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| Picture: Wayne Hutchinson |
Robert Hutchinson, from Bowes, was just £11,000 shy of the Swaledale record when the hammer came down last Friday at Kirkby Stephen Auction Mart.
There were gasps from the gallery when the 18-month-old tup was sold to Kirkby Stephen’s John Richardson for the breed’s fourth highest amount on record. Mr Hutchinson was delighted with the “once in a lifetime” sale.
He added: “I was just thinking he was doing well. I could sort of see he was going to make a bit – there were certain people quite interested in him. Maybe we didn’t expect him to get £90,000 – it’s trying to go one better now and get another.”
The father-of-two was confident going into the ring and said he kept calm as the total ticked up.
His pedigree sheep was bred from a tup the Hutchinsons bought a few years ago from Catlow Farm, near Slaidburn, in Lancashire.
“He has been a good one since this time last year,” said Mr Hutchinson.
“We thought we had a good lamb and he’s turned into a good shearling.”
The 35-year-old has lived at Valley Farm, off the A66, all his life. A champion at Bowes Show this year, he revealed money from the sale would go back into the farm’s pedigree livestock.
“That’s what we strive to do – breed pedigree livestock and better yourself,” he added.
“The chances are it will never happen again but you can only try.”
Auctioneer Mark Richardson said the atmosphere in the packed ring was tremendous.
“It’s a lot of money, if it had gone for £20,000 or £30,000 it would have still been a lot but it’s a genuine surprise when it gets that far,” he added.
“The champion went for £60,000 and that was an equally good tup. Nobody knew the other was going make more – it was half out of the blue.”
John Stephenson, from the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association, was very pleased for the Hutchinsons and thought the sale results boded well for the future.
He said: “Congratulations to the Hutchinson family for producing a ram of such calibre where people are willing to spend that much money on it. The sale itself over the three days went an awful lot better than I expected.
“I don’t think anyone expected a ram to make that much this year because of the uncertainty at the moment but it just shows there are people willing to invest in the future.” Mr Hutchinson thanked his family for all the work that went on behind the scenes on the farm. He added: “I stand in the ring with them – people congratulate you as you’re seen selling the tup but it’s a team effort.”
He added: “I was just thinking he was doing well. I could sort of see he was going to make a bit – there were certain people quite interested in him. Maybe we didn’t expect him to get £90,000 – it’s trying to go one better now and get another.”
The father-of-two was confident going into the ring and said he kept calm as the total ticked up.
His pedigree sheep was bred from a tup the Hutchinsons bought a few years ago from Catlow Farm, near Slaidburn, in Lancashire.
“He has been a good one since this time last year,” said Mr Hutchinson.
“We thought we had a good lamb and he’s turned into a good shearling.”
The 35-year-old has lived at Valley Farm, off the A66, all his life. A champion at Bowes Show this year, he revealed money from the sale would go back into the farm’s pedigree livestock.
“That’s what we strive to do – breed pedigree livestock and better yourself,” he added.
“The chances are it will never happen again but you can only try.”
Auctioneer Mark Richardson said the atmosphere in the packed ring was tremendous.
“It’s a lot of money, if it had gone for £20,000 or £30,000 it would have still been a lot but it’s a genuine surprise when it gets that far,” he added.
“The champion went for £60,000 and that was an equally good tup. Nobody knew the other was going make more – it was half out of the blue.”
John Stephenson, from the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association, was very pleased for the Hutchinsons and thought the sale results boded well for the future.
He said: “Congratulations to the Hutchinson family for producing a ram of such calibre where people are willing to spend that much money on it. The sale itself over the three days went an awful lot better than I expected.
“I don’t think anyone expected a ram to make that much this year because of the uncertainty at the moment but it just shows there are people willing to invest in the future.” Mr Hutchinson thanked his family for all the work that went on behind the scenes on the farm. He added: “I stand in the ring with them – people congratulate you as you’re seen selling the tup but it’s a team effort.”
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