Taking Stock

With entries up by 25%, a higher overall quality of sheep on show and new exhibitors from a much wider area lining up, Skipton Market’s second national progeny show for Beltex further highlighted the growing impact of the breed across the country.

The day was dominated by two breed stalwarts, North Yorkshire-based Northern Beltex Club founder member David Findlay, who sent out the male and overall show champion, and first-time Cumbrian exhibitor Anne Story, responsible for the female and overall reserve show champion.

David and his wife Diane also exhibited a gimmer lamb chosen as reserve female champion, while Anne, of Hobbiesburn, Longtown, Carlisle, also chipped in with the reserve male champion, one of a group of three shearling rams by the same sire.

The Findlays’ title-winner, a two-shear ram, was bought as a shearling for 4800gns at Carlisle last year from husband-and-wife breeders Thomas and Hester Palmer, of Burnside Farm, Glenarn, County Antrim. The couple had travelled over from Northern Ireland especially for the show to see the ram’s success.

There’s a new name on the Craven Dairy Auction trophy following a first championship win by the Grattan farming family at the second July show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart.

The Grattans, who farm at Warsill Hall, Warsill, Harrogate, took the title with a home-bred Holstein Friesian pedigree heifer, newly-calven 10 days before the show and giving 28 litres and was later purchased for £1480 – one of the highest prices achieved since monthly Craven Dairy Auctions were reintroduced at the beginning of 2005 - by Aubrey Greenhalgh, Preston.

It was showtime again at Skipton Auction Mart yesterday when 34 dairy cattle returned to the ring to signal the longed for resumption of normal trading in the wake of foot and mouth.

It proved a glorious homecoming for father-and-son farmers Raymond and Robert Johnson, of Summerfield Farm, Felliscliffe, Harrogate, who landed the Craven Dairy Auction championship for a record fifth time.

The Johnsons also set a new record price in modern times when their newly-calven pedigree Holstein Friesian heifer, giving seven gallons, sold for £1600 to HA Bradley & Son, Booth House, Salterforth. The Bradleys also received a £60 cash prize from Farmers & Mercantile Insurance Brokers, Boroughbridge.

Green market trading resumed at Skipton Auction Mart last Thursday, with a notable coup for local father-and-son farmers Alex and Nathan Wade, whose 50-strong pen of mule wethers landed the rearranged annual seasonal store lambs show championship for the third year in succession - and the fifth time in total.

The Wades, of Gill Bottom Farm, Bradley, retained the Stephen Foster Memorial Trophy, presented by show judge Tony England, of South Molton, Devon, then saw their charges sell for £31 per head to Paul Watson, of Hellifield, a familiar face at Skipton.

Runner-up in the mules show was Dennis Gott, of Cowling, his charges selling for £29.80 each, with the third prize winners from Coverhead Farm, Leyburn, selling at £27.20 per head.

Christmas came early for north of England dairy farmers when yet another new top price record of £2050 occured at the monthly Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart.

Robert Phillip, Hellifield, secured his third Craven Dairy Auction championship success with a home-bred newly-calven pedigree Holstein Friesian heifer giving 30kg by Comestar Stormatic.

Judged champion by Garstang dairy farmer Jimmy Hull, the victor established a new mart record price when bought by Andrew Bradley, Ryedale, to further boost his 230-head commercial herd.

A day of double deals produced a cracking Christmas fatstock show at Skipton Auction Mart where a local retailer Keelham Hall Farm Shop scooped up a cache of champions netting vendors over £4150.

First for Keelham brother and sister partnership James and Victoria Robertshaw was the supreme beef champion from Keith Downs of Milner Field, Bingley – a 590kg Limousin-cross heifer that made 340p/kg (£2003).

And it was soon to be a double deal as the retailers returned to the ringside to snap up Mr Downs’ reserve champion – this time a 540kg Limousin bullock that made 260p/kg (£1404).

The farm shop’s ethos is to source locally through markets and thereby support local producers, explained Victoria Robertshaw. “In this way we can ensure total quality and traceability; these animals will now be prepared for our custromers’ 2007 Christmas tables.”

Completing the trio or transaction Keelham then took Nick Dalby’s champion pen of five Beltex-cross prime lambs weighing 42kg apiece that made £150/head.

Yorkshire Dales Swaledale sheep supremo Roy Nelson retained the title for the fourth year in succession at the 2008 annual show and sale of Swaledale prime lambs at Skipton Auction Mart.

Roy, who trades as C Nelson and Sons at Lainger Farm, Bordley, struck yet again with a pen of ten hoggs, chosen as champions by James Dewhirst, Lothersdale, who followed up his judgement at the ringside when purchasing the 59kg victors for £57.80 a head on behalf of Skipton-based Stanforths Butchers.

Selling prices were notably higher than the corresponding fixture last year, with regular Skipton buyer Paul Watson, of Hellifield, snapping up all other prize winners in both the Swaledales and other horned lambs show classes.

The opening Skipton Spring sale of ewes with lambs at foot saw a top price of £85 achieved for a pen of broken-mouthed Mule ewes with twins from Michael Dudgdale, of Giggleswick, sold to Keith Downs, Bingley. Texel ewes with twins sold to £82.

A two-month-old Belgian Blue bull calf from Geoff and Margaret Booth, of Lower Dowshaw Farm, Lothersdale, was champion at the annual Craven Farmers’ Spring calf show at Skipton Auction Mart.

The victor sold locally for £295 to Ian Ibbotson, of Oakworth, with the reserve champion, a Limousin heifer calf from Frank Spence, of Sutton, knocked down for £220 to Tony Binns, of Clint, Harrogate.

A 21-month-old Limousin bull from Peter Goldsbrough, Manor House Farm, Northallerton, was supreme champion at the annual multi-breeds show and sale of pedigree beef breeding cattle at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, May 21)

By Oxygen, a member of Christine Williams' Shropshire-based Wilodge herd, out of a home-bred cow the title winner sold for 1,200 guineas to J&E Medcalf, Sicklinghall.

The show of breeding bulls and females again offered significant appeal for pedigree, commercial, beef and dairy herds. Judge was well-known West Yorkshire Limousin breeder Steven Priestley, Bradford, whose Brontemoor herd had been responsible for the champion at the previous three annual fixtures.