Rams in demand at Skipton breeding sheep sale Skipton’ Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly Tuesday sale of 1,513 breeding sheep and rams saw the latter in particular meet a strong trade when achieving 85% clearance, with anything well framed and ready for immediate turn out finding a ready ringside of buyers. (Tues, Oct 10) A strong pen of Texel tups from Procters Farms in Tatham, Lancaster, sold to a sale high of 480gns for a brace of shearlings claimed by Ashley Thwaite, of Hellifield, and Addingham’s Johnny Greenwood. The same vendors also headed the ram lamb prices at 300gns

Forward: 89 Registered Swaledale Rams There was a similar entry to usual with 89 rams presented from a catalogue of 104. Rams were generally just not as strong as seen in previous years, but anything with that little bit of extra quality generally got away nicely and produced solid averages as below. Top price in sale was 1,500 for the first prize aged ram from Kevin Huck of Bordley. Bred by Messrs Emmott at Whitelees in Weardale, this 4 shear sold to Jeff Pickles, Ribblehead. The Champion made the 2nd highest price of 1,300 from Andrew Haggas of Otterburn, got by a Martin Sunter out of a ewe by an old homebred tup, it went up to Cumbria when purchased by Alan Birbeck of Nateby, Kirkby Stephen.

Forward: 95 Prime cattle comprising 30 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 62 Cast Cattle including 4 Cast Bulls 4,672 Prime Sheep comprising 4282 Prime Lambs & 390 Cast Ewes & Rams 49 Rearing Calves

Skipton Swaledale rams sell to 1,500gns top The annual evening fixture for registered Swaledale rams at Skipton Auction Mart attracted another strong turnout of 89 head, with the two frontrunners in the show arena also clocking up the leading prices. (Mon, Oct 9)

Monthly Livestock Only Sale - 126 head of cattle & 49 sheep & goats. ** NEXT SALE - SATURDAY 4TH NOVEMBER**

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs & Breeding Sheep Forward: 6,346 Head, Overall av £56.75 An improved trade today for store lambs with more buzz about the ringside, especially for the longer keep types. Continental lambs saw mid 60’s upwards as a regular figure for the strong end, whilst nice lambs were either side of £60 and long keep sorts mid 50’s. Mule Wethers were a much improved trade with a strong contingent of buyers eager for numbers and the 1,662 on offer levelled at £54.98 each, best end up to £64 from Chris Ryder.

CCM Auctions held their third fortnightly sale of gimmer lambs at Skipton Mart - ANNUAL SALE OF MASHAM GIMMER LAMBS ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS OF THE M.S.B.A.... ANNUAL SALE OF SWALEDALE GIMMER LAMBS .... THIRD SEASONAL SHOW & SALE OF NORTH OF ENGLAND MULE GIMMER LAMBS.... ANNUAL SHOW & SALE OF DALESBRED MULE GIMMERS ....

Repeat wins across all classes at Skipton gimmer lambs showcase Over 6,500 head of sheep consigned by 100-plus farmers from across the length and breadth of the region flocked to Skipton Auction Mart for the annual gimmer lamb highlight, which again featured four breed shows for Swaledale, North of England Mule, Dales Mule and Masham lambs. (Tues, Oct 3)

Forward: 77 Prime cattle comprising 30 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 6 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 41 Cast Cattle 3,211 Prime Sheep comprising 2838 Prime Lambs & 373 Cast Ewes & Rams 106 Rearing Calves 13 Dairy Cattle

Rearing Calves to £420 (106) Good show of calves forward again today with 106 through the door. Black and Whites were certainly dearer today with middle of the road calves a lump dearer today with the best calf from John and Rob Marshall of Dacre reaching £120. British Blue bulls topped the days proceedings at £420 from Church Farm Enterprises however Limousin’s from Pickersgill Bros and Simmentals from Hayton and Stocks both saw £410 for their consignments.

Critchleys champions again in Skipton prime cattle show arena The Critchley family, from Mercer Farm, Hutton, Preston, who have been in sparkling form all year in the prime cattle show arena at Skipton Auction Mart, returned to championship-winning ways at the October show. (Mon, Oct 2) The Critchleys - father Richard and his three sons, Robert, John and Thomas – rattled up four consecutive title wins between March and June this year, then followed up with three successive reserve championships.

Georgina Fort champion at Craven Dairy Auction Georgina Fort, who runs her own small dairy herd at her father Edward’s High Bracken Hill Farm on Silsden Moor, clinched championship honours with her first prize newly calven heifer at the opening October Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Oct 2) Bought at Skipton last year out of Andrew Ayrton’s Hawbank dairy herd in Embsay, the 17 days calved title winner, giving 26 litres, sold for £1,700 joint top price to the show judge, Bishop Thornton’s Shaun Sowray.

The Addington Fund benefits from first charity lamb sale at CCM Skipton Skipton Auction Mart has sold its first prime lamb under a new fund-raising initiative on behalf of national farming charity, the Addington Fund. The single Beltex-cross lamb was donated by Craven Cattle Marts chairman Anthony Hewetson, who farms locally in Bank Newton, and sold for £135 to Alan Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster.

Swaledale females take centre stage at Skipton An increased entry of 3,926 head, over 300 up on the year, was penned for sale at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Saturday Swaledale females highlight for draft ewes and gimmer shearlings., (Sat, Sept 30) Good sheep were a nice trade all day, with some solid runs recording an increase in their selling average on the year, and it was only the lesser sorts towards the end of vendors’ runs that were cheaper.

ANNUAL SHOW & SALE OF SWALEDALE EWES & GIMMER SHEARLINGS Forward: 3,926 head. Overall Average was £107.81 (-£0.28) CCM Auctions conducted their Annual Sale of Swaledale Draft Ewes and Gimmer Shearlings at Skipton Mart on Saturday.