The Farmers Mart Oct-Nov 2019 - Issue 65 | Page 35

SEARCHLIGHT FARM 35 • OCT/NOV 2019 I like mine to be really sharp in their heads and manners, stand square and sparkle with an alertness about them. They should also be nice and deep and rounded in their bodies with a good strength about them yet also light enough to cope with hills. They are also excellent mothering sheep.’ ‘I had a ewe that had lost her lamb early on this year and I didn’t have any pet lambs until five days later, but she still took it, reared it. I’ve never known anything like that before. Kerry Hill ewes and lambs stick together like glue, always talking to each other and going everywhere together.’ The rising popularity of Kerry Hills has seen many shows now adding Kerry Hill classes. Searchlight Farm runs to 360 acres and is a partnership between Ray and Liz Wilson and their son Ian, Anna’s husband, under the name A & R Wilson. It is a mixed farm that this year incorporated 100 acres of barley and 260 acres of predominantly grass but also a couple of acres of forage rape and 14 acres of red clover. Sheep make up the lion’s share of the farm enterprise with 550 breeding ewes producing around 930 lambs that are finished off grass. The commercial flock is mainly Mules put to Texel and Texel X with the odd Suffolk and lambing is from the end of March through April, breeding the majority of their own replacement Texel X Mules. This year the Wilsons tried a New Zealand Texel from Easyrams, which has brought about greater success in easier lambing. FURNITURE AND COLLECTABLE SALES Wishing Searchlight Farm continued success. FUR & FEATHER AND COLLECTIVE SALES *TUESDAY FORTNIGHTLY* *1ST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH* Entries day before sale 8:30am - 1pm Sale Box lots & electricals 4pm, collectables 5.30pm, Furniture 6pm (2 auctioneers) Collective entries Friday before sale 8am - 3pm.  Fur & Feather entries on the day 7am-8.45am.  Sale starts @ 10am BREEDING AND STORE SALE *EVERY ALTERNATIVE TUESDAY* Sheep at 12 noon. Cattle at 1pm PRIMESTOCK *EVERY THURSDAY* Pigs at 9am. Sheep at 9.30am. Cattle at 12.30pm SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS OF DATES & SPECIAL SALES www.thirskmarket.co.uk | [email protected] | 01845 523165 Thirsk Farmers Auction Mart, Thirsk Rural Business Centre, Blakey Lane, Thirsk, YO7 3AB Anna’s Kerry Hills and now Anna and Ian’s 6-year old son Joseph’s Llanwenog flock are the show element of the farm. Anna was pleased with this year’s show efforts and is already planning for 2020. ‘At this year’s Great Yorkshire my lambs were only 12 weeks old. They did well in the circumstances particularly my 12-week old ram lamb that came third in a really strong ram lamb class – and last year my home- bred lamb ewe was first at only 12 weeks old, going on to become reserve female champion, but we will hopefully lamb them in mid-March in future rather than mid-April to give ourselves a better chance.’ ‘I was so proud of Joseph too. He took part in the young handlers competition at the Great Yorkshire and the judge Janice said she thought he handled his lamb beau- tifully. He came second and had a Kerry Hill lamb he’d never handled before that tried jumping at her but Joseph squared him up and made him stand. He’s growing in confidence all the time.’ The Wilsons had farmed as tenants at Hall Farm until three years ago when they bought the land at Searchlight Farm where they have now built a new farmhouse and new farm buildings. It is so called because at wartime it is where the searchlights were based. Anna and Ian met at Bishop Burton College. Anna is originally from Grimsby. They married nine years ago. Anna works on reception at Clevedale veterinary practice.