A GOOD line-up of retail and wholesale customers ensured that the increasing numbers of prime cattle presented each week met a ready trade at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday.

Stanforths Butchers, of Skipton, bought the highest priced p/kg purchase with a 495kg British Blue cross heifer bought from Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, for 261.5p/kg - £1,425 in total.

Highest grossing beast was a 650kg Limousin cross steer from John Sykes, of Farnley Tyas, which made 209.5p/kg and formed one of an impressive list of seven purchases for Keelham Farm Shop for their shops in Skipton and Thornton.

A total of 76 prime cattle were put forward including 15 clean cattle and 61 cast cattle.

Cast cattle have started to come onto the market in quantity, with demand absorbing the higher percentage of lean cattle with only a slight easing of price at this end of the scale.

Cattle with finish were making 5-10 p/kg less on the week but cast cattle do need moving before the traditional easing in demand in November as Christmas trade for clean cattle builds.

The overall average was 94.28p/kg or £594.12, with black and whites selling for up to 142.5p/kg and averaging 90.13p/kg. J Caygill & Partners, from Manor House Farm, Rylstone, sold two black and whites for £998 and £700, with top prices per kg at 142.5 and 108.5.

Limousin crosses made up to 141.5p/kg, averaging 123.67p/kg. DW&CJ Towler of Grindleton sold three for £906, £901, and £753 - or 141.5p/kg, 137.5 p/kg and 125.5p/kg.

* Small bales of hay sold for £2.20 per bale with second crop hay selling for £2 per bale. Small bales of wheat straw went for £2.10 while round bales of barley straw sold for up to £13 per bale.