By Robin Moule

Top call of £1500 for an aged ram and joint highs of £1100 for shearling rams were recorded at CCM Skipton’s annual evening show and sale of registered Swaledale rams.

Best on price was the runner-up in its show class from joint owners David Charnley, Litton, and John Hirst, Halton Gill. Their 4-shear son of Hawbank Captain, bred locally by the Walker family, Applerteewick, was claimed by Maurice, Cath and Gavin Horsfield, Blacko.

David is a cabinet maker by trade, while John also works as a dry stone waller. Both have been featured in background shots in the popular Channel 5 television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small,’ which is filmed locally in the Dales.

The first prize shearling ram and reserve champion from Cumbrian father and son, Wilf and Stuart Buckle, South Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen, was one of the £1100 duo. By a David Harker, Overthwaite tup – the dam was sired by a ram from Pendle's Richard Hargreaves – the overall reserve joined Anthony and Heather Hewetson, Bank Newton.

With their sole entry, the Chapman family, Skyreholme, consigned the second £1100 shearling ram, by a Rob Tennant, Tennant Gill, Conistone-with-Kilnsey, tup. It went to Nidderdale with Paul Newbould, A Newbould & Son, Dallowgill.

Three further aged rams achieved four-figure sales, a 3-shear at £1300, yet again by a Grayrigg sire, from D Alpe, Whitewell, Clitheroe, followed by another 2-shear at £1200 from the Smith family, Carleton, again falling to Paul Newbould. Hitting £1000 were the Mason family, Oddcares, Embsay, with a further 3-shear aged ram by another tup from the Appletreewick Walkers.

Young co-judges, Bishopdale’s Will Tiplady, 23, of Walden, and Swaledale’s James Metcalfe, 21, Usha Gap, awarded the championship to the first prize aged ram from R&E Cowperthwaite - Robert and Lindsey, and their son Sam –Stockdale Farm, above Settle. Their 2-shear, by a Richard Harker, Grayrigg Hall, tup – the dam was also sired by a Grayrigg ram - sold at £900 to V Verity & Son, West End.

The Cowperthwaites, who run a flock of 500 pure Swaledales, plus 400 more that go to the Bluefaced Leicester ram to produce the all-purpose North of England Mule, also stood third in the shearling ram show class with one by another Grayrigg tup selling at £600.

The third prize aged ram, a 4-shear by a Chapman Skyreholme tup from the Appletreewick Walkers - Patrick, Janet and son Thomas – made £800, the second prize shearling ram from Roy Nelson, Bordley, this by a Buckle tup, £600.

The best conformation ram came from Taylor Bros, of Tosside, their 4-shear by a Bank House tup selling for £400.

The fixture attracted a turnout of 61 registered rams, the vast majority finding new homes, which represented an improved clearance rate on the year. While buyers came from far and wide, strong local support was noticeable, with many hill farms instilled with confidence after successful sales of Mule gimmer lambs, Swaledale ewes and Bluefaced Leicester tups.

Averages also saw an uplift, shearlings levelling at £455 (2023 £383) and aged rams £470 (2023 £359).

Meanwhile, annual Autumn highlights for pedigree breeding cattle and 2023 and 2024-born suckled bull, steer and heifer calves formed part of the latest midweek fixture.

The pedigree sale was topped at 2500gns by David Preston, Sannat herd, Stainforth, with Sannat Edward, a 20-month-old Aberdeen Angus bull by Hollyhowe Evito Sam, bred from Sannat Emily, going to the Gawthorpe family, Bradford, for use in their dairy herd.

Liam Horsfall, Westroyd Limousin herd, Luddendenfoot, presented two March, 2023, Claragh Neymar sons, out of home-bred cows, his two entries comfortably sold to local buyers at 2450gns and 2350gns.

Herefords saw Steve Walker, Hoghton View herd, near Preston – he hails from the well-known Walker family in Dunsop Bridge - sell his February, 2022 bull, Hoghton View 1 Ambition, for 1450gns, while two same way-bred heifers from the Carr Bridge Farm Hereford herd, Hambleton, made 720gns each.

The suckled calf show, judged by Jack Kitching, Kirby Sigston, Northallerton, saw yearling heifers sell to a high of £1560 from Ken Fawcett, Dale Head, Barden, for the first prize Limousin, the second and third prize winners from the same home, also Limousin, making £1500, again section top, and £1480.

The show class for older 2023-born steer and heifers was won by J Lord, Rochdale, plenty of his steers selling at £1400-£1550, heifers from the same home at similar prices.