A BUMPER bovine entry approaching 700 head took centre stage at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Autumn Pedigree Day, featuring shows for multi-breed beef breeding cattle, suckled bulls, steer and heifer calves, primarily 2018-born.

This year’s pedigree fixture attracted a much larger turnout of 50 bulls and females and a top call of 1,700gns for a 2015-born Aberdeen-Angus bull, Crook Rise Pendle, from local breeders, John and Judith Garnett in Draughton.

Bred locally by Geoff and Margaret Lawn, of Stirton, the Cobbyhill, Gaffer Gambit son, out of Crook Rise Peggyanna, was only offered for sale by the Garnetts because he already has plenty of daughters in the herd. Somewhat aptly, Pendle found pastures new in Pendleton, a village in the Ribble Valley, when claimed by the Whitwell farming family.

The next highest price of 1,650gns fell to a home-bred 2017 Limousin bull from Red Rose breeder Paul Fletcher, who runs his Siddall Limousin herd at Top O’Th Hill Farm, Birch, Heywood, and is a regular exhibitor at Skipton’s Spring and Autumn pedigree events. The Siddall Drew son, Siddall Nelly, joined GCL Stephenson, of Mansergh, Kirkby Lonsdale.

Selling at 1,500gns was another Limousin bull from P Varley, of Queensbury. Queenshead Neverland, a 2017 son of Loosebeare Fantastic, returned to West Yorkshire with J Feather, of Keighley.

Pedigree females saw a very good clearance rate. John Brewer, who trades as WP Brewer and Sons at Lower Core, Bleasdale, near Preston, claimed top price of 1,700gns with Coredale Floss, a 2010 Ronick Viva daughter with her Haltcliffe-sired bull calf at foot.

Floss has since run with Tomschoice Matador, a 4,600gns acquisition by Mr Brewer when reserve champion at Skipton’s main Limousin breed highlight in May last year. The outfit sold locally to Michael and Susan Winchester, of Coniston Cold.

A reduction sale staged on behalf of the Calton herd of pedigree polled Hereford cattle for Simon and Jane Foster was topped at 1,100gns by the 2012-born Jowkin 1 Barbara 13th by Barbern 1 Dejay.

She sold with her Greenyards 1 Dougie-sired bull calf at foot to Lincolnshire buyer Alan Twell, of Donnington. The Fosters have been breeding Herefords for a decade. They also have Charolais and Aberdeen-Angus cattle, the herd currently standing at around 100 head.

Champion in the pedigree show arena was a 2017 Blonde bull from Ken and Anita Jackson’s Stubbswalden herd in Doncaster, though with customers for breeding bulls at premium prices in scarce supply, the victor returned home, as did the first prize female and reserve champion, a 2017 Limousin from the Prietec herd of Terry, Elaine and Mya Priestley in Mewith, Bentham.