Improved trade for rearing calves at CCM Skipton
Increased interest at the ringside resulted in an improved trade for the 44 rearing calves at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest weekly Monday sale. (Mon, April 8)
British Blues were once again to the fore, with Daniel Lancaster, of Horton-in-Craven, topping at £425 with a bull calf, followed by a brace of bulls from Fred Houseman, Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard, at £415 and £410, creating a healthy section average of £338.
Limousin calves from the Hayton & Stocks farming partnership in Bolton Abbey found a good following, hitting £390 and £340 for a bull and a heifer. Straight Blue heifers sold to £300, again from Church Farm Enterprises, with plenty of smaller, younger heifers making £230-£270.
Both native bull and heifer calves were again in demand, with the best Aberdeen-Angus bull from Chris Drake, of Thornton, topping at £250 and another Angus heifer from the same home also making good money at £160. Black and whites sold to £92 for a bull calf from Ralph Guy, of Earby.
Just two newly calven entries at the same morning’s opening April Craven Dairy Auction both came from the previous show’s principals.
Late March champion Sally Wellock, of the Harehills pedigree herd at West House Farm, Oldfield, Keighley, consigned a ten days-calved cow, Harehills Lobelia 738, by the Genus sir, De-Su Gillespy. Giving 32 litres, the second calver sold for £1,500 to the Hartley dairy farming family in Beamsley.
Calderdale’s Jon Midgley, from Dean House Farm, Ludendenfoot, reserve champion last time, returned with a seven days-calved 24 litre commercial heifer, which sold locally for £1,080 to regular buyer John Howard, of Heslaker.
The next Craven Dairy Auction fixture on Monday, April 29, includes the annual Spring Sale of bulls and young stock, with the added possibility of a good run of dispersal cows.