THE mid-October show and sale of dairy cattle at CCM Skipton Auction Mart on Monday (October 14) attracted a strong crowd for the many classes of quality stock on offer with a total clearance of the 45 cattle forward.

The champion was a widely admired black heifer sired by De-su Hartley from the Bolland family, of Airton, as they complete their herd dispersal. Judged by Alan Middleton - who was also adjudicator for the coloured heifers' class - the two years and two months commercial in-milk heifer which calved three weeks ago and was already at 29kg, won the class of the day for fresh heifers. She created a buzz in the ring and after a flurry of bids was knocked down for £3550 to John Howard, Heslaker Farm, Carleton. The hammer price not only topped the day’s trade but also the current year’s trade.

Robert Crisp, Calton, returned to the ring with the start of his 2024 crop of fresh heifers, bringing four forward and clinching a reserve champion rosette. His heifers topped at £2700 with an average of £2508 and including the second prize milk heifer, 14 days calved and at 30kg.

Eastby farmer Andrew Ayrton, accompanied by his daughter Mollie, put two freshly-calved pedigree heifers forward and took home the third prize rosette for Hawbank Platt Sheri 6, a 26kg Bomaz Platt-sired milk heifer backed by 10 generations VG or EX. She was knocked down to Judge Alan Middleton for £2050 for his Beamsley Bank herd.

The day’s volume consignment came from PS&SP Kershaw, Huddersfield, who sold 19 in-calf cows and eight in-calf heifers, mostly Holstein-Friesian crosses, out of the herd’s Autumn calving block. The batch included many wealthy older cows that still appeared youthful. Two topped at £2050.

The day concluded with a show and sale of eight in-calf Jersey heifers, two from the Knayton herd of PA Crosby, Thirsk, and six from JL Shaw and Son's Greyleys herd at Elvington, York; the latter commanding the winner’s enclosure with first, second and third places.

Top prices and averages: Pedigree in-milk heifers to £2250 (av £1700). Commercial in-milk heifers to £3550 (av £2440). Commercial heifers in-calf to £1350 (av £1234). Commercial cows in-calf to £2050 (av £1442). Jersey in-calf heifers to £1850 (av £1048).