Newbirks herd bags another Craven Dairy Auction title
The Lawson family’s Newbirks pedigree Holstein herd clinched its second Craven Dairy Auction championship of 2015 at the opening April show and sale. (Mon, Apr 13)
Based at Mill Farm, Arthington, the Lawsons, who are the current CCM Dairy Farmers of the Year, further enhanced their phenomenal run of success in the Skipton dairy ring when their first prize newly calven heifer was handed the champion’s rosette by judge Colin Whitelock, of Gargrave.
Represented by David Lawson and his daughter Suzy, their latest title winner, Newbirks Jazz 1607, was another product of their renowned milk-rich Jazz line of females. The sire is their home-bred dairy bull, Newbirks Jazwyn, a Braedale Goldwyn son, while the dam is Newbirks Jazz 1496. The three weeks-calved victor, giving 34 litres, sold for £2,020, to ringside regular Wick Williams, of Nantwich.
Bishop Thornton’s Peter Paul, champion at the previous dairy show, was again to the fore when presenting the second prize newly calven heifer and reserve champion, another highly regarded product of his Ravensgate pedigree Holstein herd, based at Watergate Farm.
Ravensgate Garrison Sparkle 207 is, as the name suggests, a daughter of the well-known Genus sire Garrison, out of a Sandy-Valley Bolton-sired cow. Thirty days-calved and producing 30 litres, she sold for the day’s top call of £2,080 to Alf and Andrew Townsend, of Southfield, Burnley.
A second Ravensgate newly calven heifer made £1,820 when again joining Mr Williams, who also paid £1,980 for the third prize newly calven heifer from Skipton regulars Fred and Mark Houseman, who trade as Church Farm Enterprises at Burton Top Farm, Burton Leonard.
All three prizes in the show class for newly calven cows fell to David Leeming, of Burnt Yates, Harrogate, and were among a 20-strong consignment of new calvers that formed the first part of a dispersal sale of his commercial dairy herd.
It was well supported, with Mr Leeming’s heifers selling to £1,900 – this to Mirfield’s George Fleetwood - and his cows to £1,820 for a Swedish Red second calver bought by the Ellis family in Cawthorne, Barnsley.
David and Jill Pennock, of Bolton Abbey, presented the first and second prize in-calf heifers, the red rosette winner selling for £1,260 to Gargrave’s David Shuttleworth.
Trade for the 41 dairy cattle was mixed, with pedigree newly calven heifers averaging £1,627 and their commercial counterparts £1,438. Newly calven cows averaged £1,307 per head.
Show sponsors were Shepherd Agri, NMI and VG Energy. The main monthly ForFarmers-sponsored Craven Dairy Auction on Monday, April 27, also features special shows and sales for dairy bulls and in-calf females.
Dairy-bred youngsters also traded well at Skipton’s Monday rearing calf sale, with many quality black and white entries reaching three figures, though an odd lean calf among them dragged the average under the magical £100 mark to level at £93.32 per head. Threshfield’s Angus Dean topped the section at £155 with a black and white bull calf bought by Martin Hutchinson, of Mixenden.
Wigglesworth’s John and Simon Moon were responsible for the day’s top price £450 British Blue-cross bull calf, sold to Tony Binns, of Clint, Harrogate, with Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard heading the heifer prices with another Blue-cross sold at £420, again to Mr Hutchinson. The Continental-cross average was £333 per head.
Native breed youngsters also performed well, with Angus and Hereford bull calves from Alf and Andrew Townsend, of Southfield, Burnley, reaching £220 twice, and the Gawthorpe family, from Bradford, achieving £240 with a Hereford bull calf. The overall native average was £207.25.