Best seller on the day at 2,400gns was a 16-month-old home-bred Simmental bull from the North Yorkshire Scarthingwell pedigree herd of Mrs Jayne Pick, based at the farm of the same near Tadcaster.

 

Her Scarthingwell Ferdie, by the easy-calving Popes Laird, out of Scarthingwell White Heather, a dam said to breed consistently well, returned to near his place of origin when joining the Liversidge farming family in Wilberfoss, York – brothers Brian, Ken and Edwin, and their nephews Chris and Martin. He will be utilised as a commercial sire on their pedigree Simmental cows.

 

Also selling well at 2,350gns was the October, 2013, home-bred British Blue bull, Brookfield Ironman, from Stephen and Gillian Potter’s pedigree herd at Topcliffe, Thirsk. The son of Drybarrows Dalmation, out of Brookfield Dot, joined J Verity & Son, of Lofthouse, and will be used to produce premium calves in their Nidderdale suckler herd. 

 

The championship was awarded by show judge James Huck, of Austwick, to TB Moorhouse & Son, of Dacre, Harrogate, with their home-bred December, 2013, Blonde d’Aquitaine bull, Fouldshaw Increadible Hulk, by the 4,000gns Hillhead Dazzler, out of Baileys Good Lookin, bred in North Craven by Eldroth’s Andrew Bailey.

 

The Moorhouses – brothers Ian and Keith, along with their parents Alan and Shona - established their Fouldshaw herd in 2001 and currently have some 20 pedigree Blonde cows, along with around 100 commercial cows. Already a proven performer, their Skipton victor found a new home with George Wainwright in the Peak District at 1,800gns. 

 

Reserve champions for the second year running were local vendors John and Claire Mason, who run the Oddacres Limousin herd in Embsay, with their first prize junior bull, Oddacres Joker, just one-year-old and by their well-known and highly successful 10,500gns sire, Homebyres Dixon.

 

Out of Oddacres Dolly, by the oft-used sire Usant, a full brother to the legendary Nenuphar, the red rosette winner sold for 1,300gns to Bernard Greaves, of Norwood, Otley.

 

Terry and Elaine Priestley, who run the Prietec pedigree Limousin herd in Mewith, near Bentham, repeated their 2014 show success when again making a clean sweep of the prizes in the show class for 2014-born females with home-bred entries all sired by their Rainbow Simon son, Hudscales George.

 

Their red rosette winner, Prietec Jaffacake, out of Prietec Galaxy, sold for 1,220gns to N Shaw & Son, of Shelley, Huddersfield.

 

Richard Harker’s Overthwaite Limousin herd in Holme, near Carnforth, sold a 13-month-old home bred bull, Overthwaite James, by Haltcliffe Fencer, for 1,450gns, again to Bernard Greaves.

 

In the non-show section, Cumbrian breeders W Richardson & Sons, of Laverock Bridge, Kendal, achieved 2,000gns with a Charolais breeding bull called Charlie, which fell to Alec Robinson, of Staveley, Kendal.

 

Tim and Lisa Metcalfe, who have the Towngate pedigree herd in Clayton, Bradford, made 2,050gns with a British Blue breeding bull that joined the Sandham family in Horsforth.

 

The total entry of 44 cattle was a 50:50 split between pedigree and pure-bred breeding cattle and suckler breeding cattle.

 

Silsden’s Jack Berry sold two British Blue-cross heifers, one with a bull calf, the other with a heifer calf, for £2,220 and £2,100 respectively, both joining TB Moorhouse & Son, who also paid £2,050 for a Limousin-cross heifer with Limousin bull calf at foot from Andrew Haggas, of Otterburn. The same vendor also sold another Limousin-cross with heifer calves for £1,700 to TH&K Wood, of High Birstwith.

 

The show formed part of Skipton’s fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale, which attracted another sizeable turnout of 521 head and achieved good trade, with plenty of four-figure prices in evidence across all classes.

 

The 137 young feeding bulls forward sold to a Continental-cross average of £927 per head, with a native average of £749, and a high of £1,320 for a Limousin-cross from Ben Townsend in Laneshawbridge, who also sent out the top price £1,260 British Blue-cross. The top price pen of three Charolais-cross bulls from AMS Robinson, of Staveley, each made £1,000.

 

A total of 336 bullocks and heifers were also on parade, with the former averaging £905 for Continental-cross entries and £763 for natives. Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, headed the bullock prices with a £1,180 Limousin-cross, while the top price pen of three Limousin-cross from Addingham’s Roland Carr sold away at £1,000 each.

Store heifers sold to a Continental-cross average of £859 per head, with a native average of £746. Tops on price were two Limousin-cross entries from Andrew Rigby, of Slaidburn, which each made £1,280, with Ellis Bros again to the fore when sending out the top price pen of three Limousin-cross heifers, which each made £1,140.