By Robin Moule

The annual festive show season at CCM Skipton began with the Christmas rearing calf highlight, which not only produced the largest entry of the entire year, with 113 dairy-bred youngsters forward, but also some of the year’s top prices, including a 2024 high to date of £640 and a robust overall selling average of £359 per head. (Mon, Nov 25).

Top of the shop on price was the first prize British Blue-x bull calf and overall reserve champion from the dairy-farming Sowray brothers, Bowes Green Farm, Bishop Thornton, who narrowly missed out on a third consecutive Christmas championship after taking top honours in both 2022 and 2023. Shown by Stephen Sowray, the bull joined Andrew Houseman, Darley, the same home also responsible for the £570 top prize Charolais bull calf, another prize winner.

A cracking Limousin-x bull claimed a first-ever Skipton calf championship for father and son dairy farmers, Dennis and Steven Clarke, Greystone Plain Farm, Hampsthwaite, Harrogate.

The victor’s sire, a breeding bull acquired at around 14-months-old at CCM’s annual Craven Limousin Day highlight in 2022, is currently the main stock bull with the Holstein Friesian herd, now into its fourth generation and with 110 head currently in-milk. The title winner, tapped out by Bedale show judge Katie Grainger, clearly impressed her as she later bought the youngster for second top £600. A Clarke Limousin-x heifer calf also made £405.

Trade was strong across all classes, notably among the Blues, with a trio of bull calves from the Bolland family, Airton, Alan and Emily Middleton, Beamsley Bank, and D Calvert & Son, West Marton, all achieving £595, plenty of five to eight-week-olds selling over £500, with four-week-old bulls regularly £440-£500 for smart goods, the next grade £350-£420. All Blue bulls sold at £310 upwards, 29 head leveling at £481 Blue-x heifer calves sold to £470 again from the West Marton Calverts and Eastby Ayrtons, best-ended heifers making £400-plus, next grade strong framed calves £330-£380, the younger end £270-£330. In total, 35 Blue heifers sold to average £353.

Of the natives, Aberdeen- Angus bulls sold to £405 yet again from the Eastby Ayrtons, plenty of others at three to four-weeks-old away at £290-£345, the younger, plainer end £205-£285. Angus heifers sold to £380 from S&PE Bowker & Sons, Earby, the stronger end claiming £275 upwards, the younger end £185-£260. Hereford-x bulls sold to £310 from ID&JC Briggs, Guiseley, same way bred heifer calves to £280 from the Dean family, Threshfield.

Charolais-x heifers traded to £355 from GD&A Midgley, Luddendenfoot. Black and white bulls sold to £275 from G Hayton & EC Stocks, Bolton Abbey, who also made £575 with an older mid September-born Hereford bull calf. Strong black and rearing calves on dry feed and milk looked well sold at £125-£185, younger white rearing calves at £50-£68.