A REARING calf leading price of £605, among the highest of the year seen to date, was recorded at CCM Skipton’s late September show and sale, which attracted a good turnout of 72 head of quality dairy-bred youngsters and produced solid trade throughout.

At Monday's (September 23) event,  top call fell to the reserve champion, the second prize British Blue-x calf from Paul and Janet Bolland, and son James, of Dykelands Farm, Airton, who continue to disperse their Holstein dairy herd at Skipton, where they have also picked up multiple tickets, show champions and reserve champions among them.

The top price performer joined regular buyer Robert Foster, Wetherby, who co-judged the show classes alongside another familiar face, Tony Binns, of Clint, Harrogate. Mr Foster also went to £570 to claim the overall champion, the class-winning Blue-x bull from Colin Whitelock, Gargrave, The third prize Blue-x bull from Alan and Emily Middleton, Beamsley Park, made £450, other stronger end Blue-x bulls at 6/8-weeks-old selling at £550 upwards, with one-month-old calves trading either side of £400. The section averaged a solid £470.

Blue-x heifers averaged £369, topping at £550 for a weaned three-and-a-half-month-old from Ian Collins & Partners, Dewsbury, who also headed the native calf selling prices with a £600 Aberdeen-Angus bull, further chipping in with the £370 top price Shorthorn bull calf.

Sowray Bros, Bishop Thornton, stood first and second in the Blue heifer class, selling at £420 and £390 respectively, the Bollands adding to their haul when picking up the third prize rosette, this making £395. Other Blue- heifers regularly made £350-£400, the younger end £250-£320.

A good run of calves came from Ian Wellock, Kirkby Malham, his Charolais-x heifers selling to £355 and Angus heifers to £240, both section highs, with all Angus heifers making £220 and above. Simmental-x bulls sold to £370 from Jonathan Peel, Gisburn, same way breed heifers from the same home to £360, again section tops.

Limousin-x bulls sold to £400 from John Howard Jnr, Carleton, their heifer counterparts to £340 for the first prize winner from the same home. Back with the natives, the Dean family, Threshfield, sold Hereford bulls to £365 and same way bred heifers to £290, while black and white bulls sold to £255 from Sam Chapman, trading as RM Shackleton, Broughton, others at 3/4-weeks-old away at £68-£150.

Meanwhile, in the pedigree sheep arena it’s action all the way, with the annual prize show and sale of Charollais rams and females due to be staged on Tuesday afternoon this week (October 1), followed today (Thursday) by the annual show and sale of registered Lleyn breeding sheep on behalf of the Lleyn Sheep Society, while tomorrow (Friday, October 4) is the annual multi-breeds rams show and sale, then on Saturday (October 5) the Great Annual Show and Sale of Swaledale females, with the evening show and sale of Swaledale rams following on Monday, (October 7).

Reports on all will be featured in the Herald and online.