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.

Rearing Calves to £375 (70) B&W av £51.15 Cont av £283.33 Native av £203.33 A handy show of calves this morning with 70 presented for sale. Continental calves were a shade easier on the fortnight with bidding considerably less vigorous for continental heifers compared to bulls. Best bulls were still a handy trade despite not being quite the quality of a week ago, however a sweet month old bull from John and Rob Marshall of Dacre still managed a very respectable £375.

Forward: 41 Prime cattle comprising 16 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 24 Cast Cattle. 3,740 Prime Sheep comprising 3466 Prime Lambs, 274 Cast Ewes & Rams. 70 Rearing Calves.

Forward: 524 head of cattle Comprising: 524 Feeding Cattle (93 Young Bulls, 37 Beef Feeding Cows & Bulls, 395 Bullocks & Heifers) Feeding Bulls – another damp start to the day helped buyers make up their minds early and so a few more were able to attend the feeding bull sale than anticipated. Trade was very good which is as much a reflection of pens on feeders farms emptying rapidly as they sell 2018 spring born animals in spec. The bales under 10 months were keenly contested. Any and the heavy over 13 month bulls were a surprisingly good trade.

Forward: 39 Prime cattle comprising 19 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Young Bull, 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 16 Cast Cattle. 2,732 Prime Sheep comprising 2,458 Spring Lamb, 274 Cast Ewes & Rams. 68 Rearing Calves. 8 Dairy Cattle. 1 Loads of produce

Rearing Calves to £410 (68) B&W av £90.50 Cont av £304.32 Native av £146.67 A very good show of continental calves this morning with 58 of 68 calves presented having British Blue on the passport. The best was presented by Alan Middleton of Hartley’s Bolton Abbey with his belting 8 week old bull calf selling for £410. 35 British blue averaged £324 and 23 British Blue heifers averaging £263 topping with a belting heifer from John and Rob Marshall of Dacre selling for £360.

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.

Monyash teenager crowned champion at Skipton Beltex lambs highlight An up-and-coming 15-year-old pedigree sheep breeder from Derbyshire was crowned champion at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual show and sale for Beltex-cross lambs. (Wed, August 7) Owen Wells, from Monyash, who took the title with his 26-strong pen, was just 11 when he first established his own Barley Close pedigree Beltex flock in 2015 with two ewe lambs bought as a Christmas present by his parents, Steven and Steph Wells, who farm at One Ash Grange.

Robert Fielden first prime lambs draw secure Skipton championship With his first draw of prime lambs this season, Robert Fielden, from Todmorden, claimed the championship at Skipton Auction Mart’s August show and sale. (Mon, Aug 5) Mr Fielden, who farms 600 white-faced ewes, as well as hill sheep, secured the title with his first prize Continental pen, five home-bred 42kg Beltex-cross-Texel, all by tups bought out of Skipton. They sold for £99 each to regular wholesale buyer Hartshead Meat Co, based in Mossley, Greater Manchester.

John Fawcett prime cattle champion tops Skipton selling prices John Fawcett, of Dale Head Farm, Barden, stood champion with a home-bred British Blue cross heifer at Skipton Auction Mart’s August prime cattle show and sale. (Mon, Aug 5) His 530kg victor, by the well utilised stock bull, ‘Jack,’ topped both the by-weight and gross prices when claimed for 276.5p/kg, or £1,466, by George Cropper Jnr on behalf of his Sandersons Butchers shop in Baxenden. Mr Fawcett was also responsible for the third prize heifer, another Blue-cross weighing 555kg, which fell for £1,440, or 259.5p/kg.

Forward: 26 Prime cattle comprising 19 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 5 Cast Cattle. 3,643 Prime Sheep comprising 3,132 Spring Lamb, 511 Cast Ewes & Rams. 54 Rearing Calves. 2 Loads of Produce.

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 Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle. Forward: 382 head of cattle. Comprising: 354 Feeding Cattle (55 Young Bulls, 45 Beef Feeding Cows/Cast Bulls, 254 Bullocks & Heifers) & 28 Breeding Cattle.

Forward: 41 Prime cattle comprising 13 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 26 Cast Cattle. 3,390 Prime Sheep comprising 2325 Spring Lamb & Hoggs and 1065 Cast/feeding Ewes & Rams. 62 Rearing Calves

107 Plants & Shrubs. 61 Lots of Furniture. 150 Lots of Stone & Timber. 262 Lots of Machinery. 343 Lots of Reclaim/Salvage. *** NEXT SALE - SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER