Commercial dairy farmers, father and son, Tony and James Swires, from Town End Farm, Stainburn, between Harrogate and Otley, were again to the fore at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening May Craven Dairy Auction show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday.

They followed up on a champion and reserve double at the opening March show with another reserve championship and top price success at the latest renewal with their second prize newly calven 29-litre heifer, by the Cogent sire, Goldfarm, out of a home-bred cow.

Eighteen days-calved, she sold for a price-topping £1,850 to Queensbury’s Richard Sutcliffe, with a second Swires heifer reaching £1,680 when knocked down to Fred and Mike Longster in Fellbeck, Harrogate.

Multiple past Craven Dairy Auction champion Brian Moorhouse, who runs the Aireburn pedigree Holstein herd at Hesper Farm. Bell Busk, picked up another red rosette for the first prize newly calven cow - not as usual with a black and white, but this time around with a red and white Holstein, whose grand dam was a Jersey.

The second calver, by Joshi, from Worldwide Sires, came to market 21 days calved and giving 40 litres.

She headed the class prices at £1,520 when joining brothers Malcolm and Stephen Abbott in Dacre, with the same vendor also selling a newly calven heifer at £1,680, again to the Longsters.

Sally Wellock, who runs the Harehills pedigree dairy herd at West House Farm, Oldfield, was overall champion with her first prize newly calven heifer, Harehills Shusy 719, by the Genus sire, Bassingthorpe Bossman, Calved for 17 days and giving 30 litres, the victor sold for £1,380.

Mark Smith, of Winterburn, saw his home-bred heifer reach £1,650 when again picked up by Richard Sutcliffe. On a day of mixed trade for the 18 head forward, first quality newly calven cows averaged £1,585 and second quality heifers £1,285.

Gisburn’s Frank Wrathall returned as show judge, with National Milk Records again stepping in to sponsor.

At the same day’s weekly rearing calf sale, a stronger entry of 60 youngsters met with a a cracking trade, led at £415 and £410 by British Blue-cross bull calves from Johnny and Simon Moon, of Wigglesworth, while heifer calves topped at £400 for each of three Blue-cross from Fred Houseman, of Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard.

Mr Houseman also headed the native breed entries with a £320 Aberdeen Angus bull calf and a £275 Angus heifer calf. The section average was £256.20.

Black and whites sold well to average £83 each, with Cononley’s James Gooch seeing his eight-week-old bull calves reach £170 and £160.Fortnight-old calves sold from £85 to £100.