Harehills herd champion again at Craven Dairy Auction
Sally Wellock, who runs the Harehills pedigree herd at West House Farm, Oldfield, near Oakworth, bagged back-to-back championships at July’s opening Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart.
Victorious at the previous show late last month, the West Yorkshire dairy farmer repeated the feat at the latest renewal with her first prize newly calven heifer, Harehills Akretta 746, by the well-known Genus sire, Bassingthorpe Bossman.
The title winner, which hails from a family of milkers going back some four decades, came to market 20 days calved and giving 31kg. She sold for joint top price of £2,100 to Wharfedale dairy farmer Roger Naylor, of Langbar, Ilkley.
The same buyer also went to the same price to claim the reserve champion, the second prize newly calven heifer from Wilson Stewart, of the Straidahanna Holstein Friesian pedigree herd at Low Hesket in the Eden Valley near Carlisle.
His 2015-born Hurlands Mistery 875, by Bomaz Ingenious, was acquired as a maiden heifer by Mr Stewart, who is slowly winding down his herd, first established in 1954 and with some 50 milkers now remaining. The overall runner-up was 18 days calved, giving 40kg.
Mr Stewart also chipped in with the third prize newly calven heifer, the home-bred Straidahanna Brady Vera, by Butz-Butler Atwood Brady. Also giving 40kg, she sold for £2,000, again to Roger Naylor, who took home four milkers in total.
The selling prices of the principals were markedly stronger than of late and readily confirmed the choices of show judge Shaun Sowray, of Bishop Thornton. The overall selling average for a small, but solid turnout of newly calven heifers was £1,791.
Regular vendors and multiple prize winners Brian and Judith Moorhouse, who run the Aireburn pedigree herd in Bell Busk, picked up another red rosette with the first prize newly calven cow, Aireburn Endo Stephanie, by the home-bred dairy bull, Aireburn Endo, who has also been responsible for past Skipton champions. The 40kg second calver sold for £1,880 to ringside regular Brian Blezard, of Ribchester.
A consignment of four newly calven Shorthorn dairy cattle from South Yorkshire’s Mrs Alex Wilkes saw cows sell to £1,380 and heifers to £1,080.
The next Craven Dairy Auction fixture on Monday, July 16, is followed on Friday, July 20, by a production sale from Allan and Susan Throup’s renowned Dalesbrad herd at Higher House Farm, Silsden Moor.
Rearing calves sell to £455
Back at Skipton on Monday, 31 dairy-bred rearing calves again met a solid trade, topping at £455 and £440 for a brace of British Blue-cross bulls from leading producer Fred Houseman, of Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard. Respective buyers were Tom Watson, of Sawley, and Wetherby’s Robert Foster. The overall Continental-cross selling average was £315.50.
Of the natives, a healthy turnout of Aberdeen-Angus youngsters, predominantly three to four weeks-old, averaged £211 each, with a high of £240 for a fleshy bull calf from James Wellock, of Eshton. The overall section average was £188.33
Black and whites proved a touch dearer on the week, averaging £86.60 overall, with Wood Bros, of Slattocks, Greater Manchester, leading the way with a £115 bull calf.