Barden brothers bag honours at Skipton young bulls show

Barden farming brothers Stephen and John Fawcett won the two show classes for young bulls at Skipton Auction Mart’s fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale, which attracted a turnout of 732 head. (Jan 22)

Stephen, of Fold House Farm, Barden, who presented the first prize 10 to12-months-old bull, a British Blue-cross, was repeating his red rosette-winning young bull coup at Skipton’s opening Great New Year cattle sale a fortnight earlier.

Buoyed up by what was his first major show cattle success, Mr Fawcett returned to see his latest victor sell for a class-topping £1,300 to York farmers and butchers Stephen and Anthony Swales, prolific buyers of top-notch cattle at Skipton.

They also swooped to pay £1,250 for the first prize under 10-month-old young bull from John Fawcett, who is based at Dale Head Farm, along with the third prize winner in the same class from Saddle End Farms in Chipping at £1,260, who were also responsible for the top price pen of three Blonde-cross bulls, which each made £1,140.

The Swales’s will further improve their latest acquisitions on the family farm in nearby Melbourne, before returning them to the food chain and the May Day bank holiday trade at their Knavesmire Butchers shop in Albermarle Road, York.

Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, presented the runner-up in the show class for bulls under 10 months. The British Blue-cross sold for £1,100 to Stephen Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield.

JC Walker & Son, of Dunsop Bridge, were responsible for the runner-up in the 10 to12-month show class, another British Blue-cross, which fell for £1,180 to John and Robert Matten in Thirsk.

Generally, the 290 young bulls forward could not maintain the fearsome trade seen the previous fortnight, with the best bulls marginally cheaper and second and third draw bulls noticeably so. They sold to a Continental-x average of £854.61 per head and a native average of £515.

Store cattle, comprising 442 bullocks and heifers, also met with some resistance, as feeders reacted to a falling finished cattle trade, though prices were, in the main, not much different to last sale, with quality sorts and yearling heifers again in high demand.

Bullocks sold to a Continental-x average of £1,012.22, with a native average of £702.25 and a top price, the best of the day, of £1,340 for a Limousin-cross from Matt and Ted Mason, of Appletreewick. The buyer was Wakefield’s John North.

The Masons again presented a large and quality consignment, which also saw 14 bullocks sell at £1,200, among them the top-price Limousin-cross pens, plus three at £1,185, five at £1,170 and a further five at £1,150.

Store heifers averaged £866.74 for Continental-x, with a native average £707.13. Saddle End Farms stepped up again with the top price £1,350 British Blue-cross, which became a further Stephen Eastwood buy. Pen prices peaked at £1,060 per head for three Limousin-cross heifers from J Verity & Son in Middlesmoor.