Mr Baul, who trades as M Baul & Partners at Watergate Farm, Bishop Thornton, and was a four times dairy champion at Skipton last year, got off the mark in 2017 when his first prize newly calven heifer was tapped out as the title winner by show judge and regular Skipton dairy buyer Wick Williams, from Nantwich in Cheshire.

The victor, Ravensgate Jeeves Marigold 190, is by the Genus sire, Ked Outside Jeeves, out of Ravensgate Kingly Marigold 134, a milk-rich family that has three generations of VG behind it. Seven days calved, giving 25 litres and improving daily, the frontrunner sold for top price of £1,720 to Silsden Moor’s Ken and Lynne Throup.

Sally Wellock, who runs the Harehills pedigree dairy herd at West House Farm, Oldfield, above Keighley, had the first prize newly calven cow and reserve champion, Harehills Brenda 605, by the legendary Genus dairy bull, Picston Shottle, out of Brenda 408. The 33 days-calved second calver, giving 34 litres, sold for £1,520, top price in class, to Mr Williams.

Robin Jennings, who runs the Stainbank pedigree Holstein herd at Hill House Farm, South Stainley, had the second prize newly calven heifer, knocked down at £1,520 to the Webster family in Londonderry, Northallerton. Newly calven heifers averaged £1,620 per head.

In-calf cattle were good to sell, with Ramsgill’s David and Pauline Brown seeing their Brown Swiss heifer, due to a Lincoln Red, top the section at £1,250, followed by Duncan Holme, of Bolton Abbey, at £1,180. In-calf heifers averaged £1,066.

A run of 19 organic Brown Swiss-cross-Holstein maiden heifers from G&PR Simpson, of Bedale, achieved total clearance, selling to £690 and averaging £550 per head.

Rearing calves sell to £410
At the same day’s weekly rearing calf sale, the 45-strong entry sold to a top of £410 for a British Blue-cross bull calf from Fred Houseman, of Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard, closely followed at £400 for a second Blue-cross bull calf from Cowling’s Martyn Jennings. Mr Houseman also topped the heifer calf prices at £320 with another Blue-cross youngster. The overall Continental-cross selling average was £322 per head.

Black and whites were a touch dearer on the week, with the best calves all around the £100 mark, up to £115 for a strong calf from John Marshall, of Dacre. The section averaged £61.53 per head. Brian Moorhouse, of Bell Busk, had the top price native entry, an Aberdeen Angus heifer calf at £160.