NEW North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) chairman Kevin Wilson has begun his two-year term of office with a clarion call to farming’s future generations.

"We need to get more young people involved with the Association. Our future success depends on it," said the North Yorkshire upland sheep and cattle farmer from Hewness House Farm, Blubberhouses.

He said the association is exploring a number of avenues to maintain and raise the Association’s profile and that of the breed in general, with enhanced marketing and promotion key to their long-term aims and objectives. It was also looking to more effectively publicise its main autumn gimmer lamb shows and sales staged at auction marts across the North of England.

"These high profile sales continue to prove extremely popular," he said. "Not only do they cater for our own membership, but they also continue to attract North of England Mule aficionados and buyers from the length and breadth of the UK, including regular visitors from Devon and Cornwall, as well as East Anglia, the Midlands, Wales and beyond."

Mr Wilson added: "I am both delighted and proud to have taken over at the helm of a strong, financially sound and forward-looking NEMSA. We have a growing membership covering all areas from the English/Scottish Border down to Derbyshire and it shouldn’t be too long before we are welcoming our milestone 1,000th member on board."

The family's farming roots stretch back to 1783. Mr Wilson started farming in his own right in 1983 – his wife Daphne is also an integral part of the business – and they have since been joined in partnership with their son, James. Together they farm three separate packets of upland between Skipton and Harrogate.

Mules are their main stock-in-trade. They breed their own Bluefaced Leicester tups and buy in ram lambs at society sales for new bloodlines, while selling all their gimmer lambs at CCM Skipton, where Mr Wilson is a director.

At Skipton’s second NEMSA highlight last year, the Wilsons won both show classes for pens of ten and 20 for the first time.The majority were sired by their highly regarded Harland F1 Bighead tup, shared in partnership with Richmondshire breeder Alan Busby, of Marrick.

The ram has been used successfully for three breeding seasons and now has his fourth crop of lambs on the ground. Bighead has since been joined by his home-bred shearling son, Junior. Both were among the prizes at last year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

Mr Wilson – whose family also runs a Limousin-x-British Blue suckler herd - has been involved with NEMSA for many years, the last two as vice-chairman. He is also a former chairman of Nidderdale Agricultural Society, continuing to serve on the show committee, and the sheep committee of Otley Show.

Mr Wilson said the current lambing season had been extremely difficult one for sheep farmers countrywide. "In fact, it’s been the worst lambing time I have ever known, with a long, hard winter and the so-called 'beast from the east' prior to lambing really knocking the condition of sheep. I think we will see less lambs on the ground this year."