Buyers travel miles for traditional Yorks HFs
Buyers travel miles for traditional Yorks HFs
By Jeremy Hunt
PEDIGREE black-and-white Holstein Friesian cattle of a "traditional" type came under the hammer on one Yorkshire Dales farm last week.
Buyers from as far afield as Berkshire came to the hamlet of Kirkby Malham, Skipton, for Bill and Muriel Blands auction of the milking portion of their Kentmere herd, established in 1966.
Mr Bland is one of five sons of the late Gilpin Bland, a famous Cumberland wrestler. And all five established black-and-white herds in north-west England.
The type of hard-wearing cattle most suited to the harsher dairying conditions of Dales farming were well received, with several of the highest yielders showing yields of over 8000kg. Garsby and Whinhill breeding had been influential and a bull from the Dennisons well-known Denmire Present family had also been used recently.
Top bid was 1550gns paid by G M Harrison and Son buying for their Addleborough herd at Ley-burn, North Yorks. They secured a daughter of Rorae Matt from the Molly famil, that was fresh with her second calf having given over 8300kg as a heifer.
An undisclosed Scottish buyer took the first calf heifer Kentmere Sincere 24th, a Whinhill Lindy daughter at 1500gns, while another by the same sire from the Dewdrop family made 1350gns to G Parker, Emley, Huddersfield.
A second calver by Sunnylodge Linjet also made 1350gns to L C A * Farms, Grantham, Lincs.
All the heifer calves at foot were offered and met a lively trade averaging £300 and selling to a top of 640gns paid by T F Brown, Carnforth, Lancs, for a Startmore Rudolph daughter.
Most active bidders were N D Connors Farms, who claimed 17 head for their herd near Melton Mowbray.
AVERAGES: 61 cows £942, 54 calved heifers £1043 and eight served heifers £792. (Norton and Brooksbank).
Bill Bland among the Kentmere herd at Kirkby Malham, Skipton.