Prime Cattle (under 30 mos)

A roaring trade on a Bank Holiday with prolific buyers Countrystyle Meats Ltd of Lancaster securing the 2 leading price by weight heifers from Mesrs RT&J Critchley&Sons of Hutton with a 490kg Limousin cross at 270.5p/kg and a British Blue cross weighing  505kg at 268.5p. In an outstanding pen Countrystyle’s Alan Beecroft also secured the leading gross priced heifer, this time a British Blue cross weighing 580g from Laneshawbridge’s Ben Townsend which came to £1499 when sold for 258.5p/kg. Keelham Farm Shop of Skipton headed the gross prices with the 585kg Limousin cross steer from Mesrs CD&RF Kitching of Threshfield at £1500 or 256.5p/kg. Mesrs D&A Gregory & Sons added 2 high quality animals to be sold in their Bacup shop a Charolais cross steer from CD&RF Kitching at 242.5p and British Blue cross heifer from Mesrs RT&J Critchley&Sons for 261.5p.

Also in attendance was William Rathmell who added a 520kg Limousin cross heifer at 238.5p/kg from Simon Bennett of Silsden Moor to his purchases for Brayton Farm Shop.

Steers

560kg+                                                   to 256.5p/kg        av. 244.29p/kg

Heifers

485kg+                                                   to 270.5p/kg        av. 251.49p/kg

Top Prices £ per head and p/kg

Steers

£ per head: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1500, (Charx) 1431, RT&J CrItchley&Sons (Limx) 1491, SD Bennett (Limx) 1342

p/kg: CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 256.5, (Charx) 242.5, RT&J Critchley&Sons (Limx) 244.5, SD Bennett (Limx) 233.5

Heifers

£ per head: JM Townsend (BBx) 1499, RT&J Critchley & Sons (Simx) 1416, (BBx) 1386, 1356, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 1383

p/kg: RT&J Critchley&Sons (Limx) 270.5, (BBx) 268.5, 261.5, (Simx) 257.5, CD&RF Kitching (Limx) 258.5, (BBx) 256.5            

Overall Average                                   97.77p/kg             £644.07

A light Bank Holiday show with a very average sample of dairies forward. A little more meat available in the beef cows with a thick heavy Hereford cross cow from John Nutter at £952 or 117.5p/kg.

Black & White                      to 94.5p/kg                           av. 78.44p/kg

Brown Swiss                         to 92.5p/kg

Limx                                       to 91.5p/kg

BBx                                         to 99.5p/kg

Blondex                                 to 114.5p/kg

Hefdx                                     to 117.5p/kg

Top Prices (£ per head or p/kg)

B&W:

£ per head: G Abbott&Sons 638

p/kg: G Abbott&Sons 94.5

Other Dairy

£ per head: IRG Collins &Ptns (Brown Swiss) 527

p/kg: IRG Collins&Ptns (Brown Swiss) 92.5

Contx

£ per head: TP&EA Clayton (Blondex) 853, (BBx) 617, J&F Nutter (Simx) 660

p/kg: TP&EA Clayton (Blondex) 114.5, (BBx) 99.5, J&F Nutter (Simx) 101.5,

Native

£ per head: J&F Nutter (Hefdx) 952

p/kg: J&F Nutter (Hefdx) 117.5

3,288 Prime Sheep comprising 2,866 Spring Lamb, 422 Cast Ewes & Rams

Sheep trade harder work this week, with a large bank holiday entry of 2866 lambs to average 177p. Not as many of the best end knocking about today, but the price range was 215p to 240p for the few best end that were on offer. Lambs topped at £108 and £105 per head for Texels from Richard and Mark Ireland, £107 JD Simpson West Marton, £105 R&M Towell Glusburn, £103 P Crabtree & Son Otley and £102 twice from JA&JH Hewetson Bank Newton. Heavier lambs were decent to sell with wholesalers looking for meat, and handy export weights were around the 190 mark. Mule wethers were still adecnt trade, but not just a sharp as last week, £26 to £30 over the weight being the price range today.

A fair show of ewes attracted an increased buyer attendance with stronger sorts again looking a nice trade to level at £53.70 for 423 head of Ewes and Rams sold.

Spring Lambs – Overall Average £77.89 per head or 177.43p/kg           

36.0kg to 45.5kg to 243.9p/kg         av 177.69p/kg      or £75.37 per head

45.6kg to 52.0kg to 228.3p/kg         av 176.8p/kg         or £84.70 per head

52.1kg and over   to 184.9p/kg         av 172.22p/kg      or £90.81 per head

Beltex average £86.47 per head or 204.37p/kg

£ per head: £105 RH&MR Ireland; £103 P Crabtree & Son; £102x2 JA&JH Hewetson; £100 S Robinson; £100 A Jenkinson

p/kg: 243.9p A Jenkinson; 232.1p MJ Spensley; 228.3p RH&MR Ireland; 227.3p S Robinson; 225p T&C Robinson;

Texel average £77.62 per head or 177.54p/kg

£ per head: £108 RH&MR Ireland; £107 JD Simpson; £105 R&M Towell; £101 MP Jennings; £100 RA&M Earnshaw & Son

p/kg: 212.8p RA&M Earnshaw & Son; 211.8p RH&MR Ireland; 210p R&M Towell; 208.7p J Brigg; 206.4p Fair Place Farm;

Charollais average £68.55 per head or 170.18p/kg

£ per head: £77 RC Lee; £76, £71 D&A Livestock; £70 KJ Marston; £68 T Priestley; £67 SP&VM Morris; £65 JD Simpson;

p/kg: 179.5p KJ Marston; 172.7p D&A Livestock; 171.1p RC Lee; 169p D&A Livestock; 167.5p SP&VM Morris;

Suffolk average £77.47 per head or 170.41p/kg

£ per head: £98 J Turner; £97 JA Agriculture; £96 Ashfield Farms; £95, £88 B&J Sutcliffe; £85 JA&JM Wade & Son;

p/kg: 198p JA Agriculture; 196p J Turner; 192p Ashfield Farms; 184.8p RA&M Earnshaw & Son; 182.6p B&J Sutcliffe;

Mule average £68.10 per head or 160.14p/kg

£ per head: £78 R Smith; £75 JC&N Throup; £75 JM&S Tennant; £75 R Smith; £74.5 TH&A Pickard & Son; £74.5 Fair Place Farm

p/kg: 169.3p Fair Place Farm; 167.9p JA Throup; 167.4p CD&RF Kitching; 166.7p JC&N Throup; 165.6p TH&A Pickard & Son

Suffolk to £77.50, Texel to £95.50, BFL to £44.50, Mule to £74.50, Swaledale to £48.50, Dalesbred to £33.50, Cheviot to £62.50, Beltex to £82.50.

Top prices:

Lowland: £95.50 J&J Garnett; £94.50 NM Handy;

Mule/Masham: £74.50 R&E Pollard; £67.50 AM Binns;  

Horned: £48.50 S Foster; £35.50 A&N Fothergill & Son;

Hill: £62.50 B Shepherd; £57.50 J&C Wright;  

Cast Rams average £66.88

Suffolk to £93.50, Texel to £84.50, BFL to £39.50, Charollais to £78.50.

Rearing Calves to £405 (63)

B&W av £61.36 Cont av £309.54 Native av £162.16

Joss Lancaster took the highest price of the day with a cracking British Blue bull selling for £405 with his next making £390. A healthier trade was had right through the sale today with a nice entry of 63 calves forward to meet the bank holiday trade. Continental bulls would force a nice average of £346 and with a lot more competition present on the best British Blue Heifers with the likes of Joss Lancaster and John Marshall seeing £390 and £370 respectively for their consignments.

Black and white bulls saw another improved trade with some solid runs of calves helping the average to £61.36 with a well fleshed bull from John Rushton of Elslack topping at £100.  

Bull Calves

Limousin x (Av £170) to £170 IRG Collins                      

Brit Blue x (Av £346.84) to £405 J&SA Lancaster                                                        

Aberdeen Angus (Av £191.25) to £220 RD Guy

Flekvieh (Av £142.5) to £165 C Watson

Shorthorn (Av £165) to £165 IRG Collins

Black & White (Av £61.36) to £100 JT Rushton                           

Heifer Calves       

Ab Angus (Av £102.5) to £105 AJ Lee                                                            

British Blue (Av £278.57) to £390 J&SA Lancaster

Limousin (Av £165) to £165 PJ&JE Bolland

Craven Dairy Auction (11 head)

 A handy show of dairy cattle this morning with a rare entry of a run of pure Friesian heifers and cows. Pre-Sale judges Stephen and Malcolm Abbott of Dacre did a sterling job, and ended up choosing the N/C homebred heifer of Ian Parkinson’s as their Champion. The heifer, giving 25kg after 12 days went onto sell for the sale high of £1900 to Mike Longster, Fellbeck.

The second highest price of the day went to a cracking Blue Albion cow presented by Robert Lofthouse of Addingham Moorside which caught the eye of many today. A 2^nd Calver and giving 27kg after 14days the Blue Albion went on to sell for £1800, with Robert’s reserve champion heifer also selling nicely. A pure Friesian heifer giving 25kg caught the eye of Alan Middleton of Hartley’s, Bolton Abbey selling for £1620.  

Judge – Abbott Bros

Prize Awards:       Newly Calven Heifers:        1^st MD Parkinson                 2^nd RH Lofthouse                  3^rd RW&M Walker

                                Newly Calven Cows:            1^st MD Parkinson                 2^nd RH Lofthouse                  3^rd RH Lofthouse 

Champion – MD Parkinson                                Reserve – RH Lofthouse

Newly Calven Heifers (av £1594): to £1900 MD Parkinson

Newly Calven Cows (av £1643.33): to £1800 RH Lofthouse