Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 1,528 head of cattle Comprising: 412 Young Feeding Bulls, 1,110 Bullocks & Heifers, 5 Feeding Cows & 1 Cow & Calf. An increased entry of feeding bulls at the opening sale of store cattle attracted a strong line up of 21 separate buyers keen to purchase cattle but at a reduced price to reflect current uncertainty on dead weight pricing. Plenty of competition for well bred 2015 spring calves in forward condition with smaller bulls harder to move and strong short keep bulls £1100 to £1200.

Rearing Calves to £400 (123) B&W av £74.29 Cont av £311.9 Native av £194.8 A strong show of calves for the New Year Show and Sale with Joe Ogden of Cowling Judging the pre sale show. Through the ring Hartley’s of Bolton Abbey took the top price of £400 with a big british blue bull. Fred Houseman of Church Farm Enterprises chased close behind with another run of quality calves topping at £395. No storming record breakers this time but a strong trade right through the sale made for some healthy averages for the 123 on offer.

Forward: 59 Prime cattle comprising 22 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 35 Cast Cattle. 3,396 Prime Sheep comprising 2,652 Old Season Lambs and 742 Cast Ewes & Rams. Rearing Calves. 10 Loads of produce.

Forward: 13 Prime cattle comprising Clean Cattle 13 (under 30 mos). 3,398 Prime Sheep comprising 2,715 Spring Lambs, 683 Cast Ewes & Rams

Forward: 7 Prime cattle comprising 7 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) 4,539 Prime Sheep comprising 3936 Spring Lambs, 603 Cast Ewes & Rams 66 Rearing Calves

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs Forward: 1760 Head, Overall av £50.33 A good turnout of store sheep were predominantly medium and long keep types with strong lambs short of buyers requirements and as a consequence sold to a very sharp trade. Smart Continental and strong Suffolks were all around £60 or more, and better Mule wethers mid £50’s, outwith the show it was Andrew Sutton of Long Sleddale with a pen of 52 at £57.80 and another pen of 48 at £56 leading the way. More buyers in attendance for smaller long keep types helped these sell well.

Addingham Sheepbreeders charity lambs raise £2,900 for Manorlands Lambs donated by generous farmers earned more cash for charity when sold to a big-hearted ringside at Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ Association’s ninth annual fundraiser at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, Dec 16) Twenty-eight lambs, predominantly Mule wethers, were handed over and, together with other items donated for sale, raised a resounding £2,900 for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, Keighley, for whom the fixture has now netted some £33,000 in total.

Forward: 20 Prime cattle comprising 12 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 8 Cast Cattle. 4,363 Prime Sheep comprising 4,034 Spring Lambs, 329 Cast Ewes & Rams. 91 Rearing Calves. 71 Dairy Cattle. 8 Loads of produce.

Rearing Calves to £430 (92) B&W av £67 Cont av £306 Native av £186.57 A decent show of calves received a straight trade right through the sale with the best calves forging a strong trade. Black and Whites held back by some plain calves right the way through the sale with plenty handy goods above £100’s. Continentals were still good to sell with three full trailers of calves receiving a fair trade for their consignments. NB there is a calf sale next week on the 21st with a usual consignment expected then there is no sale until the 4th of January.

Stainbank herd secures seventh Skipton dairy title of the year Robin Jennings, who runs the Stainbank pedigree Holstein dairy herd at Hill House Farm, South Stainley, rattled up his seventh championship success of the year at the final Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Dec 14) In doing so, he became 2015’s most prolific title winner, including a remarkable run of five successive championships over the summer months.

WINTER SALE OF IN LAMB PEDIGREE BELTEX ON BEHALF OF THE NORTHERN CLUB Forward: 12 head of Pedigree Beltex The 4th winter sale for The Northern Club saw a small entry but a flying trade with a fantastic Beltex Ewe lamb from the Rathbone flock of Michael and Daughter Becky Davies which went on to sell for 1300gns. All on offer sold well above expectation with Stuart Currie making 600gns with an aged ewe and the Davies family making 800gns twice with some strong Shearling ewes.

NATSB WINTER SALE OF IN LAMB PEDIGREE TEXELS Forward: 96 head of Pedigree Texel Sponsors – Harrisons Agricultural Supplies A strong ringside of buyers made a good trade for the vast majority with Spyros Spyrou taking the top honours in the pre sale show judged by Tom Harrison. The Champion, a Shearling, In lamb to the Anglezarke Uno went on to reach the sale high 1300gns. Commercial sheep were well bid for with a full ringside of buyers assembled.

168 IN LAMB COMMERCIAL EWES This year’s Annual collective sale of individual and small groups of Continental sired sheep incorporated the production sales from flocks owned by Frank Joel of Westhouse and Martin & Val Brown of Leyburn. The cross bred sheep saw a similarly strong trade to that seen by the Pedigree breeders with an overall average of £246 for the 168 head on offer. This noted sale is now growing in popularity as a source of breeding sheep for premium prime lambs and show quality prime lambs.

Mark Rangeley on the mark at Skipton Christmas poultry show Kirklees poultry breeder Mark Rangeley, from Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, ruled the roost with a pair of exhibition quality Black Orpingtons at the Craven Feather Auction Christmas show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Sat, Dec 15) Mr Rangeley, who hatched the title-winning cockerel and point-of-lay pullet in May this year, is a renowned Orpington man, having bred Blacks, Buffs, Blues and Cuckoos for 30 years.

Runaway success for Rathbone flock at Skipton Beltex winter highlight The Northern Beltex Society’s fourth winter show and sale of pedigree in-lamb ewes at Skipton Auction Mart produced championship, reserve championship and top price successes for the Rathbone pedigree flock of North Craven father and daughter, Michael and Becky Davis, of Ravenshaw Farm, Eldroth, (Sat, Dec 15) Their title winner was the first prize March-born ewe lamb, Rathbone Anushka, by Holmebeck Tonto, a third prize winner at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, who has bred ram lambs to 3,000gns, out of the home-bred Rathbone Tipsy, a grand-daughter of the Davis family’s highly regarded Rathbone Leader, who has produced shearling rams to 9,000gns and shearling gimmers to 4,800gns.