THERE was another robust turnout of 23 under 30-month prime cattle at Skipton Auction Mart’s weekly Monday sale, with many of the usual vendors and buyers in attendance. (Nov 23)

Top price honours at £1,558, or 257.5p/kg, fell to a Limousin-cross heifer from JW Stockdale & Sons, of Burnsall, bought by Paul Binns for his Oastler butcher’s shop in John Street Market, Bradford.

Silsden Moor’s Simon Bennett had the top price per head bullock, another Limousin-cross, which sold for £1,470 to Stanforths Butchers in Skipton, one of three acquisitions.

A by-weight high of 255.5p/kg was achieved for a further Limousin from Ben Townsend in Laneshawbidge and this fell to Keelham Farm Shop, which continued its weekly buying spree when acquiring nine prime cattle in total.

The 40 cull cows forward met with a trade described as “reasonable in the light of processor concentration on clean cattle at this time of year” when selling to an overall average of £592.87 per head, or 89.27p/kg, with a high of £923 for a black and white from the Abbott brothers in Dacre.

The pick of the beef entries at £893, or 126.5p.kg, was a Limousin from Richard Caton, of Stainforth.

The Monday sale also featured a total of 58 rearing calves.

Church Farm Enterprises, of Burton Leonard, were once again responsible for the top price performer, a £420 British Blue-cross bull calf. They also consigned the £405 top price Blue-cross heifer calf.

Native calf prices were headed by Aberdeen Angus entries from Andrew Ayrton, of Embsay, at £275 for a bull calf and £165 for a heifer calf. The pick of the black and white youngsters was a £110 bull calf from John and Robert Marshall in Dacre.

Continental-cross calves averaged £302.60, natives £200.83 and black and whites £75.29.