Students head out to world’s largest sales

New Longridge Headteacher Mr Wilcox knows a thing or two about the agricultural world having spent parts of his life in Cornwall and New Zealand, so he felt quite at home taking students to the Border Union Ram Sales today.

A new BTEC Agriculture course has been launched at Longridge this term and three students, Oscar, Pandra and Hunter, joined Mr Wilcox and Mrs Aitchison (LTS Finance Manager and local farmer) at the famous ram sales in Kelso, run since 1836, for a morning of intense selling.

He explained: “This is about putting the theory into practise and making sure the students see the real world at work, and how what they are learning about agriculture actually means to people.

“We are investing in a really strong agriculture course at Longridge because we have a lot of children from farming backgrounds, but also because we support the local communities and the farming sector. We have everyone at a Sales like this from farmers, breeders, stockmen and women to vets, people working in animal nutrition, science and technology, so it’s important for us that our students have the opportunity to meet people, network and see where there careers might take them in the future.

“It’s really important at Longridge that we have that practical element and our students get outside of the classroom, especially in a practical subject like agriculture.”

Sellers hope to beat £65k record as sales head towards £5m

The students watched as the first rams of around 4,000 for sale went under the auctioneer’s hammer following the traditional ringing of the bell at 10am.

They witnessed one selling for over £10,000 but bigger prices are expected as the top price last year was over £32,000 and the record at the Border Union Ram Sales is £65,000, for a Texel shearling ram called ‘Campsie Drambuie’, bought in 2021. The total amount of money changing hands over the course of the day is expected to be close to £5m.

Hunter is a Longridge student from a Borders farming family, but it was his first visit to the Ram Sales. He said: “I’ve heard all about it but it’s my first time actually coming along because I’m always in school!

“I didn’t realise it was so big and there would be so many people, but it just shows you how important these sales are to people from around the Borders and Northumberland, but also from across the UK because some people have come a long way to buy and sell.

“For a first day out of school on the new agriculture course this is great, and it just makes me more enthusiastic about what the course is going to be like.”

Pandra told us: “I think a day out like this provides a greater perspective on what we’re learning. I have walked around the sales and we’ve spoken to people, and so we can see what we’re getting ourselves into with a career in agriculture, if you know what I mean.

“I’m fascinated to learn a bit more about why farmers buy livestock, how they buy and sell and how the bidding works at something like this.

“It’s also a lot easier for some people to learn from watching something in action like this rather than sitting in a classroom and and writing it in a notebook. I think it’s an amazing experience to be able to come and watch.”

Oscar said: “I’m not from a farming family but I do live on a farm, and I’ve had some experience now of lambing and a few jobs around a farm, so I was interested in taking this course and learning more.

“I am someone who learns better, or learns more quickly I think, with hands-on experience, than from always being in a classroom. We need the theory and so classroom work is important, but I think you remember it more when you are at something like this where you can see what’s going on, speak to people and see what the buying and selling of livestock actually means to farmers.

“I’m quite interested in veterinary science but I’m not quite sure yet what I want to do as a career, so this helps to give me some idea about what I like, or what’s good or bad about elements of agricultural work.”

Mrs Aitchison, Oscar, Pandra and Mr Wilcox (Hunter was helping with sheep in a pen) enjoy their visit to the Kelso Ram Sales.