THE edge continued to be off clean cattle trade at Skipton Auction Mart, on Monday, though considering 55% of the 20 under 30-month clean cattle weighed over 580kg, a steer average of 244p/kg and 233p/kg for heifers was deemed acceptable.

Having said that, the top prices per kg remained strong at 255.5p for a 585kg Limousin-cross steer from Silsden’s Moor’s Simon Bennett and 260.5p for a 575kg British Blue-cross heifer from ever-present Threshfield beef farming brothers Charles and Richard Kitching.

The former was one of four acquisitions by weekly buyer James Robertshaw, all but one for his own Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, above Bradford, the other for Skipton-based Keelham Farm Shop. Also among his Thornton purchases was the top price heifer, a 595kg Limousin-cross from the Critchley family in Hutton, Preston, at £1,502, or 252.5p/kg.

The leading price by weight heifer fell to Ralph Pearson Butchers, becoming one of 11 weekly purchases for the Bradford-based wholesaler, which also included the top gross price steer, a 635kg Limousin-cross from the Kitchings at £1,584, also top price of the day, or 249.5p/kg. The mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers also bought a brace.

A light entry of 20 cull cows saw cattle with finish in short supply, though trade remained very similar on the week with an overall selling average of 115.57p/kg, or £847.71. The highlight was a young first calved Hereford from Heather Whittaker, of Norwood Green, Halifax, which made 175.5p/kg, or £1,395.

Black and whites sold to £1,052, or 127.5p/kg, for one from Peter Baul, who runs the Ravensgate pedigree dairy herd in Bishop Thornton, and who also stepped up with the £2,300 joint top price fresh heifer at the same morning’s fortnightly Craven Dairy Auction.

It was one of a trio of 30 litre-plus newly calven heifers, all by well-known dairy sires, forward, the other joint top coming from Bell Busk husband and wife regulars, Brian and Judith Moorhouse, the third from Gargrave father and son, John and Mick Blackwell, making £2,180, producing a solid overall average of £2,260. More dairy cattle continue to be required.

Of the 30 dairy-bred rearing calves, British Blue-cross youngsters were again the pick of the trade, peaking at £450 for another well-bred bull from the Hartley family in Beamsley, with Winterburn’s Mark Smith again responsible for the top price £360 heifer calf. Natives sold to £235 for a Hereford bull from the Gargrave Blackwells, black and whites to £80 for another bull from Andrew Ayrton in Eastby.