Recently in Skipton Market Category

Topping Monday's dairy sale at Skipton was a  £2300 bid for a fresh calved heifer from Malcolm and Robert Swires, Beckwithshaw. This daughter of Myersdale Principal was sold giving 31 litres a day having taken the championship ticket on the day. She was bought by Geoff Bleazard, Ribchester.

Then at £2000 was another fresh calved heifer from Stephen Coates, Baildon. This one sold to Shaun Sowray, Harrogate.

And at £1980 was a heifer from Edward Fort, Silsden which sold to Aubrey Greenhalgh, Preston. Selling for 31860 was another from the Swires which joined T and M Green, Wigan.

In the first of the mart's monthly calf shows on the same day top price of £388 was given for a Limousin cross bull calf from D and P Spence and Sons, Silsden Moor. Another Limousin cross then made £385 for Paul and Janet Bolland, Airton.

Making £365 was the champion from the show a British Blue cross bull calf from Peter Sowray.

Last Wednesday's sale of show potential calves at Skipton saw prices reach a high spot of £2100 - a new centre record - for the overall champion, a seven month old British Blue x Limousin heifer from Chris Askrigg, Manor Farm, Cray. This one is by the herd's stock bull Almeley Sweep, bred by Graham Morgan.

The champion then went on to sell the show judge Richard Priestley, Denholme, Bradford. Mr Priestley then also bought the second highest priced lot of the day, a seven month old pure British Blue heifer from J C Walker and Son, Dunsop Bridge, Clitheroe.

Messrs Walker also sold the first prize bullock from the British Blue class to Geoff Burrow, Kirkby Mallam, at £1100. First prize heifer from the Limousin class from E and M Townley and Son, Clapham, sold for £1100 to TWH Farming, South Yorkshire.

Keith Downs, Milner Field, Bingley, took the top honours at Skipton's annual Christmas Show and Sale, with his British Blue cross steer which weighed in at 499kg, taking the the silverware. This one later sold to Keelham Hall Farm Shop at 419.5p/kg.

Reserve spot went to Willie Timms, Goole, with his British Blue cross heifer. This one sold at 369.5p/kg to Tim and Lisa Metcalfe for further breeding.

Taking the lamb title was James Garth, Clapham. These were a pen of three 39kg Beltex crosses which sold for £420/head to butcher Richard Bamford of Calderdale.

Reserve championship honours in the lambs went to Martin and Val Brown, Bedale, with their 50kg Beltex crosses. They sold at £200/head to Mike Allen, Whitby.

And the pig title went to Kelly Armitage with an 86kg pen of Pietrain crosses which sold at £151/head.

Hampshire Down trade peaked at 650gns on Saturday for a shearling ram from Barry, Eirlys and Stuart Jones' Maes-Glas flock. This one had previously stood champion in the pre-sale show and sold to Michael Ratcliffe, Kirkby Lonsdale.

Leading the females was a 640gns bid for a shearling ewe from Charles and Sally Horrell, Peterborough. This one, by Melkett Fusilier sold to S and L Sawyer, Tatenhall, Chester. Another from the same home by Pode Hole Cavalier sold at 540gns to Geoff Mountain, Harrogate, while another Fusilier daughter from the Horrells sold at 490gns to R I Barrow, Dunnerdale.

The Jones then sold one at 500gns, this was a daughter of Maes-Glas Jericho which sold to J G E Heseltine and Son, Skipton, while another from them made 460gns. This was a Maes-Glas Marino daughter which was bought by J Galbraith and Son, Kendal.

Topping the ewe lambs at 460gns was one from Tim and Judith Hunter's flock. This was a Parkstock Warrior daughter out of a dam by Redhouse Xanthic. Another two from the same home by the same sire made 390gns and 380gns to the same buyer.

Averages; one aged ewe £273, 14 shearling ewes £405.38, seven ewe lambs £345.45, three rams £514.50 (CCM Marts).

Today's sale of Suffolks at Skipton on behalf of the Northern Counties of England Branch of the Suffolk Sheep Society has peaked at 540gns for the pre-sale show champion from Steven and Louise Buckley's Sitlow flock, Derbyshire.

Their sale leader is a Muiresk Adrenaline sired lamb out of a dam by Perrinpit High Peak. Buying this one was W S Hartle, West Burton, Leyburn.

Next best at 500gns was the reserve champion from the pre-sale show a Hayfield Hesston son from Ian Park, Tyneview. This is out of a Kings Captive-sired dam.

Also at this money was another from the Buckleys, bred from similar lines, also being an Adrenaline son out a High Peak-sired dam, this one was snapped up by R C Robinson, Pannal, Harrogate.

Two then sold at 480gns was one from R C Burnistone and R S Rouse, Ellenthorpe, Boroughbridge. By Whitestone Warrior, their pen topper also sold to Anderson Farms. Also making this figure was a Sitlow Centurion son from John Laing, the new owner of Jonathan Hayward's Flodden flock. This one was also taken by Anderson Farms.

And a trio of entries sold at 470gns the first of which was another from Mr Park, this time a Glenhead Glenlivet which sold to ruth Watson, Cockermouth. Second at this level was one from Mr Laing. This Conveth Kolossos son was purchased by S Walmsley and Partners, Haverah Park, Harrogate.

The final 470gns sale came for the best of the day from John Key, Stocksbridge, Sheffield. His Tomcroft Original son was bought by Margaret Petherbridge, Chipping, Preston.

Topping the females on offer was a 320gns call for Glynis and Jane Soulsby's shearling ewe from their Williamsgill flock, Penrith. This one is by Williamsgill Prince Harry and out of a Cairness Jay Dee-sired dam. She sold to Richard Close, Starbotton.

Averages; ram lambs £411.25, shearling ewes £197.75, £191.63 (Craven Cattle Marts).

Craven Cattle Marts' chairman Michael McKenzie and his wife Carol landed a back-to-back double when exhibiting the champions for the second year running at Skipton Auction Mart's second big annual seasonal store lamb show and sale today.  

The McKenzies, of Blue Scar Farm, Arncliffe, again lifted the Robert Morphet Memorial Trophy for the best pen of 50 Suffolk-cross lambs, knocked down for £61.50 a head, top price in class, to show judge Warwick Gill, of Melton Mowbray, a regular purchaser of both store and Mule gimmer lambs at Skipton.

The McKenzies, who sell virtually all the lambs on their farm at the annual fixture, were also responsible for the second prize pen of Suffolks, acquired at £55 each by Shropshire purchaser Robert Pritchard.

The third prize pen from father-and-son Alan and Robert Metcalfe, of Brearton, Harrogate, made £51 each.

The average selling price of the 4500-plus lambs forward was £47.54 a head, compared to £39.60 at last year's corresponding fixture.

Averages; 1336 Suffolk lambs averaged £49.43, 2675 Texels £47.39, 148 Charollais £47.04 and 383 Mule wethers £42.13 (Craven Cattle Marts).

Dairy trade was strong at Skipton yesterday when a top price of £2120 was paid for the first animal under the hammer, a fresh calved heifer from Stanley Flesher, Addingham. This one was bought by Wick Williams, Natwich Cheshire.

Then at £2100 was the pre-sale show champion from Anthony and James Swires, Townend Farm, Otley. Their champion, a freshly calved daughter of Geno was also snapped up by Mr Williams who was in spending mood, also claiming the reserve champion, another from the Swires at £1980.

Pedigree Jerseys from K N Hurst, Falton, York, also sold well, with a cow making £1080 and a heifer £1020.

Averages; freshly calved heifers £1725; fresh calved cows £1604 (Craven Cattle Markets).

Limousin bulls reached a peak of 4200gns at Skipton on Wednesday when the day's pre-sale champion, Brontemoor Carmen from Stephen Priestley sold to David and Richard Sandham, Calton to be crossed onto British Blue cross cows. Carmen is by Procters Subaru and out of a homebred dam Brontemoor Uhu.

The Priestley family also took the day's second top price of 3300gns when they sold Sultan son Brontemoor Custer. He's out of Brontemoor Rolypoly and sold to David Preston, Stainforth.

At 2800gns was Laverock Bracken from Billy Richardson. This one is by Rocky and sold to Neville Raine, Bowes Moor, Barnard Castle. Next best was another Brontemoor entry, this time Costin, another Sultan son, at 2750gns.

And at 2450gns was the days reserve champion, Oddacres Cavalier from John and Claire Mason, Emsay. By Titan he sold to A and R A Middleton, Cowan Bridge.

Ewes and lambs reached a top price of £192 at Skipton yesterday when Cecil Hutchinson sold a pen of Beltex hoggs with lambs to A Lawson and Son, Tadcaster at that figure. These had earlier stood second in their class in the pre-sale show.

Second top call in the sale came for the first prize pen of Continental hoggs and lambs from John Stapleton, Skipton. These sold for £172/outfit, to D J Jackson, Northwhich.

And at £170 were the champions from the show, Cecil Hutchinson's Mules which sold to John Gate, Northwhich.

Averages; Mule hoggs with singles £135.24, Mule shearlings with twins £161.26.

Texel and Beltex ewes and lambs took the cream of the trade at Wednesday's show and sale at Skipton with Cecil Hutchinson's first prize winning Texel ewes from the pairs class selling for £192/outfit with Beltex cross lambs at foot.

In the pen of five class Mr Hutchinson also took top honours and top price with five ewes with Beltex lambs at foot making £190/unit. Next best price of £180 was given for the second prize entry in the pairs class for Beltex cross ewes with Beltex sired lambs at foot from Michael Allen, Staithes, Whitby.

At £158/outfit Arthur Maude sold the second place pen of five - Mules with Texel lambs at foot - to Andrew Parry, Harrogate.

British Blue sired entries led the prices and the placings at last week's show and sale of young feeding bulls at Skipton.

Taking top honours and the lead price of the day were David and Stephen Hollings, Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge, with their son on Netherwood Vinny out of a homebred cow British Blue x Limousin cow. It later sold for £1040 to the judge Keith Bowes, Bilborough, York.

Second top price of £1030 was paid for the third placed entry from Jimmy Baines, Trawden, while the second placed bull from Martin Lee, Fence, Burnley made £950, also being bought by the judge.

A Holstein Fresian heifer from father and son team, Malcolm and Robert Swires, sold for the joint top price of £2350 at this month's Skipton Auction Mart Craven Dairy Sale.

Giving 26.5 litres, this champion of the pre-sale show, sold to show judge, Martyn Jennings of Lane End Farm, Cowling, who also bought the Swire's February champion.

This top price was shared by a heifer from Peter Baul, Bishop Thornton, Harrogate which sold to John Whittaker, Laneshawbridge.

Mr Baul sold another of his heifers for the next best price of £2050 to Frank Wrathall, Gisburn.

The Swires later sold a freshly calved cow, giving 42 litres for £2000 to Wick Williams, Nantwich, Cheshire.

Averages; Heifers £1582, Cows £1538.

It must have seemed like a case of déjà vu for ringside onlookers at Skipton Auction Mart when yesterday's February Craven Dairy Auction produced exactly the same brother-and-sister finalists as the previous month.

Yet again, it was a home-bred newly calven Holstein Friesian heifer from the Harrogate-based Swires family that collected championship honours, leaving the Simpson clan from Ripon to settle for the reserve championship once more.

Father-and-son farmers Malcolm and Robert Swires - their Whinhill commercial herd is based at Haverah Park, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate - were landing their second Craven Dairy Auction title in consecutive months and their fifth in total.

Their February victor is by Miresdale Sportsman, standing with 2008 UK Dairy Farmer of the Year Geoff Spence, of Brompton, Northallerton. Giving 25 litres, the classy first calver sold for £2420, top price in show, to Martin Jennings, of Lane End Farm, Cowling.

Husband-and-wife dairy farmers Thomas and Elizabeth Simpson - Libby is Robert's sister - of Red House Farm, Ripon, saw their Holstein Friesian second calver chosen as the first prize newly-calven cow, before being awarded the runners-up berth. By Firth Joker and giving 42 litres, it sold for £2320 to Geoff Booth, Lothersdale.

For good measure, the Swires also had the second prize newly calven heifer, a £2020 acquisition by show judge Dennis Clowes, Macclesfield, who also purchased the third prize newly calven heifer from Harry Raw, Eastburn, for £2000.

CCM Dairy Farmer of the Year Robin Jennings, of South Stainley, Harrogate, saw his second prize newly calven cow knocked down for £2150 to regular Cheshire buyer Wick Williams, who also paid £2180 for the third in class, again from Thomas and Elizabeth Simpson.

Best of the in-calf heifers came from Marsden Farms, Oakworth, a £1380 acquisition by David Shuttleworth, Gargrave. TB Moorhouse & Son, Dacre, Harrogate, sold several maiden heifers to a top price of £600, with three December-born Friesian heifer calves from Richard Bowker, Earby, peaking at £370 (av £362).

There were 72 dairy cattle forward, with newly calven heifers averaging £1709 and newly calven cows £1472.

A British Blue "baby" - a budding star of the future in the exhibition arena - was overall victor on Craven Champions Day, the annual show and sale of commercial store cattle with future show potential at Skipton Auction Mart on Wednesday.

The eight-month-old home-bred heifer from J C Walker and Son, Brennand Farm, Dunsop Bridge, Clitheroe, was first chosen as winner of the young handlers class when shown by 14-year-old Robert Walker, on half term holiday from Bowland High School, Grindleton.

 Robert, who is treasurer of Slaidburn Young Farmers Club, then saw his charge - he trained the youngster himself - progress to be chosen as champion in the halter-led classes, before being picked as supreme show champion by judge William Timm, of Court House Farm, Goole.

Mr Timm was returning to Skipton after landing the female and supreme beef championship with a British Blue-cross heifer at Skipton's annual Christmas prime livestock shows in December. It sold for a record-breaking £2912.

The Craven Champions Day title winner, knocked down for £1,650 to Steven Priestley, Hill Top Farm, Denholme, is by the Walkers' own stock bull Ridge Dean Theo, who has twice previously been responsible for champions at the Skipton show, an established early season fixture on the North of England circuit.

The Walker family was also responsible for the top-priced show animal, the first prize British Blue heifer, knocked down for £1800 to a purchaser from Calderdale. 

Prime lambs were first to enter the competition fold, as Skipton Auction Mart staged its opening show of 2009 yesterday - a day which kick-started the New Year in good style, with sheep prices well up on the final sale of last year. 

John and Judy Garnett, of Lane End Farm, Draughton, clinched the inaugural title of 2009 with a pen of five 47kg Beltex  x Texel prime lambs, which made a show-topping £88/head when knocked down to Calderdale purchaser Gerald Medcalfe, Halifax.

 For good measure, the Garnetts also exhibited the second prize pen of 40kg prime lambs, acquired at £75 each by Andrew Atkinson, Harrogate, with the third prize 40kg pen from Thwaite Bros, Airton, making £76 apiece to Nick Dalby, Harrogate.

In a show class for Mules, Ian Mellin, Airton, had the first and second prize pens, both acquired at £64.50 and £67.50 a head respectively by Paul Watson, Hellifield.

With more than 2100 prime lambs and ewes forward, a top price of 204p/kg was achieved by a pen of Texel lambs from Jack Clay, Draughton. The overall average selling price of 161.3p/kg bettered the final sheep sale average in December by over 30p/kg.

Jeremy Eaton, general manager at Skipton Auction Mart, explained: "Prime stock started the year at exceptional prices, partly due to short supply and the value of sterling against the euro for meat exporters."

At the opening Craven Dairy Auction on the same day, Mark Falshaw, Gargrave, sent out the two highest priced entries, a brace of second calver cows that each made £1700.

A fourth calver from Robert Crisp, Calton, sold for £1640, with the best of the newly calven heifers from G P and C Fleetwood, Mirfield, making £1600.

Skipton Auction Mart's annual Christmas prime livestock shows and sales, held for the first time this year on a Sunday were voted an overwhelming success, with lively trading throughout - and phenomenal prices achieved for the individual cattle and lamb champions.

With a ten-strong line-up of butchers' classes in both the cattle and sheep sections, the area's meat men or their buying agents were well represented at the ringside and there was keen bidding in the quest to source the pick of the region's prime beef and lamb for customers' Christmas tables.

The female and supreme beef championship fell to a 14-month-old British Blue-cross heifer from East Coast exhibitor William Timms, of Court House Farm, Goole.

Mr Timms was making a welcome return to Skipton and his 550kg supreme champion, bred locally in Hellifield by David Capstick, and recipient of the Alf Lister Trophy, was purchased for £2,912 (£5.30/kg), top price in show, by Ross Greenwood, who runs Greenwood's Farm Shop in Carleton, near Skipton. A total of 12 cattle were sold by Mr Timms, averaging 217.54p per kilo.

More than 200 sheep were forward at the Beltex Sheep Society annual production show and sale.

Robust trading highlighted increasing popularity for the breed, with a top price of 1500gns being made for a shearling ram from Thomas Hunter, Filey. Skelton Whin Live Wire, by Brickrow Johnny Boy, was aquired by R N Mees, Stafford.

Twin brothers Richard and David Findlay also went head to head for championship honours at the Beltex Sheep Societies eight annual production show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart.

However, it was Richard Findlay, Whitby who took both females and supreme championship with a shearling ewe, with David settling for reserve supreme honours with a shearling ram, the male champion.

The shearling ewe was daughter of the Irish import Burnside Jethro, the Findlay twins' stock tup, selling for 1250gns to I Wilson, Kendal. The reserve supreme from David Findlay sold for 800gns to local buyer Harry raw, Eastburn.

Also making good prices was Brian Breaks, Clitheroe, with his second prize gimmer shearling selling for 1100gns to J D Holden, Haslingden. Also hitting the four figures was Cecil Hutchinson second prize ram lamb selling for 1000gns to Scottish Beltex club chairman, Donald Douglass, Inverness.

Well-supported opening September shows for prime cattle and lambs at Skipton Auction Mart saw all three champions purchased by West Yorkshire butchers on Monday.

A 13-month-old British Blue-cross youngster from Red Rose breeder Jimmy Baines, of Trawden, was pick of the prime cattle, selling for the top price in show at £1079 (208p/kg) to Nick Dalby, on behalf of James and Victoria Robertshaw, of Keelham Hall Farm Shop at Thornton, Bradford.

On a day when 3634 prime lambs passed through the ring - the best entry of the year to date - North Craven sheep farmer Richard Frankland, of New Hall Farm, Rathmell, won his third prime lambs championship in as many months. 

His pen of five 40kg Beltex cross lambs sold for show-topping price of £88 per head (220p/kg) to show judge Mick Etherington, buying on behalf of Mark Spauls Butchers, for his two shops in Main Street, Burley-in-Wharfedale, and The Parade, Cottingley.

In addition, there was a special show and sale of Masham prime lambs of behalf of Masham Sheep Breeders Association, which, like the prime cattle show, was also judged by Mr Etherington, who awarded championship honours to David Verity, of W and R Verity, of Grange Farm, Bouthwaite, Ramsgill.

It was the second year in succession that the Verity family had sent out the title winners, with their pen of five 49kg lambs again purchased by Mr Etheringtron for £74 each on behalf of John Kearns Butchers, Market Square, Shipley. 

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.

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.