NELSON RAM SALE.

On Friday, I accompanied one of our local farmers to the Nelson Ram Sale. Picked up in the early morning in order that we beat the rush, we set off under grey skies with eight rams in the trailer behind us. It is one of the biggest local sales of the year.

 Dai was right to arrive early; we got the rams unloaded and safely into their pens. A few other early comers were already set up for the rest of the day. Four to each pen and then down to wash out the trailer with disinfectant before parking up. Not long after a long line of waiting traffic as other potential buyers and sellers arrived with their rams aboard.

Down at the disinfectant  washout ... I just couldn't resist this photograph of the photographer's image caught in a large bubble amongst the rest of the suds. At least the trailer was clean for whatever new rams would be travelling back home. It is important to introduce new genes into the breeding of next years lambs and the guys we had just penned have done their bit.

Another early arrival on site, were these four good looking guys. And it was a good job we did get here early, all too soon there was a huge queue of farmers from both local areas and as far as North Wales sat in a queue waiting to unload their rams.

It was quite clear right from the start as to who wanted to get their rams as "Best in Show." The rams in the pens were clean and being curry combed and groomed ready for the ring and I sat and watched the judges choose the two winners. They were grand looking beasts but I knew which one I would have chosen, but more on that later. Meanwhile others who just wanted to sell  what they had and so  new stock kept arriving. All the rams had to be tagged with their sale numbers and there were 250 to be sold over the course of the day. Interestingly enough they were all Welsh Mountain. No Texels or any other breed. The sales started with the four year old rams, going down the scale to three, two and yearlings. It was fascinating to hear the auctioneers patter, let's face it there is very little different one can say about sheep. But ... there were phrases such as "Off the mountain just this morning." and ... "In their working clothes." i.e not especially bulked up for show. Big as they may seem at the time, these "Show guys" may not be such, lean mean mating genes."  Best in show did not raise 1.oo0 guineas and didn't sell but ... Second in show got a good price ...
and that particular farm went on to do well with the prices for his rams. But best sale of all went to one of our local lads who sold a ram for 3,150 guineas! Meanwhile I headed off for much needed sustenance for me and my farmer friend, the on field canteen beckoned, with Welsh Black, beef burgers!

And believe me, they are some of the best beefburgers I have ever tasted, Full of flavour and later in the day I went back for another, though by then they had run out of onions. There was still a way to go before we saw our rams in the ring. It was unfortunate really that Dai's rams were lots 185 - 191, by then, most of the big money had been spent and some were already   loading up and leaving. Meanwhile I had taken a short walk to look at all the vehicles and trailers that had parked up and they literally stretched as far as the eye could see ... and some had signs on them.

The one on the left really amused me, one wonders what kind of body would be dropped?

I headed back to the ring side, so far the weather had been fairly kind to all, overcast so cool and not too sweltering for the penned in rams. There was a wee bit of rain but not enough to really dampen the day and make conditions miserable.

We were reaching towards the end of the sales and our rams were due in the ring ... and I had to smile at this particular one, looking at Glyn the auctioneer as the hammer went down ... "Is that all I'm worth?"

All too soon they were back in their pens waiting for their new owners to pick them up and move them on to pastures new and all these guys (the rams that is) will be busy over the next few months, creating a new generation of lambs, some as far afield as North Wales and ... here North Walian rams will be strengthening our local sheep breeding lines. Something I loved about the day was the people that I met, catching up with the news of those I haven't seen for a while (sadly not all of it good) and just watching the faces  of this hardy breed and by that I mean the farmers, not the sheep! There were faces I would love to be able to draw; weather beaten, hardy and full of character. Guys who have worked hard all their life and many beyond the age of retirement, but still going strong. And sadly, too few young faces to keep the farms going on into the future.

As I went to our pens to take a last look at the eight rams we'd brought in, I had to smile at this one, just recently sold. Relaxed against the  pen hurdle, showing off what he had to offer. But one of the things I enjoyed most about the day, was looking around me at faces full of character. So many that I would love to be able to sketch, worn by so many seasons of weather, so different from the smooth skinned city types. These were men of the mountains and ... mines in their time. It was great to chat with those I know and catch up with their news. But at the end of the sale when thousands of guineas had exchanged hands we had two new strangers to trailer up and head homewards.

From different farms, these two strangers were already arguing about who was best ram! Well as one might say, the proof of the lambing is in the breeding. We shall see over the next lambing season what these two guys can add to the future blood line locally. For me, it was a fascinating day and tired as I am. it was well worth the effort to see it all.