Overall average up £15.76 per head at CCM Skipton gimmer shearling opener The traditional pipeopener to Skipton Auction Mart’s 2019 breeding sheep season, the annual show and sale of Mule, Masham, Continental and Suffolk-cross gimmer shearlings, attracted an entry of 3,040 head. (Tuesday, Aug 20) They sold to an overall average for all breeds of £139.84 per head, a solid increase on the previous year’s £124.08. Trade was undoubtedly helped this year by the better availability of grazing and a good prime trade for the time of year.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs & Breeding Sheep Forward: 7,079 Head: (6,598 Store Lambs and 481 Breeding Sheep) Overall Store Lamb av £58.41 *** 6,598 Store lambs through the ring this morning resulted in almost the same average as last fortnight of £58.41. Strong lambs were a nice trade as a result of the improved prime price seen this week with a number of fleshy pens in the £70 bracket.

NEMSA chairman champion at Skipton branch progeny show Skipton branch of the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) staged a progeny show of Bluefaced Leicester rams and Mule progeny, kindly hosted by Craven Cattle Marts in Skipton, (Sunday 4th August) The event attracted over 40 entries split into five show classes. The overall championship fell to NEMSA national chairman Kevin Wilson, and his son, James, from Blubberhouses, with their home-bred 2018-born Bluefaced Leicester ram, Hewness L1, with its three Mule gimmer lambs.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs & Breeding Sheep Forward: 5,796 Head comprising 5,689 Store Lambs (av £58.42) and 107 Breeding Ewes (av £108.06) A large show of sheep today, and the headline figures show 900 more lambs sold than the corresponding sale in 2018 and a rise in the average of £3.32 per head on the year to level at £58.42 per head.

Championship successes for CCM customers at Great Yorkshire Show Many congratulations to CCM regulars who achieved championship successes at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

407 Breeding Sheep A lovely late season show for the Bank Holiday singles show experienced a nice trade, best of the day was £310 for the 1st Prize Lowland Ewe with a single lamb at foot. Presented by John & Janet Wilson, Settle, this Beltex cross Rouge Shlg with a Beltex Lamb sold to C Dabill, Yeadon. The same vendors had others at £240, £220 twice, and £200 twice. Hywell Williams Llangadog brought his second spring consignment north to Skipton and topped at £240 for a pair of Texel Hoggs with Singles. Other better end of Ewes with twins £180 to £200. Robert Johnson made £200 of Texel Hoggs with singles, JW Stockdale £190 of Texels with Twins, whilst best Mules with singles in the £180’s (£188 and £185 RG Johnson) and other good outfits in the £170’s, with Mule hoggs av £171 per outfit and Texles £174. Several batches of geld Gimmer hoggs had Texels at £150 MG Benson, £140 and £130 H Metcalfe, and Mules to £110 H Williams and £105 M Burton.

470 Breeding Sheep Another good show of nearly 200 outfits late in the season and a sharp selling trade. Best Hoggs and singles up to £195 and best of the rest £175, others in the £160’s, better continental ewes with twins to £232 from Rosie Dunn, and the same vendor having the top price singles at £195 per outfit. **NEXT WEEK** BANK HOLIDAY SHOW & SALE – Special prizes for Single Sheep with lambs, and special Annual Consignments of Swaledale sheep with Lambs form John Bland Crowden and Roy Nelson Bordley. Full catalogue online Friday afternoon. Entries to the mart office. Thankyou.

CCM Skipton looks forward to NSA North Sheep 2019 As one of the mainline sponsors, Craven Cattle Marts in Skipton will have a high profile presence on its indoor show stand at NSA North Sheep 2019. Fittingly for such an event, live sheep will again be available for viewing – a Swaledale ewe with North of England Mule lambs at foot, along with a Continental hogg with Beltex lambs. There will be the usual warm welcome to all at the CCM stand, which will feature photographic displays and offer light refreshments.

Breeding Sheep – 354 Ewes and 578 Lambs Plenty of outfits about today, 354 in total, even though last week was the show day. Nice show of hoggs and lambs, although missing the strong quality of last week, the better sorts on the day made £170-£180 per outfit. Shearlings and young ewes in good demand with better 2-4crop Continentals with twins up around £200 per outfits, Mule £170-£180 per outfit for twins. Some outfits with stronger singles topping at £165, other better sorts £130 to £160. Todays sale included an entry of 60 Swaledale Ewes with Mule Lambs from CT Akrigg, topping at £140 with the majority making around £120. Good show again for next week, entries to the mart office by Friday Lunchtime please.

May Day Bank Holiday Show & Sale of Sheep with lambs and Geld Gimmer Hoggs. Forward: 2756 Breeding Sheep (inc. 1065 Geld Gimmer Hoggs and 735 outfits of Breeding Sheep with 956 lambs at foot).

May Day bank holiday breeding sheep bonanza at CCM Skipton On a traditionally busy day, an action-packed May Day bank holiday programme at Skipton Auction Mart again featured annual shows for breeding sheep – with a total of 2,756 geld gimmer hoggs and sheep with lambs at foot successfully going under the hammer. (Monday, May 6)

827 Breeding Sheep (comprising 309 Sheep with 518 Lambs at foot) Another good entry of breeding sheep forward for sale, and like last week, a good mixture of young sheep with lambs and older sheep. Best of the Mule Hoggs with Singles came from Robert Johnson Felliscliffe selling at £180 the outfit, cloely followed by Messrs Gratton Warsill with two pens at £175 and one at £170. Ian Townson Settle also making £170 twice. Other decent types in the £160’s and some farming types £130-£140. Best of the Continental Shearlings were two pens of homebred Texels with twin Beltex Lambs from Simon Bennett Silsden Moor. These outfits ideal for inclusion in a flock being Enzo and Toxo, Hep P. Both pens sold for £270 per outfit with another at £230.

1184 Breeding Sheep comprising 456 Sheep with 728 Lambs at foot. A brilliant entry of sheep for Easter Monday with over 450 outfits penned and sold, offering customers ringside an unrivalled choice covering older ewes with strong lambs for feeding out and younger outfits of Shearlings and Hoggs with lambs for including in a flock. The ringside was packed out with customers and a fast selling trade ensued with quality in strong demand.

Solid turnout and strong trade at CCM Skipton Easter ewes with lambs showcase Silsden Moor’s Andrew Throup, of Middle Marchup Farm, was responsible for the red rosette-winning pairs pen at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Easter breeding sheep show and sale of ewes with lambs at foot. (Monday, April 22)

705 Breeding Sheep – 240 Ewes with 465 Lambs A larger show of 705 breeding sheep, comprising 240 Ewes with 465 lambs at foot, saw a very sharp trade for all Suffolk and Continental outfits, and very best Mule outfits in strong demand, but a commercial Mule outfit still looks value for money compared to some others. At the top end of things it was Rosy Dunn from York who had chief price at £275 for a pen of 5 Texel Shlgs with twins, and £245 for 5 Texel 2-3crop Ewes with twins. Andrew Throup from Silsden made £255 of 10 Texel 2shr ewes with twins, and £230 of a pen of 9 with 18.