BEEF cattle farmer James Drake, of Carla Beck Farm, Carleton, was both champion and reserve at the April prime cattle show at Skipton Auction Mart. While Mr Drake is a regular prize winner at the mart, it was his first-ever title win, achieved with his first prize 510kg British Blue-cross bullock, which sold for £1,242, or 243.5p/kg, to D and A Gregory and Sons Butchers in Bacup.

His reserve champion was the second prize bullock, another Blue-cross weighing in at 540kg. It fell for the joint top gross price of £1,364, or 252.5p/kg, with Mr Drake also selling a further Blue-cross bullock at exactly the same price. Both joined Skipton buyer Keelham Farm Shop.

Mr Drake was also responsible for the second prize 480kg heifer, another Blue-cross, knocked down at £1,202, or 250.5p/kg, again to D and A Gregory and Sons Butchers, who made it a hat-trick of acquisitions when paying £1,310, or 259.5p/kg, the day’s by-weight top, for the first prize 505kg British Blue-cross heifer from Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge.

Baldersby Park’s Malcolm Metcalfe was responsible for the third prize bullock, a 505kg Limousin-cross which became another Keelham buy at £1,240, or 245.5p/kg.

Champion in a standalone show for cull cows was Brian Lund, of Walshaw Farm, Walshaw, with his red rosette-winning beefer, a pure-bred five-year-old 685kg. She made £942, or 137.5p/kg, the leading by-weight price.

Standing reserve cull cow champion was the second prize beef-bred cow, a Blonde-cross from Joe and Helen Drinkall, of Anglezarke, Chorley, which made £923, or 126.5p/kg. The same vendors also presented the third prize winner, a Limousin-cross sold at £852, or 104.5p/kg.

In the dairy-bred cull cow show class, the red rosette winner, an Ayrshire from David Berry, of Thornton-in-Craven, made £713, or 94.5p/kg, with the runner-up, a black and white from Malcolm Gratton, of Ripley, selling at £688, or 107.5p/kg.

However, it was the third prize winner, another black and white from Jim and Jonathan Caygill, of Rylstone, that achieved top gross price in class when selling at £872, with a by-weight high of 127.5p/kg, or £816, for a black and white from the Abbott brothers in Dacre.

The day’s top gross price of £982, or 127.5p/kg, fell to a Charolais cow from Ted Walker, of Barden.

The overall selling average was £660.58 per head, or 95p/kg.