Skipton New Year cattle opener a runaway success

A mammoth entry of 1,095 head of cattle produced a bovine bounty not seen since the late 1990s at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening Great New Year cattle sale, with the beef ring packed to the gunnels all day long from the first sale at 9.30am right through until the final hammer fell at 5.37pm. (Wed, Jan 8).

Trade was also strong throughout, with 150 more head of cattle sold than last year’s corresponding sale and the overall average selling price exceeding expectations when up by £15 per head on the year. Four-figure prices proved the norm, rather than the exception.

The 408 young feeding bulls were particularly good to sell, themselves averaging £971.72 per head, as the fixture cemented its reputation for producing premium quality feeding bulls, with the bulk of cattle between eight and 12 months of age, including numerous pneumonia-vaccinated and farm assured consignments.

Vendors also took due note of the mart’s encouragement to present cattle in forward condition at younger ages, so providing finishers with the opportunity to feed cattle and get them away to processors in order to comply with their preference for under 16-month-old cattle. The message to expect strong demand for the right bull sold at the right age was clearly taken on board by breeders.

The young bull section also featured two show classes, judged by Barnsley’s Adrian Stansfield. The first prize winner in the under ten-months division was presented by Calderdale’s David Broadbent, of Green House Farm, Midgley.

It was by a British Blue bull bred by North Craven’s Sheila Mason, of JH&SM Mason in Keasden, themselves familiar faces at Skipton. Mr Broadbent also presented the young bull red rosette winner, another British Blue-cross, at Skipton’s Christmas store cattle show the previous month.

First prize in the ten to 12-months young bulls show class also fell to a home-bred British Blue, out of a Blonde cow, from Stephen Fawcett, of Fold House Farm, Barden, a regular prize winner with his sheep at Skipton, but who was picking up his first major show cattle success.

“We knew this one was a bit special, so decided to enter him in the show. To win was all the more pleasing, as we know we are up against some very good stock when we come here,” said Mr Fawcett.

Both red rosette winners were knocked down at a show-topping £1,400 each to York farmers and butchers Stephen and Anthony Swales, who are regular buyers of prize-winning prime cattle and lambs at the mart. They also paid £1,360 for the second prize winner in the 10-12 months show class from Jeff Walker, of JC Walker & Son, Dunsop Bridge.

All three acquisitions will be further improved at the Swales family farm in nearby Melbourne, before returning to the food chain and the Easter trade at their Knavesmire Butchers shop in Albermarle Road, York.

David Broadbent also stepped up with the fourth prize winner in the 10-12 months show class, which joined Warwickshire buyers HW&AJ Eadon in Southam for £1,070.

Former Craven Cattle Marts’ Farmer of the Year Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, presented the second prize under 10-months young bull, which sold to Stephen Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield, another regular buyer, at £1,240.

He also paid £1,150 for the fourth prize winner in the same class from Sheila Mason, with the third prize young bull from Stephen Horsefield, of Mytholmroyd, selling for £1,080 to G Pinder, of Pontefract.

Jeff Pickles, of Chapel-le-Dale, sold a Limousin-cross bull at £1,400, while the top price pen of three Limousin bulls was presented by L Bamforth & Son, of Wainstalls, selling away at £1,190 each.

The store cattle section attracted a robust turnout of 680 bullocks and heifers, among them a number of large annual consignments of strong Continental-cross cattle from regular vendors, complemented by a quality offering of yearling cattle.

Store bullocks sold to a Continental-x average of  £1,134.97, with a native average of £875.54. This section was also responsible for the day’s top-priced animal, a British Blue-cross from Clitheroe’s Peter and Edward Fox, which made £1,510 on joining David Wilson, of Harome The Foxes sold further entries at £1,430 and £1,370 three times.

Matt and Ted Mason, of Appletreewick, presented a tremendous run of cattle, which sold to a high of £1,440 each for the top-priced pen of five Limousin-cross bullocks, also heading the Charolais-cross prices at £1,360, one of ten entries that achieved this price, along with ten more at £1,290.

Also noteworthy at £1,380 was the top-priced Beef Shorthorn bullock from Pateley Bridge’s Ned Simpson, which became another Stephen Eastwood buy.

Store heifers sold to a Continental-x average of £963.50, with a native average of £912.79. Yet again, it was a British Blue-cross from Edward and John Parkinson, of Dunsop Bridge, that performed best on price at £1,450 when joining John and Jean Bradley in Giggleswick.

The top price pen of three Charolais-cross heifers from John Turner, of Draughton, achieved £1,230 each, who also headed the breed prices with a further entry sold for £1,290 to Stephen Eastwood again.

Of the seven breeding cattle consigned for sale, the leading performer on price was a Limousin heifer cow with Limousin heifer calf at foot from Ashfield Farms in Lothersdale, which made £1,600 on joining James Fortune in Tosside.