Top price of £545 achieved at Skipton’s May calf show

Phenomenal trade for rearing calves, with all types of youngsters in solid demand, was seen at CCM Skipton’s May show this week. A high of £545 was achieved – the best individual price for some time. An overall average of £245.19 a head was achieved for the 44-strong turnout, much higher than of late.

Show champion was the first prize British Blue-cross bull calf from Andrew Ogden, of Sandyforth Farm, Cowling. The four-week-old is himself by a former Skipton British Blue champion, Towngate Fly, from West Yorkshire breeders Tim and Lisa Metcalfe, of Town Bottom Farm, Clayton, Bradford.

The bull was purchased by Mr Ogden for 3,600gns (£3,780) at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual multi-breeds show and sale of pedigree beef breeding cattle in May last year.

His title-winning calf sold for £500 to North Linolnshire buyers Nigel and Maria Mason, of Crowle, near Scunthorpe.

The Masons secured a total of five British Blue-cross and Limousin-cross youngsters, among them the third prize Blue bull calf from father and sons Clarence, David and Michael Smith, of Bent Farm, Sutton-in-Craven, at £515, and the top price £365 Limousin-cross bull calf from Town Head Farm Products, of Grassington.

The Smiths, who presented both the champion and reserve champion at Skipton’s Spring rearing calf show, were also responsible for the second prize and reserve champion British Blue-cross bull calf, a Genus son, which went on to hit top price of the day at £545 when joining Derek Taylor, of Burton Leonard, a regular calf buyer at Skipton.

First and second prizes in the British Blue-cross heifer calf class both fell to multiple Skipton rearing calf champions, brothers Shaun and Peter Sowray, of Bishop Thornton.  The red rosette winner achieved top price in class at £435 when also joining Mr Taylor.

Another regular Sutton-in-Craven vendor, Richard Spence, was also prominent when presenting two first prize-winning and top price Continental and native breed bull calves, a Charolais at £505 and a Hereford at £335. The respective buyers were Mr Taylor again and Huddersfield’s Ken Hall.

The overall British Blue average was £434 for bull calves and £335 for heifer calves. Limousin-cross calves also sold well, with heifers peaking at £430 for an entry from JW Stockdale, of Burnsall, which became a further acquisition by Mr Hall. Limousin heifer calves averaged £330 and bull calves £269.

Black and white calves sold to a top of £175 for a bull from WA Brown, of Earby, which joined David Grassam in Stockeld Park, Wetherby.