UK - Skipton Calf Prices Peak at £445

A British Blue-cross bull calf from John Rushton, of Gubbs Hill Farm, Elslack, secured a second championship success for the breeder at the monthly rearing calf show at Skipton Auction Mart.

 

 

(Mon, July 23)

His three-weeks-old youngster, by the Cogent sire Brindley Ecstasy, the highest performing British Blue bull of 2010, out of a Holstein Friesian second calver, sold for the second top call of the day at £420 to Derek Taylor, of Burton Leonard, Harrogate.

Mr Rushton also presented the third prize winner in the same class, sold for £405, along with the second prize British Blue-cross heifer calf, which made £280.

Prices peaked at £445 for the first prize Limousin-cross bull calf from Calderdale’s Stephen Hitchen, of Ludendenfoot, knocked down to Andrew Greenwood, of Kirk Hammerton, York.

 

The same exhibitor also achieved top prices in two of the heifer calf classes with a British Blue-cross at £405 and a Limousin-cross at £390.

The 119-strong entry attracted a good company of buyers for all classes, with an overall selling average of £225.68 per head.

Richard Spence, of Low Jackfield Farm, Sutton-in-Craven, bidding for his fifth championship success of the year, narrowly missed out when his first prize Limousin-cross bull calf was awarded the reserve championship, selling for £365 to PM, JM & RT Watson, of Sawley.

Mr Spence achieved the same price for his first prize Limousin-cross heifer calf, also presenting the second in class, which sold for £335, along with the £210 first prize black and white bull calf.

The first prize British Blue-cross heifer calf from John Dinsdale, of Barnoldswick, made £380.

 

Ken and Roger Wright, of Airton, presented the first prize other Continental bull calf, a Saler-cross which made £315, while the best of the other Continental heifer calves was the first prize Simmental-cross from Robert Metcalfe, of Brearton, Otley, knocked down for £340.

East coast vendor Edward Hanson, of Skegness, figured prominently among the prizes, including the red rosette-winning native bull calf, a Hereford-cross sold at £255, the second prize Limousin bull calf at £290 and the third prize Limousin heifer calf at £240.

Charolais-cross heifer calves peaked at £285 for an entry from A Gawthorpe, of Bradford, who was also responsible for the top price Aberdeen Angus bull calf at £245.

British Blue-x bull calves averaged £358 and heifer calves £296, with Limousin-x bull calves averaging £347 and heifer calves £303.

There was also a show for stirks, with all the prizes in the Continental-cross classes falling to Limousin-cross entries from John Lund, of Driffield. His bull stirks peaked at £575 and heifers at £560.

The show, judged by Phil Summers, of Clayton, was again sponsored by BOCM Pauls and Midgley Motors.