Heading the show class for ten to 12-month-old bulls was Jeff Walker, from Brennand Farm, Dunsop Bridge, with another home-bred British Blue-cross by the family’s renowned sire Bluegrass Cyclone, out of a Blue cow.

Cyclone has produced multiple Skipton show champions for the Walkers, including the title-winning heifer at last month’s annual Craven Champions Day fixture.

Both young bull principals fell for £1,270 and £1,030 respectively to the show judge, York area farmer and butcher Anthony Swales, a multiple buyer of top-quality cattle at Skipton.

Mr Swales made 15 acquisitions in total on the day, among them two further rosette winners, the second prize 10 months or under young bull from reigning CCM Farmers of the Year, Stephen, Tracey and Samantha Fawcett, of Fold House Farm, Drebley, at £1,200, along with the third prize ten to 12-month-old young bull, again from the Walkers, for £960.

All will be further fattened on the Swales’ family farm in Melbourne, before returning to the food chain at their Knavesmire Butchers shop in Albermarle Road, York, for the summer trade, where, as well as providing some top-notch roasts, they will also be available as steaks, burgers, sausages and kebabs for the 2015 BBQ season.

Back at Skipton, John Fawcett, of Dale Head Farm, Barden, produced the remaining prize winners, the second prize ten to 12-month-old young bull, which sold for £1,240 to John and Robert  Matten, of Thirsk, and the third prize ten months or under young bull, knocked down at £1,130 to Lincolnshire buyers J&JR Appleby.

The show classes formed part of the fortnightly sale of 549 head of cattle, among them 214 young feeding bulls and 323 bullocks and heifers. In the store section, prices were every bit as strong as recent sales, with a day’s high of £1,500 for a British Blue-cross young bull from Richard Maudsley, of Rathmell. The buyer was Kirkby Malham’s Richard Brown, who will use his acquisition for breeding purposes.

The top price pen of three Limousin-cross young bulls from David Harker, of Kendal, each made £1,030. Young bulls sold to a Continental-cross average of £965 per head, with a native average of £832.

Store bullocks sold to a Continental-cross average of £925 and native average £998, peaking at £1,260 for a Limousin-cross from Mac Iveson, of Masham, with the top price pen of three Limousin-cross bullocks from Ivan Thomas, of Sutton-in-Craven, each selling away at £1,235.







 







Store heifers sold to a high of £1,390 for a British Blue-cross from Robin Caton, of Cowan Bridge, with the top price pens of five Charolais-cross heifers from Ashley Caton, of Otterburn, and four British Blue-cross from David Coates, of Coniston Cold, each making £1,090. The Continental-cross average was £961 and native average £895.