THE annual ‘Craven Native Day’ cattle fixture at Skipton Auction Mart produced a top call of 2,400gns for a native of the Yorkshire Dales, Johnnie Horner, who runs the Redmire pedigree Aberdeen-Angus herd at the farm of the same name in Buckden and was making his first-ever appearance in the breed show and sale arena. (Wed, May 3)

Johnnie hit top call with his April, 2021, bull, Redmire Enoch, a son of Airedale Rosenthal, bred locally in Kildwick by father and son, David and Josh Isherwood, and in-calf to Airedale Eliza, a Weeton Lord Horatio daughter acquired at an annual production staged by the award-winning South Craven herd at Skipton several years ago. Shown in hard condition, the ready for work bull will now do just that in Nidderdale with Eric Marshall and family, Summerbridge.

With total clearance of all four Redmire bulls entered – three of which made a clean sweep of the prizes in the un-haltered bull show class - it proved a highly successful debut for the young, up-and-coming Angus breeder, who established his herd when acquiring a trio of cows with heifer calves at foot, all again in-calf, at the high-profile dispersal sale for Henry Rowntree’s Gisburn-based Ribble herd staged at Skipton in September, 2018.

One of them, the Blelack Lord Hancock daughter, Ribble Nereid, is the dam of Redmire Nimbus, a May, 2020, son of Crook Rise Ever Flodden, also bred locally by Skipton’s Alistair Lawn, though hired for the job in hand during Johnnie’s first year in the Angus sector from his subsequent York area owner, Peter Turnbull, Coxwold. Nimbus, the first lot into the sale ring, went under the hammer at 2,100gns, going to Wensleydale with R Wood & Son, Aysgarth.

The two other April, 2021, Redmire bulls both made 1,900gns. First up was Redmire Errol, out of another Isherwood dam, Airedale Ellie, again purchased in-calf at the Skipton production sale to the home-bred Airedale Lord Sinden, a Weeton Ephos son. The buyers were Queensbury dairy farmers P&RM Sutcliffe.

The second 1,900gns bull, Redmire Pablo, is out of the Weeton Endeavour daughter, Ribble Pride, also purchased in-calf at the Skipton dispersal sale to Mossie Mire Neverend, a bull again hired from Peter Turnbull during Johnnie’s second year when he was still to acquire his own sire. Pablo joined D Hare, Tong, Bradford.

A production sale of pedigree Angus females was also staged for Josh Dowbiggin, formerly of the Wincham herd, but now operating under the Ghyll Beck prefix since moving to Salterforth in nearby Pendle last year. The four on offer were his last remaining Wincham females, all first daughters of foundation females.

Doing best on price at 1,800gns was Wincham Naomi, a September, 2021, daughter of the Cheshire-bred Quaker Hill Dead Centre. Possessing a total of 10 EBVs in the top 10% of the breed, she sold empty to G, Raper, Thorne, Doncaster. The other three Dowbiggin females made 1,750gns, 1,500gns and 1,100gns.

From Ryedale, Richard Gratton, who runs the Angus herd of the same name in Kirby Misperton, made 1,400gns with his sole entry, the May, 2020, bull, Yearsley Royal Ludgan, acquired as a calf at foot at a reduction sale last November for Adrian and Penny Johnson. The McCormick Pathfinder son returned to the Johnsons, who farm near Brandsby, Hambleton.

Angus bulls averaged £2,037 and Angus heifers £1,614. Both the Craven Native Day champion and reserve, a 2022 Angus bull from Skipton’s Alistair Lawn, and 2021 Hereford bull from Stephen Tate, Blackwood herd, Easingwold, will no doubt find future opportunities in sale ring when unsold.

Commercial native store cattle were also on offer. Angus heifers sold to £1,235 from Ryan and Alison Clegg, Clitheroe, for 20-month-old entries, with 13-month-old heifers from David Barker, Otley, each making £1,200 for a pen of five. Belted Galloway bulls sold to £500 from R Middleton, Blackburn, heifers from the same vendor also making £490. Native store heifers averaged £1,098.

Meanwhile, this week has seen Skipton’s annual pedigree beef season continue with the prestigious Craven Limousin double header, Tuesday’s show-only Northern Limousin Extravaganza for 2022-born breed youngsters, followed yesterday by the premier breed highlight, the Spring show and sale of Limousin bulls and females, which attracted a catalogue entry of almost 100 head. Reports and pictures on both will appear in next week’s Herald and online.