| 2016-02-08 |    |
Young Bulls in the Spotlight at Skipton
Farming brothers David and Stephen Hollings presented the first prize-winning 10 to 12-month-old young feeding bull at a prize show and sale staged by Skipton Auction Mart as part of the latest fortnightly Wednesday store and breeding cattle fixture. (Feb 3)
The Hollings brothers, of Spinks Hill Farm, Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge, who had also bred the champion at the same week’s monthly prime cattle show, picked up the red rosette with a home-bred youngster by Littlebank Harry, an easy calving British Blue bull acquired at Skipton several years ago from breeder Richard Maudsley, of Rathmell, and now in his third season at their Calderdale holding.
Brothers David, left, and Stephen Hollings with their red rosette-winning Skipton young bull
Out of a Limousin-cross cow, the class victor sold for £1,200 to Bordley’s John Stephenson, though it was the second prize winner, another Blue-cross from local husband and wife Stephen and Tracey Fawcett, and their daughter Samantha, of Fold House, Drebley, that headed both the class and section prices at £1,260 on joining York area farmer and butcher Anthony Swales.
Mr Swales also snapped up the first and second prize winners in the under 10-months show class, both from a strong young bull pen presented by James Huck, of Church Farm, Hubberholme.
The victor, a home-bred Blue-cross bull among the first crop of calves by the Welsh-bred sire, Tanat Herbie, out of a Blonde-cross cow, fell for £1,180, bettered at £1,200 by the runner-up, another Blue-cross.
Mr Swales, who remains a prolific store cattle buyer at Skipton, made a total of 34 acquisitions on the day. All will be further improved on the family’s Haverland Farm in Melbourne, before returning to the food chain at the family-run Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York, for the summer trade. “It will ensure we have some quality meat on sale throughout the summer months,” said Mr Swales.
Third prize winner in the under 10-month class went to Calderdale’s R Holroyd, of Wadsworth, with another Blue-cross knocked down at £1,060 to John Brown, of Sutton, Thirsk, while the top price pen of four Charolais-cross bulls from Blackburn’s David Pawson each made £1,070. Show judge was Rob Matten, of Thirsk.
The 301 young feeding bulls on offer sold to an overall
Continental-cross average of £925 per head, with a native average
of £790. They were among a total turnout of 781 head and while
strong bulls were no dearer on the fortnight, yearling and younger
cattle continued to attract robust prices.
Of the 473 store bullocks and heifers among the mix, the former achieved a four-figure Continental-cross average of £1,025 per head and a native average of £602. Heading the field on price was a pen of four Charolais-cross bullocks from B&LN Dibb, of Dob Park, Otley, which each made £1,200.
The heifer section produced the day’s leading prices, with top call of £1,440 falling to a Limousin-cross from John Hopkinson, of Cowling, bought by Clapham’s Jonathan Townley. Red Rose vendor John Walmsley, of Pleasington, also caught the eye with a strong Limousin pen that sold to a high of £1,350, with further entries making £1,300 three times and £1,200 twice.
The top price pen of four Limousin-cross heifers from John Brewer, of Bleasdale, Chipping, each sold away at £1,130, with the section producing an overall Continental-cross average of £941 per head and a native average of £709.
The handful of breeding cattle on offer sold to a high of £1,080 for an in-calf British Blue from Aimee Beresford, of Halton West, with grazing cows trading to £950 for a Blonde from Long Preston’s Peter Fawcett.
Skipton’s next fortnightly cattle fixture is the high profile ‘Craven Champions’ double-header, which is being staged in a new format for the first time this year, with the annual show of store cattle with show potential taking place from 6pm on Tuesday, February 17. With ten sponsors in place, there is a guaranteed prize fund of £1,100, with the added incentive of an accumulative £230 cash prize for the title winner and £100 for the buyer.
Cattle will then go under the hammer the next day as part of the normal Wednesday sale, with all prize winners sold at 1pm, a set time purpose designed to assist buyers’ attendance. A total entry of up to 900 head is anticipated.
