NORTH Country Cheviot shearlings from Orkney breeders, Jim Baillie and sons, Hamish and Balfour, Sebay, Tankerness, dominated the show and sale of North Country Cheviot rams, at Quoybrae, securing the top two highest prices at £5000 and £4000, and the champion and reserve honours.
With buyers forward from as far south as Wales, right up to Shetland, the breed enjoyed a good day with 63 shearlings cashing in to average £789.17, up £84.81 on the year for two fewer sold, while nine gimmers levelled at £461.11, up £61.11 for a few less.
“We’ve had a fairly good sale of Cheviots, with averages up in both the gimmer and the shearling sections and a great top price,” said Stuart Slesser, Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ centre manager at the Caithness Livestock Centre.
“However, it is evident there isn’t the same commercial demand for Cheviot tups for crossing in Caithness with most of the lead prices paid by pure flocks.”
Securing a personal best for the Baillie family’s 50-pure ewe flock which runs alongside a flock of commercial ewes, 100 suckler cows and a small herd of dairy cows, was the show champion, Sebay Vermount.

A son of Oldfield Sunrise which was bought as a lamb at Quoybrae for £1200,  out of a home-bred ewe, he sold to Caithness breeders, the Campbell family, Bardnaclavan, Westfield, Thurso.
The second – another son of Oldfield Sunrise, out of a home-bred ewe – which stood reserve champion was purchased by James Allan for his Durran flock at Durran Mains, Castletown, Thurso, for £4000.

The Scottish Farmer:
James Mackay from Biggins, Killimster, Wick, sold the best from his 50-pure ewe flock at £3200 to Alan MacKay, who regularly tops the Lairg lamb sales with entries from South Balkeith, Tain.
The tup, Biggins Vivacious, by Smiddyquoy Ranger which was purchased here in 2014 for £1400, is out of a home-bred ewe by Philiphaugh Tevez.

The Scottish Farmer:
On the other side of the equation after having purchased the top price lot, the Campbell’s’ 120-ewe flock at Bardnaclavan received £2600 for a shearling, brought out by Johnny Campbell. That was Bardnaclavan Vibrant, a son of the £1500 Allanshaws Silver Star, which is shared with Alan Smith, Upper Cornquoy.  Out of a home-bred ewe by Smiddyquoy Freelander, he also sold to Alan Mackay, South Balkeith.
Top priced gimmer at £650 was a daughter of Biggins Novel from Charlie Angus, Oldfield, Thurso, purchased by Andrew Gunn, 3 Upper Dounreay, Thurso.

LEADING flock averages:

Flock (No)    Top (£)                  Averages (£)
                        2017    2016
North Country Cheviot
Sebay (7)    5000    1671.43    1233.33
Biggins (8)    3200    1231.50    875.00
Bardnaclavan (10)    2600    1205.00    855.00
Durran Mains (4)    900    737.50    1175.00
Cairnside (6)    1250    538.33    314.28