THE fortnightly sale of young feeding bulls, store cattle and breeding cattle at Skipton Auction Mart saw a good show of young bulls selling to a fast trade.

Strong sorts were keenly contested and younger bulls found a nice following as well with regular customers looking to top sheds up.

Young continental cross bulls fetched an average of £912 with top price going to DM White, of Hebden, with £1,270 for a Limousin cross. AMS Robinson, of Staveley, got top price pens of three or more bulls with £1,130 per head for three Charolais and £950 for another pen of three of the same breed.

In the store cattle section there was a good cross section of ages. Strong bullocks and heifers followed the same line as bulls, with the better end topping at £1,260 with a Blue-sired heifer from Gary Lodge, of Westside House.

Store bullock sold for an average of £987 for continental crosses and natives went for an average of £1,031. JE Sheard, of Huddersfield, got top price for a pen of three or more bullocks, selling four Limousin crosses for £1,130 a head.

Store heifers reached an average of £884 for continental crosses and £688 for natives. JE Sheard again picked up top price for a pen of three or more, selling four British Blue crosses for £1,070 a head.

Breeding cattle were out in force, and buyers turned out from a large area looking for replacements. Top price of £1,700 was achieved on two occasions, first from Richard Caton of Stainforth for a 2010 born Limousin cow with a three-and-half-week-old Charolais bull calf at foot and second for a Limousin cross heifer with a six-week-old British Blue cross heifer consigned by James and Deborah Ogden from Austwick.

Cows with calves at foot averaged £1,219 and heifers with calves averaged £1,430.