Craven Dairy Auction (50 head) A strong show of dairy beast with two dispersals present accounting for 1/3 of the show today. Judging carried out by Colin Whitelock chose the champion beast from a fine show of cattle eventually picking a sweet heifer from Robin Jennings, South Stainley. A strong supporter of Skipton Dairy Sales Robin produced a fantastic pedigree heifer which was giving 31 litres, 11 days calved and sired by the well known REW Seaver sold for £1900 to the Gratton Family of Brimham Lodge. Other noted prices were a strong run of quality goods from David Leeming which topped at £1800 for a storming 3rd Calver giving 50 litres to Tom Green of Wigan.

Rearing Calves to £640 (57) B&W av £139.68 Cont av £471 Native av £238 Well it’s happened again with calves dearer still on the week. A fantastic show of black and whites met the same flying trade that we saw last week with the best of bunch being a 1mth 8 day old Friesian from Michael Heron, Bramhope hitting a new high of £280 and Anthony Bolland, Bolton Abbey also having a flyer with a Holstein bull to £260. B&W average today £139.68 with 70% of B&W’s over £100’s. A quality run from Hartley’s of Beamsley saw their Angus bulls and heifers sell well to £290 and av £254 for his run of 8.

Skipton rearing calf trade excels yet again Rearing calf selling prices at Skipton Auction Mart continue to exceed all expectations. While dairy trade remains adversely affected by the uncertainty over milk prices, the mart’s calf trade is anything but, with some heady prices again achieved for dairy-bred entries and all calves in the 57-strong turnout dearer still on the week at Monday’s latest fixture. (June 22) In the Continental-cross section, British Blue youngsters were again out in force, with an average age of 35 days and quality of the highest order on parade.

Robin Jennings regains champion’s crown at Craven Dairy Auction Robin Jennings, who runs the Stainbank pedigree Holstein dairy herd at Hill House Farm, South Stainley, Harrogate, won his first championship for some time at the main June Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, June 22) Mr Jennings secured overall victory with his first prize newly calven heifer, Tranthwaite Diamond Samatha, which he acquired as a stirk from Cumbrian breeder Peter Swindlehurst, of Underbarrow, Kendal.

Rearing Calves to £530 (43) B&W av £120.58 Cont av £483 Native av £204 A trade that hasn’t been seen in a long time! Holstein Friesian calves were a phenomenal trade with 15 over £100 and 5 of those over £200 topping with a fantastic 8 wk old holstein calf from David Hall of Conistone Cold at £260. The number of farmer buyers chasing these good black and white calves can’t be ignored.

77 Rearing Calves to £490 B&W av £93.11 Cont av £366.22 Native av £218.6 Calves continue on the strong trade with a good show being well supported from start to finish. Right through well reared calves making a good trade with 28 Black and White calves averaging £93.11 and 11 of 28 well over £100 and topping at £200 for a fine calf from Richard Spence of Low Jackfield. Native calves for the quality of the show were very strong with an overall average of £218.6 and Richard Sutcliffe of Queensbury topping at £275 for a 1mth old calf.

Lawson four-timer at Craven Dairy Auction A fourth Craven Dairy Auction championship of 2015 fell to the Wharfedale-based Newbirks pedigree Holstein herd, the reigning Craven Cattle Marts’ Dairy Farmers of the Year, at the main May show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. Father and daughter David and Suzy Lawson, of Mill Farm, Arthington, saw their first prize newly calven heifer, Newbirks Gertie 321, by the home-bred Braedale Goldwyn son, Newbirks Jazwyn, progress to become overall champion courtesy of show judge Stephen Coates, of Baildon Moor, who then backed his judgment at the ringside when securing his chosen victor, 19 days calved and giving 32 litres, for £1,800.

Rearing Calves to £460 B&W av £85 Cont av £362 Native av £251.50 Small Show of calves forward following the calf show with a lot of farmers with one eye on their silage. However trade was strong not quite that of Show week but a couple of strong Simmental heifers topped the bidding today from John Blackwell, Gargrave 1mth and 28 days making £460 with Alf and Andrew Townsend just pipped with their bull at £455. Black and Whites and Angus’ continue their strong trend with some planer calves than what has been previously seen still averaging £85 and £251.50 Respectively.

Rearing Calves to £515 B&W av £82 Cont av £355.58 Native av £165 Calves were once again good to sell with all calves selling to a strong trade with continentals and natives looking cheap on paper, however for what they were the trade was strong. A Strong limousin Suckler bred calf sold to the top price of £515 from Messrs Worthington, Ramsbottom. SKIPTON MAY CALF SHOW NEXT WEEK 18th May

Calvert cow champion again at Craven Dairy Auction Top price falls to first-time exhibitors The Calvert dairy farming family from Teesside added another Craven Dairy Auction championship to their tally, as they continued the dispersal of their Calton pedigree Holstein herd at Skipton Auction Mart. At the opening May dairy show and sale (Mon, May 11), husband and wife, Mark and Karen Calvert, of Glebe Farm, Crathorne, Yarm, landed the overall title with their first prize newly calven cow, the five-year-old Calton Dragon Cherry, a fourth lactation embryo daughter of the Genus sire, Overside Dragon.

Craven Dairy Auction (61 head) A sticky day in the dairy ring with a big entry for the For Farmers show and sale with trade continuing to be very volatile throughout. Well put together animals were a pleasure to sell with some strong cows from Calvert Bros and the Champion heifer from David Lawson enjoying the highest of trades at £1800 - £1900. Good honest dairy heifers were harder to sell with a large portion of heifers £1350 to £1650.

Butterfield bull lands the spoils at Skipton Pedigree dairy bulls were on parade for their annual show and sale that once again formed part of Skipton Auction Mart’s main April Craven Dairy Auction. (Mon, Apr 27) The Ingleview pedigree herd of Bentham’s Robert and Elaine Butterfield, runner-up in 2014, went one better at the latest renewal when presenting the first prize bull, Ingleview Magician, a September, 2013-born son of Cogent’s Lirr Drew Dempsey.

Rearing Calves to £430 B&W av £90.11 Cont av £344.4 Native av £204.2 A small show for today’s sale with 48 Calves forward but strong averages were shown throughout the sale with Church Farm Enterprises topping the sale sheets with a fantastic British Blue Bull reaching £430. Black and whites were on a charge again with yet again a strong average at £90.11 and topping at £170 for a Friesian calf of the Herons from Bramhope. Demand continuing for good straight calves with reward received for producing the highest of quality.

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.

52 Rearing Calves & 41 Dairy Cattle... Rearing Calves to £450 B&W av £93.32 Cont av £333 Native av £207.25 A strong show of calves from a wide spread of vendors this morning with Black and White calves the trade of the day with many a sweet black and white reaching three figures with just an odd lean calf dragging the average under the magical £100. Church Farm took top call in the heifers today but Jonny Moon of Wigglesworth hit the days highest price of £450 for a British Blue Bull.