion. The shearling, scanned with twins for December, met with spirited bidding before going for 2,200gns to County Londonderry’s Adam Porter. 

Second top price in show, 2,100gns, was for a Garriston two-shear ewe with a strong show history, carrying triplets, which joined Welsh buyers H&M Evans, of Ty Croes. 

Mr Foster achieved several other four-figure prices and his averages were: for aged ewes, 567gns; shearling ewes, 818gns; ewe lambs, 581gns; and ram lambs, 470gns. 

In the show classes, supreme champion was a shearling ewe from the Shamrock flock of another mainstay of the breed, North Yorkshire’s Cyril Dougherty, of Kirby Misperton, Malton. The daughter of a Builth Wells champion went for 1,000gns, to show judge Eddie Buckley’s Kilbarry flock in Co. Cork. 

There was a total entry of 205 females, with all ewes and shearling ewes in-lamb. Ewe lambs averaged £564.47 (£495.08 in 2011), shearling ewes £526.94 (£437.18) and aged ewes £511.17 (£387.75). 

A new name will be engraved on the Dalesbred Sheep Breeders’ Association trophy, following a debut championship success by the Ryder family at the association’s annual show and sale of shearling and aged rams at Skipton on Tuesday. Husband and wife Jeff and Jayne Ryder, of Central House Farm, Haverah Park, Harrogate, lifted the title with a shearling ram, prepared and shown by 21-year-old son Josh, who works part-time as a stockman at the mart.

The home-bred champion is by a ram from the Penyghent flock of John and Jean Bradley of Giggleswick out of a ewe sired by a ram from David Wilson, of Crimple Head Farm, Beckwithshaw. The winner sold for 320gns to John and Karen Harrison of Hill Top Farm, Blubberhouses, Otley. 

The Ryders’ flock was established in 1966 by Jeff’s father Hugh. They currently run some 120 Dalesbred ewes and also breed Swaledales.

Reserve champion overall at Skipton this week was the first-prize aged ram, a home-bred four-shear from John Horner, of FW Horner & Son, Redmire Farm, Buckden, at the heart of Dalesbred country. He sold for 260gns to Richard Close, of Starbotton.