563 Breeding Sheep (comprising 224 Sheep with 327 lambs at foot and 12 Geld Gimmer Hoggs) A larger show of breeding sheep today for the bank holiday sold to a packed ringside of customers. Good young sheep were a sharp trade being dearer on the week, whilst older sheep maintained recent good prices as grass is more plentiful. The show was well supported and the classes for Singles created some of the top prices on the day.

Rearing Calves to £540 (40) B&W av £116.75 Cont av £398.96 Native av £236.6 Superb trade for the calves that turned up today with Graham Hayton of Bolton Abbey topping the day with his 10 week calf at £540 with Shaun Sowray the next best at £480. Any amount of calves over £400 today with GT Booth, S&PE Bowker, Church Farm Enterprises, A Sowray & Son, Hayton & Stocks all receiving above the £400 today.

Forward: 25 Prime cattle comprising 12 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 1 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 12 Cast Cattle. 1,518 Prime Sheep comprising 760 Spring Lambs, 407 Prime Hoggs, 59 Mature Hoggs, 292 Cast Ewes & Rams. 563 Breeding Sheep (comprising 224 Sheep with 327 lambs at foot and 12 Geld Gimmer Hoggs). 40 Rearing Calves B&W av £116.75 Cont av £398.96 Native av £236.6.

Forward: 682 head of cattle Comprising: 122 Young Feeding Bulls, 480 Bullocks & Heifers, 5 Feeding Cows , 57 Breeding Cattle & 19 Pedigree Cattle. A good entry of cattle with all classes a sharp trade. Bulls were again dearer on the last sale, strong sorts receiving a good following. In the Store section there were a few new faces ringside to bid at a show of nearly 500 head, like the bulls, any strong short keep cattle were keenly sought. Yearling bullocks continued their recent good run of form with best end into four figures. More yearling heifers about, smart end a nice trade but some younger plainer sorts were just similar prices to the previous sale. More commercial beef breeding cattle about, and the next two sales will include some Annual consignments, keep an eye on the catalogues. (Pedigree report further down the page)

At the final sale of Craven Cattle Marts Ltd Pedigree month the leading price was Siddall Jerry a 2014 Limousin Bull sired by Siddall Drew consigned by Paul Fletcher of Heywood. Siddall Jerry was awarded reserve championship and joined WH&MA Keighley of Otley for 2200gns. BLR Lund of Walshaw reducing the Walshaw herd of Parthenais Cattle saw Walshaw Leo a 2015 son of Willow Creek Frankie lead the section at 1700gns. Pathenais maiden heifers were strongly contested lead by the 2015 Walshaw Lady at 1900gns.

Siddal Limousin herd sweeps board at Skipton multi-breed beef showcase Paul Fletcher, who runs the Siddal pedigree Limousin herd at the farm of the same name in Birch, Heywood, between Bury and Rochdale, won both show classes with his bulls at the Ling Fields Beef Cattle Fair, the annual multi-breeds show and sale of beef breeding cattle at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, May 25)

Forward: 82 Prime cattle comprising 17 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 6 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 59 Cast Cattle. 1,612 Prime Sheep comprising 568 Spring Lambs, 612 Prime Hoggs, 61 Mature Hoggs, 371 Feeding Ewes & Rams. 447 Breeding Sheep (comprising 170 Sheep with 258 lambs at foot and 19 Geld Gimmer Hoggs). 57 Rearing Calves to £430 x2 (57) B&W av £80.83 Cont av £338.66 Native av £197.14. 24 Dairy Cattle. 2 Loads of produce.

447 Breeding Sheep (comprising 170 Sheep with 258 lambs at foot and 19 Geld Gimmer Hoggs) A better show of sheep late in the season and a larger ringside of customers assembled as well. Megan Thomas topped the sale with Zwartble cross Gimmer Hoog with a nice Blue Texel cross Gimmer Lamb at Foot which sold for £225 the outfit which sold to Messrs Greensit of Ripon. Richard Stockdale sold two pens of Texel Hoggs with singles for £185 the outfit.

Craven Dairy Auction (24 head) Just as the gate opened for the first milker to enter the ring Arla’s text message announcement of a 1ppl price reduction started beeping around the ringside. Despite the impeccable timing of the “good news” trade was brisk with all heifers selling away well with arguably the lower end of the milkers seeing the highest price jump. Brian Moorhouse of the Aireburn herd took the top honours in the milkers for his newly calven pedigree heifer consignment with the highly sought after Samantha Sugden choosing her above D&A Forts Homebred newly calven heifer with Sally Wellock of Oakworth taking a well deserved 3rd prize.

May sale of Stirks, Calves, Feather Auction, Machinery, Stone & Timber. Full report below. Next sale - Saturday 16th July

578 Breeding Sheep (comprising 231 Sheep with 347 lambs at foot) A slightly smaller and more varied entry this week were presented for sale. A few pens of nice hoggs with lambs selling to a sharper trade on the week, and anything with strong lambs regardless of the age of the ewe was keenly sought, with most classes showing a slight rise in prices.

Forward: 63 Prime cattle comprising 50 Clean Cattle (under 30 mos), 3 Clean Cattle (over 30 mos) & 10 Cast Cattle 1918 Prime Sheep comprising 508 Spring Lambs, 1051 Prime, Light & Store Hoggs, 116 Mature Hoggs and 243 Cast/Feeding Ewes & Rams 578 Breeding Sheep comprising 231 Sheep with 347 lambs at foot 75 Rearing Calves B&W av £73.19 Cont av £327.12 Native av £247.5

Irish sheep dog smashes world record selling price at Skipton A new world record price paid for a working sheep dog at an official sale of almost £15,000 was set at Skipton Auction Mart’s late Spring sale for a 16-month old dog from Ireland’s Padraig Doherty. (Fri, May 13) It fell to Cap, a black and white dog bred by Mr Doherty, who with his brother Joe runs Ardagh Sheepdogs in County Donegal.

Fortnightly Sale of Young Feeding Bulls, Store Bullocks & Heifers, Breeding Cattle Forward: 835 head of cattle Comprising: 183 Young Feeding Bulls, 490 Bullocks & Heifers, 10 Feeding Cows, 64 Breeding Cattle & 88 Pedigree Limousin Cattle

The Gunnerfleet herd of Jim and Ian Handley from Chapel Le Dale led the prices on Craven Limousin Day 2016 with Gunnerfleet Jumbo. This 2014 born son of Cloughhead Umpire was placed second in class 4, the middle class of Intermediate Bulls, before his successful sale to Rodney Bros of Healugh for 4,900gns. Following closely behind at 4,600gns was the first prize senior bull (Class 1), consigned by the Tomschoice herd of JM&SP Cooper of Dacre. The 2013 born stock bull Carwin Icarus has been a great servant to the Tomschoice herd and remained in Nidderdale when selling to Ian and Stuart Barritt of Braisty Wood.