MORE than 20 heifers and cows sold to £2,000 or more in Gisburn Auction Marts’ Christmas dairy sale.

The 86-strong entry was topped at £2,420 by the day’s reserve champion, a three weeks calved, 32kg un-registered heifer from J.R. and M.J. Moon, Wigglesworth.

Selling at £2,300 was the show champion from B.W. and G. Robinson, Ingleton.

This one-week calved, 25kg pedigree heifer went to regular volume buyers, N.W. and Mrs J.M. Coulthurst, Goosnargh, Preston.

Messrs Coulthurst were in the bidding again at £2,220 for a 37kg un-registered heifer from G. D. Donkin, Copster Green, Blackburn, and paid the same money for a pedigree heifer from A. Lawson and Son, Otley. Again at £2,220, the same buyers claimed a five weeks calved un- registered heifer from Booth Brothers, Wigglesworth, and a similar heifer from D.A. Wilcock, Blackrod.

G. and M.A. Smith, Samlesbury, Preston, also drew £2,220 for a 28kg pedigree heifer which also went home with Messrs Coulthurst.

The in-calf heifer class winner came from A. Calvert and Son, Clitheroe. In-calf to the Limousin for the end of December, it sold at £1,630 to D.W. Shuttleworth, Gargrave.

AVERAGES Pedigree newly calved cows £1,950; pedigree newly calved heifers £1,965; non-pedigree newly calved cows £1,725; non-pedigree newly calved heifers £1,829; cross-bred newly calved cows £1,550, heifers £1,798; in-calf heifers £1,330.

In the beef classes, weighing 520kg, a British Blue sired steer from prime cattle exhibitor Hayley Baines, Horton Green, took the championship in Gisburn Auction Marts Christmas prime cattle show and sale.

The 14 month old steer, picked out firstly as class winner and then overall champion by judge Anthony Swales of Knavesmire Butchers, York, went on to sell at 420p / kg to Blackburn-based butcher Tom Wood, grossing £2,184.

In reserve place was another British Blue, the first prize heifer from John Mellin and Clare Cropper, Long Preston. Crossing the weighbridge at 508kg, it made 380p / kg (£1,930) to Lister Brown, Clitheroe, buying for Halifax Farm Meats, Mount Tabor, Halifax.

The top priced YFC class entry at £1,259 or 244p/ kg was a 516kg Limousin heifer from Ben Nutter, Pendle which was bought by Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop, Lancaster who also paid £1,215 (241p/kg) for a Limousin heifer from R. and E. Cowperthwaite and Son, Stockdale, Settle.

J.C. Nelson and Son, Clapham showed the first prize home-bred entry, a 496kg British Blue heifer which made 248p/kg (£1,230) to Bowland Foods, Preston who also paid £1,260 for Hutton-based R.T. and J. Critchley and Sons’ 474kg British Blue sired second placed entry in the heifer class.

In the young bull classes, the champion and the third prize animals, also British Blues, came from Jeff Boocock and Son, Driffield. The first place, an 18 and a half month old, realised 255p/kg selling to Knavesmire Butchers, who had already picked up several of the higher priced bulls. The Boococks’ 698kg, 18 month old third prize winner made 222p/kg (£1,549) to Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers, Bradford. In second place and weighing 590kg, was a 19 month Limousin sired bull from E. Howard and Son, which sold at 224p /kg (£1,322) to, Bowland Foods.