208 Breeding Sheep A similar show of ewes with lambs sold to a larger ringside of buyers and trade slightly up on the week especially for anything with stronger lambs. Next week is the Special Show & Sale, entries to the mart office please. Including Annual Consignment of 100 Texel Shearlings & 2shear Ewes with Beltex x Lambs at Foot from Thomas Boothman of Linton.

Forward: 46 Prime cattle comprising 23 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 22 Cast Cattle 2,206 Prime Sheep comprising 1963 Prime Hoggs, 243 Cast Ewes & Rams 208 Breeding Sheep 53 Rearing Calves to £405 X2: B&W av £75.46 Cont av £347.45 Native av £177.83 11 Loads of produce

‘Brexit means a better deal for farmers’ – Farming Minister Farming Minister George Eustice addressed members of the regional agricultural community on a visit hosted by CCM Auctions at Skipton Auction Mart. (Thursday, March 16) Speaking alongside Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, he told farmers that Defra was busy preparing for what Brexit, which takes farming out of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), might look like.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 626 head of cattle Comprising: 206 Young Feeding Bulls, 19 Beef Feeding Cows & 401 Bullocks & Heifers.

Blues lead the way Skipton Spring young bull highlight British Blue-cross entries claimed both class wins and top prices at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Spring show and sale of young feeding bulls. (Wed, March 15) In the under 10-months show class, father and son Alan and Gary Lodge, of Westside House, Malham Moor, were on the mark with a home-bred bull by a Scottish-bred sire they shared with fellow Yorkshire Dales breeder James Hall, of Darnbrook.

Swires family take principal Craven Dairy Auction honours Commercial dairy farmers, the Swires family from Stainburn, midway between Harrogate and Otley, swept the board with a championship and reserve championship double at the opening March Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, March 13) Father and son, Tony and James Swires, of Town End Farm, where they milk 180 Holstein Friesian cows, first stepped up with the first prize newly calven heifer, which was then tapped out as overall champion by show judge Colin Whitelock, of Gargrave

Forward: 65 Prime cattle comprising 11 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 53 Cast Cattle 2,510 Prime Sheep comprising 2301 Prime Hoggs, 209 Cast Ewes & Rams 289 Breeding Sheep. 78 Rearing Calves to £410 X2: B&W av £60.11 Cont av £325.48 Native av £195.48. 13 Dairy Cattle: 1st Quality Heifers: av £1720 to £2020: 2nd Quality Newly Heifer: av £1320 to £1380. 10 Loads of produce.

Breeding Sheep A good show of sheep with lambs at foot for the weekly sale with everything £5 to £10 per life dearer. James & Deborah Ogden had another great run of sheep, 2 pens of 3 crop Mule Ewes with twins at £210 and £205 the outfit, but it was 3 pens of 3 and 4 crop Texels with Beltexs lambs from the same home that topped the sale at £220 and £215 twice. Richard Umplebys run topped at £205 as did Nick Dalbys.

78 Rearing Calves to £410 X2: B&W av £60.11 Cont av £325.48 Native av £195.48. Dairy Cattle: 1st Quality Heifers: av £1720 to £2020: 2nd Quality Newly Heifer: av £1320 to £1380.

Forward – 102 head cattle: 19 Bulls & 83 Bullocks & heifers. 20 Sheep & Goats. 300 lots of Plants/Trees/Shrubs. 103 lots of Furniture. 542 lots of Reclaim & Stone. 705 lots of Machinery.

Another super Saturday at CCM Skipton Skipton Auction Mart’s latest monthly Saturday livestock collective sales and Agri-Trader auctions of machinery, reclaim and salvage, furniture and collectives again created widespread interest and a solid turnout of hundreds of vendors and prospective purchasers. (March 11) The machinery section was particularly well supported, with a total of 705 lots offered for sale, topping at £2,000 for an Arctic Cat quad bike, while a cow catcher caught the eye at £1,900, followed by a Honda quad bike at £1,700, a feeder trailer at £1,500, an IW flat trailer and a Toyota Landcruiser, which both made £1,400.

Breeding Sheep (314) Numbers on the rise quickly with 2 Alley’s full of ewes with lambs at foot presented for sale. Richard Umpleby had top price of £208 per outfit for Texels with twins. Anything with strong lambs was keenly contested. A run of correct mule ewes with twin Charollais lambs around two – three weeks old selling at £180 - £190 the outfit, from James and Deborah Ogden, Austwick. Sheep with younger lambs also selling well , but the premium prices are for sheep with slightly older lambs.

Forward: 55 Prime cattle comprising Clean Cattle 21 (under 30 mos), 4 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 30 Cast Cattle. 4116 Prime Sheep comprising 3,703 Prime Hoggs, 413 Cast Ewes & Rams. 40 Rearing Calves. 11 Loads of produce.

Prime sheep show produces great prices at Skipton Skipton Auction Mart saw a much larger entry of sheep for its prime show and sale this month with over 4,100 penned for sale, on Monday, March 6. James Towler, of Grindleton, was awarded champion pen by show judge Luke Swales. His home-bred Texel-cross lambs scaled 39kg and sold for £120 per head to the judge for his family shop, Knavesmire Butchers in York. The judge also picked up the third prize Continental pen, from Tim Robinson, Longridge, Preston, for £110.

MARKET REPORT – WEDNESDAY 1st MARCH 2017. Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Beef Feeding Cows, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle, Forward: 708 head of cattle, Comprising: 223 Young Feeding Bulls, 18 Beef Feeding Cows, 461 Bullocks & Heifers, & 6 Breeding Cattle