Brian Lund double at Skipton prime cattle showcase A pair of home-bred Limousin-cross heifers from Calderdale’s Brian Lund secured championship and reserve championship honours at Skipton Auction Mart’s March prime cattle show and sale. (Mon, March 2) Mr Lund, who farms 350 acres of hill land at Walshaw Farm, Hebden Bridge, clinched the latest in a long line of successes at Skipton with a pair of home-bred Limousin-cross heifers by his well regarded stock bull Bo, who was bred in neighbouring Kirklees by Almondbury’s Janet Sheard and has also been responsible for quite a number of the vendor’s past Skipton champions.

Brown back-to-back Beltex title win at Skipton A second successive monthly prime lamb championship was clinched by well-known North Yorkshire Beltex sheep breeders, husband and wife Martin and Val Brown, at Skipton Auction Mart’s March fixture. (Mon, March 2) The Browns, from Beechwood House Farm, Newton-le-Willows, Bedale, again consigned the first prize pen of five Continental-cross lambs, which, like their February title winners, were home-bred, near pure-bred Beltex. Weighing in at 41kg, they sold for the day’s high of £135 per head, or 329.3p/kg, to regular wholesale buyers Vivers Scotlamb, of Annan.

MARKET REPORT – MONDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2015 - Forward: 56 Prime cattle comprising 4 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 51 Cast Cattle. 2,618 Prime Sheep comprising 2,246 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 360 Cast Ewes & 12 Cast Rams. 51 Rearing Calves. 24 Dairy Cattle. 21 Loads of produce. Sheep numbers remain strong with feeders now getting into gear and presenting good types. The best again stretching top side of £3 per kilo, but it was the commercial types and hill lambs that were far better to sell this week, Mule lambs averaging 184.9p. Well presented lambs if clean, belly clipped and farm assured can command a good premium regardless of type.

MARKET REPORT – MONDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2015 - Forward: 24 Prime cattle comprising 24 Cast Cattle. 2,589 Prime Sheep comprising 2,167 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 398 Cast Ewes & 25 Rams. 36 Rearing Calves. 17 Loads of produce. A tremendous show of Beltex lambs today saw 7 pens sell in excess of 300p, tops from Paul Simpson of Bolton by Bowland whose 36kg lambs stole the show at £124 per head, with a top price per head of £129 each for 43kg’s. Paul’s trailer full of 63 lambs averaging 39.8kg, 283.8pkg or £113.17 in money. Stephen Pepper also had some smart sorts with 36kg at £114 or 318.9p and sold others to a high of £125. The Beltex breed averaged £101.60 per head or 253.6p. Texel and other continental lambs saw better finished types around 200p, commercial type’s 185p-190p. Mule lambs easily up kept last week’s rates with 44kg to 46kg keenly contested. Lightweight Horned lambs were a just a shade harder to cash on the week. Cast Sheep were a sharp trade on the week, especially the best end.

Forward: 47 Prime Cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 44 Cast Cattle. 3,351 Prime Sheep comprising 3,021 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 330 Cast Ewes & Rams. 45 Rearing Calves. 8 Dairy Cattle. 13 Loads of produce. Another busy weekly market was held today with a solid trade seen for each class of stock. Cast Cattle were generally a good show for quality, but the improvement in trade saw the overall average nudge above 120p/kg. In the sheep ring trade was just a shade stronger on the week, with 188p being the average right across the board. Rearing calves and dairy cattle, although slightly short of numbers were all keenly contested and trade would be in front of many vendors expectations on the day.

Forward: 43 Prime cattle; comprising 13 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 28 Cast Cattle. 2,885 Prime Sheep comprising 2,666 Prime Hoggs, 201 Cast Ewes & 18 Cast Rams. 52 Rearing Calves. 16 Loads of produce. Paul Baines of Trawden lead the way at the February Primestock Show taking both Champion and Reserve. His Champion a 540kg British Blue Heifer was picked up by Keelham Farm Shop of Thornton for 269.5p/kg or £1455. The reserve a Limousin cross heifer made 239.5p/kg or £1257 when selling to Simon Duerden of Blacko. The monthly lamb show was kindly judged by Mr Jim Holden, Livestock buyer for Woodhead Bros of Colne. His choice of champion pen was a pen of 5 Beltex crosses from Martin Brown of Bedale, weighing 42kg they sold for £125 each to Vivers Scotlamb, Annan.

Forward: 52 Prime cattle (comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 7 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 44 Cast Cattle) 3,101 Prime & Cast Sheep (comprising 2,747 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 324 Cast Ewes & 30 Cast Rams) 62 Rearing Calves 15 Dairy Cattle 10 Loads of produce

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Forward: 41 Prime cattle comprising 41 Cast Cattle 2,593 Prime Sheep comprising 2,294 Prime Hoggs, 299 Cast Ewes & Rams 35 Rearing Calves 15 Loads of produce

MARKET REPORT – MONDAY 12th JANUARY 2015. Forward: 64 Prime cattle comprising 11 Clean Cattle & 53 Cast Cattle. 2,580 Prime & Cast Sheep comprising 2,025 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 555 Cast Ewes & Rams. 71 Rearing Calves. 16 Dairy Cattle. 13 Loads of Produce. A much busier day than expected at CCM Skipton today given the atrocious weather over the weekend and early this morning. Good entries across the board and primestock prices stronger than expected.

Forward: 78 Prime cattle comprising 11 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 9 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 58 Cast Cattle 3,062 Prime Sheep comprising 2,482 Prime Hoggs, 580 Cast Ewes & Rams 124 Rearing Calves 10 Loads of produce

Forward: 6 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 5 Cast Cattle 4,029 Prime Sheep comprising 3,328 Prime Lambs, 701 Cast Ewes & Rams 6 Loads of produce

Last Monday Sale before Christmas....... Forward: 2 Cast Cattle. 4,315 Prime Sheep comprising 3,719 Prime Lambs, 596 Cast Ewes & Rams. 25 Rearing Calves. 564 Dressed Poultry.

Forward: 37 Prime cattle comprising 2 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 32 Cast Cattle 4,485 Prime Sheep comprising 4,087 Prime Lambs, 398 Cast Ewes & Rams 60 Rearing Calves 24 Dairy Cattle 8 Loads of produce

Forward: 33 Prime cattle comprising 3 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 4 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 26 Cast Cattle 5,152 Prime Sheep comprising 4,835 Prime Lambs, 317 Cast Ewes & Rams 40 Rearing Calves 8 Loads of produce