VENDORS received prizes for the first time since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening June primestock sales day this week.

The first Monday of each month is traditionally prime show day at Skipton and while vendors were still only able to drop off livestock and no actual judging took place the mart was keen to reward them by reintroducing prizes.

In the prime cattle ring, prizes were awarded for the top gross and per kilo prices achieved and both fell to Limousin-cross heifers consigned by Hargreaves Farms, from Walton-le-Dale in South Ribble.

Top by-weight at 256.5p (£1,398) was a 545kg heifer which returned over the border with regular retail butcher buyer George Cropper Jnr, who claimed two cattle for his Sanderson’s Butchers in Baxenden.

Also heading back to Lancashire was the top gross price, a heavier 610kg heifer claimed by another ringside regular Alan Beecroft at £1,485 (243.5p) for his Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster Leisure Park. He took home a trio.

The highest gross price steer also came from the Hargreaves Farm pen, the 570kg British Blue-cross selling at £1,383 (242.5p/kg) to Halifax wholesalers J&E Medcalf.

James Robertshaw was once again the principal purchaser with a seven-strong haul among another quality turnout of 22 under 30-month cattle, a brace for his own Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, the remainder for Skipton-based Keelham Farm Shop. The latter’s acquisitions included the top price per kilo steer, a Limousin-cross from the Smith family in Masongill at 245.5p/kg (£1,375). Simon Barker also bought three for his mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers.

The 13 cull cows penned for sale maintained recent strong trade, selling to an overall average of £804.98 per head, or 120.22p/kg.

Top gross price of £1,067, or 128.5p/kg, fell to a black and white cow weighing in at 830kg from Lothersdale husband and wife, Geoff and Margaret Booth. The section averaged 116p/kg, though this included a couple of very plain sorts in the low 90s.

Continental-crosses to feed further made 140p/kg-plus, selling to a gross and by-weight high of £1,005, or 143.5p/kg, for a Limousin-cross from T Craddock & Son in Bolton-by-Bowland.

The same morning’s weekly rearing calf sale produced another good trade for the 31 head on offer, with a top of £425 for a British Blue-cross bull from the Hartley family in Beamsley, who also headed the native bull prices with a £325 Aberdeen-Angus.

Blues again saw the best trade of the day, bull calves selling at £360 upwards for the better end and averaging £331, with heifer calves also doing well to average £311, topping at £335 for one from James Wellock in Eshton.

Other Continental-cross youngsters also proved popular, Limousin heifer calves topping at £330 for a heifer from George Fleetwood, of Mirfield, the section averaging £290. Mr Fleetwood also headed the native heifer process with a £200 Angus.

Also catching the eye at £385 was a Charolais-cross bull calf from the Calton-based Fosters. Of the black and whites, British Friesians topped the trade at £200 for a bull calf from Sutton-in-Craven’s Richard Spence.

Rearing calves return this coming Monday and will be immediately followed the fortnightly Craven Dairy Auction, with newly calven milkers continuing to prove in high demand. Among the entry will be two newly calven pedigree heifers from the multi award-winning Aireburn herd in Bell Busk run by Brian and Judith Moorhouse.

One is Aireburn Fedex Aldina, from one of the well-known herd’s top families for type over many generations, the other Aireburn Hesperus Dillys, who comes from a long line of high production long lasting cows. Both cow families have been at the couple’s Hesper Farm for many years.