HUSBAND and wife Stephen and Tracey Fawcett and their 25-year-old daughter, Samantha, are Craven Cattle Marts’ Farmers of the Year for 2014.

The Fawcetts, who farm at Fold House, Drebley, first won the breeding and store cattle section category of the awards – they had multiple prizes in the cattle show arena, notably with their young bulls - before landing the overall title in CCM’s annual awards scheme.

It recognises the contribution of regular vendors at Skipton Auction Mart and honours a champion among them. Points are awarded for both prize winners at livestock shows and highest priced stock in several categories at weekly sales throughout the year.

Stephen was originally in partnership with his parents Ken and Heather Fawcett, and his brother John at Dale Head Farm, Barden. Mr and Mrs Fawcett Snr have farmed at Dale Head for some 50 years, with John and his own family now at the helm.

The Fawcetts set up in their own right three years ago and have since established a firm footing. They farm 260 acres at Fold House Farm and another 300 acres at White House Farm, Skyreholme, as well as holding grazing rights on Barden Moor.

The family currently has 46 suckler cows, mainly spring-calving British Blue-cross and Limousin-cross, along with two pure British Blue bulls. They also have 700 breeding sheep, predominantly Swaledale, Mule and Blue Faced Leicester.

While the Fawcetts have been regular prizewinners with their sheep at Skipton, their young bulls show class victor at the 2014 New Year opener was their first major show cattle success, though they have since repeated that achievement several times over at the mart.

“We’ve had a really good year in both the sheep and cattle rings. Skipton is our local auction mart and we always try to produce and sell top-quality livestock, including Mule gimmer lambs every year, along with some first-rate store cattle,” said Stephen.

“It’s with a great sense of achievement that we continue to do consistently well there and to become overall Farmers of the Year is fantastic, as there are some tremendous farming families out there who trade at CCM. It’s a real honour for us.”

The couple have three children, twins Samantha, who plays an integral part in running the family farm, and Ben, who works for Andrew Stapleton Agricultural Contractors in Hellifield, along with 21-year-old Matthew, who has qualified in architectural technology, but is currently taking two years out to travel the world.

CCM Dairy Farmers of the Year are the Lawson family – husband and wife David and Claire and their children Matthew and Suzy - who run their top-performing Newbirks pedigree Holstein herd at Mill Farm, Arthington.

They again dominated the dairy show arena with some first-rate newly calven heifers, picking up no less than eight championship successes during the course of the year, along with presenting other reserve champions and prize winners.

Prime Lamb Farmers of the Year are Tosside’s Trevor and Clive Robinson, who secured plentiful honours with their predominantly Beltex-cross pens, while Prime Cattle Farmer of the Year with multiple championship wins and other successes is Silsden Moor’s Simon Bennett.

The Store and Breeding Sheep title fell for the second year running to North Craven father and son David and Robin Booth, who trade as WA and A Booth in Feizor, and who, among other successes, clinched three of the four titles up for grabs at the two big NEMSA ewe lamb highlights in September.