Elliott Hereford crowned Craven Native Day champion
Fox Foot Angus claims 3,400gns top price
Weardale husband and wife Hereford cattle aficionados Harry and Janet Elliott, who run the award-winning Cornriggs pedigree herd at Lowcornriggs Farm, Cowshill, scooped championship honours at Skipton Auction Mart’s fourth annual Craven Native Day show and sale. (Wed, May 8)
The couple clinched the title with their first time shown Cornriggs 1 Red Knight, a home-bred 14-month-old son of Cornriggs 1 Super Guy (by Baldinnie 1 Carlton). The sire was only recently sold as a six-year-old, having been used successfully on the herd.
The champion’s dam is the Cornriggs 1 Knight Rider daughter, Cornriggs 1 Julia 3rd, from the Elliotts’ best and easy calving cow line, which has produced many show champions, including successes at the Great Yorkshire, Kelso and Scottish National.
The original Julia, who remains with the herd aged ten and from whom the Elliotts are still taking embryos, is herself out of a dam by Bainbridge Atlas, with Glenlea Storm breeding in the background.
Red Knight was dubbed champion by local show judge Stuart Currie, who runs the Beautry Beef Shorthorn herd in Rathmell, and went on to sell for 1,900gns to Geoff Ryder, of Haverah Park, Harrogate.
Mr and Mrs Elliott are long-standing members of the Hereford Cattle Society. They started their original herd 30 years ago and now run a dozen Hereford cows. Their farm holds triple SSSI – Site of Special Scientific Interest – status and is renowned for its flora and fauna, with natural wildflower meadows. The couple also run bed and breakfast and holiday cottage accommodation on the farm.
The leading performer on price at 3,400gns was a non-shown Aberdeen-Angus bull with a solid pedigree back to a 20,000gns dam line from Peter Turnbull’s Fox Foot herd at Fox Foot Hay Farm, Coxwold, York.
Their two-year-old easy calving Fox Foot Master, a January-born son of Logie Result, himself by Blelack Evril, and out of the Foulness Gray Boy daughter, Panthers Mistique, found a new home in Kirklees with SH Holgate, of Briesfield, Dewsbury.
Standing reserve champion was the second prize bull from the North Craven Shorthorn herd of husband and wife, Stuart and Debbie Robinson, of Foredale Farm, Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
Their June, 2014. Shorthorn bull, Wells Horatio, acquired some three years ago from Scottish breeder John Wood, of St Andrews, had been successfully shown by the Robinsons both as a calf and yearling. He is by the Chapelton Promoter son, Dacre Rock Star, out of Wells Sensation 1st.
The Robinsons, who are well-known for their award-winning Swaledale sheep, started their commercial Shorthorn herd in 2000 and currently have ten cows, selling on their Limousin-cross progeny through Skipton. Only offered for sale because he would be coming back onto heifers, Horatio was waved down for 1,050gns to regular Kirklees buyer Stephen Eastwood, of Emley.
Mr Emley also went to 1,200gns to claim a home-bred November, 2016, Aberdeen-Angus bull, Swillington Dynamite from John Wilson, of Woodhouse Farm, Leeds, adding a 2016-born Angus heifer, Swillington Elizabeth, from the same home at 1,040gns, along with two further 2017-born Hereford females from Clive White, who runs the Fogfield herd at Darley, Harrogate, at 820gns and 750gns.
Of the breeding cattle, an Angus second calver with her Angus steer calf from Martin Tyson, of Skyreholme, sold for £980.
The show again formed part of the annual Craven Native Day sale of just over 100 head of native-sired store cattle. Shorthorn classes were once more supported by both the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society and Morrisons plc through its much-lauded Beef Shorthorn Scheme, which continues to offer a special premium over the base price for cattle and their crosses.
Jim Holden, who buys cattle for Morrison’ own meat processing company, was again drafted in as show judge, awarding the winner’s rosette to a 20-month-old Shorthorn bullock from North Craven husband and wife, John and Janet Wilson, who run the Runley Mill pedigree herd in Settle, first established some five years ago and now with 15 Shorthorn cows on the ground.
The dam was bought in-calf with the bullock from Donald Biggar’s Chapelton herd in Castle Douglas. She is a daughter of Chapelton Hamlet and her own son was keenly sought after at Skipton when selling for £1,000 to Jim Snowden, of Rylstone. The Wilsons are also commercial sheep farmers, running a 200-strong flock of North of England Mules and Texel-cross ewes.
The turnout of predominantly grazing cattle found a ready audience. A smattering of strong, short keep cattle sold away nicely, with Millfield Stud in Giggleswick leading the way on price at £1,120 with their first prize Hereford bullock.
Grazing bullocks saw the best trade in both the Aberdeen-Angus and Shorthorn classes, both breeds averaging over £800, with a quality run of ten to 12-month Angus steers from R&A Wallbank in Slaidburn peaking at £880 twice.
A small offering of store bulls achieved strong prices, with Starfitts Contracting in Kirkbymoorside riding high with a brace of Herefords at £1,050. Heifers, the majority yearlings, also sold well, with JT Thornber, of Sawley, topping with a big Hereford- cross at £1,030 and the Wallbanks again chipping in with two £740 Angus sales.