Craven dairy sees £1,920 high for Picston Shaker daughter

Father and son ‘milk men’ Fred and Mark Houseman secured their second Craven Dairy Auction championship in as many months at the opening July show and sale at CCM Skipton.

The Housemans, Burton Top Farm, Burton Leonard, clinched the title with their first prize home-bred newly calven heifer by the Picston Shaker.

Giving 31 litres, the 20 days-calved victor went on to make the day’s top price of £1,920 when joining H Goodall in Tong, Bradford. The Housemans also sold a second newly calved heifer for £1,680 to show judge Frank Wrathall, of Gisburn.

Third in the heifer class was the Stainbank pedigree herd of Robin Jennings in South Stainley with an Abbeyhouse-sired daughter. The Abbeyhouse herd is run by Robin’s cousin Andrew Jennings in nearby Fountains and the seven days-calved yellow rosette winner, producing 32 litres, also fell for £1,620 to Mr Wrathall.

RW and M Walker, of Keighley, achieved £1,750 with a newly calven heifer bought by Baildon’s Stephen Coates.

Like the previous Craven Dairy Auction, Graham Bell, of Sinnington, York, was again responsible for the first and third prize newly calven cows, his red rosette winner heading the class prices at £1,520 when becoming a further H Goodall acquisition.

Dairy cattle were generally cheaper than of late, though the overall quality of the 20-strong entry was not as good as previous sales. Newly calved heifers averaged £1,523 and newly calved cows £1,248.