2018 principals again dominate at opening CCM Skipton calf show The opening rearing calf show of the year at Skipton Auction Mart saw the winning-most exhibitors from 2018 return to again land the principal honours with Blue-cross youngsters. (Mon, Jan 7) The Sowray brothers - Shaun, Peter and Paul - who run their Holstein Friesian dairy herd at Bowes Green Farm, Bishop Thornton, lifted another in a long line of title wins, including two last year, with the first prize bullock, a seven-week-old by the Norbreck Genetics dairy bull, Newton Blues Kracker, a recent addition to the Sowray breeding programme.

North Craven father and son clinch first prime cattle title at CCM Skipton Skipton Auction Mart’s first monthly prime cattle show of 2019 produced a first-ever title win at the venue for North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, of Lodge Farm, Masongill, above Ingleton close to the Yorkshire-Lancashire border. (Monday, Jan 7) The hill farming duo also picked up the reserve championship for good measure, both with Limousin-cross entries, bought in as sucklers and further improved and finished on the farm.

CCM Skipton New Year primestock trade opens on a high note The opening primestock shows and sales of 2019 at Skipton Auction Mart produced strong entries and solid trade across all classes. (Monday, Jan 7) There was a local championship success in the prime lamb exhibition arena for the Ellis Bros farming partnership from Cragg House Farm, Addingham Moorside.

Forward: 15 Prime cattle comprising 14 Clean Cattle (under 30mos) & 1 Cast Cow 3,592 Prime Sheep comprising 3281 Prime Lambs & 311 Cast Ewes & Rams 2 Loads of produce

Christmas birds fly away at CCM Skipton annual plucked poultry sale! Almost 600 birds, once again an overwhelming oven-ready feast for Christmas tables comprising turkeys, geese, chickens and ducks, went under the hammer at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual sale of dressed and plucked poultry. Many of the buyers were members of the general public snapping up birds for their yearly festive feasts. (Wed, Dec 19)

Forward: 214 head of cattle Comprising: 214 Feeding Cattle (26 Young Bulls, 8 Beef Feeding Cows, 180 Bullocks & Heifers). A small show of mainly younger 2018 born bulls saw the better end on the day into the 900’s, with the younger 5mo-6mo types mid 700’s onwards. A decent trade for feeding cows with all the regulars out looking for cattle. A nice show of store cattle saw top end types in good demand, several runs of nice bullocks in the 1100’s topping at £1230 and continental bullocks averaging £1024. Yearling heifers were short on quality, with the best end making usual prices of £900-£1000, looking a similar trade to recent sales, whilst plainer sorts were a shade harder to cash.

Forward: 31 Prime cattle comprising 25 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 6 Cast Cattle. 3,977 Prime Sheep comprising 3,593 Prime Lambs & 384 Cast Ewes & Rams. 52 Rearing Calves. 6 Dairy Cattle. 3 Loads of produce.

Rearing Calves to £405 (52) Dairy av £65.84 Cont av £296.3 Native av £250 A mixed trade for the last sale of the season with Natives and Best Continental bulls a nice trade throughout, however heifers and straight continental bulls were harder to place with a much more selective ringside than seen of late. Always a strange sale leading up to Christmas with some buyers bulk buying and some refraining till the new year, despite this a straight trade on the whole was received for today’s offering.

Cropper Family Butchers serves up award-winning Christmas prime lambs Award-winning prime lambs are again on the menu from this weekend at G&C Cropper Family Butchers in Accrington Market. The reserve supreme champion lambs at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock shows late last month – a Beltex-cross trio bred by the Brown family in Leyburn, North Yorkshire – were bought by butcher George Cropper purposely for the keynote festive trade

Supreme champion prime lambs on Christmas menu at Sanderson’s Butchers A Baxenden butcher is this year offering supreme championship-winning prime lambs especially for his customers’ Christmas tables. George Cropper Jnr, who owns and runs Sandersons Butchers in Manchester Road, paid a heady £500 each, top price in show, for the title-winning trio of Beltex-cross lambs at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock shows late last month.

K&J Green Butchers hosts visit from champion festive beef farmer A local butcher has hosted a visit from a championship-winning local farmer who has helped beef up his Christmas festive meat feast this year. David Green, who owns K&J Green Butchers, in Heskin, Chorley, welcomed beef producer Robert Critchley, whose family farms ten miles away in Hutton, near Preston, to the Withington Lane shop. The Critchleys bred the overall champion in the un-haltered show classes at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual high profile Christmas primestock shows and sales last month and it was purchased by K&J Green Butchers for top price in show of £2,160.

‘Good to meat you!’ Kitson & Sons hosts visit from champion farmer Kitson & Sons Butchers has hosted a visit from one of the championship-winning farmers who has helped beef up its Christmas festive meat feast this year. Boss Anthony Kitson welcomed Yorkshire Dales beef farmer John Stephenson to Five Houses Farm Shop and Kitchen in Crathorne. He bred the supreme prime cattle champion Mr Kitson purchased at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock highlight last month and was accompanied by auctioneers from the North Yorkshire mart.

Peter Baul bags third Craven Dairy Auction championship at final show Skipton Auction Mart’s final Craven Dairy Auction of 2018 produced a third championship win of the year for Peter Baul, who trades as M Baul & Partners and runs the Ravensgate pedigree Holstein herd at Watergate Farm, Bishop Thornton. (Mon, Dec 17) He bagged the title with a home-bred 18 days calved 34kg heifer, Ravensgate Mars Sylvia 188, by the Genus sire, Ballycairn Mascol Mars, out of Ravensgate Mammoth Sylvia 177. From a long established milk rich line, the victor sold for £1,620 top price to Mark Goodall of Tong, Bradford.

Baa-gains galore at CCM Addingham Sheepbreeders charity lambs sale There were baa-gains galore at Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ Association’s 12th annual charity show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, Dec 12) Big-hearted farmers donated 27 lambs in total, the majority North of England Mules, and bidders at the ringside were equally as generous when the lambs went under the hammer, this year raising £3,800 in aid of annual beneficiary, Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope. The annual showcase has now raised around £44,000 for Manorlands.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs, Feeding and Breeding Sheep Forward: 3,132 Head (Overall av £60.99) A good show of sheep for our fortnightly sale with 2911 lambs and 221 Ewes forward for sale. Trade was very similar to last fortnight with strong sheep in sharp demand, and medium to long keep attracting very strong interest from a busy ringside of purchasers drawn from a large area.