NORTH Yorkshire dairy farmer Robin Jennings secured his fourth Craven Dairy Auction championship of the year, adding the reserve champion for good measure at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening November show and sale on Monday.

Mr Jennings, who runs the Stainbank pedigree Holstein Friesian herd at Hull House Farm, South Stainley, Ripon, did the double with his first and second prize newly calven heifers, both daughters of the Genus dairy bull, Seagull-Bay Razzle.

The victor, the 18 days-calved 34 litre Stainbank Present 8, sold for top call of £1,950 to regular buyer Mark Goodall, of Tong, Bradford.

The reserve, Stainbank Snowdrop 294, 19 days calved and giving 32 litres, fell for £1,600 to show judge Mike Longster, of Fellbeck, Harrogate.

The third prize heifer from Mark Stapleton, of Addingham Moorside, made £1,380 when joining William Shuttleworth in Rylstone.

Newly calven heifers averaged £1,562.50.

In the newly calven cows show class, it was the second prize winner, a 35 litre second calver from Oakworth’s Sally Wellock, that headed the section prices at £1,920 when selling locally to John Howard in Heslaker, with the red rosette winner from Barden’s Ian Parkinson knocked down for £1,500 to brothers Stephen and Malcolm Abbott, of Dacre.

The section average was £1,710.

The Dickinson family, from Penistone in South Yorkshire, again consigned some healthy young livestock, picking up first and second prizes in the maiden heifers show class and seeing their charges sell to a top of £800 twice and an overall average of £748.

An in-calf heifer from Duncan Holme, of Storiths, made £1,120.

The same morning’s weekly rearing calf sale attracted another solid entry of 94 head.

Continental-cross youngsters again commanded a strong trade and sold to a day’s high of £415 for a British Blue-cross bull calf from Airton’s Paul and Janet Bolland, who also had the top price £290 Blue-cross heifer calf.

The section produced an overall selling average of £240.31.

Native bull calves again sold well, averaging £257 and peaking at £330 for an Aberdeen-Angus from Brian and Judith Moorhouse in Bell Busk, with plenty of Angus bulls making over £300.

The overall native average was £190.28.

Black and white calves were dearer on the week, averaging £53.17 overall, with plenty of straight calves selling between £50 and £90.

Top call of £170 fell to a Friesian bull calf from Richard Spence, of Sutton-in-Craven.