THE Critchley beef farming family from Hutton, Preston, clinched their first monthly prime cattle championship of the year at Skipton Auction Mart’s July show and sale with a 607kg Limousin/Blue-x heifer grossing £1,975, 325.5p/kg.

The sale became one of 27 acquisitions among the 33 under 30-month clean cattle forward by regular weekly volume buyer Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers, Bradford. (Wed, July 5)

From the same home, the third prize heifer, a 522kg Limousin-x, made £1,720, 329.5p/kg, when claimed by Croppers Family Butchers, Accrington, run by George Cropper and his daughter Clare Mellin, who farms in her own right with husband John in Long Preston. It figured among a run of five Critchley heifers all selling at 310p/kg hammer price or more.

North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, Masongill, narrowly failed to make it an unprecedented clean sweep of monthly prime cattle titles this year when their first prize bullock took the reserve championship under show judge, Nick Dalby, Darley. The 566kg Limousin-x headed the section by-weight prices at 334.5p/kg, £1,893, when also among the Pearson purchases, with the Smiths selling a second bullock at 323.5p/kg.

The day’s leading per head price of £2,195, 307.5p/kg, once more fell to Hargreaves Farms, Walton-le-Dale, with their second prize bullock, a 714kg Limousin-x again going to Pearsons, three further bullocks from the same home, one the third prize winner, all topping £2,000.

Top price per kilo of 343.5p, £1,745, fell to a 508kg Limousin/Blue-x heifer from Bill Cowperthwaite, Malham Moor, joining Knavesmire Butchers, York. Ben Townsend, Laneshawbridge, sold his second prize 517kg Limousin-x heifer at 342.5p/kg, £1,770, also standing runner-up in the bulls show class with a 646kg Blue-x away at £1,999, 309.5p/kg, by-weight prices here peaking at 310.5p, £1,971, for a 681kg Blonde-x from Mike Thuey, Easingwold. Another retail purchaser of clean cattle was Robertshaws Farm Shop, Thornton, Bradford.

It proved another excellent turnout in terms of numbers as the recently introduced midweek prime cattle fixture really begins to find its feet, attracting vendors across an area stretching from Preston in the west to Easingwold in the east. The overall sale average was a solid 304p/kg, bullocks averaging 298p, heifers 318p and bulls 302p.

The fortnightly cattle sale again attracted a robust turnout of 410 head. Proving particularly popular were 56 breeding cattle, with a very good enquiry for quality young outfits of cows and heifers with calves, producing an overall sale average of £2,065 per outfit.

An annual consignment from Ashfield Farms, Lothersdale, comprising eight Limousin heifers with Limousin calves at foot sold to a top of £3,400 for a super outfit with bull calf at foot. Four other outfits sold above £2,000 up to £2,250, with a consignment average of £2,143.

In addition, a second consignment of six Blue-x heifers with Angus/Blue-x calves from D&M Leeming, Elslack, saw their run top at £2,450 twice to average £2,324. Limousin cows with calves sold to £2,350 from DG Johnson & Son, York, others from this home away at £2,200 and £2,150. E Crosby Ltd, Morley, also made £2,200 of a Limousin cow with calf.

Though shorter on numbers, 25 beef feeding cows were still a sharp trade at a full ringside, producing an overall section average of £1,304 per head, the Wilson family, Malhamdale, taking top call with a £1,890 Beef Shorthorn.

Of the 224 stores, shorter keep cattle remained in good demand and were good to sell. Bullocks were forward in high numbers, with Thomas Harrison, Threshfield, top of the shop on price with home-bred two-year-olds selling to £1,920 for a pair of Aberdeen-Angus, while Andrew Houseman, Darley, took £1,680 for older dairy Blue bullocks. The best of the yearling bullocks were Limousins at £1,520 and £1,500 from Patrick and Thomas Walker, Appletreewick.

In the heifers, Richard Harker, Grayrigg, Kendal, topped at £1,720 with an overage Limousin, with Simon Bennett, Silsden Moor, selling 18-month-old suckler-bred Limousin heifers at £1,660 and £1,600. Coming a shade younger in age, a quintet of May 2022-born Limousin heifers from Jeff Pickles, Ribblehead, made £1,720, £1,700 twice, £1,670 and £1,630.

While a mixed entry in terms of quality and age among the 72 young feeding bulls saw some buyers a tad shy in the face of easing returns both deadweight and liveweight of late, trade still proved sharp for good short to medium keep and smaller longer keep bulls, with an overall average of £1,315 a reflection of a more mixed quality midsummer sale. Prices peaked at £1,750 for an overage Blue bull from DP Moore, Sowerby Bridge.