Craven Dairy Auction (21 head) A strong show of milkers on show today and pre-sale judge Edward Fort had his work cut out finding his favourite. In the end he picked a cracker of Grafeeti heifer from Brian Moorhouse of Bell Busk which sold for the sale high of £2150, which sold to Brian Blezard of Ribchester. Reserve Champion went to the returning Samantha Sugden of Laycock again a grafeeti daughter and giving 29kg sold to the Richard Sutcliffe of Queensbury. Other noted heifers came from Peter Baul of Bishop Thornton selling his sweet 30kg heifer to the Sowray Bros for £1800, Brian Moorhouse’s other consignment a 30kg Miguel daughter out of a 85 point cow sold for £1950 again to the Sowray Bros. David Fort of Glusburn sold three cows with the best, a 3rd Calver giving 30 litres reached £1800 to Stephen and George Breare of Silsden Moor

Another cracker in prospect for CCM Christmas primestock highlight Skipton Auction Mart is again looking forward with great anticipation to the climax of its primestock year, the annual Christmas shows and sales, on Sunday, November 26. Entries for the 2017 highlight have now closed and the mart reports that there is once again extensive interest across all livestock classes from the cream of the region’s cattle and sheep farmers, who prepare their charges purposely for the high profile festive showcase.

Fortnightly Sale of 4,219 Store Lambs & 480 Breeding Sheep & Rams Forward: 4,699 Head, Overall av £56.41 A cracking sale for Mid November with still a large line up of 4,219 store lambs alongside nearly 500 breeding sheep attracting a good company of buyers and a fast trade ensued. Best Continental Store lambs into the 70’s, strong Suffolks and Texels in the mid 60’s, as were the best pens of Mules and Mashams including a pen of 112 mules at £65 each from James Harrison, Weston. Mid to long keep lambs have also been better to sell this last few sales as seasonal buyers get clear ground to graze. Horned lambs found a very strong following.

Forward: 77 Prime cattle comprising 21 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Prime Bulls & 56 Cast Cattle including 2 Cast Bulls. 3,750 Prime Sheep comprising 3398 Prime Lambs & 352 Cast Ewes & Rams. 73 Rearing Calves. 2 Loads of produce.

Upsall herd dominates Skipton pedigree Beef Shorthorn highlight The Upsall pedigree Beef Shorthorn herd, Britain’s oldest, was the headline performer at the North of England Beef Shorthorn Club’s eighth annual show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, Nov 9) Owned by The Hon Gerald Turton at The Grange, Upsall, near Thirsk, the herd won two of the three heifer show classes, one of which went on to be crowned supreme champion, sold another for the day’s top price of 6,500gns, plus another at 6,000gns – both eclipsing last year’s centre record price of at 5,900gns.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 485 head of cattle Comprising: 54 Young Feeding Bulls, 26 Beef Feeding Cows, 311 Bullocks & Heifers, 91 Pedigree Cattle & 3 Breeding Cattle.

FORWARD: 91 HEAD OF CATTLE 79 Pedigree Beef Shorthorn Cattle 12 Pedigree South Devon Cattle Champion - Hon G Turton Lot 64. Reserve - S Currie Lot 46.

Forward: 75 Prime cattle comprising 29 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 4 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 42 Cast Cattle. 4393 Prime Sheep comprising 3669 Prime Lambs & 724 Cast Ewes & Rams. 48 Rearing Calves. 19 Dairy Cattle. 2 Loads of produce.

Craven Dairy Auction (19 head) Andrew Townsend did the honours in the judging ring today and he was right on the money. 1st Prize and Champion went to a cracking heifer from Robert Crisp of Calton, Malhamdale. The homebred heifer giving 28 litres sold for £2100 to the judge. Georgie Fort presented the reserve champion heifer, Hawbank Ballisto Buttergill that was calved 18 days and giving 30kg sold for £2050 to William Oldfield of Gisburn.

GRITCHLEY & ROBINSON AT THE TOP ......................... Critchleys clinch another Skipton prime cattle coup There was another sparkling Red Rose performance in the prime cattle show arena at Skipton Auction Mart’s November highlight, when the Critchley family rattled up a championship and reserve championship double. (Mon, Nov 4)

Crisp class shines though with another Craven Dairy Auction champion Malhamdale dairy farmer Robert Crisp bounced back with another championship coup at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest Craven Dairy Auction show and sale. (Mon, Nov 6) Just a fortnight after bagging a champion and reserve champion double at the previous dairy show, Mr Crisp, who runs his commercial dairy herd at Nelson Farm, Calton, claimed yet another title with his first prize newly calven heifer, like many of his previous victors by a well-bred son of the renowned Genus dairy sire, PIcston Shottle.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs & Breeding Sheep Forward: 4282 Head, Overall av £54.79 A large contingent of travelled buyers meant for a swifter trade on average today. A lighter show of lambs certainly concentrated the trade but a full ringside of buyers was present from the start to the finish of the sale. The top price came for a pen of ¾ Beltex lambs of TB Moorhouse at Dacre for £79. Mules were better to sell with a strong average of £53.91 with lots of pens mid to late £50’s with the last consignment of mules through the ring from JW Hall seeing his lambs reach £58. Suffolk and continental lambs were on the receiving end of a firmer trade with a number of dairy and arable farmers contesting strongly for healthy medium keep lambs.

Forward - 1051 Breeding Sheep & 38 Rams ........... A good entry of breeding sheep for the early November sale, and included a nice entry of 800 Mule Gimmer Lambs for what is effectively our 5th fortnightly sale. Trade for these was much sharper than the two previous sales and an overall average of £67.31 reflects a healthy late season bounce in trade. Best end £80 to £90, and anything smart or loking stronger for the time of year was £70 plus. Rams were also a good trade for late season with the pick of the day a Swaledale Shearling Ram from Roy Nelson selling for 500gns, and the main of Texel Shearling either side fo 300gns, whilst a run of Texel ram lambs from Procters Farms created a stir and all found new homes at a good average of £275 topping at 320gns.

Forward: 63 Prime cattle comprising 23 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 2 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 38 Cast Cattle 3,541 Prime Sheep comprising 3,237 Prime Lambs & 304 Cast Ewes & Rams 40 Rearing Calves 2 Loads of produce

Sowrays back on top at Skipton rearing calf showcase The Sowray farming family from Bishop Thornton claimed another rearing calf title, also adding the reserve championship, at Skipton Auction Mart’s autumn show and sale. (Mon, Oct 23) Brothers Shaun, Peter and Paul Sowray, who run their Holstein Friesian dairy herd at Bowes Green Farm, and have secured multiple Skipton championships, again dominated the show classes, seeing their first prize British Blue-cross heifer calf, a daughter of the Genus sire, Brookfield Dev, go on to be crowned overall victor, then fall for a sale day high of £410 to Malcolm and Stephen Abbott, of Ings Farm, Dacre, Harrogate.