Critchleys prime cattle champions again at Skipton The Crithcley family from Mercer Farm, Hutton, Preston, landed their second successive monthly prime cattle championship at Skipton Auction Mart’s April show and sale. (Mon, Apr 3) The Critchleys - husband and wife, Richard and Julie, and their three sons, Robert, John and Thomas - saw their first prize 515kg Limousin-cross heifer awarded top honours by the show judge, Keelham Farm Shop’s James Robertshaw, who then transferred his interest to the ringside to claim his chosen champion for the day’s top call of £1,465, or 284.5p/kg.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 466 head of cattle Comprising: 166 Young Feeding Bulls, 13 Beef Feeding Cows, 283 Bullocks & Heifers, & 4 Breeding Cattle. At Skipton Mart on Wednesday, CCM Auctions held their fortnightly sale of Store & Breeding Cattle where a good lambing time entry was forward for sale. Young bulls were a sharp trade in the morning with a full ringside contingent in attendance and keen for cattle. Top was a Pathanaise Bull from Brian Lund selling for £1245. Beef Bred Feeding cows were a good selection, with 13 forward for sale topping at £1170 from James Towler and a great average of £1003 across the board.

Forward: 41 Prime cattle comprising 16 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 5 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 20 Cast Cattle. 2,782 Prime Sheep comprising 2,477 Prime Hoggs, 305 Cast Ewes & Rams. 679 Breeding Sheep. 30 Rearing Calves: B&W av £74.09 Cont av £335 Native av £192.50. 28 Dairy Cattle: Ped N/C Hfrs (av £1641): to £1820; N/C Hfrs (av £1617.33): to £1900; N/C Cows (av £1515): to £1680. 16 Loads of produce.

679 Breeding Sheep (249 Ewes with 430 lambs) The largest show seen so far, with the trade brisk and very similar to recent weeks. Thomas Boothman’s Annual Consignment created much interest and sold to a top of £240 for Shearlings with Twins, and a further four pens at £230 each. Texel Shlg with twins to £240, £230 x4, £220x2, £215 T Boothman Shlgs and Singles to £170x2 T Boothman; £140 R Wallbank Correct with Twins to £230x2 215,£210, £205 T Boothman; £170 JW Hall Correct with Singles to £170 T Boothman; £142 A Midgley; £132 RG Johnson & Son B/M with Singles to £115 D Haigh Beltex Correct with Singles to £175 AV Bailey Suffolk Correct with Twins to £150 FM Shepherd Mule Correct with Twins to £178 T Bootman; £162 JW Hall Correct with Singles to £125 W Rathmell; £108 RG Johnson & Son B/M with Twins to £138 J Baines; B/M with Singles to £108 R Peel Zwartbles with Twins to £170 A Midgley Masham correct with Singles to £110 A Midgley

30 Rearing Calves: B&W av £74.09 Cont av £335 Native av £192.50 28 Dairy Cattle: Ped N/C Hfrs (av £1641): to £1820; N/C Hfrs (av £1617.33): to £1900; N/C Cows (av £1515): to £1680

Milkers out in force at latest Craven Dairy Auction A virtually full shippon of milkers produced a welcome strong trade at the main March Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, March 27) Brian and Judith Moorhouse’s Aireburn pedigree Holstein herd in Bell Busk secured its first dairy championship of the year with the first prize newly calven heifer, Aireburn Gerard Honeysuckle, home-bred to the Genus bull, Shillview Gerard, the first time the sire had been used by the family. A fortnight calved and giving 32 litres, the victor made £1,800 when joining the show judge, Brian Blezard, of Ribchester,

Thomas Boothman clean sweep at Skipton ewes with lambs opener Thomas Boothman, of Linton Hall Farm, Linton, yet again proved the standout performer at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening show and sale of ewes with lambs at foot when landing a clean sweep of the prizes in the two show classes. (Mon, March 27) It was the fourth year in succession that the Yorkshire Dales sheep farmer had dominated the early season highlight with his annual consignment of home-bred Texel-cross shearlings and 2 shear ewes with Beltex-cross lambs at foot, the majority again by Beltex rams acquired from Skipton breeder Chris Windle.

208 Breeding Sheep A similar show of ewes with lambs sold to a larger ringside of buyers and trade slightly up on the week especially for anything with stronger lambs. Next week is the Special Show & Sale, entries to the mart office please. Including Annual Consignment of 100 Texel Shearlings & 2shear Ewes with Beltex x Lambs at Foot from Thomas Boothman of Linton.

Forward: 46 Prime cattle comprising 23 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 22 Cast Cattle 2,206 Prime Sheep comprising 1963 Prime Hoggs, 243 Cast Ewes & Rams 208 Breeding Sheep 53 Rearing Calves to £405 X2: B&W av £75.46 Cont av £347.45 Native av £177.83 11 Loads of produce

‘Brexit means a better deal for farmers’ – Farming Minister Farming Minister George Eustice addressed members of the regional agricultural community on a visit hosted by CCM Auctions at Skipton Auction Mart. (Thursday, March 16) Speaking alongside Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, he told farmers that Defra was busy preparing for what Brexit, which takes farming out of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), might look like.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 626 head of cattle Comprising: 206 Young Feeding Bulls, 19 Beef Feeding Cows & 401 Bullocks & Heifers.

Blues lead the way Skipton Spring young bull highlight British Blue-cross entries claimed both class wins and top prices at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Spring show and sale of young feeding bulls. (Wed, March 15) In the under 10-months show class, father and son Alan and Gary Lodge, of Westside House, Malham Moor, were on the mark with a home-bred bull by a Scottish-bred sire they shared with fellow Yorkshire Dales breeder James Hall, of Darnbrook.

Swires family take principal Craven Dairy Auction honours Commercial dairy farmers, the Swires family from Stainburn, midway between Harrogate and Otley, swept the board with a championship and reserve championship double at the opening March Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, March 13) Father and son, Tony and James Swires, of Town End Farm, where they milk 180 Holstein Friesian cows, first stepped up with the first prize newly calven heifer, which was then tapped out as overall champion by show judge Colin Whitelock, of Gargrave

Forward: 65 Prime cattle comprising 11 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 53 Cast Cattle 2,510 Prime Sheep comprising 2301 Prime Hoggs, 209 Cast Ewes & Rams 289 Breeding Sheep. 78 Rearing Calves to £410 X2: B&W av £60.11 Cont av £325.48 Native av £195.48. 13 Dairy Cattle: 1st Quality Heifers: av £1720 to £2020: 2nd Quality Newly Heifer: av £1320 to £1380. 10 Loads of produce.

Breeding Sheep A good show of sheep with lambs at foot for the weekly sale with everything £5 to £10 per life dearer. James & Deborah Ogden had another great run of sheep, 2 pens of 3 crop Mule Ewes with twins at £210 and £205 the outfit, but it was 3 pens of 3 and 4 crop Texels with Beltexs lambs from the same home that topped the sale at £220 and £215 twice. Richard Umplebys run topped at £205 as did Nick Dalbys.