The reserve champion led the trade at the late April Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at CCM Skipton, claiming £2,100 for vendors Paul, Janet and James Bolland, as they continue to successfully disperse their milking herd from Dykelands Farm, Airton.

Fresh only nine days, she was admired ringside as a heifer likely to only improve with a wearing udder and heads to Longridge with Alf Townsend.

If the two other entries from the same home are anything to go by - the first and second prize winners in the cow in milk class, having had five and four calves, and making £1,550 and £1,650 respectively both heading to David Smith, Skipton – Mr Townsend should end up with a quality productive mature cow.

With grass turnout eventually ending a long winter for many, fresh heifers met solid trade, averaging £1,796, with others of note including the champion at £1,950.

Judge Will Shuttleworth, Rylstone, awarded the top prize to Peter Waring for the second successive sale, again making his long trip west from Cherry Burton, Beverley, well worthwhile.

His Winton Adorable Alma, fresh since April 10 and climbing from 25kg, heads home to Beamsley with Alan and Emily Middleton.

The other headliner was an also nine day fresh Applejax heifer from Mark Smith, Winterburn, which made £2,000 to Mark Goodall, Tong.

Trade was particularly strong for the dozen in-calf heifers from the late Ian Hall and family at Northcote Farm, Kilnsey. The Dibb/Hall partnership have sold many animals at Skipton in the last 18 months, which invariably go on to do incredibly well for their new owners and this batch of well-grown strong heifers, in-calf predominantly to the Angus between five and eight months, look sure to be the same.

They topped at £1,800, £1,750 and £1,720, with seven at £1,500 and above and two of the Shuttleworths – the adjudicator and uncle David, Heber Park, Gargrave - buying the majority.  After a run of three successful dairy sales in April the next is scheduled for Monday, May 20.

CCM’s 2024 pedigree beef breeding season continued this week with the annual high profile two-day Limousin breed highlight, with the main show and sale staged yesterday (Wednesday).

It had a catalogue entry of 59 head, comprising 39 bulls, seven in-calf females and 14 maidens from 21 leading breeders across North, West and South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Cumbria and Co. Durham.

Many were making a welcome return, among then last year’s supreme champions, Garrowby Farms in Bugthorpe, York, who clinched a memorable double when also consigning the overall victor at the previous afternoon’s Northern Limousin Extravanganza, the show-only for halter-led pedigree and cross-bred 2023-born youngsters, the majority making their debut in the exhibition arena.

Judging the main Limousin show was Welshman Llyr Hughes, who runs the Pabo pedigree herd in Rhosgoch, Anglesey.