| 2018-10-12 |    |
Bumper Entry at Skipton Autumn Pedigree Day
A bumper bovine entry approaching 700 head took centre stage at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Autumn Pedigree Day, featuring shows for multi-breed beef breeding cattle, suckled bulls, steer and heifer calves, primarily 2018-born. (Wed, Oct 10)
This year’s pedigree fixture attracted a much larger turnout of 50 bulls and females and a top call of 1,700gns for a 2015-born Aberdeen-Angus bull, Crook Rise Pendle, from local breeders, John and Judith Garnett in Draughton.
The Bamforth family’s Skipton first prize young
bull
pic: Adrian Legge Photography
Bred locally by Geoff and Margaret Lawn, of Stirton, the Cobbyhill, Gaffer Gambit son, out of Crook Rise Peggyanna, was only offered for sale by the Garnetts because he already has plenty of daughters in the herd. Somewhat aptly, Pendle found pastures new in Pendleton, a village in the Ribble Valley, when claimed by the Whitwell farming family.
The next highest price of 1,650gns fell to a home-bred 2017 Limousin bull from Red Rose breeder Paul Fletcher, who runs his Siddall Limousin herd at Top O’Th Hill Farm, Birch, Heywood, and is a regular exhibitor at Skipton’s Spring and Autumn pedigree events. The Siddall Drew son, Siddall Nelly, joined GCL Stephenson, of Mansergh, Kirkby Lonsdale.
Selling at 1,500gns was another Limousin bull from P Varley, of Queensbury. Queenshead Neverland, a 2017 son of Loosebeare Fantastic, returned to West Yorkshire with J Feather, of Keighley.
Pedigree females saw a very good clearance rate. John Brewer, who trades as WP Brewer & Sons at Lower Core, Bleasdale, near Preston, claimed top price of 1,700gns with Coredale Floss, a 2010 Ronick Viva daughter with her Haltcliffe-sired bull calf at foot.
Floss has since run with Tomschoice Matador, a 4,600gns acquisition by Mr Brewer when reserve champion at Skipton’s main Limousin breed highlight in May last year. The outfit sold locally to Michael and Susan Winchester, of Coniston Cold.
A reduction sale staged on behalf of the Calton herd of pedigree polled Hereford cattle for Simon and Jane Foster was topped at 1,100gns by the 2012-born Jowkin 1 Barbara 13th by Barbern 1 Dejay.
She sold with her Greenyards 1 Dougie-sired bull calf at foot to Lincolnshire buyer Alan Twell, of Donnington. The Fosters have been breeding Herefords for a decade. They also have Charolais and Aberdeen-Angus cattle, the herd currently standing at around 100 head.
Champion in the pedigree show arena was a 2017 Blonde bull from Ken and Anita Jackson’s Stubbswalden herd in Doncaster, though with customers for breeding bulls at premium prices in scarce supply, the victor returned home, as did the first prize female and reserve champion, a 2017 Limousin from the Prietec herd of Terry, Elaine and Mya Priestley in Mewith, near Bentham.
A total of 577 feeding cattle were penned for sale at the fortnightly fixture, comprising 75 young bulls, 452 bullocks and heifers and 50 beef feeding cows.
Top price among the feeding cows of £1,200 fell to the show class winner, a home-bred Blonde-cross from John Greenhalgh, of Rugglesmere Farm, Bashall Eaves. Now into double figures age-wise, the loyal servant has produced a calf every year since the age of two.
Mr Greenhalgh also sold a second Charolais-cross cow for £1,090. While trade for genuine feeding types was just a bit harder work, those carrying meat maintained prices in line with recent sales, producing a section average of £707.
Trade for store cattle proved better than anticipated and was up on the fortnight, with more travelled buyers from the Midlands and eastern counties seeking cattle of all ages. Some good runs of stronger cattle found favour at £1,200-£1,300 for the best sorts, with suckled calves and nice younger cattle also exceeding expectations. The best yearling bullocks made £950-£1,050, odd show types a touch more, while some runs of 5 to 6-month-old suckled bullocks topped out around the £800 region.
The show class for 2018-born bullocks was won by father and son, Tim and Michael Longton, of Rooten Brook Farm, Quernmore, Lancaster, who arrived with their annual consignment of 45 Limousin-cross and Charolais-cross bullocks and heifers.
It was a Charolais-cross that received the red rosette, another in the same pen standing third in class, both being by their Charolais stock bull, Stobarts Evasion. Their consignment sold to a top of £940 to the show judge, Andrew Fawcett, of Bishop Thornton, and a solid overall average of £697.78 per head.
The Longtons are household names in the sheep dog trialling world, winning multiple accolades over many years. Tim Longton finished third in this year’s English National with his four-year-old dog, Roy.
Fox Farms in Clitheroe notched up a notable double when sending out both red rosette winners in the 2017-born bullock and heifer show classes. The former was a Blonde-cross sold for £1,340, top price in class, to Rob Matten, of Thirsk, the latter a British Blue-cross at £1,250.
The show class for 2018-born heifers fell to Peter Fawcett, of Long Preston, whose consignment topped at £840, this purchased by Cecil Pullan, of Richmond.
Also catching the eye with second prize wins in both the 2018-born bullock and heifer show classes were George and Pauline Fleetwood, of Mirfiled, who sold their entries to a top of £890 for a bullock.
Store bullocks sold to a Continental-cross average of £944.90, with natives averaging £858. R&K Gemmell, of Bradshaw, Halifax, had the top price pen of three Charolais-cross bullocks, which each made £1,240. Respective store heifer averages were £851 and £707, with Brian Blezard, of Ribchester, responsible for the top price pen of five British Blue-cross, sold for £1,080 each, while Fair Place Farm in Cowling had the top price £1,285 Limousin-cross.
In the young feeding bulls section, 60% of the entry was aged between 5-10 months and 30% 11-12 months. Trade was respectable for 2018 suckled calves, with the youngest and smallest making £700-plus and the strongest at 12 months £1,050 to £1,200.
The 2018 bulls show class was won by the Bamforth family – brothers Kevin and Chris, and one of their sons, Matthew, of Heyknowle Farm, Slaithawaite – with a home-bred January-born Limousin-cross by Lodge Hamlet, out of a British Blue-cross cow. It sold for £1,000 to the judge, Keith Bowes, of Bilbrough, York.
Top price of £1,200 fell to a British Blue-cross bull from Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, with TH&K Wood, of High Birstwith, chipping in with the top price pen of three £1,140 per head Limousin-cross young bulls. Continental-cross averaged £930.20, natives £652.40.
Breeding cattle sold away well, the vast majority into four figures, with a top of £1,550 for British Blue-cross heifer with Blue-cross heifer calf at foot
