It was another newly calven heifer from their long established and highly productive Newkbirks Jazz family – number 1675 – that first won its show class in the hands of father and daughter, David and Suzy Lawson, before being awarded the championship by judge Mike Longster, of Fellbeck, Harrogate, a commercial dairy farmer and regular buyer of milkers at Skipton with his father Fred.

Mike went on the claim his chosen victor, by the Genus dairy sire, Idle-Neer Czar, for £1,800. She came to market four weeks calved and giving 28 litres.

With good heifers selling away well, it was the Aireburn pedigree Holstein herd of Brian Moorhouse, of Hesper Farm, Bell Busk, champion and top price achiever at the opening October show, that again topped the sale with a 32 litre heifer from his Aireburn Miss America family, which made £1,850 when joining regular buyers, Stephen and Eddie Jeanes in Glusburn.

Another Hesper Farm heifer, calved ten days earlier and giving 27 litres, also caught the eye when knocked down for £1,750 to ringside regular Brian Blezard, of Hothersall Hall Farm, Ribchester,

Malhamdale’s Robert Crisp, who runs his commercial dairy herd at Nelson Farm, Calton, saw the sale off to a good start when selling the first heifer into the ring, just a week calved and giving 30 litres, for £1,600 to the Sowray brothers, of Bishop Thornton.

Peter Baul and Partners’ Ravensgate herd in Bishop Thornton was responsible for the third prize newly calven heifer, sold for £1,720 to Alf and Andrew Townsend, of Southfield, Burnley.

The first prize newly calven cow from Ian Parkinson, of Barden, also sold well at £1,580 when again joining the Sowray family.

With an 18-strong entry, pedigree newly calven heifers averaged £1,474 and their commercial counterparts £1,223.

Also on the same day’s menu for their weekly sale were 83 rearing calves, with prices strong right the way through for Continental and native entries.

Vendors of some big runs of calves were not disappointed, with Chris and Margie Hall, of Shelley, Huddersfield, Fred Houseman, of Burton Leonard, and John Dodgson, of Bank Newton, all leaving with a good trade.
 
However, it was the Clarke family, from Hampsthwaite, who took the top price of the day with a British Blue-cross bull calf at £405. Middle of the road continentals were hard fought over, with many selling well into the mid £300s, producing an overall section average of £329.50 per head.

Of the natives, some strong Aberdeen calves, again from the Hall family, headed their respective sections at £300 for a bull and £270 for a heifer, while another good Angus from Brian Wellock, of Kirkby Malham, realised £280. Natives averaged £223.80.
 
While stronger, better fleshed black and white calves were popular, trade in general here was described as ‘sticky,’ reflected in the overall selling average of £39.69 per head.