Bordley Green success at CCM Skipton feeding cow show
A nine-year-old Limousin-cross cow from John Stephenson, of Bordley Green Farm, Bordley, won first prize in the annual Spring show for beef-bred feeding cows at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, April 17)
The home-bred mother of eight calves was sold only because she could not be got in-calf again by the Upper Wharfedale breeder, who has won multiple titles in the cattle show arena at his local mart. His latest frontrunner, shown by his father, also John, sold for a section top of £1,230 to Stephen Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield.
Cheshire show judge David Hancock awarded the runners-up rosette to another Limousin-cross from Jonathan Townley, of Nutter Green, Clapham sold at £1,130, and third to M Bentham, of Thornton, Bradford, with a Parthenaise knocked down at £1,120.
While the 40 beef feeding cows were of mixed quality, they met with an animated trade as buyers responded to a rising cow trade and relative scarcity of numbers to find all classes selling well, producing a solid overall average of £957.56 per head.
Better framed cows for short-term hard keep were keenly contested, making from around £1,100 to £1,200, with the next grade selling from £950 to £1,100. Leaner types for turning out and grazing were also very good to sell, with this class up in price by some margin on a few months ago. The mart says more cows like this are required to meet current demand.
Another strong turnout of 752 head for the fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale comprised 176 young feeding bulls, among them a good percentage of 450kg-plus Spring-born cattle.
Strong types were up £20 to £30 per head on the previous sale and while small bulls below 400kg were in shorter supply they, too, produced a good trade, with a number of pens of pure-bred Limousin bulls around 330kg selling at £870 to £940. Commercial bulls also met an improved trade in line with prime cattle prices.
A section top of £1,210 was achieved for a Limousin-cross bull from L Bamforth & Sons, of Wainstalls, Halifax, with the top price pen of three Limousin from JA&JM Wade & Son, from Cononley, each making £1,080.The overall Continental-cross selling average was £998.47, with a native average of £713.82.
Also penned for sale were 516 bullocks and heifers, among them a larger quantity of yearlings than seen all year. Trade was good, with a busy ringside producing healthy prices and some small grazing bullocks and heifers looking the trade of the day.
Good yearling bullocks found a high gear, with the best types hitting £1,050 to £1,100 and growthy sorts making £880 to £1,000. Small heifers with a touch of shape regularly found new homes at £700-£800.
Older cattle, though of mixed quality, were also good to sell. Strong bullocks peaked at £1,270 for a Limousin bred from a dairy cow consigned by John Rennard, of Beamsley, while some big lots of from David and Jackie Coates, of Coniston Cold, regularly achieved over £1,100, among them the top price pen of three at £1,185 each. Store bullocks sold to an overall Continental-cross average of £966.28, with natives averaging £908.44 and dairies £778.20.
The best heifers made similarly high prices, with Alan Knowles, of Clitheroe, doing best with the top price pen of three Limousin at £1,185 each. The section produced averages of £903.27 for Continental-cross and £821.61 for natives.
In addition, 26 head of breeding cattle found a ready market, the majority making four-figure prices, with a section top of £1,580 for a British Blue heifer with Limousin heifer calf at foot from Robert Metcalfe, of Brearton, Otley, followed at £1,540 by a Charolais cow with Charolais bull calf at foot from the Tennant family in Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge. A
three-year-old Limousin bull from Eastby’s Andrew Ayrton also caught the eye at £1,500.
The next fortnightly sale on Wednesday. May 1, also heralds the start of Skipton 2019 pedigree beef show and sale season, featuring the traditional pipe-opener, the annual ‘Blue Wednesday’ highlight for British Blue bulls and females. Once again, keen interest is anticipated among pedigree, commercial, beef and dairy breeders.