Caton Blue Faced Leicester tops Skipton multi-breeds trade at 2,400gns Another rock-solid turnout of 1,147 head was on parade at Skipton Auction Mart’s multi-breeds sheep highlight, the annual fixture for pedigree and pure-bred rams and females. (Fri, Sept 30) On what is traditionally one of the busiest days of the entire year at the North Yorkshire venue, the market was packed to capacity, with four sales rings in action and main sales for Blue Faced Leicesters, Suffolks, Blue Texels and Zwartbles, together with secondary sales for Texels, Charollais, Beltex and other breeds.

CCM Auctions held their Annual Sale of Rams at Skipton Mart on Friday. With selling today spread across 4 sale rings the market was full to capacity with breeds covering the main sales for Blue Faced Leicesters, Suffolks, Blue Texels and Zwartbles together with second sales for Texels, Charollais, Beltex and other breeds. The results of the shows and prices achieved are as below. Thanks to all our judges for giving their time and to sponsors who generously gave prizes. Forward: 1,147 head of Rams & Females.

Shields shearing ewes secure Skipton Lleyn title Wharfedale breeders Mark and Steph Shields, of Plum Tree Farm, Timble, won the shearling ewe show class, then the overall championship, both for the first time, at the Lleyn Sheep Society’s annual registered show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Thus, Sept 28) The long-standing society members – they established their flock in 1996 and now run around 100 breeding ewes - lifted the title with five home-bred ewes, mostly by a Laga Farms ram bred by Michael Cursiter, from Orkney.

Annual Sale of Lleyn Sheep. Forward 560 head. The Show was judged by Mr Bennett.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 812 head of cattle Comprising: 86 Young Feeding Bulls, 25 Beef Feeding Cows, 687 Bullocks & Heifers, & 14 Breeding Cattle. Please Note: As of Next Fortnight (11th Oct), all un-entered young feeding bulls and un-entered beef feeding cows will be sold at the end of the catalogued store cattle, there will be no exception to this rule. To ensure your place in the ballot phone the mart office by 4pm Wed 4th October

3249 Forward: 375 Shearlings, 554 2shr to Correct Ewes and 2320 Broken Mouthed Ewes 3249 sheep were forward for the annual show and sale of Broken Mouthed Ewes and Breeding Sheep. Young sheep sold away to a healthy trade with Mule Shearlings averaging £3 up on the year with Ronnie Airey of Trawden topping the day with £145. In the Ewes, Thomas Binns of Downham topped with his one crop, 2 shear ewes at £148.

Forward: 43 Prime cattle comprising 17 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 25 Cast Cattle. 3,397 Prime Sheep comprising 2,887 Prime Lambs & 510 Cast Ewes & Rams. 75 Rearing Calves.

Rearing Calves to £410 B&W av £57.50 Cont av £328.8 Native av £240.58 Healthy show of 75 calves today considering it being Nidderdale Show day, despite this calves sold away well with Native bulls a particularly strong trade with AA bulls to £380 and averaging £347.50. Continentals were a touch easier on paper but a cracking trade for the goods on offer today with plenty of 4 week old calves and under, steaming past £300. Alan Middleton from Beamsley topped proceedings with a belting BB heifer at £410. Fleshy B&W calves sold nicely with a lot of small young calves about making good money.

David Airey wins Swaledale show at Skipton Auction Mart Sutton-in-Craven’s David Airey, who farms a thousand-acre moorland farm with his son Matthew, won the annual Swaledale wether lambs show at Skipton Auction Mart for the first time. (Wed, Sept 20) His pen of 25 seized first prize, picked out by judge Anthony Hewetson, of Bank Newton, and went on to sell for £35 per head.

Fortnightly Catalogue Sale of Store Lambs & Gimmer Lambs Forward: 8,189 Head (Overall av £53.65) CCM Auctions held their fortnightly sale of lambs at Skipton on Wednesday where 8,189 head were sold. Buyers were understandably slightly more cautious given the recent fall in prime prices, however strong stores were largely unaffected and just about maintained recent rates. Medium keep and long keep lambs were harder to cash though and as the season has progressed there is more of this class of lamb in the entry too. Buyers though are reporting that they expect winter keep to become available this next few weeks as dairy cows get housed and going forward this should help trade for the longer keep lamb.

Second Prize Show & Sale of North of England Mule Ewe Lambs on behalf of NEMSA Members. Forward: 8,887 head at an overall average of £91.92 per head (-3.12 on 2016) CCM Auctions held their 2nd Fortnightly Sale of North of England Mule Gimmer Lambs on behalf of members of NEMSA on Tuesday at Skipton. There were more lambs forward at this years sale and trade set off at a fair pace with some very good runs of lambs selling well on the day, especially top pens and those sharp shearling makers and anything with a good skin and a bit of colour. There was a definite trend from the buyers today wanting darker headed lambs, and hence some smaller and younger light headed lambs were harder to place. Sheep were generally a shade smaller on the year, and the overall average was £3 down on the year.

Kevin Wilson works wonders at 2nd Skipton NEMSA showcase Local sheep farmer Kevin Wilson, of Blubberhouses, secured a memorable double when winning both show classes for pens of ten and 20 at the second annual gimmer lamb show and sale for members of the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) at Skipton Auction Mart. (Tues, Sept 19)

Forward: 60 Prime cattle comprising 26 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos) & 34 Cast Cattle 2,622 Prime Sheep comprising 2332 Prime Lambs & 290 Cast Ewes & Rams 30 Rearing Calves 9 Dairy Cattle

Rearing Calves to £435 (30) A quieter show this week with three big shows recently hampering numbers, however prices were good with buyers still out in abundance and bidding well for calves. Black and Whites were in another gear today averaging £86 and best Continental bulls no different to last week topping at £435 for a 5 week old bull from Church Farm Enterprises. Natives in storng demand yet again with Angus Bulls averaging £328 and topping at £380 for a 4 ½ week old bull from Church Farm again.

A MASSIVE GATHERING FOR THRESHFIELD HOLSTEINS - Saturday 16th September saw a great gathering at Toft House Farm, Threshfield, Nr Skipton for the production sale of the Threshfield Holstein herd, with numbers fit to bursting, the time had come to hold a sale to reduce the pressure at the farm. The Dean family have over the years built a great herd by securing cattle from leading breeders and this has provided a great base for the herd.