Sandyknowe Suffolk trade proves strong demand for commercially reared, high performance rams with 100% clearance, good average price and sale topping at 5,000gns.
Established in 1957, the Sandyknowe Suffolk flock consists of over 150 ewes bred in a five family rotation and is owned by Messrs. Malcolm M. Stewart of Roxburghshire, Scotland.
The flock is bred specifically to provide high performance rams for commercial prime lamb production and hence is lambed outdoors in April and managed under commercial conditions with strong emphasis placed on lamb vigour. Rams are especially suited to grass-based systems with little concentrate fed until after scanning and selection.
The Sandyknowe flock has been performance recorded for five decades with breeding stock selected on the basis of structural correctness, conformation and terminal sire index.
In 2013, the flock began to host its annual off-farm ram sale. Thursday 12th September 2019 saw the families 6th annual sale with a flying trade.
47 commercially reared rams were offered for sale with 96% of the offering being in the top 5% terminal index or above.
47 shearling rams sold averaging 881gns.
Top price of the evening went to Y13:18:15699 at 5,000gns to the Ingram family at Logie Durno. The ram was used within the Sandyknowe flock as a ram lamb and has phenomenal growth characteristics. Semen has been provided to the RamCompare project for use in production of the 2020 lamb crop.
Two high index rams topped at 3,800gns. Y13:18:15692 again with outstanding growth and used by the flock as a lamb. The Harding family from Bentley Suffolks purchased Y13:18:15690, a half-brother to Y13:18:15692 with heavy muscling characteristics by proven stock sire Sandyknowe Leader 17 to 1.
Value of Performance Recording shines through at Kelso
“So often in life we take on systems to help improve something we do and in most cases it’s very hard to gauge just how much of a difference that has made to the end result…. In relation to what we are doing with our Suffolk’s, we can hand on heart say without question that both Signet recording and CT Scanning has played a central role in the success we had in selling at Kelso last week” says Scott Brown from Capielaw Suffolks after his ram lamb sales at Kelso last week.
Scott has been Signet performance recording for five years and places great emphasis on the results he receives from CT scanning his best ram lambs every year. He uses both his Signet figures and CT results to market his breeding stock to commercially minded customers. His hard work has been rewarded at the 2019 Kelso ram sales.
JTO:1900102 was CT scanned in May 2019 as a lamb and gave Scott his biggest gigot score and spine length of his Kelso pen. The lamb sold at Kelso for the flocks top price of £2,100
JTO:1900121, by homebred sire Capielaw Debonair was also CT scanned with highest CT predicted killing out percentage and eye muscle area alongside having a top 10% terminal sire index selling for £1,100