THE RT&J Critchley beef farming family, Hutton, stood both champion and reserve at Skipton Auction Mart’s August prime cattle show and sale, following up on the title they also clinched the previous month. (Wed, Aug 2)

Overall victor was their first prize 560kg Limousin-x heifer, again becoming one of multiple purchases by Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers, Bradford, at 305.5p/kg, £1,710, the reserve champion, the first prize and same way bred 567kg bullock doing better at 309.5p/kg, £1,754. The Critchleys also consigned the highest gross price heifer, a 22-month-old 652kg Limousin-x claimed at £1,888 by Robertshaws Farm Shop, Thornton.

Another exceptional turnoutof mainly retail weight cattle helped support the trade against a backdrop of falling deadweight and breaking cattle prices. While heavy cattle saw a continuance of the recent slide, the pick of them at £2,107, 291.5p/kg, was 723kg Limousin-x steer from Hargreaves Farm, Walton-le-Dale, which formed part of the Pearson’s shopping trolley, two other steers from the same home both topping £2,000, four more making £1,950-£1,998.

The best price per kg steer at 318.5p was a 521kg Limousin-x and second prize winner from multiple past champions Francis and Andrew Smith, Masongill, while the top per kilo price of 321.5p (£1,710) for a heifer, also a second prize winner, fell to South Yorkshire vendors, Lea Partners, Worsley, bought by Malhamdale’s Jeff Burrow on behalf of a client.

The 1st prize Blue-x bull from Jonathan Townley, Clapham, made £1,911, 290p/kg. Nick Dalby, Hartwith, again judged, the show classes once more forming part of the fortnightly cattle sale of 360 head.

A decent turnout of 23 beef-bred feeding cows for late summer saw heavier types trade at £1,400-£1,620, an odd best-end cow making £1,680, the section averaging £1,164.

Additional buyers competed ringside for young feeding bulls and while prices for heavy short-keep bulls were back on the fortnight, with £1,600 stopping most at 12 months of age and over, there was still demand for long-keep bulls, the better end under 10 months making £1,270 and those just over 10 months away at £1,290, plus plenty at £1,000-£1,150. Young bulls averaged £1,023.

While close on 250 store cattle were expected to be easier on the fortnight trade remained much better than anticipated, bullocks selling to a Continental-x average of £1,345, native average £1,222 and dairy £1,078, with respective averages for heifers of £1,242, £1,025 and £1,093.

Native cattle in particular met a strong following, with 55 Aberdeen-Angus, 18 Shorthorn and 33 other breeds represented. Thick native Angus bullocks sold to £1,620 from TM Harrison, Threshfield, Shorthorn to £1,570 from J Drinkall, Chorley. Native heifers made to £1,300 for Angus from MR&GP Beresford, Halton West, who also sold dairy Blue heifers to £1,380.

Dairy-bred black and white bullocks sold to £1,330 from JD Taylor & Son, Broughton, dairy Blue bullocks to £1,570 from KM&L Throup, Silsden Moor, dairy Charolais bullocks to £1,650 from WJ Barker, Airton, and Saler bullocks at two-years-old to £1,500 from SW&JE Ryder, Norwood.

Suckler-bred bullocks remained a nice trade, Fairplace Farm, Cowling, best at £1,730 for two-year-old Limousin-x, with suckler-bred beef heifers topping at £1,600 twice from Jeff Pickles, Ribblehead, for Limousin at 16 and 17-months.