Skipton’s May primestock shows attract strong prices A first-time prime cattle exhibitor claimed the May show championship at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, May 4) Bill Cowperthwaite, of Tennant Gill Farm, Malham Moor, was awarded the honour for his 630kg pure-bred Limousin steer, got by a bull bought from Proctors Farm in Slaidburn. The supreme champion was sold to Phillip Gregory, of D&A Gregory & Sons Butchers in St James Street, Bacup, for 230.5p/kg, or £1,452.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 835 head of cattle Comprising: 203 Young Feeding Bulls, 608 Bullocks & Heifers, 7 Feeding Cows, 8 Pedigree Cattle & 9 Breeding Cattle. Today’s sale capped a great week for store cattle numbers at Skipton with nearly 1100 head traded between Saturday’s Monthly Stirk Sale and today’s regular fortnightly Wednesday sale. A wonderful show of both short keep and grazing cattle attracted a packed ringside of customers. With one eye on the prime trade some customers were understandably cautious before the sale, but generally trade would be stronger than most anticipated. Grazing Bullocks and heifers were the trade of the day, with buyers keen to secure cattle from such a large show and whilst they were there in front of them.

Blue Wednesday – Pedigree British Blues. Forward 8 head: 7 Bulls & 1 Female. Judge – Sheila Mason Champion - JC Walker & Son Lot 9 selling for 3,900gns to DP Moore Reserve - MJ&RH Wallbank Lot 3 selling for 3,300gns to J&G Huck

Forward: 74 Prime cattle comprising 3 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 68 Cast Cattle 3,665 TOTAL HEAD OF SHEEP – Inc: 2,641 Prime & Cast Sheep - comprising: 85 Spring Lambs, 2127 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 416 Cast Ewes and 13 Cast Rams. 1,024 Breeding Sheep 42 Rearing Calves 59 Dairy Cattle 5 Loads of produce

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.

Breeding Sheep (1,024 Head) There were 383 Sheep with 641 lambs at foot forward for today’s weekly sale. Trade was decent given the recent realignment in the prime sheep prices and again young sheep were keenly sought as has been the case for much of this season as customers look to find replacements to be put into flocks this spring.

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.

244 Breeding & Store Sheep and Goats Today we held a special additional sale of Sheep with Lambs at foot in conjunction with the Monthly Sale of Stirks and weaned calves. The star turn was the dispersal sale of The Brimar Flock of Registered Zwartbles Sheep held of behalf of Mrs Margaret Watkinson. The sale ring was packed to capacity with friends and breeders who came from far and wide to support the sale.

Forward – 240 head cattle: 56 Bulls, 112 Steers, 57 Heifers & 15 Breeding Cattle & 244 Breeding & Store Sheep and Goats. Today we held a special additional sale of Sheep with Lambs at foot in conjunction with the Monthly Sale of Stirks and weaned calves.

Forward: 26 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30mos), 4 Clean Cattle (over 30mos) & 21 Cast Cattle 4,368 TOTAL HEAD OF SHEEP – Inc: 3,544 Prime & Cast Sheep - comprising: 149 Spring Lambs, 2820 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 552 Cast Ewes and 23 Cast Rams. 824 Breeding Sheep 48 Rearing Calves 4 Loads of produce

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.

Walkers walk on with another Skipton store cattle champion The Walker family, from Brennand Farm in Dunsop Bridge, continued its domination of the store cattle show arena at Skipton Auction Mart when presenting yet another champion. Jeff Walker led out the title winner at the annual Spring store cattle with show potential fixture, the first prize British Blue heifer, a pure home-bred by the Walkers’ main stock bull Cromwell Fendt.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 476 head of cattle Comprising: 129 Young Feeding Bulls, 337 Bullocks & Heifers & 10 Breeding Cattle. Trade every bit as good as the previous sale, and grazing cattle finding a keen enquiry. Yearling bullocks once again in very strong demand.

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.

Forward: 61 Prime cattle comprising 1Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Bull (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 57 Cast Cattle 3,344 Prime & Cast Sheep - comprising: 74 Spring Lambs, 2776 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 476 Cast Ewes and 18 Cast Rams. 442 Breeding Sheep 52 Rearing Calves 41 Dairy Cattle 9 Loads of produce