OF the 31 breeding cattle on offer at CCM Skipton’s latest fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale this week some smarter calves on younger cows broke £2000 to go into suckler herds, best on price at £2600, £2400 and £2350 three quality Limousin-x outfits from JG Hall & Son, Gargrave.

Four-figure highs were seen across all sectors, with other nice calves on older cows and some younger native calves on older cows doing well, a British Blue-x and her Blonde heifer calf from making £1850, another Blonde outfit £1680 and an Aberdeen-Angus cow and Blue-x bull calf £1650. The mart says more breeding cattle are entered for the next sale on August 14.

Solid store cattle trade was again witnessed, with 224 bullocks and heifers among a total entry of 323 head. Good native cattle numbers produced a top of £1740 for an Aberdeen-Angus bullock from Paul Drinkall, Gargrave, other strong sorts with flesh making upwards of £1600, lean native steers £1400-£1500, younger 14–15-month-old cattle selling to £1380.

Native heifers sold to £1820 for another Angus from TM Harrison, Theshfield, other native feeding heifers with flesh regularly making £1500-£1560, leaner feeding types £1280-£1400 and grazing heifers to £1100.

Continental steers sold to £1800 for a Limousin-x again from the Gargrave Halls, other suckler-bred steers with frame and flesh away at £1600-£1800, younger retail steers £1450-£1650 and leaner suckler-feeding bullocks £1400- £1550.

Continental heifers traded to £1960, top call among the stores, for another Limousin-x from Roland Carr, Bolton Abbey, other Continental heifers with flesh and frame nicely sold at £1600-£1740, leaner Continental feeding heifers strong at £1300-£1500.

Dairy beef-bred feeding steers sold to £1750 for a Charolais-x from N&J Thwaite, Hellifield, other well framed types regularly making £1480-£1600, the next grade of feeders £1350-£1480. Dairy beef-bred heifers sold at £1450-£1560 for shorter keep sorts for feeding, others with frame making £1300-£1400, longer keep heifers £1150-£1280 and growing heifers £1000- £1120.

Black and white steers were in notable demand, selling to £1350 for a pen of 10 from Williamson Bros, Ulverston, five further pens making £1200-plus. Store Bullocks sold to a Continental-x average of £1424, natives averaging £1328, with respective store heifer averages of £1375 and £1218.

Beef feeding cows keep on coming and a couple of extra grazing buyers ringside kept the spark burning bright on trade. Peter Holt, Loveclough, took top price honours at £2100 with a young Limousin-x-Blue, other stronger shorter keep cows seeing 11 head make £1400-plus, with a trio of these types at £1640, £1620 and £1580 from Keith and Jeanette Marshall, Skipton. Leaner medium meat strong framed cow, or lighter meated sorts made £1200-£1380, just two of the 27 head selling under £1180, all averaging £1380.

A small, but solid turnout of 39 young bulls, primarily strong sorts over 12 months of age, met the usual trade as it becomes harder to keep feeding pens full. Best heavier Continental-x bulls were always nudging £1800-£1960, while medium to long keep bulls were £1350-£1650. The section produced a Continental-x average of £1512, natives averaging £1387.

In addition, two prime cattle from Bill Cowperthwaite, Malham Moor, sold at £1974, £1940, or 343.5p/kg, 340.5p/kg.