The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2013 - Issue 29 | Page 45

SHEEP

Bishop Burton students welcome BWMB visit
A group of agricultural students at the East Yorkshire College were recently given a presentation to explain what happens to their sheep’s wool once it leaves their farms, thanks to a visit to the college from Gareth Jones of the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB). BWMB Producer Communications Manager Gareth Jones was invited to give students an introduction to the wool industry and the BWMB’s work in shearing training, grading, the auction system and promoting wool. Examples of wool in the different stages of the process were displayed from greasy wool, scoured wool, carded wool as well as yarn, and examples of wool products. This followed a BWMB shearing training course held at the college during the previous week which was attended by, amongst others, Bishop Burton student Jack Johnson who said, “I found the presentation fascinating and it gave me a much better insight into what happens to the product once it leaves the farm”. “Most of us simply weren’t aware of what happens to wool once it has been shorn from the sheep. Having the opportunity to learn more about the wool chain and understand more about the BWMB’s important role within the sheep sector was both interesting and valuable’’.

BWMB’s Gareth Jones and James Bentley, Agricultural Lecturer outside Bishop Burton’s Centre of Agricultural Innovation.

Mr Jones welcomed the opportunity to work and engage with the next generation of farmers which was vital for the long term sustainability and future of the industry. “It was clear from the visit that the students were quite surprised at the scale the BWMB operates at. The group were also talked through the promotion and marketing activity of BWMB’s involvement in the Campaign for Wool, which is now a worldwide movement, has been instrumental in increasing awareness of the many varied qualities of wool and wool products which is helping to stimulate increasing demand.” Speaking on behalf of the group James Bentley, Agricultural Lecturer, said it had been invaluable in helping them understand how BWMB operates and why they were paid the prices they were for their wool.

Tattersall Beltex prime lambs tops again at CCM Skipton
A back-to-back prime lamb championship coup was achieved by East Riding sheep farmer Neil Tattersall at CCM Skipton’s August show and sale. Mr Tattersall, who trades as PA&NS Tattersall at Town End Farm, Ellerton, midway between Howden and Pocklington, clinched the title at Skipton Auction Mart with a well-matched pen of five Beltex-cross lambs, just as he did in July, when also sending out the reserve champion pen. His latest 39kg title winners, all out of home-bred ewes, sold for £118, or 302.6p/kg – top price both per head and by-weight - to Vivers Scot Lamb in Annan, who also paid £112 each, or 273.2p/kg, for the same vendor’s 41kg Continentalcross third prize winning Texel pen. Mr Tattersall’s total consignment of 15 lambs averaged a healthy 280p/kg per head. Vivers Scot Lamb made it a clean sweep of Continental-cross prizewinning acquisitions when securing the 37kg Beltex-cross runners-up from T&C Robinson, of Tosside, at £98 per head, or 264.9p/kg. A show class for Texel lambs saw the red rosette and the reserve prime lamb championship awarded to George Sunderland, of Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge,, with a 39kg pen bought at £87 per head by Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, on behalf of Bowland Foods in Preston, who also acquired the second prize 38kg pen from Seth Blakey, of Bolton-by-Bowland, at £86 each. Trawden’s Hayley Baines presented the third prize 36kg Texel pen, which also fell to Vivers Scot Lamb for £93 each, top price per head, or 258.3p/kg. In a standalone show for Mule or Masham lambs, first prize fell to a fivestrong pen of Mules from Robert Crisp, of Calton. His 44kg charges became another Andrew Atkinson buy at £79 per head, top call in class. Show judge Paul Watson, of Hellifield, purchased the remaining two class winners for Dunbia Foods in Preston – the runners-up from Joe and Nancy Throup, of Draughton, and the third prize pen from Ken and Lynne Throup, of Silsden Moor. Both 44kg pens each made £78.50 per head.

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FarmersMart Aug/Sep 2013

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