Petch family reserve champion claims £2,450 Craven Dairy Auction top price
Robin Jennings, from Hill House Farm, South Stainley, Harrogate, won his first Craven Dairy Auction championship of 2020 with his only entry, a commercial newly calven heifer at Skipton Auction Mart’s second February show and sale. (Mon, Feb 24)
He did it with an eight days-calved 32-litre home-bred from his long established and milk-rich Sunray cow family, which sold for £1,980 to Alf Townsend, of Southfield, Burnley. Show judge was Alan Middleton, of the Beamsley-based Hartley farming family.
Standing reserve champion for the second time this year and on what was only their second foray into the Craven Dairy Auction show arena was the Aytonian pedigree herd of HS Petch and Sons, based at Whitegate Farm, Great Ayton.
Reserve honours fell to their second prize nine days-calved 32-litre heifer, Aytonian Tamora 354, by the Genus sire, Larcrest Calumnet. Shown by Sarah Jarvis and out of a Picston Shottle-sired dam who has given over 60 tonnes, she claimed the day’s top price of £2,450 when joining William Oldfield in Newsholme. Another heifer from the same home made £1,950.
The third prize newly calven heifer was consigned by John Thompson, of first-time exhibitors and vendors, G Thompson & Sons, who run the 263-strong Softley pedigree herd dairy in Butterknowle, Teesdale. The herd averages 10,500kg at 4.28% far and 3.42% protein across two milkings a day and their debut yellow ticket winner made £1,880, with another Thompson heifer selling at £1,800.
The £1,880 selling price was matched by a further heifer from HJ &KL Blackwell & Son, of Gargrave. The 11 milkers forward met a very level trade throughout, with the heifers averaging £1,720.
The mart says that with buyers from a wide area looking for milk more dairies are required. The two dairy fixtures next month are scheduled for Mondays, March 9 and 23.