A Cumbrian farm is to host the sheep industry showcase, NSA North Sheep, next year.

The popular biennial event is to be hosted by John and Liz Peile and their family at Greystoke Castle Farm, Greystoke, Penrith, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Hundreds of trade stands will be attendance alongside breed societies and individual breeders. Seminars and demonstrations will take place throughout the day, as well as farm tours. Young Farmers and local schools will also be invited with an aim to educate and encourage the next generation of farmers.

Ted Ogden, NSA Northern Region Chair, said: “This hill farming operation comprises a dairy herd, beef cattle, a flock of hill sheep and self-replenishing lowland flock of Mule and Texel cross ewes making it a wonderful farm to visit.”

The entirety of the farmland is down to grass of which 700 acres is good grazing or mowing pasture. A further 1000 acres of grazing and 500 acres of rough grazing. All of which is in entry level or high level stewardship schemes.

The Peile Family took on farming Greystoke Castle Farm as contractors in 2013. For eight years they farmed successfully alongside the Howard family.

In 2022 the opportunity arose for the family to take on the full tenancy for 20 years. Since then, as part of their business, they have installed a new milking unit, milking 150 dairy cows. The milk is sold to First Milk and dairy young stock is sold at 20 months as big stores. 120 Limousin cross and Simmental cross suckler cows are put to Charolais and Limousin bulls with the calves being sold at around six months old as sucker calves. In addition, there are 60 Luing cows living outside all year round. The Luings are bulled with the Simmental with the heifers sold for breeding and the remainder sold as store cattle. All beef cows calve in the spring with the dairy cows calving all year round.

The sheep enterprise is self-sufficient, only buying in breeding tups. The flock comprises of 300 Swaledale ewes, breeding replacement Swaledales and North of England Mules. 600 North of England mules are tupped by a Texel, the ewe lambs are kept as replacements or sold for breeding at local marts. In additional there are 400 texel ewes kept to breed prime lambs.