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YOUNG FARMERS PRESS - MONDAY 31ST JULY 2017

Kieran, four, outguns dad to retain Skipton young farmers’ lambs title Kieran Robinson, a four-year-old livewire from Barnoldswick, got the better of his 26-year-old father, Scott, when retaining the supreme championship he won the previous year at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual young handlers’ prime lamb show and sale.(Monday, July 31)




Kieran, who next month starts school at Barnoldswick Primary, again showed he is already well educated in the agricultural show arena. Immaculately turned out, he controlled his three-quarters Beltex lamb with experienced hands for one so young to first claim the red rosette in the under-ten class.

He then progressed to land back-to-back titles with his 39kg charge, by the Irish-bred Robinson family stock ram, Bonecastle Wade. The home-bred victor made the day’s top gross and per kilo price of £145, or 371.8p, when selling to Keelham Farm Shop’s James Robertshaw, who also bought young Kieran’s 2016 victor.

Dad Scott, winner of the 17 to 26-year-old show class, finished reserve supreme champion with his 41kg Beltex-cross lamb, another home-bred by a Dutch Texel tup, which sold for £100 to regular buyer Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, Harrogate, on behalf of Hartshead Meats in Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne.

The annual highlight is a happy hunting ground for the Robinson family, who run 130 Beltex and Texel-cross breeding ewes on a smallholding in the West Craven town’s Brogden Lane. Mum Laura has herself twice won the supreme championship.

Victory in the 10 to 16-years show class fell to another home-bred 41kg Beltex-cross lamb from 12-year-old James Garnett, of Lane End Farm, Draughton. His parents John and Judy Garnett are familiar faces at Skipton. This, too, fell for £100 to Andrew Atkinson, who bought all four class prize winners and seven rosette winners in total, the majority for Hartshead Meats.

The annual showcase provides an opportunity for farming’s future generations to gain valuable experience in the show arena and the 23 competitors across all three show classes were well turned out, presenting some wonderful lambs, which were judged by Giggleswick’s Alison North, with the show supported by Pearson Farm Supplies, Wynnstay and CCM Auctions.

Full results, selling prices and buyers were: Under 10 – 1 Kieran Robinson 39kg £145 Keelham Farm Shop, 2 Bobby Crabtree 43kg £107.50 Vivers Scot Lamb, 3 Jimmy Crabtree 47kg £120 Andrew Atkinson, 4 Amy Lawn 41kg £96 Nick Dalby. 10-16 years – 1 James Garnett 41kg £100, 2 Molly Phillipson 52kg £108, 3 Gemma Johnson 37kg £92, 4 Henry Ellison 52kg £117. All bought by A Atkinson. 17-26 years – 1 Scott Robinson 41kg £100 A Atkinson, 2 Rob Ellis 42kg £106 Vivers Scot Lamb, 3 George Throup 50kg £95 Paul Watson, 4 Tom Walmsley 48kg £117 A Atkinson.

Also showing lambs were James Moorhouse, Jack Metcalfe, Emma Lawn, Nancy Lawn, Thomas Thornber, Jack Thornber, Henry Mellin, Alfie Throup, Sam Phillipson, Robert Capstick and Mel Pickard.

Over 3,000 sheep were sold on another busy Monday at Skipton, with the 2,411 lambs among them meeting a sharper trade on the week to average £82.35 per head, or 200.76p/kg, 5p/kg up on the week. Well finished lambs received a good premium.

Other chief prices saw the Crabtree family from Clifton, Otley, and John Mellin, of Black Lane Ends, both sell Beltex and Suffolk pens respectively to £120 per head. The smartest end of lambs were either side of 250p/kg and other vendors with pens above 250p were the Crabtrees again twice, Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside ,twice, Ian Marsden, of Hoylandswaine, Tony Kiernan, of Longridge, and P Johnson, of Trawden.

The next grade of lambs sold at 220-245p, with 67 pens falling into this bracket. Other decent prime lambs made 200-210p, with commercial types mainly 190-195p. Mule lambs sold at 175-185p, with the best around 190p.

A huge show of 645 cast sheep incorporated more leaner fresh weaned types, with trade fast for all types of cull ewes and rams. The Stockdale family, from Burnsall, sold heavy ewes to £125.50, Anthony Hewetson, of Bank Newton, Texels to £118.50, Messrs Fall, of Middleham, ewes to £114.50, and show principals, the Robinsons, a pen of six at £113.50. Several other good pens made into three figures, with cull ewes averaging £56.52 per head overall and cast rams £59.13.