THERE were plenty of bidders at Craven Cattle Mart’s latest dairy auction on Monday, with both the champion and reserve passing the £2,000 mark.

Judge Colin Whitelock, of Gargrave, opted for the first and second prize newly calven heifers as his champion and reserve, with the title winner’s rosette going to Skipton Auction Mart regular Peter Baul, of Bishop Thornton.

His four-week calved pedigree from the family’s Ravensgate herd, by the Genus dairy sire, Ferdinand, and giving 33kg, was bought by ringside regular Brian Blezard, of Ribchester, for £2,080.

Mr Blezard also liked the look of the reserve champion, a home-bred heifer from Brian and Judith Moorhouse’s Miss America family in their Aireburn pedigree herd at Bell Busk. Two weeks calved and giving 30kg, he paid a sale high of £2,120.

The first prize cow, a 38kg second calver from Stephen and Rachel Coates, of Baildon, attracted the interest of several parties before eventually selling for £1,700 to Aubrey Greenhalgh, of Preston, also a regular ringside buyer at Skipton.

Heifers sold to an average of £1,705, with newly-calven cows averaging £1,325.

The same morning’s weekly sale of rearing calves comprised mostly Continental-cross entries, with 58 of 68-strong turnout having British Blue on the passport. The best of them, an eight-week-old bull calf from Alan Middleton, of the Beamsley-based Hartley family, topped at £410.

The 35 Blue-cross bulls averaged £323 and same way bred heifers £263, these peaking at £360 for an entry from John and Rob Marshall, of Dacre, The overall Continental-cross average was £304.32.

While black and white calves were in short supply they achieved some heady prices, averaging £90.50, with a brace of fleshy bulls from Richard Spence, of Sutton-in-Craven, leading the way at £145 and £140. Native youngsters sold to a top of £180 for an Aberdeen-Angus heifer from the Sowray brothers in Bishop Thornton, the section averaging £146.67.