PRIME cattle champion at Skipton Auction Mart’s November show was the first prize Limousin-cross heifer from Pendle’s Ben Townsend, of Barnside Hall Farm, Laneshawbridge.

Bought from Skipton three months earlier and further improved at home, the 510kg victor fell for the day’s leading by-weight price of 284.5p/kg, or £1,451, to Guy Binns, buying on behalf of his grandfather, Saltaire butcher Dick Binns, whose RC&B Binns shop is in Bingley Road.

Mr Townsend also sold a Blonde-cross heifer for £1,386, or 261.5p/kg, to Paul Ellison, of Ellisons Butchers in Cullingworth, who, like the previous monthly show, made a second acquisition when claiming the third prize 515kg British Blue-cross heifer from Trawden’s Jim Baines for £1,264, or 245.5p/kg.

Mr Baines was also responsible for the first prize 545kg Limousin-cross bullock and reserve champion, knocked down for 235.5p/kg, or £1,283, to Stanforths Butchers in Skipton.

Top per head price of the day at £1,592, or 274.5p/kg, fell to Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite with his second prize heifer, a 580kg home-bred British Blue-cross sold to James Robertshaw, of Keelham Farm Shop, who was again the most prolific buyer on the day with seven acquisitions in total.

Keelham’s other purchases included the second prize bullock, a British Blue-cross from Malcolm Metcalfe, of Baldersby Park, at £1,382, or 242.5p/kg, a Limousin-cross heifer from Simon Bennett, of Silsden Moor, for £1,320, and a Limousin-cross steer from James Drake, of Carleton, at £1,454, or 244.5p/kg. All will return to the food chain via their new shop in Skipton and long-established farm shop in Thornton.

Mr Bennett also turned out the third prize bullock, a Limousin-cross that headed the class per head prices at £1,464, or 218.5p/kg, when joining wholesale butcher Tom Shepherdson, of Marsden, Hudderfield.

A standalone show for cull cattle saw the first prize dairy-bred entry from M Mosley, of Riddlesden, go on to sell for the leading per head price of £939, with the same vendor also claiming second top price of £932 with another dairy-bred.

David and Jill Pennock, of Bolton Abbey, presented the first prize beef-bred entry, a Charolais-cross sold for £921, or 133.5p/kg.

The 56 cast cattle forward met with a sharper trade when selling to an overall average of £608.44 per head, or 90.45p/kg.

Attention now turns to Skipton Auction Mart’s high profile annual Christmas prime shows and sales, on Sunday, November 29.