Forward: 63 Prime cattle comprising 16 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 46 Cast Cattle. 3,129 Prime Sheep comprising 2,879 Old Season Lambs, 250 Cast Ewes & Rams. 72 Rearing Calves. 38 Dairy Cattle. 10 Loads of produce.

Rearing Calves to £400 (72) B&W av £92.21 Cont av £316.60 Native av £205.20 Those who responded to the call for calves went away very happy with all types a healthy trade and arguably no poor calves in the market. Limousin’s seemed to have found an extra gear today with Robert Metcalfe, Brearton topping with a pair of sweet heifers at £340 and Angus Dean £310 with a straight Limousin Bull. Black and White calves saw a marked increase today with an overall average of £92.21 for calves all under 8 ½ weeks. Attendance of spring rearers is a welcome sign to the ring side and a consistent run of calves is needed to keep them coming.

MARKET REPORT – WEDNESDAY 24th February 2016 Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs and Breeding Sheep Forward: 717 Head, Overall av £55.78 CCM conducted their fortnightly store sheep sale at Skipton on Wednesday. Store lambs were a strong trade, peaking at £80 and £77 for Beltex crosses from Martin and Val Brown of Leyburn. Lambs were dearer than the previous sale helped by the rising prime market. The first sheep and lambs of this season were forward, and weekly sales commence from Monday 29th February, including Inlamb ewes and Store Lambs, approx. 60 outfits pre-entered already. Trade was brisk with weather brightening up a little and customers out looking. Keith Downs dispersed the second half of his flock, and trade was a shade stronger than the previous offering.

Forward: 63 Prime cattle comprising 19 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 41 Cast Cattle. 3,085 Prime Sheep comprising 2743 Old Season Lambs, 342 Cast Ewes & Rams. 40 Rearing Calves. 8 Loads of produce.

Walker family maintains dominance of Skipton store cattle show arena The Walker farming family from Dunsop Bridge again walked off with a fistful of honours, including the supreme championship, also the top price performer, at the new-look ‘Craven Champions’ double-header, the annual opening show and sale of store cattle with show potential at Skipton Auction Mart. (Tues & Wed, Feb 16 & 17)

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle inc Craven Champions Show. Forward: 680 head of cattle Comprising: 195 Young Feeding Bulls, 469 Bullocks & Heifers, 2 Feeding Cows & 14 Breeding Cattle.

Forward: 48 Prime cattle comprising 12 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos.), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos.) & 35 Cast Cattle. 3804 Prime Sheep comprising 3280 Old Season Lambs, 524 Cast Ewes & Rams. 54 Rearing Calves. 9 Loads of produce.

MARKET REPORT – SATURDAY 13th FEBRUARY 2016 CCM Auctions Conducted their Monthly Sale of Stirks, Weaned Calves and Young Store Cattle. A smaller show on this wintery Saturday. Forward – 89 head cattle & 15 head goats & sheep

Skipton Auction Mart charity fundraisers net £5,600-plus Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton and Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope have again received substantial charity windfalls from annual fundraisers at Skipton Auction Mart. Craven Cattle Marts’ high profile Christmas primestock shows and the Great Northern Pork Pie Competition staged at the end of November last year featured charity sales of pork pies, Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, fruit cakes, sponges and fodder hay – all donated by willing participants and fought for enthusiastically at the ringside by generous bidders.

Robin Dean heads the field at opening Skipton working sheep dog sale Red Rose sheep farmer and leading triallist Robin Dean ran away with top price honours at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening working sheep dog sale of 2016 when selling his October, 2013, black and white dog, Gunnerwell Alfie, for 3,600 guineas (£3,780). (Fri, Feb 12)

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs and Breeding Sheep Forward: 1,226 Head comprising 785 Store lambs & 441 Breeding Sheep CCM Auctions held their fortnightly sale of sheep at Skipton Mart on Wednesday with an entry of 1,226 forward for sale. Store Sheep saw a sharp trade for the strongest end whilst the small, end of season types, were just a similar trade. A good run of lambs from Ken Flintoff topped at £76 for a pen of 20 with four further pens of 40 Texels at £71 twice, £70 and £69. Inlamb sheep however were an indifferent trade and appear good value against geld price. Messrs Downs sold the first half of their dispersal today with the second half booked in for next fortnight.

Craven Dairy Auction (16 head) A small entry today which was perhaps a blessing in disguise with a number of buyers present but few willing to bid freely and you cannot blame them. The pre sale Winner from Peter Baul, Bishop Thornton went on to top the day at £1660. Other noted prices was a fine 2nd calver from Forts of Glusburn reaching £1450 and £1350 for a hardy heifer from Keith Downs.

Forward: 83 Prime cattle comprising 22 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 61 Cast Cattle. 2,662 Prime Sheep comprising 2,470 Old Season Lambs, 192 Cast Ewes & Rams. 91 Rearing Calves. 16 Dairy Cattle. 7 Loads of produce.

Peter Baul sparkles again at Craven Dairy Auction Peter Baul’s Ravensgate pedigree Holstein herd bagged its second Craven Dairy Auction championship of the year at the opening February show at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Feb 8) Mr Baul, who trades as M Baul & Partners at Watergate Farm, Bishop Thornton, was Skipton’s opening 2016 dairy show title winner and reserve champion at the second show, also landing a hat-trick of championships and other top price successes in 2015.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 781 head of cattle Comprising: 301 Young Feeding Bulls, 473 Bullocks & Heifers, 3 Feeding Cows & 4 Breeding Cattle. A cracking entry of cattle for CCM Auctions fortnightly cattle sale sold away to another packed ringside. Young Bulls saw plenty of quality on offer as judge Rob Matten worked his way around the pens officiating the February prize show, prize winners and prices below. Finishers obviously have their eyes on a stalling prime trade and strong bulls and stores were no dearer. But yearling and younger cattle continue to attract strong prices and are not affected as much as the strong stuff.