Quality Three Dales farmers take championship

Champion ewe for Wharfedale family farm

Back-to-back championship wins were achieved by Wharfedale husband and wife farmers Mark and Helen Keighley at the 14th annual winter sale of pedigree Texel females at Craven Cattle Marts’ Skipton Auction Mart in December.

The couple, who farm along the banks of the River Wharfe at Pool-In-Wharfedale sell all the lambs from their prizewinning flock of Texel ewes to Three Dales.

The Keighleys took the overall title for a second successive year with an in-lamb shearling ewe. The Keighley’s Manderlea flock was also responsible for the runner-up in the shearlings class. They also had a clean sweep of prizes in the ewe lambs class, with both the winner and runner-up selling for the joint top price of 200 guineas.

Judge Mark Ireland, of Whalley, commented: "It was a tremendous show of well-bodied sheep, though the champion made it easy to judge, being a good all-round shearling, very correct on its legs."