Limousins lead the way at CCM Skipton Autumn pedigree highlight
Cattle took centre stage at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Autumn pedigree event, with another bumper bovine turnout of 583 head and a strong line-up of show classes right across the market for multi-breed beef breeding cattle, 2019-born suckled calves, 2018 store cattle with show potential, feeding cows, plus the first Autumn native store cattle sale. (Wed, Oct 9)
Taking top price in the pedigree ring at 1,800gns was a well-muscled young bull from Pat Varley’s Queenshead herd at Myrtle Grove Farm, Queensbury. Her March, 2018, Queenshead Odin, shown successfully all summer, is by Ampertaine Elgin and the first calf bred from Millington Juliet. Standing third in his show class, Odin joined Tim and Michael Longton, of Quernmore, Lancaster
The show arena was also dominated by Limousins, with the championship awarded to the Tomschoice herd of James and Sarah Cooper at Hill Top Farm, Dacre, Harrogate. It fell to their best in show female, the seven-year-old Tomshoice Horsdoeuvre, by the AI sire, Milbrook Dartagnan, out of Tomshchoice Champagne, a Sarkley Topknot daughter tapped out as female champion at Skipton’s main pedigree Limousin highlight in 2016.
She was sold with her heifer calf, the February-born Tomshoice Petipois, a Mereside Leo daughter. Again scanned in-calf, the title winning outfit sold for 1,850gns to Oakworth’s Jan Feather.
Standing reserve champion, courtesy of show judge, Gisburn’s Paul Baines, was the best Limousin bull from the Elderberry herd of father and son, Paul and Neil Blenkhorn, of Willitoft, Goole. Their March, 2018, Elderberry Olden is fully French-bred, being by the imported sire Jupiter, a very easy calving bull whose first calf was also a show winner for the Blenkhorns. He sold for 1,650gns to EW Gill & Sons, of Sabden.
The leading native breed was a 2018 Aberdeen-Angus bull, Mossie Mire Pluto, shown by AR&HE Cox, of Laverton, Ripon. The Gretnahouse Krack Lad son is in the top 5% of the breed for retail beef yield and he sold to John and Tracey Lund, of Coniston Cold, for 1,750gns.
The other shows, the majority judged by Laneshawbridge’s Ben Townend, formed part of Skipton’s fortnightly breeding cattle fixture. Both the 2019-born suckled steer and heifer show classes were won by Limousin-cross entries from Clapham’s Jonathan Townley. Shown by his son Adam, they sold for £1,100 and £1,000 respectively.
The show class for 2018-born heifers fell to Chipping’s Anthony Rogerson with a three-quarters British Blue by Brennand Dandy, sold for £1,210, while Fox Farms in Withgill, Clitheroe, presented both the first and second prize Limousin-cross and Blue-cross steers, the former making £1,195 when becoming the top price steer, the latter £1,145. Chris Nelson, of Bordley, headed the day’s heifer prices with a £1,210 Limousin.
The best 2019-born bull was a home-bred near pure Limousin by a Haltcliffe sire from Michael Dawson, of Littledale, Lancaster, sold for £840.
Both first and second prizes in a standalone show for feeding cows fell to pure British Blues from Ian and Mary Lancaster, of Wiswell, the winner making £1,260, the runner-up doing better at £1,430.