Keelham secures another Skipton prime cattle champion Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite again lifted the prime cattle championship at Skipton Auction Mart’s July show. (Mon, July 6) Mr Cowperthwaite, of Tennant Gill Farm, who also landed the title in May as a first-time exhibitor, repeated the achievement at the latest renewal with his first prize 580kg British Blue-cross heifer, which sold for £1,552, or 267.5p/kg, to Keelham Farm Shop.

Stainbank herd lands back-to-back Craven Dairy Auction championships The Stainbank pedigree Holstein dairy herd of Robin Jennings at Hill House Farm, South Stainley, Harrogate, clinched back-to-back championships at the opening July Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, July 6) Mr Jennings, who won the title at the main June show and sale, repeated the feat at the latest renewal with his first prize newly calven heifer, acquired as a calf from the Startover pedigree dairy herd of Gavin Clarke, of Brimham Lodge Farm, Ripley.

Ellis Bros land first-ever Skipton prime lamb title Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, secured a first-ever prime lamb championship at Skipton Auction Mart’s July show with a pen of five home-bred lambs by both Beltex and Dutch Texel stock rams. (Mon, July 6) They were shown by Richard Ellis and his daughter Becky, with Simon, Robert and Dan Ellis also an integral part of the family farming business. The 42kg victors sold for the day’s top call of £101 per head to Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, Harrogate, who secured the champions in behalf of Hartshead Meats in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Forward: 90 Prime cattle comprising 22 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Prime Bulls, 5 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 60 Cast Cattle 2,959 Prime Sheep comprising 2,470 Prime & Lightweight Lambs, 489 Cast Ewes & Rams 67 Rearing Calves 50 Dairy Cattle 4 Loads of produce

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.

Pup prices hit new highs at Skipton John Bell top dog again with 5,000gns sale While Howden’s John Bell was again top dog with a 5,000gns sale, it was the pup pen that proved the real eyecatcher at Skipton Auction Mart’s Summer working sheepdogs sale, setting a new record price for the venue. With the very last entry of the day, Irish brothers Padraig and Joe Doherty, of Ardagh Sheepdogs in County Donegal, set the unbroken pen alight with a six-month-old black and white bitch, Ann, which made 1,850gns, the highest-ever price paid for a Skipton-sold pup.

Forward: 38 Prime cattle comprising 5 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 33 Cast Cattle; 2,191 Prime Sheep comprising 2,015 Spring Lambs, 176 Cast Sheep; 68 Rearing Calves; 4 Loads of produce;

Forward: 366 head of cattle Comprising: 110 Young Feeding Bulls, 194 Bullocks & Heifers, 1 Feeding Cow & 61 Breeding Cattle At Skipton Mart on Wednesday, CCM Auctions conducted their fortnightly sale of Store & Breeding Cattle where a useful entry was presented to a very keen ringside of buyers. Young Bulls easily up kept the rates of last sale, with the premium types being a shade dearer. Bullocks and Heifers although forward in decent number for the time of year were still way short of the requirements of buyers at the ringside, yearling cattle again looking particularly good to sell.

Forward: 50 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 48 Cast Cattle & 1 Feeding Bull. 1,838 Prime Sheep comprising 1,667 Spring Lambs, 171 Cast Ewes & Rams. 57 Rearing Calves. 32 Dairy Cattle. 2 Loads of produce.

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.

A nice entry of 129 Stirks, Weaned Calves and Young Store Cattle were presented for the Monthly Saturday Sale at Skipton Mart this week. In line with recent improvements in store cattle and prime cattle prices there was a very good enquiry from the ringside of buyers looking for cattle to graze and grow on. Goats were forward in large numbers and this is now becoming a popular feature of the Monthly sale as customers travel further distances in search of a ready market in which to both sell and buy. Forward – 129 head cattle: 23 Bulls, 102 Steers & Heifers & 4 Breeding Cattle. 29 Breeding & Store Sheep and 45 Goats

Forward: 44 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 43 Cast Cattle. 2,626 Prime Sheep comprising 1894 Spring Lambs, 116 Cast Hoggs, 605 Cast Ewes & 11 Rams. 43 Rearing Calves. 2 Loads of produce.

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.