Prime Cattle (under 30 mos)

January Prime Show

Steers:   1. TE Critchley                      2. JA Drake                            3. CD&RF Kitching

Heifers:  1. AA&E Critchley&Son      2. JA Drake                            3. EW&JR Parkinson

A good attendance of retail customers returning to the ring after the holidays with Mesrs AA&E Critchley & Son of Hutton securing the overall championship with a 570kg British Blue Heifer which sold to Hamlets Butchers of Garstang for 269.5p/kg or £1536. Reserve champion also came from the Critchley stable but this time Tom Critchley who represents the family’s cattle. The reserve and first prize steer was a Limousin weighing 535kg which sold to Countrystyle Meats of Lancaster.

Leading buyer was Keelham Farm shop with 7 on the book from the 22 clean cattle forward with in total 10 active retail accounts for the sale.

Steers

465-555kg                                             to 268.5p/kg                        av.253.29p/kg

560kg+                                                   to 243.5p/kg

Heifers

400-480kg                                             to 233.5p/kg

485kg+                                                   to 269.5p/kg                        av.223.82p/kg

Top Prices £ per head and p/kg

Steers

£ per head: TE Critchley (Limx) 1436, JA Drake (Blondex) 1412, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1312

p/kg: TE Critchley (Limx) 268.5, JA Drake (Blondex) 243.5, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 238.5

Heifers

£ per head: AA&E Critchley&Son (BBx) 1536, JA Drake (BBx) 1515, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1401, EW&JR Parkinson (BBx) 1386

p/kg: AA&E Critchley (BBx) 269.5, 258.5, EW&JR Parkinson (BBx) 261.5, JR Metcalfe (Limx) 256.5, JA Drake (BBx) 252.5

Cast cattle opened up a fair trade with a full attendance of buyers and useful entry of meated cattle and Beef crosses. Heavy dairies carrying finish 105-110p and lean cattle a strong trade at 81-95p/kg.

Overall Average                                   108.56p/kg           £721.96

Black & White                       to 111.5 p/kg                       av. 98.91p/kg

Danish Red                            to 90.5p/kg

MRI                                         to 111.5p/kg                        av. 103.84p/kg

Limx                                       to 139.5p/kg                        av. 116.19p/kg

BBx                                         to 184.5p/kg                        av. 144.91p/kg

Blondex                                 to 166.5p/kg

AA                                           to 118.5p/kg                        av. 113.08p/kg

Top Prices (£ per head or p/kg)

B&W:

£ per head: WP Gratton 936, 849, JD Taylor&Son 854, N&SA Fort 792,738,709, GB Moorhouse 659

p/kg: N&SA Fort 111.5, JD Taylor&Son 109.5, WP Gratton 109.5, N&SA Fort 108.5, 106.5, GB Moorhouse 105.5

Other Dairy

£ per head: C. Watson (MRI) 721, N&R Sutcliffe (MRI) 702, 586, M Fewster (Dan Red) 516,

p/kg: N&R Sutcliffe (MRI) 111.5,106.5, C.Watson (MRI) 95.5, M Fewster (Dan Red) 90.5

Cont

£ per head: B Lund (BB) 1412, KA&HL Fawcett (Blondex) 1315, C. Nelson&Son 932

p/kg: B Lund (BB) 184.5, KA&HL Fawcett (Blondex) 166.5, CH&OF Hammond (Limx) 139.5

Native

£ per head: G&MA Lawn (AA) 901, Hurries Farm (AA) 830

p/kg: Hurries Farm (AA) 118.5, G&MA Lawn 108.5.

MATURE BULL

Overall Average                                   127.5p/kg             £1205

Limousin

£ per head: DM Parker & Partners 1205

p/kg: DM Parker & Partners 127.5

3,563 SHEEP comprising 3,228 OLD SEASON LAMBS and 335 CAST SHEEP

The Old Season Lamb (OSL) trade set off with a bang at Skipton on Monday where prices were sharp and in line with the previous sale held over the holiday period. Best end lambs were a sharp trade all day, top price of 330p or £129 for a pen of five 39kg Beltex from WA,VJ&JA Towler of Grindleton, purchased by Hamlets Butchers in Garstang. Today was Monthly Show day and the champion pen of 5 lambs came from Frankland Farms of Rathmell, weighing 47kg, they sold for £120 each to Mick Etherington onbehalf of Kitsons of Northallerton and Yarm . Messrs EP&JM Hutchinson from Faceby presented the reserve champion pen and they sold for 2^nd highest price on the day of £128 each purchased by Skipton regulars Countrystyle Meats of Lancaster.
Commercial lambs found a ready market all day, with heavies particularly good to sell, the 46kg to 52kg weight bracket averaging 189p and the 36kg to 45kg bracket levelling at 196p, overall selling average for 3,228 lambs of 192.8p/kg, which comprised of 844 Mule, Masham and Horned lambs and 2,384 Lowland bred lambs.

Cont x

1^st Frankland Farms 47kg £120 Mike Etherington

2^nd EP&JM Hutchinson 47kg £128 Countrystyle Meats

3^rd JS Eddleston 37kg £98 Vivers Scot Lamb

Mule

1^st JH&J Ryder 48kg £82 P Watson

2^nd JK Wilson 50kg £89 P Watson

Horned

1^st J&G Huck 51kg £83.50 P Watson

2^nd JK Wilson 38kg £65 Yorkshire Halal

Champion – Frankland Farms

Reserve – EP&JM Hutchinson

Prime Hoggs  – Overall Average  £82.29 per head or 192.82p/kg          

32.1kg to 35.9kg                 to 242.9p/kg         av 172.9p/kg         or £60.41 per head

36.0kg to 45.5kg                 to 330.8p/kg         av 196.22p/kg      or £81.31 per head

45.6kg to 52.0kg                 to 272.3p/kg         av 189.64p/kg      or £91.04 per head

52.1kg and over   to 203.7p/kg         av 167.96p/kg      or £96.29 per head

Beltex average £92.53 per head or 221.54p/kg

£ per head: £129 WA&VJ&JA Towler; £128 EP&JM Hutchinson; £121 Ellis Bros; £120 Frankland Farms; £119 EP&JM Hutchinson

p/kg:330.8p WA&VJ&JA Towler; 280.6p HB Atkinson; 280.5p GA Hewitt & Son; 280p HB Atkinson; 272.3p EP&JM Hutchinson

Suffolk average £84.17 per head or 181.54p/kg

£ per head: £121 ML Evans; £99 TH Mellin; £98 J Metcalfe; £93 G Beresford & Son; £92 GW Houseman & Partners;

p/kg: 210.3p HB Atkinson; 202.3p CD&RF Kitching; 200p W&J Parkinson; 198.8p DS Thompson; 193.2p CH&C Fearnley;

Texel average £82.05 per head or 190.43p/kg

£ per head: £114 I Marsden; £111 T Boothman; £110 x2, £108 I Marsden; £106 PA&NS Tattersall; £105 DN&D Capstick;

p/kg: 235.7p J Baines; 228.3p DN&D Capstick; 227.8p FW&JM Eddington; 226.2p JM Smith & Son; 226.1p I Marsden;

Mule average £75.50 per head or 171.45p/kg

£ per head: £89 JK Wilson; £88 JC Crabtree; £87 GW Houseman & Partners; £84 JA&JH Hewetson; £84 G Beresford & Son;

p/kg:181.4p R&KA Burley; 178p JK Wilson; 176.7p JR Lancaster; 176.2p CD&RF Kitching; 176p JC Crabtree; 175px3 G Beresford

Charollais average £62.68 per head or 176.57p/kg

£ per head: £78 CR&J Kippax; £74, £69 S Pepper; £51 JR&DL Ogden; £48.50 S Pepper

p/kg: 191.7p, 185p S Pepper; 181.4p CR&J Kippax; 164.5p JR&DL Ogden; 151.6p S Pepper

Swaledale average £61.11 per head or 156.06p/kg

£ per head: £83.50 J&G Huck; £75.50 JM&S Tennant; £75.50 R&KA Burley & Son; £75 S&D Robinson; £72.50 JH&J Ryder;

p/kg: 163.9p CM Ryder; 163.7p J&G Huck; 162.8p JL&J Pate; 162.8p, 161p P Addyman & Son; 160p JR Lancaster & Son

Dalesbred average £54.69 per head or 157.12p/kg

£ per head: £74.50 J&ME Carr; £65 JK Wilson; £55.50 J Dibb; £53 A&N Fothergill; £50.50 FW Horner & Son;

p/kg:171.1p JK Wilson; 162p J&ME Carr; 157.8p FW Horner; 151.4p A&N Fothergill; 150p J Dibb; 

Suffolk to £110, Texel to £113.50, Mule to £70.50, Lleyn to £82.50, Swaledale to £44.50, Gritstone to £67.50, Beltex to £93.50.

Top prices:

Lowland: £113.50 JR Crabtree; £111.50 L Bancroft;

Mule/Masham: £70.50 CR&J Kippax; £70.50 L Bancroft;

Horned: £44.50 TE Walker; £34.50 Roger Wood

Hill: £82.50 J Attey; £67.50 K Hill;  

Cast Rams average £61.53

Suffolk to £61.50, Texel to £89.50, BFL to £89.50, Charollais to £100.50, Beltex to £60.50.

Rearing Calves to £450

A large show of calves this morning with the New Year show and sale, Mark Houseman of Church Farm Enterprises took the Champion rosette with a tremendous British Blue calf which Judge Tony Binns said “I picked it out soon as I walked in the pen”. The calf that was 6 weeks of age sold for £440 to the Judge Tony Binns, however it was another big dark blue from the JP&KE Hartley of Bolton Abbey which took the top price of the day at £450 selling to Simon Thompson of Driffield. More than half of the British Blue bulls on offers today saw £400+ with Pickersgill brothers from Hawksworth reaching £400 twice for their Limousin consignments.

Heifers were healthy trade for the better quality entries with four heifers from Church Farm Enterprises averaging £403 and ¾ of all BB heifers past £350. Natives were well supported with AA bulls averaging £233 for all quality with JM Smith of Carleton topping at £300 for a cracking named sire entry.

Black and whites were definitely better to sell today than December, partly down to the size and quality on offer, but also a couple of fresh faces making the better calves a strong trade with Richard Spence’s tremendous Frieisian bull topping the day at £230 with a section average of £81.35.     

Bull Calves

Cont av £360.32 Native av £233

Limousin x (Av £335.06) to £400X2 G Pickersgill & Sons                           

Brit Blue x (Av £378.6) to £450 JP&KE Hartley                                                            

Aberdeen Angus (Av £233) to £300 JM Smith & Son

Shorthorn (Av £50.40) to £65 Flasby Estates

Black & White (Av £81.35) to £230 RM Spence                           

Heifer Calves       

Cont av £320.6 Native av £203.2                                                                   

Ab Angus (Av £221.67) to £260 JC Marshall                                                 

British Blue (Av £332.65) to £420 GB Moorhouse

Lim (Av £284) to £345 D Clarke