THE sale judge’s £2,500 bid for his chosen champion topped Gisburn Auction Marts’ pedigree and commercial dairy sale last Thursday, the last of such sales before the coronavirus restrictions kicked in.

Leading the 108-strong entry was a Ladys-Manor Grafeeti sired heifer from Alandrew herd owners G and AE Smith and Sons, of Claughton-on-Brock, Preston.

Grafeeti Doll 2, out of a Sahara Baloo-sired dam, was sold three weeks calved giving 35kg and bought by the judge, William Oldfield, of Gisburn.

For his reserve champion, Mr Oldfield went for Blackburn breeder G.D. Donkin’s Copdon MVP Caron, by the Seagull-Bay sire and out of a home-bred 9,968kg dam with two lactations over 5 per cent fat.

The buyer at £2,400 was B.F. Blezard, Ribchester, Preston who also paid £2,350 for another from the same home and by the same sire, but out of a 10,769kg Baltimor-sired member of the Copdon Flower family.

Also at £2,350 was Smellows Kilt Beauty 12, a second calver from J.D. Taylor and Son, Broughton Skipton. By Go-Farm Zeber and third in class, it gave 9,014kg as a heifer and was sold giving 45kg to Thornton-in-Craven buyers L.D. and M.A. Clarke and Sons. The same buyers took another second calver from Smellows at £2,180, also by Zeber and out of an 11,652kg dam.

A fresh heifer from W.A. and A. Booth’s Feizor herd near Settle made £2,200. Feizor Control W. Dandy was sold giving 32kg but is from a very milky female line, it’s dam having given14,671kg dam in its fourth note. The buyers were N.W. and Mrs J.M. Coulthurst, Goosnargh, Preston.

Mr Blezard was in the bidding again at £2,140 for a three weeks calved, 30kg heifer from Whytil herd owners, J. and M. Singleton and Sons, Goosnargh, Preston. By a home-bred sire, it is out of a 13,087kg dam.

W.E.and O. Blockley and Son, Tarvin, Chester, paid £2,250 for the highest priced non-pedigree, the third prize newly calved heifer from Bargh Brothers, Bracewell,Skipton, while D.A. Wilcock, Blackrod sold his Cogent-bred, first prize non-pedigree heifer at £2,200 to volume buyers J.G. and J.F. Williams, Nantwich.

In all, 10 pedigree newly calved heifers and cows topped the £2,000 mark along with four non-pedigrees, while in-calf heifers were a quality show with a top price of £1,720 for David and Sue Graveston, Bolton-by-Bowland, with others at £1,600 and £1,580.

AVERAGES: Pedigree calved heifers £1,757; pedigree newly calved cows £1,893. Non-pedigree newly calved heifers £1,581; non-pedigree newly calved cows £1,373. Pedigree in-calf heifers £1,425; non-pedigree in-calf heifers £1,501. British Friesian heifers £1,524.

The mart is now restricted to store and prime cattle and sheep sales.