NORTH Sheep will be held this year at Whinfell Park, Penrith, on Wednesday, June 1.

Organised by the National Sheep Association's northern region, it aims to inform and inspire all parts of the sector.

Quality lamb production is at the heart of agri-businessman Allan Jenkinson's Whinfell Park Estate.

Maintaining the estate's sheep enterprise within the top third of costed flocks, and achieving even greater economies of scale, is the way forward, according to Nick Scholefield, estate manager.

The 3,200 ewe flock of Mules and Texel X Mules is without doubt the most profitable enterprise on the unit.

"In 2004, we sold in the region of 5,700 head of finished lamb through the ring to average £52," said Mr Scholefield. "We use Texel and Beltex rams to produce high-quality crosses to match market requirements and we believe demand will remain buoyant for such lamb for the foreseeable future."

Given the opportunity, they plan to expand the estate, allowing the flock to be increased, and allocating one shepherd to each 2,000 ewes.

"During the past 20 years, the unit has expanded tenfold to its current 1,700 acres, along with the volume of stock carried," said Mr Scholefield.

Sheep are the vital ingredient at Whinfell Park, a mixed lowland unit lying on sandstone in the Eden Valley, which also carries a newly-established, 150-cow pedigree Limousin herd.

"We've 1,000 acres down to permanent pasture and grass leys and the remainder to wheat, barley and oilseed rape, and it's that mix of corn and horn that enables us to operate a successful rotation," said Mr Scholefield.

Iain Scott, farm manager, has established a simple, relatively high input/high output sheep enterprise. Lambing starts on March 1; Mules average 200pc lambs reared and Texel X 175pc. They reach the target 45kg liveweight, ready for the first draw, within 14 weeks.

"We achieve a regular income by marketing an average 200 lambs a week throughout the season, starting with the Texel cross Mules, while the slower maturing three-quarter-bred Texels hit the higher quality lamb market later on," said Mr Scott.

"The entire crop is sold finished, apart from a portion of Texel cross gimmers retained for replacement purposes and supplemented with shearling Mules bought in from Lazonby.

"We find it cost effective to creep the lambs during their last two weeks at grass, to introduce that extra finish which ultimately commands a premium.

"We are great believers in supporting the live auction because it puts a real bottom in the marketplace. It also provides us with a showcase. Our lambs are traded to repeat buyers who work with both high street retail outlets and multiples."

Whinfell Park's impressive array of accommodation, which doubles up for storage purposes, plus five sets of permanent handling pens strategically located over the four-mile-long estate, facilitate the sheep enterprise's smooth running by shepherds, Andrew Howe and Alan Law.

They are helped by up to seven casuals during the busiest two weeks of lambing.

"Immediately after scanning, 1,000 ewes are housed, including all those carrying triplets and a portion with twins, and the remainder, one week prior to lambing," Mr Scott said. "Housing makes for easier management, including feeding a uniform, least-cost TMR diet based on home-grown barley and grass silage.

"Equally important to us handling comfortably such large volumes of sheep are the outlying handling pens.

"We're able to stage five separate gathers close to where the sheep are grazing and we can, for example, take the mobile shower to them. We use contract shearers, otherwise we carry out all the routine work ourselves.

"We worm the ewes twice during the grazing season and, last year, dung sampling the lambs helped us determine worm thresholds and subsequently halve the number of treatments."

Post-foot-and-mouth, the estate's beef enterprise had intended to change from buying-in store cattle for finishing to establishing a closed suckler herd, but that was overtaken by ambitions to introduce a pedigree beef herd and 2002 heralded the introduction of the first pedigree Limousins.

Numbers have grown rapidly to 150 cows, including 50 French-imported breeding females, and the herd's next five-year goal is to be within the breed's top 10pc.

But, as far the sheep enterprise is concerned, the plan is to keep a keen eye on the commercial marketplace for finished lamb.

"According to Eblex, all the evidence indicates that breeding sheep numbers continue to remain stable, therefore I can't foresee any radical changes in the short to medium term," said Mr Scott. "However we are ready to react to match any emerging new requirements in order to maintain the enterprise's current profitability."