Calved a fortnight, and giving 5.5 gallons, the homebred heifer was by the Genus sire Garrison, who has previously sired a number of other winners.

“We’ve done quite well with that bull,” said Mr Crisp. “But you never know how well they’ll do until you get here.”

Mr Crisp, a former CCM farmer of the year, won both championship and reserve championship honours at Craven Cattle Mart’s early September Craven Dairy Auction show and sale last year, with two newly calven heifers from the same sire.

Monday’s champion was sold for £2,250 to John Howard, of Heslaker.

However, the champion wasn’t the top priced beast, with David and Jill Pennock’s heifer securing that honour despite only coming third in the newly calven heifer class. The homebred heifer, calved 21 days, giving over 20 litres, sold for £2,300, again to Mr Howard.

Andrew Jennings, who runs the Abbeyhouse pedigree herd at Fountains and was the 2012 Christmas show champion, collected the Reserve Champion Rosette for his pedigree heifer, with four generations of VG or EX behind it, sired by Gillette Final Cut. Nineteen days calved and giving 32 litres, the reserve champion was sold for £2,100 to B. H. Wilson of York.

Judge James Kayley from Halton West also awarded Jennings the first and third place in the newly calven cows class, with a pedigree second calver sold for £1,850 to Mr Wilson and another pedigree second calver, calved 11 days, giving 41 litres, sold for £1,500 to Mr Bretherton of Hoghdon. Mr Jennings said: “It’s a good day for us.”

Second in the newly calven cows class was Bell Busk dairy farmer and regular winner Brian Moorhouse, with a second calver, calved on Boxing Day giving 41 kilos, sold for £2,100. 

MGT Corner from Easingwold presented the first prize in-calf heifer, sold for 1520 to D Shuttleworth of Gargrave with the second and third prizes going to RA & HE Simpson of Oulston, sold for £1,400 to Mr Shuttleworth and for £1380 to J Howard of Heslaker.

Skipton Auction Mart’s dairy auctioneer Sam Bradley said it was a small show, but the majority of types were well supported with some good averages coming from all sections. “It was a good trade for hard-wearing quality Dales heifers,” he said.

Pedigree newly calven heifers averaged £2,084 and pedigree newly calven cows averaged £1,787, with the selling average for commercial counterparts £1,967.50 for heifers and £1,740 for cows. The next sale is on January 27.