Forward: 31 Prime cattle comprising 5 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 25 Cast Cattle 2,638 Prime & Cast Sheep - comprising: 37 Spring Lambs, 2285 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 301 Cast Ewes and 15 Cast Rams. 591 Breeding Sheep 61 Rearing Calves 11 Loads of produce

Thomas Boothman again dominates Skipton ewes with lambs opener Linton’s Thomas Boothman was again the standout performer at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening early Spring show of ewes with lambs at foot, landing the championship for the second year in succession, also adding the reserve championship to his tally this year. (Mon, March 30) Mr Boothman, of Linton Hall Farm, secured principal honours with two pens from his annual consignment of 72 outfits of Texel and Continental-cross ewes and shearlings, all with twin Beltex lambs.

Robert Towers, of Camp House Farm, Farleton, Lancaster, maintained his dominance of the annual Easter prime lamb show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart when again notching a championship and reserve championship double - and scooping every single prize in the Continental show classes. (Mon, March 30) It was his third successive title win at the seasonal showcase, which again attracted a packed ringside, among them independent retail butcher and wholesale buyers seeking to source top-quality local lamb for Easter tables.

Rearing Calves to £420 (61) B&W av £72.36 Cont av £358.50 Native av £167.9

Breeding Sheep (591 Head) There were 216 Sheep with 375 lambs at foot forward for today’s weekly sale. Young sheep with strong lambs were again keenly bid for, £230 to £250 not an uncommon price. The top price on the day was £265 per outfit, achieved on three different occasions, twice by Thomas Boothman, Linton who sold a run of 72 Texel Shearlings and Young Ewes with twin Beltex, and Andrew Bailey, Eldroth sold Mule Shearlings with twins to the same amount. Older sheep with strong lambs were again good to sell, whilst those with younger lambs were a much better trade than last week.

MARKET REPORT – MONDAY 23rd MARCH 2015 - Forward: 39 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 38 Cast Cattle. 3,845 Prime Sheep comprising 10 Spring Lambs, 3621 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 221 Cast Ewes & 4 Cast Rams. 224 Breeding Sheep. 50 Rearing Calves. 18 Dairy Cattle. 11 Loads of produce.

Peter Baul champion again at Skipton, as dairy prices strengthen More promising signs than seen of late were in evidence at Skipton Auction Mart’s main March Craven Dairy Auction, with certain stamps of milkers making strong money. Bishop Thornton’s Peter Paul, who runs the Ravensgate pedigree Holstein herd at Watergate Farm, bagged his second dairy title of 2015 with his sole entry, the first prize newly calven heifer, Ravensgate Jeeves Sparkle 202, the latest in a long line of prolific milkers from the Sparkle family.

50 Rearing Calves & 18 Dairy Cattle. Craven Dairy Auction (18 head) More promising signs than seen of late, with certain stamps of milkers making strong money. Frank Wrathall was judge for todays For Farmers prize Show and Sale with a sweet heifer from Peter Baul of Bishop Thornton taking top honours and reaching the sales top price of £2050 to Brian Blezard of Ribchester. Robin Jennings a strong supporter of Skipton Dairy Sales received a better trade than previous weeks with his reserve champion homebred heifer £1780 to regular buyer Mark Goodall of Tong. Brian Moorhouse of Bell Busk and Keith Downs, Bingley were both on the end of strong trades reaching £1780 and £1740 respectively.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 549 head of cattle Comprising: 214 Young Feeding Bulls, 323 Bullocks & Heifers, 4 Feeding Cows & 8 Breeding Cows A great show of cattle for lambing time, with 700 store cattle sold between the Saturday and Wednesday sales this last week. Trade was fairly good as well, especially for stores where prices were every bit as strong as recent sales.

Familiar faces to the fore at Skipton Spring young bull showcase Two prolific prize winners in the show cattle arena at Skipton Auction Mart were again to the fore when landing the class-winning red rosettes at the mart’s annual Spring show and sale of young feeding bulls. (Wed, March 18) Yorkshire Dales farmers John and Gill Huck, and their son James, of Church Farm, Hubberholme, were responsible for the first prize ten-months or under bull, a home-bred British Blue-cross by their main stock bull, the Irish-bred Droit Dexter, out of a three-quarters Blue cow.

Breeding Sheep (221 Head) A larger show of Ewes with Lambs at foot sold away nicely. Anything with strong lambs were very much in favour, a few pens of ewes with younger sold to a mixed trade offering buyers a little more value for money.

81 Rearing Calves. Rearing Calves to £710 (81) B&W av £81 Cont av £413 Native av £260.5 A fantastic show of rearing calves today with a top quality entry from all supporters. The top honours of the day went to a suckler bred calf from Phillip Summers, Clayton which rocketed to a new auction record of £710. The day was full of other high prices with Shaun & Peter Sowray taking the next top with a Limousin Bull peaking at £630. Other vendors such as Fred Houseman and John Marshall of Monk Ing had some strong runs with an average of £434 for British Blue Bulls. Strong prices were also received for Aberdeen Angus calves with bulls averaging £251 and Heifers averaging to £268. Credit to all the entered and congratulations to the prize winners.

MARKET REPORT – MONDAY 16th MARCH 2015. Forward: 24 Prime cattle comprising 1 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 22 Cast Cattle. 4,096 Prime Sheep comprising 3,667 Prime & Lightweight Hoggs, 403 Cast Ewes & 26 Cast Rams. 221 Breeding Sheep. 81 Rearing Calves. 16 Loads of produce. The largest show of hoggs this season as some of the large feeders really get into gear and sheep arriving from a very large area, with Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and even Buckinghamshire all sending representatives!!

New auction record in fantastic rearing calf show at Skipton In a fantastic show of rearing calves, Phillip Summers set a new auction record price when selling his champion for £710 at Skipton Auction Mart this week. (MON, MARCH 16) Mr Summers, of Clayton, Bradford, had never won the calf championship at Skipton before. His six-week-old British Blue bull, a suckler-bred calf out of a pedigree Limousin cow and by a Genus bull, emerged as champion at the Spring Calf show, before selling for the new top price record to regular buyers Vickers & Richardson, of Scarborough.

CRAVEN PREMIER POULTRY Spring Show & Sale Best Pen of Bantams 1st B Metcalfe 2nd JH&K Dewhurst 3rd AP Leetham Best Pen of Large Fowl 1st EW Boothman 2nd J Robinson 3rd HJ Walmsley Best Waterfowl 1st EL Bailey 2nd D Pownall 3rd EL Bailey Champion – EW Boothman Reserve – EL Bailey