New record £550 price for rearing calf achieved at Skipton

 

CCM Sowray March calf champ solo pic (2).jpgThis week’s March show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart resulted in a new record price of £550 achieved for a rearing calf under six weeks old.

Achieving this new record prize was the show champion, a first prize British Blue bull calf presented by brothers Shaun and Peter Sowray, of Bowes Green Farm, Bishop Thornton.

Sired by the Guido, out of a home-bred British Friesian cow, the title winner joined Calderdale’s Martin Hutchinson, of Mixenden, who started rearing black and white calves several years ago and has now moved on to much better quality youngsters.

He said he would bring on his latest championship-winning acquisition and take stock again next year, when a tilt on the show circuit may well be on the cards, possibly in the hands of his two young daughters Portia and Madison.

The Sowrays, who sell over 100 calves a year at Skipton and are multiple champions and prizewinners, were also responsible for the second and third prize British Blue heifer calves and the third prize Limousin heifer calf.

Robert Crisp, of Nelson Farm, Calton, Craven Cattle Marts’ reigning Stock Person of the Year, sold his class-winning Hereford-cross bull calf for £420 to A G Thomson, of Driffield, while three other youngsters achieved £400.

They were the first prize Limousin-cross heifer calf from Andrew Ogden, Cowling, a British Blue-cross heifer calf from Robert Metcalfe, Brearton, and a Charolais-cross bull calf from Vickers & Richardson, Scarborough.

The last-named vendors made a clean sweep of the prizes in both the Continental heifer stirk and black and white stirk classes, including heading the Charolais heifer and MRI calf prices at £330 and £305 respectively.

Mr Ogden also presented the second prize Limousin heifer calf, along with the first prize Blonde-cross bull and heifer calves, which headed their section prices at £320 and £300 respectively.

Stephen Hitchen, Ludendenfoot, was again to the fore with the first and second prize Limousin-cross bull calves, one of which topped the prices at £365, supplemented by the first prize British Blue heifer calf and the third prize British Blue bull calf.

British Blue averages were notably strong at £365 for heifer calves and £359 for bull calves, with an overall selling average of the 85 rearing calves forward of £242.

The show was judged by Phil Summers, of Clayton, Bradford.