A big turnout of feeding bull buyers and a touch firmer generally on the stronger end premium bulls with a lot more cattle £1100 and over. A lot of buyers at the smaller end 300kg for ‘growing on’ which were the trade of the day with 400-500kg commercial types were a similar trade to previous weeks with occasional pens up on the fortnight.  
A good entry of feeding cows met with an increased attendance of buyers and a very firm trade for all classes. Cattle for grazing were especially well sold with these types dearer by some margin.

A large show of cattle in the bottom ring today with a tremendous amount of yearling and grazing cattle throughout the sale, despite the numbers a full ringside of buyers meant a healthy trade was seen from start to finish. Young yearling bullocks were good to sell especially those with a touch of shape with a handful breaking the £1100 barrier topping for a cracking bullock from Highfield farm LLP, Chorley selling for £1150. The large majority found homes at £800 to £1000. A run of 45 Hereford X Holstein bullocks at 12 months of age found a ready audience selling regularly between £600 - £700. Well fleshed yearlings found a ready contingent of retail type cattle buyers with best bullocks topping with a pen of three from Janet Sheard of Huddersfield at £1170 and heifers topping at £1290 for a superb heifer from D&S Hollings.

Despite large numbers of younger cattle, older stronger commercial animals were still in good supply with over 200 of the entry 18 months or older. Plenty of strong cattle sold in bunches today with a large quantity of Beef x Dairy bullocks and heifers in the catalogue today trading in the £1000 to £1100 bracket with an exceptional run from Brian Blezard of Ribchester seeing his British Blue heifers peak at £1235. Best of the beef bullocks came in the form of Ellis Bros of Addingham Moorside who would top the sale with a pen of three Limousin’s reaching £1310.

Prices and Averages

Young Bulls – Continental x average £1003.04, Native average £855.15

Charollais x (Av £1057)

£1110x2 JE&AC Clarke; £1100 RM Wilson; £1055x3 AMS Robinson;

Limousin x (Av £997)

£1275 JM Wilson; £1200 JA&JM Wade; £1155x2 £1150x2 £1140 DW&CJ Towler; £1140 E&M Townley;  £1140 J Pickles; £1140 G&JSM Hartley;

Brit Blue x (Av £989)

£1360 K&GJ Huck; £1300 JR&C Saunders; £1280 JH&J Ryder; £1200 R Holroyd; £1150 EW&JR Parkinson; £1130x2 E&M Townley;  

Ab Angus (Av £913)

£1050 E&M Townley; £970x2 A&H Cox; £945x3 CR&J Kippax; £910 JC&N Throup;  

Blonde (Av £1058)

£1180 £1080 K&GJ Huck; £1100 £1085 Saddle End Farms; £1065 S Horsfield; £1060 JH&J Ryder; 1020x2 F Stephenson;

Shorthorn (Av £765)

£915 CG&D Townend; £615 DW&CJ Towler;

Bazadaise (Av £1030)

£1130 £1110 £1040 £980 RS&HA Davey;

Top price pen of three or more bulls

Beef Bred Feeding Cows av £895

Store Bullocks – Continental x average £964, Native average £786, Dairy average £835

Black & White (Av £726)

£940 Ellis Bros; £750x4 JF Metcalfe; £650x4 A Calvert & Son;

Hereford x (Av £683)

£1060x2 E&AM Burrow; £955 £940 GC Pickup; £780 E Pennock; £675x6 A Nicholson;

Charollais x (Av £974)

£1090 £1060x4 £1030x3 D Beck; £1020 J Drinkall;

Simmental x (Av £873)

£995 CA Foster; £870x2 £840 GB Jennings; £790 GR Hensby;

Limousin x (Av £956)

£1310x3 £1300x2 Ellis Bros; £1180 E Simpson & Son; £1175 JA&J Harker; £1170x3 JE Sheard;

Blonde (Av £747)

£860x3 TB Moorhouse; £810 £730 £680 £660 ML Evans; £710 B Bamforth; £670 £630 JJ&J Woof;

Ab Angus (Av £930)

£1190x2 JG&R Lancashire; £1050x3 £1025x3 D&J Coates; £990 WP&B Walker;  

Saler x (Av £803)

£1090 £1050 J&C Wright; £770x2 £765x2 £740 JJ&J Woof;

Shorthorn x (Av £915)

£930 J Drinkall; £900 High Field Farm;

Brit Blue x (Av £1043)

£1175 JG&R Lancashire; £1160x2 Ellis Bros; £1160x3 D&J Coates; £1150 High Field Farm; £1135x2 JSS Verity;

Mont Bel (Av £1080)

£1080x4 J&M Blakey;

Top price pen of three or more bullocks

Store Heifers – Continental x average £849.65, Native average £814.48

Hereford x (Av £882)

£970x2 New York Farms; £910 JG&R Lancashire; £900x2 AV Caton;

Charollais x (Av £865)

£1000 AC Ward; £1000x2 JE&AC Clarke; £980 JB&AH Coates; £960x6 D Pawson 7 Son;

Simmental x (Av £835)

£895x2 JG&R Lancashire; £890 JH&J Ryder; £660 CA Foster

Limousin x (Av £830)

£1240 Ellis Bors; £1210 MJ&RH Wallbank; £1140 K Sunderland; £1135x4 E Simpson & Son; £1135 AV Caton; £1110 JA&JM Wade;

Blonde (Av £751)

£970x2 £790 TB Moorhouse; £860 £650x2 K Forest; £750 JJ&J Woof; £670 ML Evans;

Shorthorn x (Av £912)

£1180 £970 New York Farms; £890 High Field Farm; £830 £690 AV Caton;  

Ab Angus (Av £757)

£920 R Brewer; £880x5 E Pennock & Son; £850 JA&JM Wade; £790x2 DA&S Fort;  

Saler (Av £720)

£920 JG Bamforth; £620x2 JJ&J Woof

Brit Blue x (Av £904)

£1290 £1140 D&S Hollings; £1235x3 £1185x3 BF Blezard Ltd; £1190 JE Sheard; £1100x3 JSS Verity;  

Top price pen of three or more heifers

BLUE WEDNESDAY

Annual Sale of Pedigree Blue Cattle.

Judge – Richard Pedley  

Top price at the Craven Cattle Marts Ltd ‘Blue Wednesday’ was the 2017 British Blue Bull ‘Greystone Money’ at 4600gns. The Greystone pen attracted plenty of interest and ‘Money’ a son of the £20,000 Almeley Ginola bred from the easy calving Greytstone Coin sold to JP&KE Hartley of Beamsley for use in the dairy herd.

Also from the Greystone Herd was ‘Mastercard’ a son of the easy calving Norbreck Sire ‘Astrics JJ’ out of the natural calving Greystone Judy which sold to Tim Metcalfe of Clayton for 4000gns.

Champion was the strong February 2017 son of another Norbreck Sire ‘Heros du Peroy’ presented by the Littlebank herd of H&S Maudsley of Rathmell. Already a chosen sire on pedigree cows Milo was ready for work and bought by Messrs EA&DA Ellis of Lelant for 3400gns. Messrs Maudsley followed up with Littlebank Mr T by the ‘Jalon de Martinpres’ naturally born in August 2017 which sold to K&A Woof for 3600gns.

Regular vendors Mark & Elaine Hartley of the Pendle herd continued their solid trade by selling the April 2017 ‘Jalon de Martinpres’ son bred out of the naturally calving Pendle Heather for 3800gns to JC Bellerby of Weeton.

The females presented opportunity with a pair of nice outfits from RO&EJ Ibbotson, Hawksbridge herd. Top price was 3400gns paid by Bill Stephens of Turiff for Hawksbridge Katherine a Mountjoy Utopia daughter sold with her stylish March heifer calf by Tweedle Ebony. The same buyer added a maiden heifer to the trailer in High Moss Nora, a January 2018 ‘Farouk de St Amand’ daughters from GW&HE Wallbank of Keadsen for 2000gns.  

Chief Prices & Averages –

Senior Bulls                                        to 3100gns

Intermediate Bulls 2017                to 4600gns av £3738

Junior Bulls 2017                              to 3600gns av £2835

Cows with Calves                            to 3400gns av £3098

Maiden Heifers                                to 2000gns

4600gns 4000gns             Messrs Coates

3800gns                               AM&E Hartley

3600gns 3400gns              H&S Maudsley                 

3400gns                                RO&JE Ibbotson

3100gns                                Norbreck Genetics

Show Results –

Class 1 – Pedigree Bull pre 2017

1^st Norbreck Genetics Lot 2 sold for 3100gns

Class 2 – Pedigree Bull born 2017

1^st H&S Maudsley Lot 4 sold for 3400gns

2^nd JM Bamfroth Lot 8 unsold

3^rd Messrs Coates Lot 6 sold for 4000gns

Class 3 - Pedigree Female

1^st GW Wallbank Lot 18 sold for 2000gns

2^nd RO&JE Ibbotson Lot 15/16 sold for 3400gns

Champion – H&S Maudsley Lot 4 sold for 3400gns

Reserve – JM Bamforth Lot 8 unsold