Keasden Head British Blue cow champion at CCM Skipton Christmas cast cattle show
North Craven’s Sheila Mason, who runs the Keasden Head herd, stood champion with a 2008-born pure bred British Blue cow at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas cast cattle show. (Mon, Dec 2)
Weighing in a 925kg, Keasden Head Dotty, a well-utilised flushing cow and also mother of the herd’s main stock bull, the easy calving Keasden Head Guinness, who has been responsible for Craven Champions prize winners at Skipton, went on the sell for top gross price of £1,290 when joining John Thompson in Gargrave.
The leading per kilo price of 142.5p/kg, or £919, fell to the third prize Continental, a 36-month-old 645kg British Blue-cross from mart regular Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge. The buyer was Jeff Burrow, of Kirkby Malham. Cull cows sold to a solid overall average of 105.46p/kg, or £736.99.
Husband and wife, Ken and Hazel Gamble, of Brickyard Farm, Easingwold, sent out the Christmas cull ewe champions for an unparalleled seventh consecutive year.
The couple achieved yet another festive coup with their pen of five pure home-bred Texels sold for top call of £137.50 each to regular livestock buyer Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, also consigning the second prize pen of five, which made £123.50 per head, again to Mr Atkinson. All were similarly bred three-to-five shears by both home-bred rams and a Skipton-bought pedigree tup from the Nesbitt family’s Alwent flock in Durham.
The third prize Texel ewes from Silsden’s Terry Blackwell made £87.50, while the first and second prize North of England Mule pens consigned by John and Claire Wright, of Airton, sold at £79.50 and £71.50 respectively.
Steve Morris, from Dutton, Preston, sold his first prize Lonks for £75.50, the second prize Scottish Blackface ewes from Flasby Estates making £57.50. The overall cull ewe average was a healthy £72.73. Show sponsor was Preston-based animal health firm Shepherd Agri, represented by Helen Chappell.